Talking Points 20th March

Do you want your politicians to “do god”?
When Tony Blair was British Primeminister his press secretary Alastair Campbell famously interrupted an interview with the PM saying “we don’t do God” but now he is in a different political spotlight Tony Blair is writing in the Spectator to say that religion has never been more important in politics.

On air: Why is the world full of climate change deniers?

We’ve discussed the issue of climate change on many occasions on WHYS and as each month goes by more experts, more reports come out saying that we are approaching a “tipping point” beyond which we will struggle to reverse the effects on the planet. That’s exactly the message coming from scientists at a climate congress in Copenhagen this week.

Yet as the evidence continues to mount – why as individuals and countries are we failing to take significant action?

On air: Should there be a global drug policy now we’ve lost the war?

We are losing the war on drugs in almost every country according to a European Commission report out yesterday. There’s a major international conference in Vienna today to decide how the UN should to tackle the international drugs trade and according to the report the UN’s drug strategy has been a definite failure so far. So why is it so difficult to tackle the international drugs trade?

On air: Is direct action the only way for young people to get noticed?

On Christmas day we’re handing WHYS over to a panel of young listeners from Kenya, Bangladesh, India, Canada, Zimbabwe, Greece and the US.  We gave them the chance to set the agenda and this is what they want to ask you:

How should young voices be heard . .. .and taken seriously?

On air: Does the world need to be saved from homosexuality?

The Pope has said that saving humanity from homosexuality is just as important as saving the rainforest. He said blurring the distinction between male and female roles could lead to the “self-destruction” of the human race.  Not surprisingly, the pope’s comments have been criticised by gay christian groups. But is the pope just voicing what many Christians around the world also believe? Or does this just show how hopelessly out of touch the leader of the Catholic church is?  

Talking Points 27th November

Gunmen have carried out co-ordinated attacks on high-profile locations, including two luxury hotels, across the Indian city of Mumbai, killing over 100 people. Events are still unfolding – you can read live updates on the situation here. But there are reports that foreigners, particularly British and American passport holders, were being singled out by the gunmen. Can terrorism stop tourism and bring a country to its knees? The Indian financial markets were shut after yesterday’s attacks. Are there places you now wouldn’t go on holiday?

Are we too familiar?

Hello pet, love, dearie, bro, duck, Xingan (darling in Mandarin), Habibi/Habibiti (‘my love’ in Arabic), draga (‘my dear’ in Romanian), Khriso mou (‘my treasure’ in greek)….apologies if I’ve just mangled the terms of endearment in your language but do I need to apologise for being over-familiar?

Talking Points 26th November

Hundreds of Thai protestors have taken over Bangkok’s international airport demanding the removal of the current government. The escalating protests have disrupted thousands of passengers from around the world and but have lead to a quick response from army chiefs. Are disruptive protests effective? And are violent protests are justified?

Talking Points for 25th November

A US jury has convicted a prominent muslim charity of funding a terrorist organisation after the Texas-based Holy Land Foundation sent more than $12 million to Hamas. The US government is claiming the guilty verdicts for the ex-leaders of the charity are a victory in the war against terror, but supporters of the charity say the charity was only guilty of helping Palestinians in need.

WHYS at Austin City Limits studio

On Thursday we’re broadcasting from the famous Austin City Limits studio, which has been at the centre of the self-proclaimed “capital of live music” for years (everyone from Fats Domino to Norah Jones has played here). Take a look at our set-up here.