Can Boris Johnson get the country to stick to his plans for a Compact Christmas – or has he already blown the comms challenge? What has a year of lockdown and surveillance done to Britain’s liberal instincts? Plus, with the Brexit saga at least reaching the end of the beginning, how can Britain build a robust industrial strategy for the future without just throwing money about? Ed Conway, economics editor at Sky News and Times columnist, is this week’s special guest.

“Whatever happens with Brexit, we’re really going to need our Christmas to deal with what’s coming up next year.” – Ed Conway

“The mixed messages are too much for the public to take. You can’t say ‘go outside’ one day and ‘stay inside’ the next.” – Giles Wilkes

“Everyone wants everyone else to be restricted, but not themselves…” – Cath Haddon

“If these industrial tools for government weren’t a good idea last time, why would they be a good idea this time?” – Giles Wilkes

“Trying to impose policies that nobody is going to follow is a question of realpolitik and I don’t envy anyone making that decision.” – Ed Conway

“Politicians like to point at things and say ‘We should be better at that!’ But they seldom answer the question of how.” – Giles Wilkes

Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and Giles Wilkes. Audio production by Alex Rees

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