Right here’s a totally automated transcript of this episode:
From London, I am Rochelle Travers, and that is The Commonplace.
It appears just like the UK has been thrust to the entrance of the Western Alliance.
The upheaval in US politics and potential return of Donald Trump to the White Home, in addition to the political turmoil in Germany and France, means Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been propelled into NATO management as a result of UK Labour authorities being seen because the strongest and most secure of the lead European NATO allies.
The Alliance faces an growing risk from Russia.
We’re rising concern that Putin is working alongside China, North Korea, and Iran.
Right here to elucidate what this all means for the UK and the remainder of the world is Robert Fox, The Night Commonplace’s defence editor.
Robert, why is the UK being thrust to the entrance of the Western Alliance?
Due to what is going on in America with the way in which that the presidential race has taken a sudden flip.
And it is raised behind the scenes, the query of future American dedication to NATO and the safety of Europe.
Both manner, there will likely be much less dedication, however even with a Trump presidency, I do not assume there will likely be an entire abandoning of European NATO.
It is key additionally to a number of the way in which America does its defence normally.
However each from a Harris presidency, I believe virtually as a lot as a Trump presidency, there will likely be reluctance to decide to Ukraine.
Europe by means of the NATO companions from the European continent and together with Canada, and the EU companions are dedicated to supporting Ukraine.
Now on this story, it is the European allies of NATO which might be so vital.
Now essentially the most sturdy, essentially the most secure authorities of the foremost powers, shock, shock, is the UK.
The Starmer Labour authorities was such an enormous majority.
The German authorities is not in such a cheerful place, a weak coalition, and France is struggling to place collectively a authorities in any respect.
Is it dangerous for us to be in such a distinguished function?
I believe that this might have been forecast, however the shock is that the Labour authorities, the incoming cupboard with Keir Starmer, David Lammy because the overseas secretary, and John Healey, essential, because the defence secretary, simply reel again two and a half weeks in the past, earlier than the election victory day, because it turned out, July the 4th, they could not presumably have imagined that occasions would flip this fashion, each between America and France particularly, but additionally Canada is weak, that really places Starmer because the established chief with actual legs on this authorities.
This authorities will definitely look set to final for years.
And you can not say that of any of the administrations, together with the Individuals that I’ve talked about, that there could also be simply an interim presidency, whether or not Trump or Harris or whoever, that can simply be one other 4 years.
There’s the continued potential risk from Russia, China, North Korea and Iran.
How a lot duty comes with a distinguished place within the Western Alliance relating to technique in opposition to this quarter?
Effectively, you grow to be the smart counsellor, the smart advisor, as a result of that is the place we come into Ukraine, the place the UK has completed lots, nothing like as a lot after all because the US and nothing like what Germany has completed on the civilian degree with one thing like 19 billion euros value of dedication.
However what’s so sturdy concerning the UK’s efficiency is that the recommendation to the Ukraine management, army and civil from the Brits is so extremely prized and appreciated.
I am chatting with you from the British Military Convention and we have had the brand new ambassador from Ukraine talking, Basic Zaluzhny, who was the commander who saved the Russians at bay till final 12 months when he was changed.
However the appreciation of the type of degree of recommendation of the those that went in on the bottom, not usually publicized, coaching on the bottom, serving to individuals with new strategies, utilizing new weapons just like the British Storm Shadow, the French equal, Scalp, and likewise Italian manufactured Storm Shadow.
However they have been a really essential weapon, however the Brits have been in there guiding and coaching and are very a lot appreciated by the frontline NATO powers, the Baltic powers, Finland, Poland, and the Nordics the place Britain is the membership chief of a membership throughout the membership of NATO.
It is referred to as the Joint Expeditionary Pressure of 10 Nordic nations.
Nowhere in there we’re dedicated, however it’s what sort of contest, what sort of confrontation that we’re into, the British army management may be very eager to say we’re not at warfare with Russia.
Effectively, that could be taking part in with phrases, as a result of in the event you speak to one in every of our closest allies, the Norwegians who’ve a frontier with Russia, they are saying we’re in a pre-war or a close to warfare state of affairs.
I’ve referred to as it in The Night Commonplace a close to warfare, and that is the place we’re, as a result of Russia just isn’t aiming, so far as we are able to inform, to invade a NATO nation, however it’s out to disrupt.
And the marketing campaign of disruption will have an effect on all our lives.
The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has launched a defence evaluate.
What’s the present state of our nation’s defence, and what ought to we be specializing in transferring ahead?
They need more cash, the forces, however as all people’s agreeing, the cash should not be given identical to that.
We have set to work out what we have to spend it on.
The forces are undermanned, under-equipped, under-recruited, and that is the factor that needs to be addressed, however to suit them for the trendy period.
It is not standard, standard.
The factor is historical past by no means repeats itself.
And in addition, I really like the examination query I all the time give them, is that historical past teaches us nothing.
We have heard at this convention from journalists saying, oh, are we on the point of World Conflict III?
Effectively, in the event you consider World Conflict III when it comes to the World Conflict I and World Conflict II, which killed 60 million individuals, that was industrial warfare.
However there’s a world confrontation now.
And that’s the foundation of the defence evaluate.
As Lord George Robertson, former Defence Secretary, former Secretary Basic of NATO, main the evaluate, stated, we’re confronted by a deadly and unpredictable quartet of disruptors who could do presumably worse.
Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran.
And in the event you’d stated two years in the past, a quartet made up by these 4 members have been going to be the principle risk to the soundness of the world and the alliances by which Britain is essential and is affected, you’ll have thought it was insanity.
However we’re affected as a result of it should have an effect on provide, as we have seen by means of the Houthis, communications, undersea, and thru issues like GPS, the positioning, satellite tv for pc positioning system, as a result of the Russians and our allies even are taking part in round with this.
It’s one thing the place we’ve got to be extra vigilant.
But it surely’s attention-grabbing, the general public opinion polls, in the event you look in Northern Europe, and I discussed Norway, Sweden, Finland, they’re conscious of the state of affairs of close to warfare.
Folks right here merely will not imagine it.
They do not imagine nonetheless, public opinion remains to be not on the aspect of spending some huge cash on defence.
Prime of the league, as he is been for fairly some time now, is Gary Lineker.
I imply, by a good distance, he is on about 1.3 million.
The Commonplace podcast’s, Rachelle Abbott, speaks to the Night Commonplace’s arts correspondent, Robert Dex, concerning the BBC’s highest earners checklist and the most recent on Strictly Come Dancing.
Hello, I am The Commonplace podcast’s Rachelle Abbott.
The BBC has launched its annual checklist of prime earners.
It comes because the director common has spoken publicly concerning the ongoing controversy with Strictly Come Dancing.
Right here to elucidate extra is Robert Dex, our arts correspondent.
Rob, are you able to kick off by telling us about what this checklist is? Why do they launch it?
Effectively, this checklist is an inventory of the highest earners on the BBC.
Why they launch it, I am positive they need they did not.
About simply wanting 10 years in the past, there was an excessive amount of stress on the BBC to be much more open.
And as a part of the annual evaluate that they put out yearly, they agreed to place out wage charts, mainly, of who earns what.
Now, it’s, having stated all that, not so simple as all that, as issues by no means are.
So it is solely individuals who earn above a certain quantity.
So, it isn’t completely each single BBC worker, for instance.
You already know, in the event you’ve simply joined as a tea boy, you are not gonna be discovering your title on this checklist.
It is individuals who earn above £178,000 kilos.
It is also not actual salaries. So, it is in bands of £5,000.
So, for instance, they will inform us Greg James, Radio 1 Breakfast Present, massive landmark present for BBC Radio.
They do not inform us how a lot he earns.
He earns between £415,000 and £419,999.
And that is how they do it.
So, there’s a bit of little bit of blurring.
The BBC’s argument has all the time been, we do not need to say precisely what we pay all our prime expertise as a result of rival broadcasters will are available and supply them that and a pound extra, which you’ll be able to see their arguments.
So, issues are blurred barely, however it’s very roughly a league desk of most of their prime earners.
Now you simply talked about Greg James. Who’re the very best earners?
Effectively, prime of the league, as he is been for fairly some time now, is Gary Lineker.
I imply, by a good distance, he is on about £1.3 million.
Now these figures are for 23/24.
I believe the following after him is Zoe Ball, who does the BBC Radio 2 breakfast present, and he or she’s on between £950,000, £954,999.
So, he is type of £300,000 plus greater than Zoe Ball, who’s the following massive earner by a good distance.
Then after that, type of the massive numbers are usually type of within the £300, £400,000s.
So, you get individuals like, and since the report goes again earlier 12 months, Hugh Edwards, who clearly is now not there, however within the earlier 12 months, earned between £475,000 and £479,999.
He was one other massive earner, although clearly, most likely by subsequent 12 months’s report, his figures do not imply that, he left the BBC this April.
Have the charges received higher for feminine presenters?
I will reply this in a manner reporters hate to reply.
What you are able to do is pull some issues out.
So, the truth that Gary Lineker is the highest earner by a good distance reveals the significance of match of the day and soccer rights to the BBC.
He is simply completed the Euros, for instance.
You already know, he’ll do the World Cup, that type of factor.
So, that is why he is a giant earner, as a result of sport and reside soccer and soccer spotlight reveals are large issues for the BBC.
These issues, as a result of nature of the game, are inclined to skew male, clearly.
However it’s value declaring, really, that one of many individuals who qualifies as a prime earner now could be Alex Scott, feminine former footballer.
She’s on there incomes between £220,000 and £224,999.
However that is nonetheless about £160,000 pound lower than Alan Shearer, who’s additionally on Match of the Day.
And clearly, you recognize, greater than one million pound lower than Garry Lineker earns.
So, we have seen a slight little bit of motion in there in that girls’s soccer is coming to the fore, and we’re getting extra girls presenters and pundits on soccer, each female and male.
A few the massive, massive feminine earners aren’t on there.
So, somebody like Tess Daly and Claudia Winkelman.
I imply, clearly Claudia Winkelman, A, she does Strictly and B, she does Traitors, you recognize, two of the largest hits the BBC have.
She would, I believe we are able to safely say, be incomes a good outdated whack.
Now, why aren’t they there?
They’re mainly not paid as people.
They do not get a pay packet.
They’re paid by means of manufacturing corporations, which suggests as a result of nature of the way in which this was arrange, the BBC does not need to publish their salaries.
So, people who find themselves lacking are usually people who find themselves paid by means of manufacturing corporations.
And a number of the individuals on this checklist can even be partly paid by means of manufacturing corporations.
So, really, the wage we’re given will not be a real determine as effectively.
So, it is unattainable to say as a result of we do not have all of the numbers.
I’d think about Claudia Winkelman might be about as excessive an earner as they’ve, other than Gary Lineker.
And definitely, you recognize, Zoe Ball’s significance is mirrored in how a lot she earns, which is type of twice as a lot virtually as anybody else on the radio.
My subsequent query was going to be, you recognize, clearly Strictly Come Dancing has been within the information with the controversy over its remedy of its superstar contestants, you recognize, and have they dodged the checklist?
Sure, there’s no one Strictly associated, in the event you like, on the checklist.
The closest we’ve got received is Vernon Kay, whose Tess Dalys’ husband and nothing to do with the present, however he has a connection to it and that is about it.
I believe Zoe Ball typically does the spinoff present, does not she?
That is maybe a really minor connection, however you recognize, she’s mainly being paid for her radio stuff.
So no, we do not fairly know who will get paid what on Strictly, I am afraid.
The BBC director common, Tim Davie, has been talking concerning the Strictly controversy.
He mainly, he stated that there was a wonderful solid for the following season, so he is confirmed it isn’t going anyplace, as a result of there was some speak of it closing down or stopping for a 12 months or, you recognize, stepping again a bit.
So, no, it is nonetheless going forward.
And he apologised for what he referred to as unacceptable behaviour.
I imply, he stated that he was sorry that anybody who’s had an expertise that hadn’t been wholly constructive, you recognize, he apologised to them.
He did really type of mount a type of defence of Strictly, which I assumed was fairly attention-grabbing, in that I believe the issue with Strictly is it is a reside leisure present, it is a household present, everybody sees the glamorous attire, the reside music, the texture great things, and maybe do not all the time take into consideration the sheer bodily and psychological laborious work that goes into it.
I imply, these are individuals who have been dancing professionally for about 20 years, they’re basically skilled athletes, and when a star in no matter state of health, bodily and mentally, is available in and tries to rise up to hurry in a few weeks. It is massively, massively demanding.
And he type of stated, there’s competitiveness, there’s laborious work, there was a will to do effectively, we want this stuff on the present, they’re all the time gonna need to win, you may’t take that out of it with out destroying the present.
However he added, there are limits and the road ought to by no means be crossed, we are going to by no means tolerate unacceptable behaviour of any type.
And he made a degree of claiming that if anybody has something they need to talk about, something they need to discuss, then they need to come to the BBC, they need to converse to them, they have safeguarding individuals in place who can speak to them in order that they will take a look at, altering the foundations, bringing in new guidelines, which clearly they’ve completed, they introduced in additional workers, which suggests the dancers and the rivals will all the time have chaperones now, that type of factor.
So yeah, he spoke fairly overtly, and he stated they want the fitting protocols and buildings in place for the present.
You’ll be able to learn extra about these tales and others in The Commonplace newspaper or on our web site, normal.co.uk.
And that is it from this episode.
The Commonplace podcast will likely be again tomorrow at 4 p.m.
