This podcast recorded before the invasion of the Capitol building in Washington DC. “Happy” New Year! With Britain’s kids getting one whole day of virus-spreading schooling, is a third lockdown any use in the absence of a coherent COVID policy? And how are we coping with yet more home schooling and working from home without even a takeaway pint to assuage the misery? Plus trade expert David Henig joins us to point out the hidden traps in Johnson’s make-do trade deal and explain what the UK needs to do to get EU trade back to a passable standard. 

• “The deal we have does nothing like what’s needed for a modern trading relationship.” – David Henig
• “On Brexit, Starmer is becoming less distinguishable from Johnson. He needs to remember that most people no longer support the Brexit vote.” – Naomi Smith
• “Other than spite, I have no idea why we didn’t choose to participate Erasmus.” – David Henig
• “Keeping schools open was the only thing the Government could cling to as a success. No wonder they clung to it like wreckage.” – Ros Taylor
• “We’re already getting companies saying, With all these data barriers is it really worth us being based in the UK?” – David Henig
• “It’s pretty clear that Johnson agrees with the last person he spoke to… and that Dominic Cummings’ influence was perhaps not as malign as we thought.” – Ros Taylor
• “There’s a Greek saying: If you’ve eaten a whole donkey, don’t forget to eat the tail.” – Alex Andreou

Presented by Dorian Lynskey with Alex Ros Taylor, Andreou and Naomi Smith. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

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