EMQs: Are holiday taxes a threat to tourism?
The proposed holiday tax from the King’s speech is a subject of controversy in the hospitality sector, and on this week’s EMQs Ed Balls and George Osborne speak to these concerns. Does this drive away tourism? Or, can they follow in the footsteps of other European cities and help inject funding into these destinations through the extra cashflow?
Then, they delve into the lack of employment rights for ministers. They explain why discrimination laws don’t apply to heads of office and debate the possible route if a minister was harassed at work and wanted to take it further.
A question to Ed takes us back to his trip to the playground with Andy Burnham. One listener asks how might the incoming PM revive New Labour-era play strategies and support for children and families?
Another listener spotted Ed at the opera last week and wonders how politicians can increase support for the arts without perpetuating class divisions or stereotypes.
Finally, the pair are put to a test when a listener sends ChatGPT’s assessment of who would come out on top in a 10-pin bowling game. They debate the outcome, but agree the answer demonstrates the striking advancements in tone and humour of these AI language models.
We love hearing from you, so please don’t forget to send all your EMQs to questions@politicalcurrency and make sure to include a voice note of your question or send a question to our social media handles:
👉 X
👉 TikTok
Thanks for listening. To get episodes early and ad- free join Political Currency Gold or our Kitchen Cabinet. If you want even more perks including our exclusive newsletter, join our Kitchen Cabinet today:
👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency
Please note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.
Credits:
Research: Sam Burton
Production: Caillin McDaid & Nasreen Arain
Video Editor: Louis Norris
Executive Producer: Ellie Clifford & Henrietta Harrison
Political Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Political Currency
Ed Balls and George Osborne take us behind closed doors into the rooms where decisions are made. Having battled it out across the despatch box, the former Chancellor and shadow chancellor now meet in the studio to discuss the decisions that affect the nation’s pockets. Our frenemies have the knowledge and experience to explain how good politics follows the economics - and expose how the powerful become powerless when faced with market forces and political currents they can’t control. Join us every Thursday.
Send your messages or voice notes to [email protected]
Find us on social media @polcurrency
Political Currency is a Persephonica production.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Where can you listen?
