The Briefing Room

The government says the housing market is broken and that it's holding the country back. As prices have risen, fewer people are able to get on the housing ladder, and more are now renting privately later into their lives. Many argue we're not building enough new homes. But is that the only problem? David Aaronovitch speaks to a panel of experts to find out and travels to Bristol to see what effect the housing crisis is having on the way people live there. Contributors:Dame Kate Barker, economist and author of a government review on housing supply Lindsay Judge, Senior Research and Policy Analyst at the Resolution FoundationEmma Maier, Editor, Inside Housing Councillor Paul Smith, Labour cabinet member for homes, Bristol City CouncilProducer: Phil Kemp Researcher: Sam Bright Editor: Innes Bowen.

What will happen if the Islamic State loses its state?The so-called Islamic State is rapidly losing territory, money and fighters in both Iraq and Syria. Iraqi government troops, supported by US and British special forces, have launched an offensive to take back the city of Mosul and an assault on the group's de facto capital city - Raqqa in Syria - is expected by the end of the year. Can the group continue to attract jihadi fighters from around the world and inspire attacks in its name, or will it be permanently weakened by the loss of its 'caliphate'? If so, could other terrorist organisations benefit from the vacuum it leaves behind? David Aaronovitch speaks to a range of experts and asks - can Islamic State be defeated and if so, what happens next?Guests include: Columb Strack, Senior Analyst, Middle East & North Africa at IHS Consulting Charlie Winter, Senior Research Fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ICSR)Hassan Hassan, Senior Fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy and co-author of ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror Dr Elisabeth Kendall, Senior Research Fellow in Arabic at the University of Oxford Clint Watts, Robert A. Fox Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute's Program on the Middle East and former FBI Special AgentProducer: China Collins Research: Serena Tarling.

Bringing Britain's railways back into public ownership is a popular idea with passengers - but would it really make any improvements to service?Renationalisation of the railways is official Labour party policy. Polls suggest a majority of voters favour it too - and that was the case before the recent problems with Southern Rail. With the help of the Conservative former transport minister Michael Portillo, David Aaronovitch explores the history of British railway ownership, asks whether it's possible to make the privatised system work and finds out how a future government might go about bringing the railways back into public ownership.Contributors:Louise Ellman, Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside and Chair, Transport Select CommitteeLaurie Macfarlane, Economist, New Economics FoundationMichael Portillo, former Conservative Minister of State for Transport Michael Schabas, railways consultantChristian Wolmar, railways historian and journalistProducer: Phil Kemp Research: Sam Bright.

Can President Trump deliver on his pre-election promise to bring back outsourced manufacturing jobs, and end the 'bad deals' that have outsourced labour to countries like Mexico?This message was particularly powerful in America's Midwest - often referred to as the rust belt - where voters supported him in droves and helped him secure his narrow victory. But how can he deliver on his promise, and what does putting 'America First' mean for the rest of the world - including Britain? In the second part of The Briefing Room's two-part series on Trump's economy, David Aaronovitch explores what the President's trade policies might mean in practice.CONTRIBUTORSDavid Smith, economics editor for The Sunday TimesArthur Laffer, economist and former advisor to President Ronald Reagan Diane Furchgott-Roth, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and previously worked on Donald Trump’s campaign and transition teamProf Ted Malloch, Henley Business School of the University of ReadingMonique Ebell, economist at the National Institute for Economic and Social Research, LondonResearcher: Samuel Bright Producer: China Collins

Will President Trump's plan to put 'America first' make the USA richer?He's promised a raft of radical economic reforms including a huge cut in tax on businesses, an income tax cut, a massive reduction in regulation, and investment in America's infrastructure.His goal is to get America's economy growing at roughly double its current rate. He also wants to create 25 million new jobs, and put 'America first' in every policy decision. But are these goals achievable and are the measures he's proposing likely to work? David Aaronovitch explores what 'Trumponomics' might mean in practice and asks a range of experts whether his plans for the economy will lead to boom or bust.CONTRIBUTORSJim Tankersley, Policy and Politics Editor, VoxArthur Laffer, former advisor to President Ronald ReaganJohn Kay, visiting Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics and fellow of St John's College, Oxford Diana Furchtgott-Roth, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and formerly worked on Donald Trump’s campaign and transition teamResearcher: Samuel Bright Producer: China Collins

Why did India's prime minister ban the use of the country's most widely used bank notes? On 8 November, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a stunning announcement. As of midnight that day, all 500 and 1000 rupee notes would no longer be legal tender. The announcement came as a shock not only to the Indian public, but also to businesses, banks and some of Mr Modi's closest advisors. Large queues formed at banks across the country as people tried to exchange their old notes for new ones and businesses came to a grinding halt. Agriculture was one of the sectors that was hardest hit. It was sowing season for India's farmers, many of whom had no means to buy the seeds, so reliant are they on cash transactions.So what was Modi trying to achieve through this shock and awe tactic? Is this a stroke of economic genius or a highly damaging political move? And did the move have the desired effect? David Aaronovitch speaks to a panel of experts to find out.CONTRIBUTORS: Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, author of a biography about Narendra Modi, Narendra Modi: The Man, The TimesIla Patnaik, former economic advisor to the Modi government and a professor at the National Institute of Public Finance and PolicyDouglas Busvine, Reuters bureau chief in New DelhiJustin Rowlatt, BBC South Asia CorrespondentProducer: Phil Kemp Research: Serena Tarling and Kirsteen Knight Editor: Innes Bowen.

How did British-Pakistani gangs come to dominate the drugs trade in Yorkshire?Earlier this month, police shot dead 28-year-old Mohammed Yasser Yaqub on a motorway slip road near Huddersfield. Their target was apparently armed and dangerous – a big time drug dealer, allegedly with a record of using violence to get his way.Yasser Yaqub’s death was followed by protests on the streets of Bradford and in nearby Huddersfield, hundreds turned up to a mosque for his funeral. The drugs business in West Yorkshire is largely controlled by gangs of Pakistani-Muslim heritage, who use their community contacts to aid their criminal operations - but how does such a religiously conservative community contain within it such a dangerous criminal element? David Aaronovitch heads to Dewsbury to find out.CONTRIBUTORSTony Saggers, Head of Drugs Threat & Intelligence at the National Crime AgencyDanny Lockwood, editor of The Dewsbury PressMo Ali Qasim, who has spent four years doing academic research into Pakistani-origin drug dealers in West YorkshireResearcher: Samuel Bright Editor: Innes Bowen

What happened after the buses left eastern Aleppo in December?After four and a half years of siege, the residents of eastern Aleppo were evacuated before Christmas. But the evacuees didn't disappear when they left the city and the Syrian Civil war didn't end with the end of the siege. Abdelkafi, an English teacher from Aleppo, relates his experience of leaving Aleppo by bus with his wife and young daughter. He describes days of hardship taking place under the eyes of the West.And as international figures prepare for negotiations in Geneva, David Aaronovitch finds out what the fall of Aleppo means for its citizens, Syria and the Middle East.Joining David in The Briefing Room are: Marianne Gasser, Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation in Syria Lina Khatib, Head of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House Aron Lund, Fellow of the Century FoundationProducer: Hannah Sander Researchers: Serena Tarling and Kirsteen Knight.

Liberalism died in 2016. This bold statement has been made by both right and left wing media in recent months. But what is liberalism - and can such a broad idea really be that vulnerable?Edmund Fawcett, author of Liberalism: The Life of an Idea, charts the rise and rise of liberalism, from Gladstone's social reformers to the economic liberalism of Margaret Thatcher. Sir Oliver Letwin MP played a key role in the Conservative Party's adoption of more socially liberal policies after 2005. He tells David Aaronovitch about embracing gay marriage, advocating green energy, and emphasising social justice.But is liberalism a luxury of the middle class? Lynsey Hanley discusses the link between social status and social conservatism. She explains why the working class may reject liberal values in defiance of the metropolitan elite.Producer: Hannah Sander Researcher: Kirsteen Knight.

Civil war in Yemen has become a full regional conflict, with global implications - but how did it start in the first place?This week the Disasters Emergency Committee launched a major appeal for aid, with Yemeni children dying of malnutrition following 20 months of war.But what are the causes of Yemen's civil war and who is fighting? Is it correct to describe it as a "proxy war" between Saudi Arabia and Iran?David Aaronovitch is joined by two experts with intimate knowledge of Yemen to explain the back-story behind the conflict. CONTRIBUTORS:Dr Elisabeth Kendall, Senior Research Fellow in Arabic at the University of OxfordSafa al-Ahmad, journalist and documentary maker.Producer: Hannah Sander Researchers: Beth Sagar-Fenton & Kirsteen Knight