Arts & Ideas Folgen

In conversation with Anne McElvoy, Boris Johnson discusses leadership ambitions, what Cicero has to teach us about politics, and why a politician should sometimes dare to be dull. Sarah Frankcom tells Anne why she and Maxine Peake are reviving Shelley's poetic account of the Peterloo Massacre of 1819. New Generation Thinker John Gallagher guides the listener on a romp through 16th century phrasebooks for travellers. And writer Tim Lott and critic Kate Muir discuss depictions of holidays gone wrong in film.

Rana Mitter chairs a debate from the York Festival of Ideas on whether we can afford ethical business. The panel includes The Guardian's Lucy Siegle, Adrian Wooldridge of The Economist, founder of Ethical Superstore Andy Redfern and economist Virginie Perotin. As austerity bites into family finances and public services, cheap goods seem ever more attractive, even vital. But is there a price to pay in fairness, and to the environment? York has a long history of making ethical business ideals a reality, but can those ideas be carried forward into the era of austerity?

Philip Dodd is joined by the historian Tom Holland and the political scientist Salwa Ismail to try to make sense of the new Egyptian revolution unfolding in front of us. Actress Diana Quick reflects on playing Eva, a charming but controlling German-Jewish émigré in Richard Greenberg's play The American Plan. James Malpas reviews the new exhibition of Laura Knight's portraits at the National Portrait Gallery. And to discuss how to make our evolving cities more habitable, Philip is joined by Richard Sennett, Amanda Levete and Gerard Evenden.