麻豆约拍

Carolyn Quinn talks to the political editor of the Financial Times, George Parker, about the big political stories. They discuss the impact on British party politics of the US debt crisis and the arguments at Westminster over how to stimulate growth in the UK economy.

Our panel of MPs has two contributors - the Conservative Jason McCartney and Labour's Chuka Umunna. They discuss the US debt crisis and the lack of growth in the British economy. They also debate Britain's military involvement in Libya and the killings of demonstrators in Syria.

Two experts on parliamentary boundaries, Rob Hayward and Lewis Baston, discuss the impact of the planned cut in the number of constituencies. They debate how each party will be affected. They also address the question of whether a cut in the number of MPs should be followed by a reduction in the number of ministers.

A leading authority on devolution, Alan Trench, explains why the First Ministers of Wales and Scotland are asking for more powers over finances. Mr Trench predicts that the so called 'Sewell Convention' may lead to a major row between the Scottish Executive and the coalition at Westminster.

Programme editor: Terry Dignan.