The debate around a hierarchy of racism was reignited this week when Labour MP Diane Abbott appeared on a BBC Radio 4 podcast and discussed previous comments she'd made about racism.She maintained there is a difference between racism based on skin colour and other kinds of racism. This sparked conversation around the different types of racism and prejudice faced by Black people, Jewish people, and Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller people. We look at the statistics and discuss the history of the anti-racism movement.Presenter: Adam Fleming
Producers: Lucy Proctor, Nik Sindle, Simon Maybin, Natasha Fernandes
Editor: Penny Murphy
Studio Manager: Hal Haines
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How does an author get published?
It’s always been difficult to get a book published. But is it especially difficult now if you’re man who writes fiction? That’s the claim being made by some who say female authors are squeezing their male counterparts off the bookshelves. So who decides which books get published?
Amelia Fairney spent 30 years in the publishing business. She talks Adam through the process.
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Are men being pushed out of publishing?
Just a few years ago the gender gap in book publishing was seen as an issue to address, with many publishing houses focussed on boosting women authors. Has it all gone too far? Are men, especially straight, white men, now being locked out of telling their stories? And what might that mean for society?Presenter: Adam Fleming
Producers: Nik Sindle, Lucy Proctor, Tim Gillet
Editor: Richard Vadon
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Just joking?
A new law to bolster workers' rights by making it an employer's job to prevent staff being harassed by customers and clients, as well as fellow colleagues, has been criticised by some as an attack on free speech.
Opponents worry that harmless banter - in pubs, for example - might need to be monitored as a result of this new legislation. That's denied by the government.
The word ‘banter’ has seen a resurgence in the last few decades. Tony Thorne, a lexicologist and language consultant at King’s College London, tells Adam when the banter began.
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Banter and harassment
An extension of workers' rights, designed to further protect them from harassment on the job, has been criticised as an attack on free speech.The Employment Rights Bill, first tabled in October 2024, would make it an employer's responsibility to prevent harassment of their staff by customers, clients and members of the public, as well as fellow colleagues. Some argue the bill, which is not yet law, would effectively outlaw banter - particularly in settings like pubs - and pressure companies to more closely monitor conversations. Others welcome the plans, arguing that workplace harassment is rife and that banter is often used as an excuse for discriminatory and upsetting behaviour.We go through the proposed changes, look at examples where banter has been used as a defence in court, and explore the origins and evolution of the word itself.Presenter: Adam Fleming
Producers: Simon Tulett, Tom Gillett, Nik Sindle
Production coordinator: Janet Staples
Editor: Penny Murphy
Peace talks for the culture wars.
In an era of polarisation, propaganda and pile-ons, AntiSocial offers an alternative: understanding, facts, and respect. Each week, Adam Fleming takes on a topic that's generating conflict on social media, blogs, talk shows and phone-ins and helps you work out what the arguments are really about.
UK