Sensemaker

The Observer

The Sensemaker from The Observer - one story every day to make sense of the world.

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1,388 episodes
Updated June 19

Episodes1388

Newest first

Oct 5, 2021 · 5 min
Ep 188: The pandemic that stole Christmas
Last year Boris Johnson announced a lockdown and Christmas was cancelled. This time round, things are looking up. But as food, fuel and toy shortages worsen, will Christmas be cancelled again?You can get the Sensemaker newsletter as an email deliv...
Oct 4, 2021 · 6 min
Ep 187: A long way from home
After the Taliban took over in Afghanistan, the UK agreed to take thousands of refugees. What's happening to them?
Oct 1, 2021 · 6 min
Ep 186: The far right's favourite currency
Right wing extremists have started to turn to cryptocurrencies as they've been sidelined by big financial institutions. But they might prosper in the shadows.
Sep 30, 2021 · 7 min
Ep 185: The vaccine war
Pfizer makes one of the most important vaccines against Covid-19. Did it go beyond supporting its own vaccine and start undermining others?
Sep 29, 2021 · 7 min
Ep 184: The Huawei hostage
After almost three years, a tit-for-tat row over the arrest of a Huawei executive for fraud has finally come to an end. Two men called Michael paid a heavy price.
Sep 28, 2021 · 6 min
Ep 183: Prison and pregnancy
A shocking report into the birth and death of a baby in prison has sparked a debate about whether prison can ever be a safe place for pregnant women.
Sep 27, 2021 · 5 min
Ep 182: Down's syndrome, discrimination, and Heidi Crowter
Heidi Crowter has Down's Syndrome. She fought to change a UK law which allows women with a Down's baby to have an abortion much later in pregnancy.
Sep 24, 2021 · 5 min
Ep 181: Netflix's golden ticket
The streaming giant has bought the rights to Roald Dahl’s estate. Is this the start of a new cinematic universe? 
Sep 23, 2021 · 7 min
Ep 180: Will the lights stay on?
The looming energy crisis erupted this week. Gas prices rocketed and more energy suppliers went bust. So why didn't we see it coming?
Sep 22, 2021 · 6 min
Ep 179: The Kremlin v big tech
Why Apple and Google removed a voting app developed by the Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, just as Russians head to the polls.
Sep 21, 2021 · 6 min
Ep 178: Andrew Neil's minority of one
GB News faces an uncertain future. Its star and chairman, Andrew Neil, has left. Viewer figures make for grim reading. So is there an audience for an 'anti-woke', Fox News style channel?
Sep 20, 2021 · 6 min
Ep 177: Shamima Begum’s new look
The story of Shamima Begum is one of the most notorious examples of radicalisation in Britain. Now she’s back in the news, why is her appearance getting so much attention?
Sep 16, 2021 · 6 min
Ep 176: Instagram's big problem
When an internal presentation by Instagram was leaked this week, it showed the social media giant knows how harmful its platform can be. So why aren't they being transparent about it?The aim of the Molly Rose Foundation is suicide prevention,...
Sep 16, 2021 · 6 min
Ep 175: Winter is coming...
... so how is Boris Johnson going to prepare for the possible rise in Covid cases? This week, he announced his plan. The question is: will it work, and will we avoid another lockdown?
Sep 14, 2021 · 6 min
Ep 174: Danger in the Channel
The UK's home secretary, Priti Patel, has announced plans to authorise "pushbacks" of migrant boats in the English Channel. It is a policy condemned as dangerous and... possibly, illegal.
Sep 14, 2021 · 7 min
Ep 173: A football World Cup every two years - really?
Arsene Wenger, the former Arsenal manager, is leading the charge to hold the World Cup every two years not four. Is this an innovation too far from one of football's change-makers?
Sep 13, 2021 · 7 min
Ep 172: Sinister cement
When Syria descended into a bloody and brutal civil war ten years ago, many multinational companies pulled out of the country. One stayed. Now, it's facing allegations that it was complicit in crimes against humanity. 
Sep 10, 2021 · 5 min
Ep 171: The crypto country
El Salvador has become the first country in the world to make Bitcoin legal tender. Will it come to regret its decision?
Sep 9, 2021 · 7 min
Ep 170: A different Covid crisis
There was a real concern at the start of the pandemic that lockdowns would lead to a spike in suicides. But recent figures show an opposite trend. It’s a positive shift, but the question is: why?
Sep 8, 2021 · 7 min
Ep 169: National Insurance - the misunderstood tax
The government has just put up National Insurance to help pay for the NHS to recover from Covid and to improve social care. Did they choose to increase that particular tax because a lot of us don't know what it is?