Assessing Gordon Brown
The author of a new book about the British prime minister joins the show.
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| A new book that has focused attention on Gordon Brown may have improved his ratings[GALLO/GETTY] |
In this episode: The author of a new book on Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, discusses the upcoming UK elections; taking Enron to Broadway; and barred candidate Saleh al-Mutlaq discusses the Iraqi elections.
This episode of Frost over the World aired from Friday, March 5, 2010.
| Andrew Rawnsley |
A general election is due in the UK within the next three months. It comes against a backdrop which – on the face of it – could hardly be worse for Gordon Brown, the British prime minister.
In an explosive new book, he is revealed as ill-tempered and difficult. But his party is actually going up in the polls. Hearing that their prime minister is a bit of a bully, voters seem to like him more.
Sir David is joined by the author of the book they are all talking about, Andrew Rawnsley.
| Saleh al-Mutlaq and Sigrun Davidsdottir |
Iraq votes on Sunday. It is a critical stage in the country’s development and turnout is expected to be high. But with 511 candidates barred from standing because of former links with the Baathist party, will sectarian rivalries compromise the credibility of this key election?
Sir David speaks to Saleh al-Mutlaq, the head of the Iraqi National Front and one of the most prominent politicians excluded from the ballot paper.
Plus, on Saturday Icelanders will vote on a referendum to decide whether the country should repay $5.1bn to the British and Dutch governments.
The governments paid that sum to bail out savers who lost money when an Icelandic bank collapsed in 2008 – and now they want Iceland to pay it back. But will Icelanders cough up?
Sir David talks to Icelandic journalist Sigrun Davidsdottir.
| Lucy Prebble |
In December 2001, the US’ seventh-largest company, the Texan energy giant, Enron, collapsed. It was the biggest bankruptcy in US corporate history at that time and one of the greatest financial scandals of the century – a story of risk-taking, power, greed and people not doing the right thing.
The story of Enron is now a West End play, written by the award-winning playwright Lucy Prebble, and it is heading to Broadway.
| Rafael Moreno and Dr Muhammad Tahir al-Qadri |
Rafael Moreno, Chile’s ambasador to the UK, talks about the aftermath of the massive earthquake that struck near the city of Conception.
The earthquake was one of the largest in recent history and has been followed by aftershocks, as well as largescale violence and looting.
Plus, one of the world’s leading Muslim scholars has issued a fatwa, or an edict, condemning terrorists as the enemies of Islam.
Dr Muhammad Tahir al-Qadri, who is the leader of the worldwide religious and educational organisation Minhaj-ul Quran, hopes to turn young Muslim men away from the path of radicalism and extremism.