Live recording on 23 January, 2026 of The Protagonists on The World Today.

Описание: The Chagos Islands: A bad deal for the UK

The Chagos Islands deal has been simmering for a long time.

On the eve of its consummation President Trump has called it an "act of great stupidity" - despite signing off on it in April 2025.  

Nigel Farage has called it possibly the worst deal by a British Government in history. 

Others say the Chagos Islands deal is a surrender scandal, the epitome of his Government - signified by lies, confusion and reckless disdain for public money - that Starmer is relentlessly pursuing a policy that materially damages the UK and benefits those who would harm Britain's interests.

Trump has given Starmer a last chance to cancel the deal – for everyone's sake - for Britain, for the US and for Chagos Islanders. Will he take it?

Why is Starmer so determined? Is it obligation to his lawyer friend, Philippe Sands, who acted for Mauritius?  Is it exaggerated deference to non-binding opinions by international tribunals? Is Starmer China's puppet? Is there a wiff of corruption? Maybe its all those things.

Mike Ryan HOST

GUESTS:

Oliver Boyd-Barrett is Professor Emeritus at Bowling Green University, Ohio and of California State University. He acquired his PhD at the Open University (United Kingdom). He is a scholar of international communication with particular reference to international news agencies of all kinds, and the role of propaganda in international conflicts. He authored The International News Agencies (Sage/Constable 1980).  His most recent (co-authored) book (2025) is Propaganda, Communication and Empire: Western Intervention in Afghanistan. Other recent titles include Conflict Propaganda in Syria: Narrative Battles (2022), and, co-edited with Stephen Marmura, Russiagate Revisited: The Aftermath of a Hoax (2023).

Bill Etheridge is a former English politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the West Midlands region, originally being elected in 2014 as a UK Independence Party (UKIP) candidate, before leaving the party in October 2018. He's author of the autobiographical story, "A Rhino Through the Looking Glass" published in February 2024.

Bernie de Haldevang, who is a committed Christian, is enjoying a 40+ year career in underwriting, managing and broking "Specialty insurance" business and in particular within that broad segment, credit & political risk insurance. He worked as a diplomat based in East Africa, where he set up an official multilateral underwriting institution (with EU, Japanese and World Bank support) accredited at the UN, to protect foreign investors and trading partners investing and doing business in Africa.Bernie joined the freedom movement in early 2020 as part of the Yeadon Campaign and subsequently was in the original set up of HARTgroup.org on its Executive Committee, where he still is today. He is a committed supporter of Swiss style Direct Democracy. He is a podcaster under the name of @Gilt_Elephant on X and @GiltElephant on YouTube and is a supporter and citizen of the Free Republic of Liberland.

About: The Protagonists is a panel of three or four, which presents hot-topic discussions on politics, business, newsmakers, global trends, present-day conflicts, and dangers and challenges facing our world.

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