Mark And Pete

Garden gnomes and other outdoor furniture are running out due to supply chain issues and the popularity of garden centres in the UK during lockdown. Raw materials have become increasingly difficult to come by and the recent blockage of the Suez canal has also contributed to the national shortage of gnomes. Mark and Pete have the answer.

Prince Philip, who has died at the age of 99, will be remembered not only as the longest-serving consort but perhaps also as the most gaffe-prone one. We celebrate his best quotes.For all the Mark and Pete podcast episodes go to http://markandpete.comSince his death on Friday, at the age of 99, the media has reprised Philip’s comments made in the course of his long royal duties. It is an extensive list. And, Mark and Peter argue, actually really funny....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ00i3XH_Is

The lockdowns imposed by governments in an attempt to stop the spread of an airborne respiratory virus already in the population have produced issues. People have not been able to go to he hairdressing salon and so the look terrible. Not an important issue? You might be suprised.

In one year, potholes caused almost £3 million worth of damage to vehicles in the UK. There are over 900,000 potholes reported on our roads. But the roads were empty for the lockdown so we filled in all the holes then right? Wrong. We did nothing and it's getting worse. Mark and Pete investigate.

Demonstrations against the police bill in Bristol over the past week follow a long tradition of radicalism. Protesters say that their side of the story has not been told. Police say they have acted with restraint. When does a protest become a riot with each side being accused of excessive violence? Mark and Pete have the answers.

The government in the UK has taken on a dangerous level of new powers, it is a bit of a control freak. Mark and Pete discuss the dangers. In order to combat the disease, Boris Johnson’s government has taken on additional powers and responsibilities enabled by the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 and the new Coronavirus Act 2020. It has not used the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and the history of emergency powers in the UK helps to explain why that is the case.

Piers Morgan, the 55-year-old former Good Morning Britain star quit the ITV show last week following a complaint from Meghan Markle on his reporting of her and her husband Prince Harry. Can't anyone have an opinion any more. Mark and Pete have the answers.

With lives and livelihoods still at risk, Chancellor Rishi Sunak's Budget is focused on short-term support for people's jobs and finances. The national debt is as high as it was in 1963. Had Sundak made a fatal (for the economy) strategic error? Mark and Pete have the answers.

When people moan or grumble it is a veritable sin. Someone always want to diss the cool idea. Grumbling can ruin a project and sink a war effort. It's that serious. How to stop it? Mark and Pete have the answers.

Recently Oliver Lewis an adviser to the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had to resign, ie he was pushed out. What happens when advisers get it wrong? Whose fault is it? Mark and Pete have the answers.

Amsterdam surpassed London as Europe’s largest share trading centre last month as the Netherlands scooped up business lost by the UK since Brexit. The shift was prompted by a ban on EU-based financial institutions trading in London because Brussels has not recognised UK exchanges and trading venues as having the same supervisory status as its own. Is this a permanent change? What does this mean for post Brexit Britain?

The answer is that laughter strengthens your immune system, boosts mood, diminishes pain, and protects you from the damaging effects of stress. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh but there is even more to it than that...

Memes have grown to be a real part of contemporary culture. But sometimes they use images of people who are affected negatively by the exposure, what's to be done. But Bernie Sanders did look funny, amiright?

This little she shanty from Mark and Pete is an original work about the lovely British fishing Industry and the promises of the British government about said industry on the occasion of Brexit. Fishing was one of the final sticking points in the post-Brexit trade talks. While fishing is a tiny part of the economy on both sides of the Channel, it carries big political weight.Regaining control over UK waters was a key part of the Leave campaign in 2016.Now that the new UK/EU agreement - on trade and so much else - has come into force, what does it mean for fishing?What's the deal in a nutshell?EU boats will continue to fish in UK waters for some years to comeBut UK fishing boats will get a greater share of the fish from UK watersThat shift in the share will be phased in between 2021 and 2026, with most of the quota transferred in 2021After that, there'll be annual negotiations to decide how the catch is shared out between the UK and EUThe UK would have the right to completely exclude EU boats after 2026But the

Joe Biden has been sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, at a low key inauguration ceremony outside the US Capitol in Washington DC. Mr Biden said: "We've learned again that democracy is precious, democracy is fragile, and at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed." Whilst dubious in its provenance this statement also as vague as platitude. Mark and Pete look at the possibilities that Joe Biden might be a good president of the US. Or not.

What is the future of money? A man who threw away a laptop hard drive containing bitcoin he believes is now worth about £210m wants his council to let him search for it in landfill.James Howells had 7,500 bitcoins, a virtual currency, on the hard drive, which he mistakenly threw away in 2013. What does this mean for the future of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies

The education secretary Gavin Williamson was unable to explain how students will be awarded exam grades this summer and threatened teachers with inspections. The confusion came as heads around the country reported primary schools being inundated with children despite the national lockdown, and urged parents to be hone stabout whether they are really key workers and need the emergency provision. Speaking in the Commons, Williamson said it was “time to trust teachers, not algorithms”, and that school-based assessments would be used to award GCSE and A-level grades to avoid a repeat of last year’s exam disaster. But in the same breath, Williamson urged parents to report teachers they thought were failing to meet the government’s new targets for three to five hours of remote learning each day, and said inspectors from Ofsted would be called in to investigate their complaints. Mark and Pete delve into the murky depths of the government's ineptitude.Boris Johnson 'extremely cautious' on when England's schools will

UK business leaders warn that the Brexit red tape 'tidal wave' will dampen the UK's prospects as it comes out of the transition period of leaving the EU. But that is almost the least of the issues.

2021 could be bad and I mean really bad. Mark and Pete here go through predictions for 2021 by analysing trends in business, politics, religion and culture from 2020. It could be worse. But there is a bright spot a possibility of redemption. Listen to the whole episode, or skip to near the end to find out.

Happy #Christmas everybody! Here's a funny festive feast of humour from your favourite friendly curmudgeons to ease you into the Yuletide season. Don't give up, keep the faith, have a giggle. Yours, Mark and Pete. Jingle Bells 7 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Artist: http://incompetech.com/