On Start the Week Andrew Marr looks at Germany's role in Europe. Katinka Barysch argues that despite the crisis, support for EU integration still dominates, and that unlike Britain, the ability to compromise is seen as a skill, not a weakness. Two British MPs, from left and right, Gisela Stuart and Douglas Carswell, remain sceptical about the EU, but German-born Stuart understands her birth country's emotional connection to it. Carswell argues that the digital revolution calls for smaller, not larger governments, and Karen Leeder believes that despite Germany's belief in the European project it still has not laid to rest the ghosts of unification. Producer: Katy Hickman.
More or Less: Behind the Stats - Ash Die Back and Fergie Time
This is the first in the new series of the programme. Tim Harford has been busy felling some ash tree statistics. He asks whether the UK could lose 30% of our woodland trees and did the ash die back disease really kill 90% of ash trees in Denmark? Plus, there?s a well established idea that Manchester United get more added time than every other Premier League team. More or Less looks at the numbers behind this so called ?Fergie Time?. Do Manchester United get more injury time than other top teams when they?re drawing or losing?
Start the Week - Art and Design with Antony Gormley and Ron Arad
On Start the Week, Andrew Marr explores how Britain trains the artists and designers of the future. Christopher Frayling and Sarah Teasley celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Royal College of Art, the world's oldest art and design school. But one of its former teachers, the industrial designer Ron Arad argues for a broader arts education which doesn't split sculpture from painting, architecture from design. And the artist Antony Gormley redefines the limits of sculpture and building. Producer: Edwina Pitman
Start the Week - Art and Design with Antony Gormley and Ron Arad
On Start the Week, Andrew Marr explores how Britain trains the artists and designers of the future. Christopher Frayling and Sarah Teasley celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Royal College of Art, the world's oldest art and design school. But one of its former teachers, the industrial designer Ron Arad argues for a broader arts education which doesn't split sculpture from painting, architecture from design. And the artist Antony Gormley redefines the limits of sculpture and building. Producer: Edwina Pitman
More or Less: Behind the Stats - Brain Food and Bacteria
There's not an obvious link between chocolate and Nobel prizes, but this did not stop news outlets around the world reporting the amount of chocolate a country consumes influences the number of Nobel prizes they will win. In many cases the scientific study was reported without question or comment. Ruth Alexander asks what this story tells us about the way the media reports scientific studies, and why the correlation between the two might be so strong. Also ? it's often said that chopping boards or dishcloths have many more bacteria than toilet seat but is this really true?
Start the Week - Award-winning film director Kevin Macdonald
On Start the Week Andrew Marr talks to the award-winning director Kevin Macdonald whose films often focus on real events or people, from Touching the Void, to Marley. The filmmaker Roger Graef discusses the ethical issues in documenting real life. And the Indian writer Aman Sethi explores the margins of society with his study of the world of itinerant labourers in a Delhi market. Producer: Katy Hickman.
More or Less: Behind the Stats - Voodoo polling? Predicting the US election
This week Ruth Alexander looks at the other winner the US elections. Blogger and pioneer of aggregated polling, Nate Silver, predicted the outcome of the vote in every state one better than 2008. Others who have tried similar methods have also done well. Is this the dawn of a new era of poll prediction or just luck? Also, what effect did Hurricane Sandy have on death rates in places it hit and how did they differ from a normal day.
More or Less: Behind the Stats - Is America?s conviction rate really 99.5%?
Conrad Black has claimed that 99.5% of prosecution cases in America end up in convictions. Is it really this high? We try to estimate how this compares to the number of convictions in other parts of the world.
Start the Week - Political Divide: Mary Robinson and Michael Ignatieff
Start the Week is at BBC Radio 3's Free Thinking Festival in Gateshead to debate whether the world is becoming a more divided place. Andrew Marr discusses the state of politics with the former President of Ireland Mary Robinson and the writer-turned-politician Michael Ignatieff, while the Israeli author Amos Oz asks whether entrenched ideas have increasingly polarised debate. Producer: Katy Hickman.
More or Less: Behind the Stats - Predicting L’Aquila Earthquake: is it right to blame the scientists?
This week six scientists and one ex-government official were sentenced to prison for multiple manslaughter following the L?Aquila earthquake in Italy. Part of the case against them was the falsely reassuring comments they made before the earthquake struck. Will this deter scientists from giving advice in the future?
