Why does everything have to be about picking a side?This week, Debra and Peter start with the long-awaited arrival of a new minister for civil society and ask what the appointment says about the government's relationship with the charity sector. From previous ministers who genuinely engaged with charities to the Civil Society Covenant, procurement and public service contracts, they explore what meaningful partnership between government and civil society should actually look like.The conversation then turns to something much darker: the intimidation and threats facing charity staff and volunteers. Prompted by the treatment of RNLI volunteers, Debra and Peter discuss the pressures facing organisations working with refugees and asylum seekers, the difference between legitimate protest and intimidation, and what happens when people simply trying to help others become targets themselves.That leads into a wider conversation about asylum, communities and our increasingly polarised public debate. Can we acknowledge people's fears while still treating those seeking refuge with humanity? Why does recognising complexity so often get interpreted as choosing a side? And have we lost the ability to accept that two things can be true at the same time?And then there's the question of men. From mob mentality and violence to football, cricket and the need to belong, Debra and Peter begin unpacking a much bigger question about masculinity, identity and where men find their sense of community. It's a subject they promise to return to, because 30 minutes was definitely not going to be enough.Plus: Peter attempts to relive his student days in Leeds, only to be informed by Wanless Junior that he's embarrassing himself, Somerset continue to put him through emotional turmoil, and he's off to Switzerland with plans for a spot of Alpine yodelling.And finally, this episode lands on the eve of Debra and Peter's birthday. Happy birthday for tomorrow to the podcast Twinnies! 🎂🎂Send your questions to jblazquez@dsc.org.uk or comment below for the next episode!YouTube Subscribe: YouTube.com/@DSCOnlineMore Debra Allcock TylerLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debra-allcock-tyler-8013214/More Peter WanlessLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sir-peter-wanless-b43aa372/Produced by: Directory of Social Change https://www.dsc.org.ukPodcast Producer: José Blazquez

Episode 80! Let’s talk about sector, baby. Let’s talk about you and me. Or, according to Debra’s AI transcript, perhaps we’d better not.Yes, artificial intelligence has been hard at work at DSC, where the Third Sector Awards have somehow become the rather more intriguing “Third Sex Awards”. But once Debra and Peter have recovered from that, they turn to a much bigger question: do we really believe in second chances?With Harry and Meghan potentially returning to the UK, Debra wonders why some public figures become permanent pariahs. Peter suggests separating three things we often bundle together: forgiveness, forgetting and redemption. Can we forgive without forgetting? Who gets to decide when someone has redeemed themselves? And does genuine remorse have to come first?The conversation moves from the Royal Family to cricket, criminal justice and rehabilitation, exploring what happens when someone’s past behaviour clashes with our values, even when we claim to believe that people can change.They also ask what punishment is actually for. With prisons under increasing pressure, should our focus be on locking people away for longer, or on creating genuine opportunities for rehabilitation? And what happens when we stop seeing the human being and see only the crime they committed?There’s particular praise for the charities working in criminal justice, supporting people and causes that are often deeply unpopular while continuing to believe that change is possible.Plus, Ebbsfleet United are alive and actually playing football, Somerset are dreaming of making history, Peter is distributing enough home-grown vegetables to survive a minor apocalypse, and both hosts confront the increasingly unavoidable evidence that they may, in fact, be getting older.All this and more in Episode 80 of Debra and Peter are doing a Podcast!Send your questions to jblazquez@dsc.org.uk or comment below for the next episode!YouTube Subscribe: https://YouTube.com/@DSCOnlineMore Debra Allcock TylerLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debra-allcock-tyler-8013214/More Peter WanlessLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sir-peter-wanless-b43aa372/Produced by: Directory of Social Change https://www.dsc.org.ukPodcast Producer: José Blazquez

Episode 79! The Ebbsfleet United cliffhanger continues, Somerset have finally proved they can win without Craig Overton, and Peter commits what may be his greatest sporting faux pas yet by congratulating a new father without actually asking the baby's name.From there, Debra and Peter turn to politics and welfare, looking at Reform UK's proposals and the wider debate about benefits, employment and public spending.Should welfare be seen simply as a cost, or as an investment in helping people participate in society? Are people out of work because they lack motivation and skills, or because the jobs, support and reasonable adjustments they need simply are not there? And should the focus be less on changing people and more on changing the systems and employers around them?They also discuss proposals for compulsory community or voluntary work, and what that could mean for charities. Volunteering might provide valuable pathways into employment, but charities cannot simply be handed thousands of people and expected to support them at no cost.Along the way, they reflect on organisational resilience, the risks of depending too heavily on one key person, and how leaders like Andy Burnham can maintain authenticity when every word they say is under scrutiny.Plus, Debra shares a truly unforgettable story from the Youth Training Scheme involving a young colleague, a telephone message and rather too much information about where Debra was at the time.And a reminder that Peter will be chairing the DSC Charity Leadership and Governance Summit on 7 and 8 October, covering strategy, sustainable leadership, accountability, reputation, power, culture, AI and much more.Find out more and book your place:https://www.dsc.org.uk/event/the-dsc-charity-leadership-and-governance-summit/All this and more in Episode 79 of Debra and Peter are doing a Podcast!Send your questions to jblazquez@dsc.org.uk or comment below for the next episode!YouTube Subscribe: https://YouTube.com/@DSCOnlineMore Debra Allcock TylerLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debra-allcock-tyler-8013214/More Peter WanlessLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sir-peter-wanless-b43aa372/Produced by: Directory of Social Change https://www.dsc.org.ukPodcast Producer: José Blazquez