They talk about the legacy of Pope Francis; what is anticipated of the new Pope, Leo; and some of the big issues facing the Roman Catholic Church, like dealing properly with paedophile priests, the poor state of the Church’s finances and the dearth of young priests.

*Message from Michael: It is unsure if The McKay Interview will reappear on World Radio Switzerland after the summer break. You are probably aware that WRS will close at the end of 2025 unless new ownership is secured. However, you will still be able to find me on Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts and other leading platforms.

It has been a wonderful experience working with WRS, Mark and Katt over all these years!

They talk about the significance of the special partnership, announced recently, and the benefits to both parties in terms of medical science, clinical excellence and beneficial patient care.

They discuss banking, financial and regulatory affairs. Also what happened about the Credit Suisse debacle and for his point of view about central banks and Basel III, the newest set of international banking regulations.

They discuss many things including how he sees what is going on around us, or put another way, his world view, how he would characterise espionage in these modern times, and how we deal with Truth when so many leaders don’t tell it.

We talk about medical technology innovation in Switzerland and why it is so groundbreaking; the benefits of “bench to bedside” med tech innovation; and why the best in the world of healthcare are coming to Genolier.

The ITC works to help businesses in developing countries to trade with the rest of the world.

In his early career during the 1990s, he worked for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna.

From 2003 to 2007 he was the political advisor of the UN Yugoslavia War Crimes Tribunal’s prosecutor.
He's also been the Swiss ambassador to Israel and Turkey.

You can find out more by ordering Jean Daniel Ruch's book: 

Talking in Bern last November, the two covered a range of topics including the current status of negotiations between the EU and Switzerland; why talks seem to take so long and what are the sticking points; why economic growth in the EU is so sluggish; and the thorny matter of migration.

They discuss among many things his observations of the differences between Europeans, Americans and Russians; as well as  European security and NATO.
 

They discuss a wide range of topics including the war in Ukraine, Switzerland’s good offices, what neutrality means in 2024 and the progress of Swiss/European Union negotiations.
 

She is one of the UK’s most  distinguished philanthropists; an outstanding  information technology pioneer, entrepreneur and businesswoman; and one of a dwindling number of  child refugees saved by the Kindertransport in 1938, which took her safely from  Nazi-controlled Vienna to England.

Dr. Daniel (Danny) Warner was for many years the Deputy to the Director of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies here in Geneva. He's also been a Visiting Lecturer at eminent universities which include Harvard, Oxford, Moscow, Sorbonne and Shanghai. 

He's a member of the Republican party
 

We discuss the current state of the United Kingdom, its politics and economics, 103 days after its recent General Election, which brought the Labour Party to power, for the first time in 14 years, with a huge majority.

He is also a former US Ambassador to Finland.

They discuss the imminent US Presential Election, including among other things, his prediction of the result; his views on the appeal of Kamala Harris versus Donald Trump, and why the votes of the Electoral College are so vitally important.
 

It’s still relatively new, very big and the second busiest airport in Europe.

They talk about the strategy to develop the importance of the airport, and the pressures in that complex region of the world.

Formerly the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme – UNDP – a former Vice Chair of the Global Leadership Foundation and currently the President of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, known as Chatham House. 

We talk about the pressures on  democracies around the world in this year of elections.

This interview was recorded in Geneva on the 21st June 2024

(This interview was recorded 7th June 2024  when Maggie visited the Festival du Lac in Geneva)

Celebrating, this year, the one hundredth anniversary of its foundation, it is a very worthy, international, non-governmental organization, which aims to ensure that respect for human rights across international borders, is accorded to every individual - especially children.  

He has worked with books since an early age and is the author of five novels published by Jonathan Cape, the first being The Temple of Optimism (2000).

His latest book is Bond Behind the Iron Curtain (2021), an account of the tremendous hostility towards James Bond in the communist world that was provoked by the film of Dr No. 

The obelisk in the photograph marks the burial site of Ian Fleming. 

This remarkable and single-minded woman tells me her story of devoting her life to improving the chances and addressing the challenges of children with mobile disabilities who live in peri-urban and rural areas of South Africa. Shona’s story is one of not taking no for an
answer!

Michael and David discuss many things including the UK, EU and Brexit – he was in Bern at the time of the 2016 UK Referendum -  the geopolitics of Eurasia, Russia’s behaviour, and water, glaciers and climate change in that vast, Eurasian  region. 

Michael and the professor discuss the outcomes of the recent Congress of the Academy, a gathering of some of Switzerland’s most distinguished academics, researchers and practitioners in the fields of food in health and nutrition, as well as the security of both food supply and of the supply of medicines, especially vaccines.

Clive and Michael discuss the thorny issue of debt. 

Professor Oberson discusses the history of taxes, and modern-day developments.

In the centenary year of its foundation, Dr. Hughes talks about many things including the school’s history, what its pupils and students are taught today and why; and what Ecolint has learned in one hundred years about contributing to being part of “international” Geneva.

15 months ago he spoke factually, and rather optimistically, about the valiant progress of Ukraine in Russia’s war of aggression.  What does he think now?
 

Bernard Salzmann is spending 5 years driving around the world in an specially modified 'Land Roamer'.

The Land Roamer

Agrio waterfall, Argentina October 2023

Point km 2596 on famous Ruta 40, Argentina, October 2023

Smiling people all over the world

Salar of Uyuni, Bolivia, May 2023

Ushuia, Argentina, December 2023

Mano del Desierto, Chili, May 2023

Australia, on the way to Kakadu Nationl Park, August 2022

Australia, from Darwin on the road to Alice Springs, August 2022

La Payunia National Park, Argentina October 2023

On the way to Cairns, September  2022

Australia, August 2022

Bru Pearce is the founder of Envisionation, an environmental consultancy dedicated to the Whole Earth System. Michael and Bru discuss life on planet earth, it's function, the cost of the damage that we're doing to the skies, oceans, soils etc.

Bru first connected with a wide network of scientists across a range of fields whilst researching for a television series on climate change. They shared a deep concern about the changes taking place within their particular field. Here Bru shares some of the research from amongst his network as Envisionation joins the dots between scientific findings to obtain a full understanding of the biosphere. 

We find out, why Astronomy is useful, the major advances in Astronomy in recent times, how the Geneva Observatory connects with the tax-paying public, what aspiring young astronomers need to do to start their careers, and the Observatory’s part in the bigger, international picture.

General David Richards has been Knighted by Her Majesty the Queen not once but twice!. 

He has served in Northern Ireland, the Far East, Germany, East Timor, Sierre Leone and Afghanistan where, as a 4 star General, he was the military officer in charge of all NATO operations and worked closely with President Karzai. 

He counselled his British political masters not to get deeply involved in either the Syria or Libya conflicts.

He has been described as not just a military soldier but a moral one too. He says that he associates the military with doing good.

Apparently, he was also once Joan Collins’s bodyguard.

He speaks with Michael McKay.
 

The country only became a UN member in September 2002, almost exactly 21 years ago to the day of this interview.

Michael’s guest is Switzerland’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN and International Organizations in Geneva, His Excellency Mr. Juerg Lauber. 

Stamina for seeing a very difficult situation – in fact a crisis - through to the bitter end.

The Surreal – for ending up as part of the investigative team into the crimes – financial crimes and crimes of corruption -  that he saw unfold. And then writing a best-selling book about it. His book is called “Iceland’s Secret  - The untold story of the world’s biggest con.” The story of the most dramatic crash of a country’s economy, which took place in 2008. 

The Financial Times describes the book as “jaw-dropping … a fantastic read … an eye-opener and a cautionary tale”.
 

He is well-published, having written a number of successful books. His current one is on sale now: “Values, Voice and Virtue”.
 

They are intrinsically Swiss. Intrinsically Roman Catholic. And, at least for the time being, intrinsically male and mostly unmarried! 

Switzerland has been linked closely to the Vatican through the Pontifical Swiss Guard since 1506. That predates the 1848, modern Confederation of Switzerland by many centuries. 

Michael's guest is Jean Pierre- Roth. Among many high-level posts that he has held during his long and distinguished career, he was the President of the Swiss National Bank, from 2001 – 2009.

But the topic is not banking - he is also the President of the Foundation for the Renovation of the Swiss Guard Barracks in the Vatican.

He's a security expert and entrepreneur and leads a team of software engineers, data scientists, security analysts and penetration testers. 

Fifteen years ago while researching for a proposed television series on climate change Bru connected with many scientists who are specialists in their particular fields. Forestry, oceans, ice, deserts, physicists, chemists and biologists. What they all had in common was deep concern about changes taking place within their particular field of expertise, but what they lacked was understanding of each other’s disciplines and the interactions that take place between them.

Envisionation is about joining the dots to get a full understanding of the biosphere functions and humanities impact on it.

The two discuss what it means to be neutral with a war raging in Europe, Switzerland's long standing engagement in Kosovo, future plans for Swiss defence and how a military structure operates in one country with four languages?