Future citizens have, by definition, no voice but someone needs to speak on their behalf if we’re meant to build a longterm society. The solution to the global housing crisis requires longterm thinking, creating solutions that will sustain us for at least the next 100 years, not just the next election cycle… and it’s much more affordable than you might think! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 18, 2023•27 min•Season 2023Ep. 30
Communicating the bad before the good is an evolutionary trait that has helped us survive - but in today’s world, our ancestral instincts and the need to sell media has created a vicious circle that we need to expose and change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 13, 2023•34 min•Season 2023Ep. 29
What does Ireland do for the Irish Diaspora? Here's an idea: why not use Ireland as the re-charging battery for the Irishness of the Global Irish Tribe? Let's use Biden’s visit to Ireland this week to think about how we harness the soft power of Ireland's greatest and unique asset: the tens of millions people around the world who identify as Irish. Soft power is the power of imagination, and in the future a country's soft power will become much more important for our economy. Hope you enjoy this...
Apr 11, 2023•33 min•Season 2023Ep. 28
It's Easter, Ramadan and Passover, so let's go to the centre of the three Abrahamic religions, Jerusalem. Many years ago I spent time living and working in Israel which gave me a first hand impression of the country - both good and bad. This week we talk Israel - a country of 9 million people - as that country erupts in anti-government demonstrations, while some in that government talk openly about annexing the West Bank. We also chat to the last Jew in Cork, who emigrated from Cork to Jerusalem...
Apr 06, 2023•43 min•Season 2023Ep. 27
You've never had it so good, but you ain't feeling it. Sound familiar? We explain this dilemma at the heart of a society - in this case Ireland - but its can be applied to many countries. It is one of the reason why politics seems so unstable even in countries where economic data appears robust. Unless economic figures percolate down to how people are experiencing the economy, they are not only unhelpful but worse, they are antagonising. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informatio...
Apr 04, 2023•29 min•Season 2023Ep. 26
Putin has managed to turn Russia into a vassal state of China, a fact confirmed by Xi’s visit to Russia. The Sino/Russo alliance against the West is solidified between them but the alliance is not one of equals. Russia is China’s petrol station, while China provides Russia with manufacturing goods. This is China's moment. This week we discuss politics, geo-strategy and the enduring appeal, despite its failings, of the West. Plus a riff on car seats, Yuri Gagarin and why in 1492, it was European ...
Mar 30, 2023•34 min•Season 2023Ep. 25
The easiest way to rob a bank is to run it. Banks go bad from the inside out. When interest rates shift upward, lots of mistakes and dodgy practices are revealed. We break down where we’re at globally and what comes next - spoiler alert: it ain't pretty. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 28, 2023•41 min•Season 2023Ep. 24
The global housing crisis is significantly worse in countries that speak English. Why? Is it because far few English speakers live in flats? Flats are cheaper to build, creating more dense communities and apartment dwellers object far less than those who live in houses. We explore the joy of apartments today with the expert help of John Burn-Murdoch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 23, 2023•39 min•Season 2023Ep. 23
You wait for bank failures for years then... three come in a week, one in the home of banking, Switzerland,. This presents central banks with a dilemma. Central banks have two key mandates. One is controlling inflation which, right now, demands higher interest rates, the other preserving the banking system, which right now requires lower interest rates. What gives? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 21, 2023•40 min•Season 2023Ep. 22
On St Patrick's Day we go to the US, home to thirty five million Irish/Americans - there are only 7 million of us on the island. In the country that, more than any other, has been shaped by Irish immigrants, we take the pulse of the US with Brooklyn's finest, Bernie Sanders. We chat about the deep problems that exist in the US, but also the way America can be renewed. Don't miss this one and Happy Paddies Day wherever you are. Plus we've got some brilliant new Irish music for you too. Hosted on ...
Mar 16, 2023•44 min•Season 2023Ep. 21
We explain why SVB went bust, why yield curves matter and what comes next. Banks go bad from the inside out, but is this the first or the last bank crash of 2023? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 14, 2023•42 min•Season 2023Ep. 20
This week we visited the richest and poorest parts of the UK and it didn't feel right. London, so long the dynamo for productivity, growth and taxation is spluttering and stagnating, while up the road in Northern Ireland; the poorest people now have a healthy life expectancy on par with Sierra Leone. Something has to give. What are Britain's options, will it take them or is the national decline now endemic and irreversible? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Mar 09, 2023•32 min•Season 2023Ep. 19
AI has really come into its own in 2023 with the mainstream use of ChatGPT - but beyond the headlines and the initial curiosities, what does the ascent of AI mean for our economy and our society? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 07, 2023•34 min•Season 2023Ep. 18
In the mindset of the West, Russia is a big, significant, military power with significant resources, but is this perception based in reality? Is the reality that Russia is a decrepit state that has failed its people and ransacked its resources? Have the Russians done what they've done for years, which is lie and spin about its real potential, taking hostages and threatening all around them? In truth it's a large, leaky petrol station with nukes. As we go into the 2nd year of the war, lets examin...
Mar 02, 2023•41 min•Season 2023Ep. 17
The way out of the housing crisis, both in Ireland and abroad is going to require us to think as a collective and reject individualistic, speculative instincts. Let’s look at what can be done to create better cities and communities, it’s actually pretty simple. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 28, 2023•33 min•Season 2023Ep. 16
On the eve of the invasion of Ukraine, we examine how fragile this idea of liberal democracy, where the individual is valued and protected, has become. Yes it has its problems and yes, on a number of fronts, it has not delivered for all, but would you change the combination of liberal democracy and capitalism? There are alternatives out there, I'm not sure I'd like to live in any. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 23, 2023•50 min•Season 2023Ep. 15
It’s finally happening, the government is going to tax vacant land! Or at least, they’re thinking about it. As a listener to the podcast, you'll be aware that taxing land to bring it into use has been a cornerstone of what is necessary to bring about a more efficient use of land. Not surprisingly, those with most to lose - major landowners/speculators are pushing back. This fight is the future of housing in Ireland (and everywhere). The State must hold the line and win. Hosted on Acast. See acas...
Feb 21, 2023•32 min•Season 2023Ep. 14
This week's Chinese balloons are only the latest sign of tension between the two superpowers. The relationship between China and the US has deteriorated drastically in the last decade - what happened? Today we explore how China transformed itself from a simple producer to a high-tech producer, how that impacts their relationships on the global stage and why microchips are the epicentre of a trade and technology war that will define the coming decades. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for m...
Feb 16, 2023•40 min•Season 2023Ep. 13
On last week’s episode we discussed the fact that immigration is good for the economy in the aggregate, but is it good for everyone? As with most things, poorer people and richer people experience life and its challenges differently. Poorer people compete with new immigrants in the housing and jobs market, as well as for public services. This creates tensions. We examine these social tensions, and look for some solutions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Feb 14, 2023•39 min•Season 2023Ep. 12
This bonus episode is brought to you by Done Deal Motors. Price and value don't exist in isolation - everything is relative. Join us for this bonus episode as we look at our social lens on value and the profound impact of interest rates on our lives Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 10, 2023•26 min
Economic growth is not distributed evenly. Why are some societies richer than others? What is the impact of economic growth? let's look at the very essence of economics today and explain how successful economic growth has a profound impact on our daily lives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 09, 2023•45 min•Season 2023Ep. 11
Immigrants are used to having it hard, both in life an in the public eye where they are often vilified. This lambasting though is based on nothing more than lies - the truth is that immigrants helps society grow and prosper. It’s time to set the record straight. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 07, 2023•37 min•Season 2023Ep. 10
Argentina and Brazil are currently undertaking the herculean task of creating a new currency based on the Euro model. Let’s discuss why they’re attempting this and how the Euro, the model they are following, came to be. The currency is the most important price in most economics, so getting this right is hugely important. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 02, 2023•30 min•Season 2023Ep. 9
The people who build Europe's gothic cathedrals knew that they wouldn't be around to see them completed. They were building for people yet to be born. This is what we need to build liveable cities right now. Looking at John Gray the 19th century architect of Dublin's water system, we apply Gray's thinking and planning to the of the biggest urban dilemma of the 21st century: housing and urban planning. To execute urban vision, we need to take on some vested interests and think about future genera...
Jan 31, 2023•28 min•Season 2023Ep. 8
Davos’s World Economic Forum, although often maligned for it’s ultra-wealthy attendees - and understandably so - is still an event that outlines, and in some cases, shapes the economic priorities of the world for the year ahead. Today we go right to the source to understand what is on the mind of this year’s speakers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 26, 2023•46 min•Season 2023Ep. 7
It's never been more expensive to be 30 something. The old social contract used to be, work hard, study, get a degree, keep your beak clean and soon enough your income will rise and you will end up richer than your parents. That's no longer the case. The conveyor belt of upward social mobility has stalled. The Millennials are falling behind, while their parents are surging ahead. And what about the generation coming behind them? Inter-generational warfare is not pretty but if we don't do somethi...
Jan 24, 2023•38 min•Season 2023Ep. 6
Listen to the view of the region from my travelling companion to Ukraine, Sasha Kabanovsky, born and bred in Kyiv. We covered a lot of ground, historic, political, social and economic. Hope you enjoy it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 19, 2023•39 min•Season 2023Ep. 5
As a student I first went to the Soviet Union in 1987. Then spent months in the Russian countryside trying to learn the language in 1991. Since then, I have worked and travelled in both Russian and Ukraine. I was first in Kyiv in 1998, working in the Ukrainian economy. So I've spent many years in that part of the world and have friends from both countries. Last week, I went back to Kyiv with an old Ukrainian mate. Here are the observations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informa...
Jan 17, 2023•43 min•Season 2023Ep. 4
2022 saw many ups and downs - and one notable "down" was the fall of crypto-mania. While the madness feels behind us, most still don't understand this "currency" that is shrouded in myths and lore - today, we're going to make sense of it all. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 12, 2023•35 min•Season 2023Ep. 3
Like fire, money has profoundly impacted our species. So much so that it’s development has shaped how we organize together, how the world was discovered and who innovated first (and best!). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 10, 2023•31 min•Season 2023Ep. 2
