The ageing crisis that no one’s talking about

Transforming Society podcast

May 19, 2025•59 min

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Episode description

Within the next 30 years the European workforce will be down by a quarter, upsetting the systems we have had in place for decades.

In this episode, Richard Kemp speaks with Giles Merritt, author of 'Timebomb: When Ageing Explodes', about this impending ageing crisis.

They discuss the multiple factors that have led us here, as well as what needs to be done to defuse this bomb before it goes off and explodes the European economy.

Since his 1978 arrival in the 'Capital of Europe' as a correspondent of the Financial Times, Giles Merritt has specialised in Europe's policy challenges as a journalist and think-tanker. He's often hailed as a 'Brussels institution' by readers of his incisive and often critical commentaries on European politics and economics.

Find out more about the book at: https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/trade/timebomb

The transcript is available here: https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2025/05/19/podcast-the-ageing-crisis-that-no-ones-talking-about/

Timestamps:

1:20 - What is the timebomb and when is it going to go off?

6:27 - What happened to our growth and should we be concerned?

12:31 - Shouldn't Brexiters be celebrating the lower number of migrants?

25:15 - What happened to create this chasm between just two generations?

35:31 - What is the truth behind the workforce crisis?

42:11 - Has there been any change to fix the upcoming pension crisis?

46:40 - Why do billionaires get away with profit diversion? Why can't we tax them properly?

52:49 - Do parties like Trump, AFD and Reform actually intend to fix the problem?

54:01 - Where should we start to take action against this timebomb?