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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Short-termism — Democracy’s Achilles’ Heel

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Short-termism — Democracy’s Achilles’ Heel
Food banks are very busy at this time of year, and Trussell, which co-ordinates and supplies 1,400 of them in the UK with 36,000 volunteers, is particularly active. Its combination of nationwide scalability and local partnerships shows how voluntary and philanthropic contributions can deliver hope in the face of a welfare state which has failed to break the cycle of deprivation over the past fifty years. Is this the model, combined with a more egalitarian form of capitalism, which can provide a more compassionate society, with participation for all? Background music: 'Soul Food' by Chris Haugen Image Source: Trussell

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: A Matter of Life and Death

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: A Matter of Life and Death
Matters of life and death featured strongly in the House of Commons last Friday. thanks to Kim Leadbeater's Private Members' Bill on assisted dying — it's curious how the new UK parliament has developed such a fixation on 'end of life'. The Government's plans for inheritance tax might encourage people towards a serious look at philanthropy — register to join Philanthropy Impact's webinar on Donor Advised Funds, starting at 12 noon this Wednesday 4th December. Background music: 'Wandering Soul' by Asher Fulero Image source: Philanthropy Impact

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Walking into the Unknown

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Walking into the Unknown
Last week we focused on UK government debt: but it pales into insignificance when compared to U.S. national debt. Donald Trump has radical plans to apply tax cuts and huge import tariffs, but could this trigger a global financial crisis with no-one prepared to buy debt in a zombie economy? U.S. national debt has doubled to over $35 trillion during the ten years that Share Radio has been on air: both Democrats and Republicans have driven it remorselessly. A new approach to economics is needed which doesn't rely on either bigger government or lower taxes. Background music: 'Dark Alley Deals' by Aaron Kenny

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: The OBR should analyse generational impact

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: The OBR should analyse generational impact
The yellow-shaded column is the OBR's forecast for borrowing in 2028-29 as at March this year; the blue-shaded is their latest forecast. Is this really 'Invest, Invest, Invest' or 'Borrow, Borrow, Borrow'? The problem is that it all lands on the shoulders of today's young people, who will struggle more to find jobs after the employer NI changes and whose prospects of home ownership and family formation are already weighed down by student debt. Background music: 'Missing Persons' by Jeremy Blake

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Gavin Oldham

UK Parliament: Budget Speech 30 October 2024

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Policy Matters

UK Parliament: Budget Speech 30 October 2024
UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves delivers her first Budget. This recording is unabridged and without additional comment.

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week — and beyond: Nobel Committee sets out existential threat to humanity

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week — and beyond: Nobel Committee sets out existential threat to humanity
Five countries were recognised as nuclear weapon states under the 1970 Non-Proliferation Treaty: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and China. Other states now with nuclear weapons include India, Pakistan and North Korea — and Israel is thought to have them too. Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite but was appalled at the thought that he would be remembered as leaving such a deadly legacy, would be pleased with the Nobel Committee's decision to issue such a clear warning against any future use of nuclear weapons. Background music: 'Sarabande' by Joel Cummins Image source: Wikipedia

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: UK Budget on the Horizon

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: UK Budget on the Horizon
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves presents her first Budget on Wednesday 30th October after a major spending review. Her election commitments on tax rates and the priority she has given to restoring growth will limit the scope for raising further revenues, but there's plenty of room for re-balancing health spending by introducing mandatory health insurance for wealthy old folk. The balance between what comes in and what goes out is a struggle for almost all western democracies: in the United States, debt interest accounts for 76% of income tax receipts. In the UK it's 36%: still high, and that's notwithstanding the impact of frozen tax thresholds causing higher receipts, which would act to reduce that percentage. Background music: 'People Watching' by Sir Cubworth

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: How shifting priorities risk our future

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: How shifting priorities risk our future
In our fast-moving world, priorities are often distracted: issues which require long-term focus often lose out as a result. Unscrupulous marketeers are well aware of this, and the New Weather Institute has published a report showing how fossil fuel giants are using sport sponsorship in order to divert our attention from the need to address climate change. Background music: 'Hovering Thoughts' by Spence

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Could Justin Welby hold the key to peace in Ukraine?

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Could Justin Welby hold the key to peace in Ukraine?
In a House of Lords debate on the continuing conflict in Sudan, Archbishop Justin Welby called for a long-term plan towards peace building. The need for that is just as acute in Ukraine and, using all his considerable skills in reconciliation, he could open the door to a pathway to peace by going to meet Patriarch Kirill in Moscow. Thus far Kirill has given steadfast spiritual support to Putin, but is this in keeping with the Christian faith? How can the clear instruction to 'love your enemies' be reconciled with the continuing devastation and anguish in Ukraine and the abduction of more than 20,000 children? Background music: 'Confliction & Catharsis' by Asher Fulero

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Falling birth rates unsettle the Vatican

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Falling birth rates unsettle the Vatican
Pope Francis calls for more focus on children, suggesting that in many countries pets take preference. If the hard-won values of gender equality are to benefit generations well into the future, western democracies need to help young people towards family formation. His comments may have been prompted by the collapse in Italian fertility rates to just 1.3 birth per woman: well below the 2.1 needed for a stable population. Background music: 'Young And Old Know Love' Puddle of Infinity

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