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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Public Finance Disasters in small print

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Public Finance Disasters in small print
Government Debt at the end of June '23 was £2.53 trillion, or £38,000 for every person living in the UK. This will be increased by 10% as a result of HM Treasury indemnifying the Bank of England for their QE losses and the cost of the dysfunctional HS2 project. Hidden away on page 54 of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority Annual Report is where you can find their assessment of the huge HS2 project: then check out William Hague's Times article, 'HS2 has gone from shambles to red alert'. Please visit the Share Radio webpage for links. Background music: 'Sarabande' by Joel Cummins

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Account Providers need to Take Action!

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Account Providers need to Take Action!
Dame Meg Hillier is Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, which has published its 25-page report into Child Trust Funds following the recent National Audit Office analysis. HMRC is asked to follow a series of recommendations to link young adults to their unclaimed accounts, including getting account providers to take more action. Young adults from disadvantaged households are most in need of the c. £2,000 waiting to be claimed in their Child Trust but an estimated one million 18-20 year-olds are not claiming their money because they don't know anything about it. As we said on 22nd May, don't waste the Child Trust Fund harvest! Background music: The Plan's Working - Cooper Cannell Image by Richard Townshend

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Loneliness and Mental Health

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Loneliness and Mental Health
In mid-2022 there were 716,000 people economically inactive in the United Kingdom because of mental health and neurological conditions, including depression, nerves, anxiety and autistic spectrum disorders: an increase of 33% from 2019. 196,000 of these people were aged 16-34. Part of the explanation is the scar left behind from the pandemic. But that in itself points to a malaise which is rooted in loneliness and self-orientation. Technology is no substitute for human conversation: no amount of social media, text messaging or conversations with Alexa can replicate it. Background music: 'Digital Solitude' by Silent Partner

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Monopolies are not the answer

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Monopolies are not the answer
With aggregate annual licence fee income of £3.7 billion, a degree of self-interest and parochialism which permeates its coverage, and swiftly-reducing interest from young people, the BBC's 100th anniversary poses more questions than answers. Meanwhile the National Health Service, celebrating its 75th anniversary, spends over £158 billion a year in England alone: but still struggles with record waiting times and dismal GP service to patients — yet more evidence of the dysfunctionality of quango monopolies. Background music: 'The New Order' by Aaron Kenny

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Financial Legacies

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Financial Legacies
The shining towers and ivory walls of the City of London — many of our financial trials and tribulations can be traced back to October 1986, when the clear distinction between self-interest and acting in the interests of customers was abruptly brought to an end in the 'Big Bang'. Among those who saw it all happen was legendary market-maker Brian Winterflood MBE, who died on 29th June. His financial legacy, built over sixty years in the City, is massive. Background music: 'Communicator' by Reed Mathis

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Gavin Oldham

The Bigger Picture: Treasury Select Committee Evidence Session on Inflation (abridged)

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Treasury Select Committee Evidence Session on Inflation  (abridged)
On 5th July the Treasury Select Committee held an evidence session on the hot topic of inflation. Their witnesses included: Professor Sir Charles Bean, Professor of Economics, London School of Economics (LSE), Former member, Monetary Policy Committee, Former member, OBR Budget Responsibility Committee; Nina Skero, Chief Executive, Centre for Economics and Business Research; Stephen King, Senior Economic Adviser, HSBC; Dr Sushil Wadhwani CBE, Chief Investment Officer, PGIM Wadhwani, Former member, Monetary Policy Committee. This episode covers the first 50 minutes of the hearing and its conclusion with year-end predictions for interest rates — the full podcast is two hours long and can be accessed via https://www.shareradio.co.uk/podcasts/treasury-select-committee-evidence-session-on-inflation-full-length-07-jul-23/PodcastPlayer

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Gavin Oldham

Treasury Select Committee Evidence Session on Inflation - full length

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Share Radio Extra

Treasury Select Committee Evidence Session on Inflation - full length
On 5th July the Treasury Select Committee held an evidence session on the hot topic of inflation. Their witnesses included: Professor Sir Charles Bean, Professor of Economics, London School of Economics (LSE), Former member, Monetary Policy Committee, Former member, OBR Budget Responsibility Committee; Nina Skero, Chief Executive, Centre for Economics and Business Research; Stephen King, Senior Economic Adviser, HSBC; Dr Sushil Wadhwani CBE, Chief Investment Officer, PGIM Wadhwani, Former member, Monetary Policy Committee. This full length podcast is two hours long

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: The Social Merits of Long-Term Ownership

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: The Social Merits of Long-Term Ownership
What is the psychological effect of individual ownership — and, notwithstanding the low starting point, how can we bring a sense of ownership right across society? Is the rate at which people discount the future impacted by their sense of ownership and thereby their sense of responsibility for the future? Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Russia in Crisis

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Russia in Crisis
Last Saturday's trail of chaos exposes the challenge facing Russia, absorbed in conflict and with its people living in fear and poverty. Plans are urgently needed to find a way out of this mess. But it has to start with ending the violence in Ukraine. Could there be a role for UN peacekeepers to help while Russia looks for a new way forward? Background music: 'Russian Dance' by Joey Pecoraro

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: The Rise and Fall of Honesty

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: The Rise and Fall of Honesty
'What is Truth?', were Pilate's last words to Jesus on Good Friday. We all experience being economical with the truth, although the Privileges Committee clearly regards itself as above such a challenge. The result for Boris Johnson is a trashed reputation, alongside others who have experienced a sudden fall from grace. There should, however, be a road back from outer darkness, but not without some serious self-examination first. Background music: 'Confliction & Catharsis' - Asher Fulero Image source: https://rateyourmusic.com/

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