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Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Cheap money is no more, Net Zero planning madness & property market jitters

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Cheap money is no more, Net Zero planning madness & property market jitters
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University posits that cheap money is now a thing of the past and that politicians, of whatever stripe, are going to have to find a way to live within harsher financial constraints. He looks at some of the UK's central planning madness when it comes to Net Zero, contrasting it to the more successful and forward-thinking policies of Norway. And he highlights the severe cracks opening up in the UK commercial property market, wondering what the end result will be.
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Starmer's Gaza position, the Covid inquiry, the AI summit and a Halloween general election?

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Starmer's Gaza position, the Covid inquiry, the AI summit and a Halloween general election?
Political commentator Mike Indian looks at the way Gaza has exposed divisions in the UK's political parties and examines Keir Starmer's stance. He discusses the "macho culture" in Number Ten exposed by the Covid inquiry and points to lessons we should draw from it so far. He considers Rishi Sunak's AI summit and what it might lead to. And he speculates whether we might have a Halloween general election next year.
Guest:

Mike Indian


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: New Zealand farmers' rebellion, distrust of electric cars & private police forces

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: New Zealand farmers' rebellion, distrust of electric cars & private police forces
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University highlights a growing disillusionment around the world with governments and the services they provide. In New Zealand farmers have united to dismantle some of Jacinda Ardern's climate policies, UK polls show that the public overwhelmingly do not trust electric vehicles, which have many more disadvantages than were initially apparent and, again in the UK, major retailers are increasingly turning to private police companies to prosecute the shoplifters because the official police will not do so.
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Sunak's visit to Israel, Keir Starmer & the Labour Conference and the by-elections

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Sunak's visit to Israel, Keir Starmer & the Labour Conference and the by-elections
Political commentator Mike Indian reflects upon the Prime Minister's visit to Israel and the UK reaction to the delicate situation, feeling that this is Sunak's first test on the world stage. After attending the Labour Party conference, he feels that, for the first time in a long time, Labour feel like a party expecting to be in government soon. And, on the day of two by-elections, he wonders if the Prime Minister will call the General Election earlier than he has to.
Guest:

Mike Indian


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Labour to the right of the Tories, are we facing a financial crisis & the revolt against Net Zero

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Labour to the right of the Tories, are we facing a financial crisis & the revolt against Net Zero
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University looks at Labour's move to the right of the Tories on housing and the NHS and feels it could become the natural party of government in the biggest seismic shift in UK politics since the early 20th century. He considers whether the world is hurtling towards a global financial crisis. And he assesses the growing public revolt around Europe against Net Zero, finding himself puzzled that no government appears to have carried out any costings in advance of such policies being announced.
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Why big projects go over budget, BBC licence fee & the UK's EU history

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Why big projects go over budget, BBC licence fee & the UK's EU history
In an episode first broadcast on 13th February 2020, just a couple of weeks before the Covid pandemic started, Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University examined why big construction projects such as Crossrail and HS2 go over budget, what ought to be done about the BBC and its licence fee and he cast a look back over the UK's troubled relationship with the EU during its 47-year membership. In the light of Rishi Sunak's cancellation last week of HS2 north of Birmingham, it's interesting to note the strains in the HS2 project which were already evident three and half years ago. Meanwhile here's the link to our more recent commentary, Public Finance Disasters in Small Print: https://www.shareradio.co.uk/thinkingaloud/newsletters/comment-wc-2023-08-07/
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: The financial inadequacies hurting the UK, HS2 & climate policy and working longer

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: The financial inadequacies hurting the UK, HS2 & climate policy and working longer
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University laments the profligacy of Government and the failure of the Bank of England to get a grip on inflation. He compares it to the disastrous mid-70s, saying the Bank is failing badly. He looks at the shifting sands of HS2 and climate policy, explaining why the UK is so bad at infrastructure. And he finds a positive in the fact that so many people are choosing to continue to work beyond conventional retirement age.
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Sunak's Net Zero U-turn, Liz Truss's speech, HS2 and the Horizon scheme

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Sunak's Net Zero U-turn, Liz Truss's speech, HS2 and the Horizon scheme
Political commentator Mike Indian discusses Rishi Sunak's U-turn on Net Zero, feeling it might be a sensible idea for the long-term but clearly done for political short-term reasons, using Net Zero as an issue to drive a wedge between Conservatives and Labour. Liz Truss's recent speech is an indication that the party is in trouble. He feels that, although the government should stick to its guns on HS2, there is plenty to be done elsewhere on infrastructure. He ends with the good news of the UK rejoining the Horizon Scheme, which he considers should be of benefit to the country.
Guest:

Mike Indian


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Spinning GDP numbers, Is a US trade deal on again & what Liz Truss got right

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Spinning GDP numbers, Is a US trade deal on again & what Liz Truss got right
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University tells Simon Rose of his concern that GDP data is being spun and politicised and thus becoming less reliable and useful. After a raft of trade deals with an Indo-Pacific tilt, is a UK-US trade deal back on the table and, if so, can it be done in time? And, a year on from Liz Truss's ill-fated premiership, Tim looks at the things she got right, particularly that growing our economy should be at the heart of policymaking and understanding that the high-tax approach could be creating a doom loop.
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: BRICS & de-dollarisation, road pricing & is the NHS recruitment plan affordable?

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: BRICS & de-dollarisation, road pricing & is the NHS recruitment plan affordable?
Tim Evans of Middlesex University looks at the recent BRICS meeting and the implications for the club's drive for new members and the desire for de-dollarisation for the world economy. Looking at ULEZ and other schemes in the UK, he points out that we are going back to the future, given that the Georgians had 30,000 miles of turnpike trusts. He believes that the future of driving in the UK will be road pricing. And he looks at a report which says that the NHS's plan to hire a million more staff could see the Treasury needing to find an extra £50bn by 2036, which may not be affordable. Tim feels that we are heading for a mixed economy system in health and social care.
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans


Published: