Share Sounds. from Thought for the Week

Opening the Lambeth Conference last week, Archbishop Justin drew his colleagues' attention to the ‘lions’ threatening humanity with attack, hostility, danger and uncertainty, summarising them as climate change, religious extremism, war and government oppression, economic injustice and poverty, and culture wars. His comments on science and technology were more circumspect, accepting their capacity to deliver solutions as well as to present challenges. It is, however, important to recognise how long-term and short-term motivations to tackle these challenges are so often in conflict. In a world where our actions today influence the long-term more acutely than at any time in history, we must re-balance our search for solutions in order to avoid the long-term being continually eclipsed by, and often sacrificed to, the short-term. Background music: Brass Chorale and Motet by Sir Cubworth Links via: https://www.shareradio.co.uk/thinkingaloud/newsletters/comment-wc-2022-08-08/

The dilemma between whether to engage or detach has challenged humanity for millennia. In all walks of life, from international tensions to faith, and from living in a civilized society to personal relationships, it challenges us — whether to work hard at finding solutions, or to stand aloof. As we've seen in Ukraine, with international relationships detachment leads ultimately to conflict. It's an outcome which our ancestors have had to suffer throughout history but, since the mass deployment of nuclear weapons, it is now an existential threat every bit on a par with the other great issue of our time: climate change. In both respects, engagement is now not only the preferred way forward — it's the only way which makes it possible to see a long-term future. Background music: 'Resolution' by Wayne Jones

Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak are both understandably focused on the UK economy, challenged by massive public debt and soaring inflation, but who will tackle the 'elephant in the room' of the gargantuan health and social care budget, which has resulted from seventy years addiction to socialist universality? We update our proposal first made in June 2018, since when the cost per adult of health and social care has doubled. Background music: 'Addicted' by VYEN

Publication of the Austin Report by HM Treasury should herald a new era for a vibrant UK stock market and much greater profile for personal investors. However there needs to be significant improvements for the latter, including strengthened rights to share owner communication and voting for those whose holdings are in nominees, normalising the threshold levels for partaking in circularisations and resolutions, and the ability for personal investors to take part in the 'rump' sell-off of nil-paid rights so that personal investors as a genre are not diluted. It's a time for change .. Background Music: Hopeful Freedom by Asher Fulero

People come in all shapes and sizes, and there are many people who have that strange combination of seemingly boundless energy and inherent unpredictability which are found in Mr Johnson. People who are more measured and reliable find them intensely frustrating, but there should still be a place for unconventional people, albeit not as prime minister. In this episode we find other examples in history of unconventional individuals who were also not accepted by many of the people with whom they worked, and we look not so much at weighing their offences but counting their merits in asking how the undoubtable strengths of someone like Boris can work for the benefit of all. Background music: 'Enable the Tiger' by JAde Wii

Are rich people who come from poverty more likely to be sympathetic to others in poverty because they understand their lives? Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, clearly isn't: here he is speaking in 2014 'You are poor because you have no ambition'. And a new study confirms that those who make the journey from rags to riches are more likely to pull the ladder up behind them. It goes to show that, if we want a fair and just society where young people have not only the life skills but also some resources to achieve their potential as an adult, we must build the strategy into the structure of our economic governance: much as public health and addressing climate change are accepted by an all-party consensus. Background Music: Waterfall by Aakash Ghandi

Welcome to our 250th commentary, produced over these last five years since Share Radio moved to 100% online broadcasting. It's been a period of massive change and increasing clarity on what we need to do to sort out the problems of the world, and we hope these thoughts are making some contribution in that respect. To mark this staging point we thought it might be helpful to set out some of the guiding principles which have steered, and will continue to steer, our comment. For our full list of commentaries, please visit https://www.shareradio.co.uk/thinkingaloud/newsletters/ Background music: Hovering Thoughts by Spence

In much of modern life we value the present much higher than either the past or the future; the latter because, if we'd like our descendants to remember where they came from, we would need to leave them a legacy — which we’re clearly not prepared to do, either in our personal and civic lives. So this week we consider some of the range of areas afflicted by this timeline poverty, and how this focus on the ‘now’ threatens the whole prospect of a legacy for our species as a result of both climate change and international aggression. Background Music: Turn - The Tower of Light

Boris Johnson clearly hopes that an increased focus on home ownership will restore his fortunes as we approach the next election in the United Kingdom: we've certainly slipped a long way from the focus on ‘right to buy’ and popular capitalism over the decades since Margaret Thatcher was in power. Politicians often speak glibly about ownership as if it's a definitive term, but the sense of ownership depends on a whole range of features. We look at a number of different styles of, and pressures on, ownership, and how they weaken or strengthen that sense of connection for which Boris Johnson is no doubt seeking. Background music: Timeless by Slenderbeats

The Commonwealth's extraordinary ability to reconcile and accept diversity of politics and faith in this huge and growing family of nations started with Elizabeth seventy years ago. Democracy works well within nations, but her generosity of spirit has proved how an appointed leader can bring about real reconciliation between nations. The British people have yet to learn what this lesson of true partnership in the Commonwealth of nations and faith really means. We are too quick to recall our sense of history and importance, too quick to reach for our Union Jacks and our ‘Rule Britannia’. We have a lot to learn from our Queen, and perhaps we should start by paying much more attention to the Commonwealth which she has fostered so brilliantly over the past seventy years. Background music: Airline by Geographer