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Political commentator Mike Indian looks at the nurses' strike. When all solutions to the NHS's problems are difficult, he feels emphasis should be on patient outcomes. He looks at the new bullying claims against Dominic Raab, wondering why the relationship between government and the civil service has deteriorated so markedly. And he summarises an extraordinary year which, he says, shows just how the Conservatives have thrown away most of the advantages they held.

Politicial commentator Mike Indian says that PM Rishi Sunak should not get bogged down in detail, but work out what to concentrate on and make himself visible where it counts. He discusses government U-turns and what the Chester by-election means for Labour, suggesting it reinforces the idea that the party will form the next government. With Stephen Flynn the new SNP leader in Westminster, does this mean that Nicola Sturgeon's days are now effectively numbered?

James Cameron-Wilson analyses the UK box office, down another 33%, with Matilda the Musical still #1. Seasonal horror film Violent Night enters at #3 which "puts the X into Xmas". To his surprise, James found it outrageously funny but also touching. He also praises the Blu-Ray restoration of the 1939 horror comedy The Cat and the Canary, starring Bob Hope, a view with which Simon concurs.

Steve Caplin has a sackful of Christmas gift suggestions that should arrive before the holiday. For the extravagant, there's a 2-storey inflatable catamaran or a pimped iPhone 14 Pro Max. For the rest of us, choose between apps to produce spectacular portraits, a smart door lock, a space-saving Christmas tree, kitchen scales, a yodelling pickle, a rechargeable lantern, a travelling plug set, a folding fan, a belt for sailing through security, a suitcase to beat size restrictions and an app to keep track of all your online shopping.

Adam Cox plays Earth Roulette to generate some random ideas for this episode, coming up with a beach in Brazil, fury and smugness, and the words Extract, Shed and Entitlement. Inspired by these thoughts, he explores how do use that store of material tucked away but little used to find some real value — some useful blue sky thinking for the Christmas break!

Adam Cox is joined by Luke Sherriff, England Sevens player, who is helping Britain to get stretching this winter with the help of Akasha spa and Hotel Café Royal. They discuss what stretching can do for the body, and how spa therapists can help. https://www.hotelcaferoyal.com/

You might not expect to find a multi-bagger stock in aftermarket automotive parts. But, that's exactly what one retailer has accomplished. Deidre Woollard and Jim Gillies discuss Europe's energy crunch, and why Russia isn't playing along with price caps, investing in economic cycles as a contrarian, and why AutoZone is "one of the best managed companies and capital allocation stories." Plus, 17 minutes in, Motley Fool Contributor Brian Withers joins Alison Southwick and Robert Brokamp to discuss how to encourage kids to invest when time is on their side. Companies mentioned: AZO, DIS, CMG. Holiday Music: Disco Christmas by Universal Robot; Host - Deidre Woollard; Guests: Jim Gillies, Alison Southwick, Robert Brokamp, Brian Withers

The first rule of investing is don’t lose money. The other rules are a little more complicated. David Rubenstein is the Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of The Carlyle Group, and the author of ”How to Invest: Masters on the Craft”. Rubenstein joined John Rotonti to discuss lessons from Warren Buffet, Larry Fink, and Seth Klarman, genius and luck in investing, happiness and expectations, and investing with a margin of safety. Companies mentioned: CG, BLK, TSLA, HLT. Host - John Rotonti; Guest - David Rubenstein

The mortgage crunch has stalled the pandemic property boom and sent house prices down, but could they fall 20%? The risk of a severe house price downturn of that magnitude was flagged by Rightmove founder and property market veteran Harry Hill. Hill’s CV includes setting up property giant Rightmove and selling estate agency group Countrywide for £1 billion a year before the 2008 banking crisis. Hill told the The Mail on Sunday and This is Money: 'My view on the housing market is that it's going down in every direction. Transactions are going to go down. Prices are going to go down.’ He added that a bad recession would mean ‘we could see 20% price reductions’. Could house prices fall 20% from here? Why would it happen? How bad would that be? Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert discuss the prospects for the housing market, how the rapid rise in mortgage rates is affecting it and what prospective home movers or first-time buyers should do. Plus, they are joined by a very special guest: Lee Boyce, now Money Mail editor, is back on the programme to discuss the Wooden Spoon award for the worst customer service of the year. Who are the runners and riders, what did they do wrong, and why does Simon nominate a couple of firms that aren’t even on the shortlist? Savings rates have been a rare bit of good new recently and Simon talks through the attraction of small building societies and how some are offering market beating rates, but you might struggle to secure them. And finally, it’s time for a second special guest, John Mayhead of classic car specialist Hagerty, who is joins Simon to discuss the insurer’s Bull List of ten classics it tips to rise in value next year. How do these classic cars get on the list, what makes them ripe for appreciation and what’s a Citroen BX doing rubbing shoulders with a Lamborghini Diablo?

Last week's rather under-stated 'Edinburgh Reforms' will pave the way for a major step forward in the UK's contribution to global financial services. In what Mark Austin describes as a 'Darwinian evolution', this broad set of regulatory changes not only frees the City from decades of living under the European Union umbrella of directives, but also continues with measures to ease over-reaction following the 2008 financial crisis. Background Music: 'The New Order' by Aaron Kenny