Share Sounds.

Political commentator Mike Indian looks at "Partygate" and the resignation of Allegra Stratton, as well as the fine over the refurbishment of the PM's Downing Street flat. With polls indicating a hung Parliament if there was a snap election, he asks what it would take for the PM to go. He considers the latest Covid rules and discusses how heavy they might get - could Christmas be cancelled again? And he puts the case for mandatory vaccination as an alternative to recurring shutdowns of society.

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University discusses a paper from John Penrose MP which could galvanise the debate on poverty, tackling the underlying causes, rather than treating its symptoms. He reflects on Nigel Farage's interview with Donald Trump on GB News, wishing Trump had faced a rather less friendly interviewer. And, confessing his own bias, he looks at the timeless and messy issue of the politics surrounding abortion, explaining why it is so divisive.

James Cameron-Wilson on the latest UK box office numbers. Opening at #1 is House of Gucci with Lady Gaga, directed by Ridley Scott, pushing Ghostbusters: Afterlife into second place. Disney's 60th animated feature, Encanto, opens at #3 while a special screening of the Cole Porter musical Anything Goes was #7 ("like the best seat in the theatre"). James's pick of the week is Jane Campion's The Power Of The Dog on Netflix. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, James reckons it will pick up many Oscar nominations.

With markets roiled by the new Covid variant and the Fed Chairman admitting inflation may not be temporary after all, Russ Mould of A J Bell asks if we are finally seeing the Taper Tantrum central banks have been so nervous about. Quoting the US Misery Index and the Fear Index, he feels investors - to whom absolutely rather than relative return is most important – should not think that what has worked for 10 years will necessarily work in future. He has some suggestions for protecting private investors' portfolios.

We're all used to Quantitative Easing by central banks now, and the abundance of public money brought about by debt-fuelled economies: what a difference from the days of the Gold Standard and the rush to higher interest rates, supposedly intended to defend the currency and the banking system. But fear of money scarcity continues to be a very real issue for people, which can deter them from taking on risk in the form of investment or being entrepreneurial. In this episode Adam, Cox explores how fear can hold back people from being courageous - but is he right to draw a link between easy public money and personal risk appetite? We'll leave you to judge.

Adam Cox is joined by Bobby Watkins, Managing Director of Arthr, to discuss the issue of the 'Home Office Hunch' and how we can look after our musculoskeletal health. They look at how working at home has affected Brits musculoskeletal health, and Bobby explains Arthr and how it helps those effected by arthritis.

Adam Cox is joined by Jennifer White to discuss PETA's new Wool Free Winter campaign. They look at how, despite public misconception, wool is both environmentally unfriendly and cruel to the sheep who it is sheared from. Jennifer explains how PETA are encouraging the public to go wool free this year and gives some tips on alternative ways to keep warm.

The financial planner’s financial planner talks Roths, asset location, and managing sequence of returns risk. He also tells the story of how he got into the financial advice biz, and offers some career-development and time-management advice.

The unemployment rate falls but job growth disappoints. Salesforce reports better-than-expected profits and promotes Bret Taylor to co-CEO. Square changes its name to Block. Jack Dorsey steps down as CEO of Twitter. And Docusign plummets on weak guidance. Motley Fool analysts Maria Gallagher and Ron Gross discuss those stories and weigh in on the latest from Ulta Beauty, Okta, Allbirds, and Chipotle. Our analysts share two stocks on their radar: DoorDash and NextEra Energy. Plus, toy industry analyst Jackie Breyer talks holiday toys, supply chain, and bumper cars for toddlers!

We’ve all felt it, that moment when you look at your bank balance and think ‘I’ve spent how much?’ But what if you looked at an entire lifetime’s worth of spending? What would the damage be and how painful would that number feel? According to a recent piece of research by Atom Bank, the cost of living an entire near 81-year lifetime in 2021 would be a whopping £1,543,834. That includes £169,159 spent on children, £266,742 on buying the average house and £69,793 on Christmases. The bank compared the figures to what the same lifetime would have cost at a 1971 snapshot, with £14,738 on children, £2,371 on the average house, and £4,177 on Christmases. Beyond highlighting just how much house prices have skyrocketed in 50 years – if they had only kept pace with standard inflation the average home would cost £38,000 – what does this tell us? On this week’s podcast, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert discuss that and why a snapshot like this – vaguely precise as it may be – can help us understand how inflation works and how it can drive up prices. Lee picks out the inflation across each decade to show that and Atom’s figures that see the cost of the average lifetime rise to £19.2million by 2071 sharpen the mind. Inflation is looking large again, but Omicron has made it look like a Bank of England interest rate hike may be back off the table this month. The team discuss that and whether the variant and restrictions to tackle it will cause more economic problems and what those with travel plans can do. Next up is the Great Resignation – another phenomenon thrust to the foreground by the pandemic – what’s going on, why are people quitting and should you stay or go to get a pay rise and better working conditions? And finally, is your home hotter than Lanzarote? It’s cold and frosty outside, but inside a surprising number of British homes it’s shorts and t-shirt weather.