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Political commentator Mike Indian, author of The Groucho Tendency blog, looks at the formation of The Independent Group, with 8 ex-Labour and 3 ex-Conservative MPs to date. What do they stand for? And against? Will there be more defections? Could they change the face of British politics or is it too early to say? What might their arrival on the scene mean for the Brexit process, with the clock ticking down and even Jean-Claude Juncker confessing to "Brexit fatigue"?

James Cameron-Wilson looks at the latest UK box office numbers, reviewing new movies Instant Family, Happy Death Day 2 U and The Kid Who Would Be King. He laments the fact that the drama about war reporter Marie Colvin, played by Rosamund Pike, who got a Golden Globe nomination, only limped in at #13 in the chart. He also reviews for home release - and recommends highly - the documentary RBG about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Steve Caplin looks at Samsung's new phones, including one far more expensive even than Apple's top of the range model. He also laments the loss of a project aiming to send people to Mars, though there's another planning a space station with gravity. For those looking for something new in dating, try an app that matches the contents of your fridges. Or perhaps a peanut butter pump is what you need. Or a cocktail-maker using capsules from coffee machine makers Keurig.

Brexit has revitalized debates about democracy. Restoring democracy and sovereignty can come risk for those strongly committed to free markets — that our fellow citizens might choose another path, perhaps even one that could lead to socialist and freedom-hindering policies. But is that a risk we must take? In a free society, what individual rights should never be infringed on? What should be voted on? And is there a place for technocratic decision-making? In a new paper, the Director of the IEA’s FREER initiative, Rebecca Lowe, argues that one clear answer to ‘improving’ democracy here in the UK would be to institute a proper focus on local decision-making — something that, she says, has been overlooked in past years. Rebecca joins the IEA's Darren Grimes to discuss, alongside Adam Bartha, the Director of EPICENTER, the European Policy Information Center.

Adam Cox talks is joined by peak performance coach, David Saville. Following his father’s death when he was just a teenager, David made the decision to turn his life around by living every day to the fullest – and aiming to inspire and encourage others to do the same. David has a coaching programme, Becoming Superhuman, which challenges those taking part to become the very best version of themselves (without needing magical powers!). He talks about how he believes the average person is accessing only 3% of their full potential – and shares how he intends to make that number much higher.

Want to keep up with the latest earnings updates from the States? Well join Chris Hill and the Motley Fool Radio Show team here on Share Radio, direct from Washington DC, for news, views and analysis of the US stocks that matter. In this week's show: Kraft Heinz plummets on weak earnings and an SEC subpoena; Stamps.com loses an Uncle Sam-sized partner; Wayfair delivers; And Zillow renovates. Analysts Andy Cross, Ron Gross, and Jason Moser discuss those stories and dig into the latest from Boston Beer, Domino’s Pizza, Texas Roadhouse, and Walmart. Plus, Motley Fool CFP and retirement expert Robert Brokamp talks tax tips and retirement planning.

Public ownership is back on the agenda. Opinion polls show high levels of support for taking all kinds of things back into public hands, from the railways to water to energy, and the Labour party is committed to a vast expansion of public ownership. But if privatisation has failed, what kind of public ownership should replace it? As the critics of nationalisation are quick to say, British Rail wasn’t that great. What should be done differently this time? If these services were nationalised, would the state even know how to run them? And are there other ways of putting them back in public hands? Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Cat Hobbs, director of We Own It campaign, Hilary Wainwright, co-editor of Red Pepper magazine and fellow of the Transnational Institute, and Sahil Dutta, lecturer in political economy at Goldsmiths University.

The legal process could be about to change dramatically if blockchain technology is used in the creation of so-called disintermediated smart contracts, with a decentralised ledger that can be seen by all. It's a brave new world for lawyers but also an exciting one, as explained by Jacqueline Watts, Senior Associate Solicitor at A City Law Firm. With the legal system based on precedent, how will things develop where there is no precedent?

A will may be considered the expression of someone’s last wishes, but more of them are being challenged. High property prices and increasingly complicated families are being blamed for the rise in disputes, but would you challenge someone’s will? In this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost dive into why inheritance rows are more commonplace and how difficult it is to try to overturn a will. Also this week, alongside some money-saving tips for millennials a heated debate kicks off about buying flat whites vs saving for homes at a time when house prices are sky high compared to ages. Simon reveals his lessons from holding Lloyds shares all the way up, all the way down and then all the time that they have bumped along since the financial crisis. And we dig into the case of a car park prang that led to countless phone calls from ambulance chasers – and how this manages to happen.

Ian Forrest, Investment Research Analyst at The Share Centre, looks at the CMA's negative attitude to the planned merger of Sainsbury's and Asda. What does it means for those companies and for the whole supermarket sector? He also takes us through the recent round of bank results, in particular HSBC, Lloyds and Barclays. Looking ahead, he highlights forthcoming numbers from British American Tobacco, Associated British Foods and British Airways group IAG.