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Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University says that we must face the fact that Britain is going the way of Argentina and becoming a poor country. The war on the ultra-rich, he points out, will spell disaster for the UK's public finances. And it is surely time we recognised that the NHS is in a state of permanent crisis and that a Royal Commission should be set up to find a solution.

James Cameron-Wilson takes Simon Rose through the latest box office figures, down 21% on last week. A Man Called Otto with Tom Hanks enters at #4 with £1.1m; James found himself captivated by the film. The true-life lynching drama Till is at #6. While the story needs telling, James did find it somewhat overlong. Streaming on Apple TV+ is Raymond & Ray with Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke playing estranged brothers. He found the dialogue fake and the movie too full of eccentrics.

Richard Hunter of Interactive Investor discusses how the festive season went for retailers with Simon Rose. Despite the gloomy picture of consumers reigning in spending, the picture emerging from the high street over the most important period of the year is much more positive, with the likes of Next, Sainsbury's, Marks and particularly JD Sports, doing well. What happens in the next few weeks on the interest rate and inflation front, however, will prove very important for the sector.

In our weekly gadgets show, Steve Caplin takes Simon Rose through some of the ideas coming out of the Consumer Electronics Show, including a 3D laptop, urine tester, fitness tracker for dogs, a completely wireless TV, a smellovision VR headset, an electric baby buggy and, from Cornwall, the first ever tractor to run on cow and pig manure.

Adam Cox uses random generation to construct this episode, using https://earthroulette.com/ to generate a destination - Albi in the Pyrenees (the image is of Albi Cathedral), a pair of emotions - hatred and joy - and some random words: pioneer, ambition and penny (the English coin, that is!). Then he weaves his web of hypnosis using his 15 minute sand-timer and a liberal helping of 'that's right', the hypnotists' universal amplifier. Enjoy!

Adam Cox is joined by Matthew Roach, travel expert and founder of Bucket List Travels, to discuss new research which reveals the common items on Brit's bucket lists, and why travel is often so high up. He explains the advantages of planning travel in advance, and why he set up his company. https://www.bucketlisttravels.com/

Salesforce is laying off 10% of its workforce. Is it a sign of things to come in the tech industry? Tim Beyers discusses how Salesforce's recent acquisitions are the reason layoffs shouldn't be surprising, why HubSpot's next move is one of the most interesting things in tech, and one tech business bucking the trend by increasing its hiring. Then, 8 minutes in, Matt Argersinger previews the year for dividend stock investors, discusses why the payout ratio is a key metric to watch, and shares two dividend stocks he believes are looking more attractive these days. Stocks discussed: CRM, HUBS, ASAN, MNDY, SCHD, VIG, MTN, SWK, EXR, LII. Host - Chris Hill; Guests - Tim Beyers, Ron Gross

Sometimes cheap stocks are an opportunity, and sometimes stocks are cheap for a reason. Bill Mann discusses Amazon laying off 18,000 employees, whether layoffs are a bad sign or an indication a company is being honest with itself, and the writing on the (bond market) wall for Bed Bath & Beyond. Then, 11 minutes in, Ron Gross provides an overview of value investing, discusses why the current environment favors value stocks, and shares a few ideas for investors seeking to build up the value side of their portfolio. Stocks discussed: AMZN, CRM, MSFT. GOOG, GOOGL, BBBY, TGT, COST, WMT, BBY, CAT, DE, NEE, SO, NUE, VMC. Host- Chris Hill; Guests - Bill Mann, Ron Gross

The New Year has arrived and with it promises of inflation falling and a ray of hope on energy bills. But even if Rishi Sunak halves inflation, as he claims he will, it would still be running at 5% and his promise to get Britain back to growth may prove harder than the simple maths that sees inflation slow. Meanwhile, a slowdown in the rise of the cost of living doesn't mean things will get cheaper and the better energy price forecasts will still see costs at more than double what they were a year ago. So, will 2023 prove better or tougher for our finances? Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert delve into the prospects for the year ahead. Plus, what is on the cards for the property market, for pensions and savers and why is Divorce Day tipped to be even bigger this year? And finally, the year is going to better financially for at least one person: the lucky January £1million Premium Bond winner who bagged the jackpot with less than £5,000 saved. Is it time we all stuck more in Premium Bonds, as the prize find is boosted?

New Year resolutions are in the air, and both Sunak and Starmer set out theirs in speeches on 4th and 5th January respectively. Much of the media reporting was drowned out by Harry's book and associated interviews, and headline objectives such as halving inflation and restoring growth were somewhat 'motherhood and apple pie'. But dig deeper (there are links to the full texts in the webpage commentary) and there are some gems to be found, although they still merit some close scrutiny. However George Bush's 1988 quote seems to encapsulate their performance: 'What's wrong with being a boring kind of guy?' Background music: 'Resolution' by Wayne Jones