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Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University looks at some of the problems of regulation and setting standards in the light of the suicide of headmistress Ruth Perry in the wake of an Ofsted inspection. He feels that Keir Starmer has vectored rhetorically and atmospherically to the right of the Conservatives and that Jacob Rees-Mogg's teasing smacks of desperation and the end of a long chess game. And he feels that Wes Streeting should consider Singapore's health system, which could be the answer for the future of the NHS, although it would involve a heck of a battle with vested interests.

James Cameron-Wilson takes Simon Rose through the box office chart, with takings down 25% WoW but up 43% YoY. With nothing new in the chart, still led by Napoleon, he sought out Todd Haynes's Oscar contender May December, starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore. About celebrity, James was enthralled, without ever feeling it quite ignited. He was more enthusiastic about Rebecca Miller's She Came To Me on Sky Cinema. With Peter Dinklage, Anne Hathaway and Marisa Tomei, it's about an opera composer with writer's block and is a refreshing, insightful and very funny farce. Best of all, though was Korean-American film Past Lives from Celine Song, about two childhood friends reconnecting after twenty years.

Steve Caplin takes Simon Rose through a cornucopia of techie Christmas gift ideas. Among his favourites are the crowdfunded Linka Lasso bike lock and the Hover X1 self-flying camera. There's an app to help with the office Secret Santa and a distillery to brew your own booze. You can get a magnetic wrapping tripod, a great phone case with a built-in stand, teflon mats for flaky BBQ food, an underseat suitcase for flights, magnetic bookmarks, a folding charger plug and even an electrified Land Rover Defender to use as a shore tender with your superyacht.

Russ Mould of A J Bell has been crunching dividend numbers for the FTSE 100 index. Dividend forecasts for this year and next have fallen 10% over the past year and the jump in interest rates means that there is now more competition for investors' money. However, the market is expecting rate cuts and investors should remember that while fixed income is just that – fixed – companies can grow their dividends over time, with share prices adjusting as the dividends rise. Including extras such as buybacks (closed to private investors), the FTSE yields 6.9% and dividend cover is a decent 2.2 times. And while the market still seems undervalued, takeovers of UK companies (often smaller ones) by foreign buyers continue apace.

Oxford University Professor Ben Ansell is delivering this year's Reith Lectures on the future of democracy: whether it's in retreat across the world, whether citizens of wealthy countries have embraced a false sense of security, how to build a sense of solidarity in polarised societies, and how to enable continued economic growth without wrecking the environment in the process. But will he tackle the question of how democracy can — and should — evolve from national to global governance? And will he address the need for participation in individual ownership and the accompanying enhanced sense of responsibility, combined with the need for the young to be empowered through inter-generational rebalancing? The next three lectures will tell. Background music: 'Resolution' by Wayne Jones, Image source: BBC

What drives you mad about going to the supermarket? Is it self-service tills, scanning receipts to get out, loyalty scheme dual pricing, or prices being hiked well above inflation? Many of us want to support bricks and mortar retail, but there are times when shops seem to mainly be involved in testing our patience. In a week in which the competition watchdog fired a broadside at the consumer brands giants for pushing up prices, a practice dubbed ‘greedflation’, and sounded a warning to Tesco and Sainsbury’s over Clubcard and Nectar Prices, the This is Money podcast team head down the shops. Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert discuss what’s good, what’s bad and what really gets their goat. Plus, will a new online fraud charter make any difference? The team discuss investing legend Charlie Munger and financial crisis Chancellor Alistair Darling, who both died last week. And finally, what makes a house price hotspot – we look at the UK’s top 30 this year.

November was a party for stocks and bonds, but is Jerome Powell about to turn the lights on? Jason Moser and Matt Argersinger discuss the market’s incredible November and why we may not be out of the woods yet on rate hikes, why Apple and Goldman Sachs are breaking up their credit card partnership, and thoughts on Tesla’s Cybertruck and the new details we have after this week’s showcase. Also, 19 minutes in, Adobe Insights Vivek Pandya talks through the trends he’s seeing so far in holiday spending and whether it makes sense to buy now or wait for some of the items on your list and, 34 minutes in, Jason and Matt break down two stocks on their radar: Docusign and EPR Properties. Stocks discussed: AAPL, GS, TSLA, BRK.A, BRK.B, DOCU, EPR. Host - Dylan Lewis; Guests - Jason Moser, Matt Argersinger, Vivek Pandya

We celebrate one of the greatest investors of all time by talking about our favorite Mungerisms and the lessons we’ll carry forward from Poor Charlie. David Meier and Dylan Lewis discuss some of their favorite Mungerisms on investing and life, Berkshire’s incredible performance in his time with the company, and the best thing you can do to celebrate his life today – read a book. Companies discussed: BRK.A, BRK.B, AAPL. Host - Dylan Lewis; Guests - David Meier

Teenage experience often encourages a mindset of not showing one's vulnerabilities or true expressions in order to evidence a confidence or tough exterior, hiding the true self. This episode looks back to those earlier times in order to develop resources for today for a different outlook on life, one that allows that true self to come through.

Adam Cox is in conversation with Guy Smith from Independent Tax, exploring the legal obligation for digital platforms like Airbnb, Etsy, and Vinted to report their sellers' earnings to HMRC starting January 1, 2024. The discussion delves into the specified thresholds for reporting income and the retrospective assessment period that HMRC can undertake. Additionally, Guy provides insights into the steps the public can take if they have concerns about potential tax liabilities or unreported earnings. https://independent-tax.co.uk/