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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Democracy, Ownership and Young People

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Democracy, Ownership and Young People
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
Guest:

Lord Lee

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: 21st Century Elephant Traps

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: 21st Century Elephant Traps
In the old days we either telephoned someone for a quick answer to a question, or sent a letter which focused the attention of the recipient. Now huge volumes of emails fly across the net, and we're left waiting days for an answer. It may be cheap, but is it productive? Also — People think that debit cards are as safe as credit cards or direct debit authorities — until something goes wrong. And, if it's a continuous payment authority given to an overseas supplier, there's very limited protection available, beyond FCA guidance. Background music: 'Communicator' by Reed Mathis
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Health & Education Shortcomings hold back UK Growth

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Health & Education Shortcomings hold back UK Growth
Adam Smith set out the foundation building blocks for economic growth in the Wealth of Nations, and capital and labour were the key components — Jeremy Hunt says he is now pursuing growth as his key priority, and there's no doubt that increasing capital availability in both public and private sectors will help: but where is the labour capacity? It's on NHS waiting lists. Background music: 'The Nexus Riddim' by Konrad OldMoney
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Gavin Oldham

Though for the Week: Who should stay, Who should go?

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Though for the Week: Who should stay, Who should go?
A warm welcome back for David, now Lord, Cameron. Let's put the years of struggling in the wake of Brexit behind us, and look forward to a new global perspective in which Britain acts as a catalyst in bringing the world together. What better place to start than by setting out plans for strengthening the democratic legitimacy and authority of the United Nations, with a new perspective on long-term governance which fully addresses the challenges of conflict, climate change and inequality. Background music: 'Master of the Feast' by Kevin MacLeod (licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Image source: Wikipedia
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Democratising AI Ownership

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Democratising AI Ownership
In a world absorbed with tension and conflict, it says something about the significance of AI that Rishi Sunak was able to host the conference at Bletchley Park, with government representatives from twenty-eight nations and eight leading Artificial Intelligence businesses. Warnings abound both within and outside the AI industry, including for its impact on employment, to which we referred nearly six years ago. However, is the Bletchley Park gathering just evidence of the rich and powerful flexing their muscles yet again to take control? Surely we should be looking for an alternative, offering mass participation in wealth creation and democratisation through distributed governance? Background music: 'Digital Solitude' by Silent Partner
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: What 'Love your enemy' means

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: What 'Love your enemy' means
This week's Thought proposes four key routes towards 'Loving your enemy', including a gradual transition from national to international law. This would mean justice not being constrained by national borders, so we could look forward to a system of international civil law enforcement replacing reliance on military force to resolve criminal outbreaks — it would also help us to resolve the challenges of climate change. Another element is restorative justice: Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu showed the world that such a system can provide a pathway to peace in the most challenging of circumstances. These initiatives, based on an understanding of unconditional love and an equitable sharing of resources, can provide a way forward from our current woes. Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins. Image source: United Nations
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Frozen tax thresholds lose votes

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Frozen tax thresholds lose votes
There's a rising crescendo of concern over HM Treasury's decision to leave tax thresholds frozen at current levels until 2028. At a time of high inflation, it particularly bears down on low- and middle-income earners, and itself keeps inflation higher for longer. Several suggestions have been made for alternative ways to sort out the public finances, not least in these Share Radio commentaries, but there's no indication of any willingness to sit down and talk: like an ostrich, heads are firmly in the sand. Background music 'The Nexus Riddim' by Konrad OldMoney
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Unbridled Revenge is not the answer

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Unbridled Revenge is not the answer
Unbridled revenge just leads to an escalation of the cycle of violence: in a world which possesses such an arsenal for mass destruction, we have to learn how to deal with national insecurity in ways which promote rather than destroy international harmony. In this episode of Share Radio's Thought for the Week, we set out realistic routes by which this can be achieved. Background music: 'Sarabande' by Joel Cummins
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Curate's Egg

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Curate's Egg
As the Party Conference season draws to a close, we check out last week's rather lacklustre Conservative event and add some thoughts to Sunak's agenda for education. Meanwhile, for those more focused on how to invest and still meet the net zero targets, don't miss the Sustain:Social Investing Conference on Saturday 21st October! https://sustain.social Background music: 'Communicator' by Reed Mathis
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Parenting Under Pressure

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Parenting Under Pressure
The scars borne by the younger generation reflect parents under pressure: from relationship breakdown, the demands of work, migration, the cost of living. So we must look intelligently at the journey towards adulthood, responding particularly to the call for reason, and underpin it with the firm foundation of unconditional love. Background music: 'Generations Away' by Unicorn Heads
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