Taking Stock

Numbers loomed large this week, in the economy and the Government published their summer economic statement, so this week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston looks at inflation, spending and what lies ahead for hard pressed families with Economist Jim Power. In France protests continued on the streets and protests have repeatedly dogged the President’s term in office. Mandy ponders what all this says about Emanuel Macron and his tenure as President of France with Elizabeth Pineau the Reuters political correspondent. And finally, as the debate about the importance of public service broadcasting rumbles on Mandy look at the issue of misinformation and disinformation with a UK based fact checking organisation.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston discusses the relationship between RTE and politicians when she chats to former Communications Minister Denis Naughten and asks how that works in real life! In the US there are now multiple whistle-blowers with high clearances coming forward to disclose information about their direct UFO knowledge. Mandy chats to Science Journalist Jeff Wise about what’s really going on. Plus we get a sense of who and what the Wagner Group in Russia are when Mandy hears from Jen Kirby of Vox.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston Mandy discusses just how hard or easy it is to set up a new political party. We hear from Political Consultant Stephen O’Byrnes and from Frank Fitzgerald from UL. Newsgroups are in the grip of a long-term battle to retain their audiences, that’s according to the latest Reuters Institute Digital News Report. Liam Collins a former news editor for the Sunday Independent and Emer Connolly is an academic who has looked at the media landscape here in Ireland and they join Mandy to examine the plight of journalists caught up this struggle. Plus we hear we hear what exactly the Saudi Arabian Sovereign Wealth Fund is and why it’s dollars are spreading into all sorts of places.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston exploreS a special investigation by the Financial Times that uncovered shocking allegations of sexual assault and harassment within a prominent London hedge fund company. The FT’s Antonia Cundy tells us more about the investigation and the fallout. Mandy also dives into the captivating world of leadership discussing why figures like Trump and Boris Johnson remain popular. Neil Jurd, OBE, renowned author and former Army Officer shares his insights. Plus, as Dublin Airport unveils its plans for massive expansion Ellie Donnelly from the Business Post and Paul Hackett President of the Irish Travel Association discuss the airport's evolution and future plans.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston talks to Pilita Clark of the Financial Times and Sinead English the founder of Hilt Careers about how the modern worker is drowning in emails and what you can do about it. In the US things are hotting up in the race to decide who the Presidential candidates will be. Ted Smyth of the Clinton Foundation joins Mandy from America to take stock of the current runners and riders. Plus, Mandy talks to the former BBC Royal Correspondent and broadcaster Jennie Bond about this week’s Prince Harry Court Case as well as the complex and compelling relationship between the Royal Family and Fleet Street

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston talks to Mark Paul the London Correspondent with the Irish Times about how Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s honeymoon period is well and truly over as Boris is still looming large as are the myriad of complications from Brexit. And staying in the UK Mandy talks to Lucy Fisher of the Financial Times about the proposed price cap in British Supermarkets. Plus what Jack Dorsey the Twitter founder did next. We hear from Chris Stokel-Walker.

As the dust settles on last week's local elections in Northern Ireland Mandy Johnston looks at the real figures and what they mean for the re=establishment of the Assembly and is joined by Tommie Gorman the former RTE Northern Ireland Editor who now writes on politics north and south for the Currency In San Francisco's a crisis of homelessness, drug abuse and crime threaten the city’s future. Tabby Kinder leads the Financial Times’ coverage in Silicon Valley and across the US West Coast and she talks us through the latest developments in the city that seems at breaking point. Plus as The European Central Bank turns 25 next week it is pushing ahead with the development of electronic currency despite political objection. Cliff Taylor of the Irish Tines is here to decipher what it means for consumers.

With the Covid Emergency now being officially deemed ‘over ‘many countries are now assessing how they managed their response to the Pandemic. This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston talks to Jack Horgan-Jones and Hugh O’Connell about their book ‘Pandemonium: Power, Politics and Ireland’s Pandemic’. Often seen as a ‘dirty word’, Sales has a bad reputation in the business world – but selling is a fundamental skill for any founder to successfully drive revenue and business growth. Mandy talks to Rob King the author of ‘Selling Creativity: How Creatives and Agencies can Grow their Business through the Art of Sales’ And ahead of the European Anti-Financial Crime Summit 2023 in Dublin next week Mandy talks to Caroline Costello who is Financial Crime Leader with Deloitte about trends in fraud and money laundering and how to combat the fraudsters.

Some of the big four companies are having to train new recruits with basic communications skills necessary for the workforce. Is it because students were shut off during Covid or is there something more? This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston talks to Caroline Reidy of the HR Suite about what young people may have lost. With the EU’s highest court set to hold a hearing at later this month on the €13 Billion Euro - Apple tax case, Lorcan Allen of the Sunday Business Post reminds us of the background, and assess what might be in the final ruling on the world’s biggest-ever antitrust case. And finally, Machines are learning more than before, while humans learn less. The issue is already hitting Hollywood hills as writers’ strike for safeguards to stop its members’ work being replaced by AI in the future. Mandy talks to Marina Fang of the Huffington Post.

On this week's Taking Stock: Harry Dempsey, commodities correspondent for the Financial Times joins Mandy to discuss Chile's move to take state control of important lithium projects and together they explore what that might mean for it and other South American economies in the years to come. Mandy speaks with Will Hutton, Political economist and writer for the Observer and the Guardian about how the British people's relationship with the monarchy has changed over the decades and asks how relevant the institution actually is in a 21st-century UK. Dr. Ashley Morgan, Senior lecturer in the School of Art and Design, Cardiff Metropolitan University joins Mandy to discuss the legacy of Tiffany's & its multi-million dollar makeover.