There's a Special Taking Stock this week when Mandy Johnston talks to some of her regular contributors about the best business and politics books they read this year. You'll hear from the likes of Mick Clifford and Will Hutton. You might get some last minute gift ideas for the news-obsessed person in your life.

The bounce back from Covid lockdowns is over. Growth is slowing and we can’t rule out a recession here in Ireland. But it is not showing up in the exchequer figures, with an extraordinary surplus of €12 billion reported for the first 11 months of the year last week. This week on Taking Stock Mandy chats Dan O Brien, Chief Economist for the Institute of International and European Affairs and columnist for the Sunday Business Post about why despite being awash with cash, the Government needs to tread carefully. And so too do CEO’s navigating business in these uncertain times – Mandy will be asking Leadership and Human Behaviour Expert Jodie Rodgers, about some of the alternative ways that business leaders are getting through these challenging times. And finally, with all the buzz about drones this Christmas, if you are lucky enough to get one of these winged wonders, what are you required to do legally to make sure you are protected? Mandy chats to an industry expert to tell you all the does and don'ts for your maiden drone voyage this Christmas.

A UK Supreme Court has ruled that the Scottish government does not have the legal authority to hold an independence referendum without agreement from Westminster and this week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston is joined by Minister Ivan McKee of the SNP who is Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise in Scotland This week saw unprecedented protests against President Xi Jinping and his zero-Covid policy in China. Mandy talks to Cindy Yu the Assistant Editor at The Spectator and she will tells us what lies beneath the uprising. And finally, a new study shows that over 600,000 people who are living with a disability in Ireland are unable to access services online. Mandy talks to a man with a solution.

He’s the man with a plan to halt Donald Trump's bid for re-election – but who is Ron DeSantis? This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston talks to Bernd Debusmann Jr who is a BBC journalist based in Washington to talk about DeSantis the man, his mission and his meteoric rise within the Republican Party. And the man with no plan at all - Sam Bankman Fried, the owner of collapsed crypto exchange FTX. is facing multiple charges of company fraud in the US. Mandy talks to the Financial Times journalist Joshua Oliver about the extraordinary rise and fall of yet another Tech Messiah. And finally what’s your plan to deal with new pension regulations that are set to kick in for business in just five short weeks? Pensions expert Mairead O'Mahony who is Head of Wealth Solutions with Aon Ireland has some advice on how to prepare.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston look at the historic nature of the mid-term reshuffle which is due to take place here in Ireland next month and takes a deep diver into the Government; how it was formed, how it has performed and what is likely to happen when the changes are made by Micheál Martin and Leo Varadkar. They’ll be switching places as they try to deal with everything that entails including a cost of living, energy and housing crisis. Mandy is joined by three experts who watch politics here in Ireland to give us all their views on what lies ahead for the new administration. And Mandy takes an alternative looks at the sector by speaking to one of the Approved Housing Bodies ‘Circle Voluntary Housing Association’ and hears about how the profile of the people needing this type of assistance has changed radically in recent years.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston looks our eating and travel habits post pandemic, because we have gone back to both with great gusto. Ryanair this week reported pre-tax profit of €1.4bn for the six months of the year. How did it recover so well and what are its plans for the future? Mandy chats Sean Keyes of the Currency about the secret of Ryanair’s success. Back on the ground here in Ireland, how we eat and when we eat has changed, and we hear from Maureen Gahan of Bord Bia about our new post pandemic dining-out habits And Former president Donal Trump is expected to declare his candidacy, but he will do so under investigation for everything from his handling of top-secret documents to the price tag placed on his New York penthouse. Joe Miller from the Financial Times in New York talks us through the big legal battles ahead for Mr Trump and his Business Empire

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston is joined from Washington by Financial Times Journalist Lauren Fedor to talk about how the US midterms will the first referendum on Joe Biden's administration and they will also reveal the level of support for Trump style politics in the Republican party. Raging against his own machine; Elon Musk finally takes the helm, the Board and the kitchen sink at Twitter. Digital Cultural Expert Chis Stokel-Walker joins Mandy from London with his take on what’s going on behind the scenes at Planet Musk. Plus Irelands forestry Industry could provide the Government with significant reductions in our carbon emissions and also provide a lucrative alternative for Irish Farmers. Professor Cathal O'Donoghue from Galway University talks to Mandy about his in-depth study into the economics of Irish Afforestation.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston is joined by former Justice Minister Nora Owen and by Caitríona Gleeson, CEO of Women For Election to look at the issue of Quotas on election ballots and ask if the landscape for prospective female politicians has changed. Mandy also chats to Sports Columnist with the Examiner Ian Mallon about the commercial and sponsorship value of Women's Soccer in Ireland. And with the appointment of Rishi Sunak as UK Prime Minister Mandy is joined by renowned political economist Will Hutton to assess where UK politics goes now.

This week’s Taking Stock is coming to you from the IBEC HR Leadership Summit at Croke Park sponsored by Irish life health. Irish companies are hiring on all cylinders and Mandy Johnston talks to some of the HR leaders and their central role in strategically driving their business forward. You’ll hear from Maeve McElwee who is director of Employee Relations at IBEC about the main issues facing HR post Covid. The CEO of the Laura Lynn Foundation Kerry McLaverty talks about how HR has changed in the charity sector. Plus Megan Reitz from Hult Business School on staff feeling psychological ‘safe’ in the workplace.

The IMF warned this week that 2023 will feel like a recession as it cuts global growth forecasts for the fourth time this year. This Week on Taking Stock Mandy talks to Economist Jim Power who helps to decipher what it means for us here in Ireland. Pennies from Heaven; the halo effect that a Penny’s store can bring with it. Sunday Times journalist Linda Daly had done a deep dive and she joins Mandy to tell all. Clothes Shopping used to be an occasional event but that has changed dramatically in the last 20 years. Mandy is joined by Maeve Galvin who is Global Campaigns and Policy Director at Fashion Revolution, and manages the Good Clothes, Fair Pay Campaign.