Taking Stock

Last week Emmanuel Macron stunned the political landscape by announcing parliamentary elections and as they are about to host the Olympic games shortly this week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston takes a look at the turmoil in French political life and also at the economic costs and benefits of hosting large scale sports events.Mandy also talks to Economist Dan O Brien & John Downing from Mediahus about how much is in the Government coffers and how much they have to tempt you in the next general election. 

Mandy Johnston dives into the latest election news with Iar Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Former Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald, Tommie Gorman, Jonathan O'Brien, Newstalk's Seán Defoe and Christina Finn.We take a look at both local and European elections, as well as the prospect of Presidency for Bertie Ahern.

With the whole of Europe seemingly on an election footing this week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston looks at the political landscape at home and abroad when she looks into the Reform Party in the UK with Philip Webster, Former Political Editor of the Times. We look at the situation in Belgium which is divided and increasingly being pulled to political extremes when we hear from Laura Dubois who is the editor of Europe Express for the Financial Times. Here at home we ask how significant are the upcoming Local, European and Mayoral elections really? Mandy is joined by Law Lecturer Jennifer KavanaghPlus Mandy talks to the Irish entrepreneur Paul Barrett who recently made headlines in Forbes magazine for spearheading a record-breaking investment in a groundbreaking Hydrogen project in Australia.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston talks to Mark Paul of the Irish Times about Rishi Sunak’s ill-fated election announcement. She is also joined by Susie Farrell of Addison to talk about what Corporate Affairs is really all about. In our Monthly ‘Techscape’ slot Mandy talks to Charlie Taylor of the Business Post about why AI is on the minds of nearly all business people. Plus Martin Arnold of the Financial Times on The European Central Bank’s Identity Crisis.

This Month on 'Techscape' with thanks to PWC Mandy Johnston talks to Charlie Taylor of the Business Post about a new conference called 'The Global Economic Summit' that was held in Killarney this week and hears how AI dominated every discussion.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston raises a pint to the global phenomenon that is Guinness. With its recent rise to become the UK's favourite pint, we hear how Guinness has successfully expanded its consumer base when Mandy talks to Frank McNally.Mandy also looks at the hospitality sector where Irish hotels have undergone significant changes in recent years. With news of three new global players entering the market, there’s a discussion about the current landscape of the industry.Plus with the huge interest in AI among tech leaders in Ireland Mandy examines why this interest hasn't yet translated into widespread action. Ronan Walsh from EY unpacks their latest insights into the world of artificial intelligence.

Local elections over in the UK have led to a surprising conservative loss, with the Labour Party picking up the most council seats. With Tory plans to replace Prime Minister Rishi Sunak all but finished for the moment, what does this mean for the overall political landscape in the UK? Lucy Fisher, Correspondent with the Financial Times, fills us in on the details News of Trinity students protesting and blocking access to the Book of Cells due to their college’s ties with Israeli investments make headlines this week. We’re joined now by journalist and author Vincent Bevins, to ask, “do mass protests actually work?” And the arrival of Spanish bank, ‘Bankinter’ was heralded as a big win for the consumer but is that actually the case? Mandy was joined by Seán Keyes, Finance Correspondent with The Currency to discuss

In the US there's a split-screen election underway with Donald Trump in the dock and President Biden doing his best to tell everyone about it. Lauren Fedor of the Financial Times brings us the latest from the US election campaign.New checks on imports into the UK on Agri and food products were introduced this week. Mandy finds out how they went down with businesses and what it might mean for the consumer.And we dive into the ever-evolving landscape of AI in business & politics, and the efforts of countries vying for control and regulation of this transformative sector. Mark Kelly, Chief Customer Officer at Alldus, founder of AI Ireland, and the author of 'AI Unleashed' joins Mandy to discuss.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston delves into the world of Customer Service when she talks to the Consumer Editor with the FT Claer Barrett about the role of ‘Bots’ and AI when trying to contact companies.As Liz Truss's new book sparks controversy Mandy talk to Ian Dale of LBC Radio about her tenure and memoir.And, as the Government unveils its economic projections, Economist Dan O’Brien offers his insights on their fiscal strategy.

The seven most valuable companies are not only linked by their financial success they are linked by Artificial Intelligence and this week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston looks at the “magnificent seven”; who they are, how much are they valued at, and are they unstoppable in terms of their economic success? Mandy is joined by Karl Schmedders, Professor of Finance at IMD Business School in Zurich. It’s part of our new slot called ‘Tech Scape’ with thanks to PWC.At the other end of all that technology is of course the ‘smartphone’. Mandy discusses the pressing topic highlighted in Professor Jonathan Haidt's new book “the anxious generation”. He argues that smartphones and social media are at the core of a mental health crisis affecting young people and calls for urgent action to be taken.  Mandy talks to Ollwyn Moran, Neuro Developmental Therapist & Founder of COGNI Kids.Plus Mandy is joined by author Daniel Susskind who has just published a magnificent history of economic growth and tells Mandy about the concept of infinite growth on a finite planet.