A Long Time In Finance

China declared that its friendship with Russia had “no limits” just before Vladimir Putin plunged into Ukraine. Neil and Jonathan talk to China watcher and economist George Magnus about how the war has changed Beijing’s relations with the West, and what it all means for Taiwan, financial decoupling, and whether China is still an investable place to put your cash.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With George Magnus.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.Sponsored by Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk to Merryn Somerset Webb of Money Week and FT columnist about why the Russian crisis is also a crisis for ESG investment, Carl Icahn’s war with McDonalds, and how your investment choices could actually make the world a better place (without putting your loot in an ESG fund).Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Merry Somerset Webb.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second part of our series about kleptocrats suppressing free speech in English courts, top lawyers Mark Stephens (http://twitter.com/markslarks) and David Hooper (http://twitter.com/thesooperhooper) discuss how both the law and legal practice needs to change to stop this chilling activity.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Mark Stephens and David Hooper.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.Sponsored by Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In recent decades, oligarchs and kleptocrats have routinely used English courts to silence free speech and launder their murky pasts. In the first of a two part series Neil and Jonathan talk to distinguished lawyers Mark Stephens and David Hooper about the history of “lawfare” and their own experiences of it.  Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With David Hooper and Mark Stephens.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.Sponsored by Briefcase.news Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sanctions on Russia over its Ukraine invasion are splintering the world’s financial system into mutually antagonistic blocs. Neil and Jonathan talk to financial historian Edward Chancellor about parallels with 1914 and the 1930s and the possible consequences of a full rupture.Hosted by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Edward Chancellor.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Poorer Britons are being squeezed by the impact of the terrible war in Ukraine, which is also threatening to squash the economy's post Covid bounce. Neil and Jonathan talk to economist and forecaster Gerard Lyons about what's coming next and what the government, businesses and investors should do.Hosted by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Gerard Lyons.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted a wake-up call about Britain’s overly cosy relationship with dubious oligarchs. Neil and Jonathan talk to Tom Burgis, author of “Kleptopia” about the scale of the problem and whether current efforts to crack down will work. Hosted by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Tom Burgis.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.This podcast is sponsored by Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, flat owners not only discovered overnight they were living in potential deathtraps, but that it might cost them an arm and a leg to put things right. Neil and Jonathan talk to cladding victim and campaigner Liam Spender about the government’s latest plan to sort the mess out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The world will need new nuclear power to cut carbon emissions, but will the public accept it? Neil and Jonathan talk to nuclear experts Kirsty Gogan and Eric Ingersoll about whether attitudes to reactors are changing. Can phobias about costs and safety be overcome?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Inflation is back. Consumer prices in Britain rose by more than 5 per cent last year, for the first time in three decades. Neil and Jonathan look back at the various inflation spikes since the Second World War, and Neil shares his experience of fighting inflation in the 1970s and 1980s. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.