A Long Time In Finance

GEC was a British manufacturing titan; a cash-rich producer of everything from washing machines to railway trains. Then in a few years, it rebranded and restructured, shedding most of the old industrial bits to focus on telecoms. The result? By 2005, shiny new Marconi was no more. In the second of our Fallen Angel series, we talk to industrial historian Nick Comfort about one of the most abrupt collapses in UK corporate history and its heavy industrial cost Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Nicholas Comfort.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer and industrial commentator Nick Comfort discusses the fall of ICI, a leading British manufacturing company. They delve into ICI's self-sabotage, struggles in adapting to markets, impact of leadership decisions, and the company's demerger. The conversation highlights the implications of corporate raiders, ownership shifts, and the importance of industrial policies in supporting British firms.

Brian McCullough, an internet historian and venture capitalist, dives into the chaotic world of the dot-com bubble and its lessons for today’s AI boom. He discusses how market narratives can inflate stock valuations and why the impacts of innovation often overshadow necessary infrastructure. The conversation highlights Apple’s comeback from near-collapse, the evolution of Microsoft under Satya Nadella, and how tech giants exploited the aftermath of the bubble. McCullough’s insights bridge the past and present, revealing what the frenetic tech landscape can teach us.

One of Britain's better-known economic forecasters, Roger Bootle, set up his consultancy Capital Economics 25 years ago. He made his name predicting the "death of inflation" on which he wrote an influential book in the 1990s. We discuss the importance of economic history, favourite writers, monetarism, bright spots in the world economy, and Britain's many problems with growth.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Philip Augar.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second of our series on Privatisation and Popular Capitalism, we look at the biggest and riskiest privatisation of all - the 1987 sale of the UK's 31% stake in BP. How the Chancellor Nigel Lawson gambled that the markets were good for a quick £7bn. Prepare for the world's shortest pricing meeting, diplomatic rows with Kuwaitis and lots of long faced underwriters. And our guest Philip Augar delivers the verdict: was it a disaster narrowly averted or a triumph for the new City of London?Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Philip Augar.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Along with the sale of council houses, privatisation was a signature theme of Mrs Thatcher's government. Its aim was not just more efficient businesses, but a "share owning democracy" that would purge Britain of the "corrosive effect of socialism". With its "Tell Sid" campaign, British Gas was the high water mark of privatisation. Neil and Jonathan talk to author Philip Augar about "stagging", Cedric the Pig and how privatisation changed the City. Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Philip Augar.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with BRIEFCASE.NEWS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brett Christophers, an economics professor from Uppsala, and author of 'The Price is Wrong,' dives into the perplexing contradiction between capitalism and climate action. He explores why the drop in renewable energy costs hasn't led to a surge in adoption. The discussion reveals major oil companies pulling back on green investments due to disappointing returns and examines the economic complexities hindering the transition to clean energy. Christophers also critiques government messaging around decarbonization, highlighting the need for a broader perspective on energy security and sustainability.

Unipart, once an unloved division of British Leyland, has grown steadily since its buyout 37 years ago, eschewing the stock market and building a "Mittelstand" like relationship with employees, customers and suppliers. Neil and Jonathan talk to John Neill, its long standing boss, about car parts, purpose versus City short-termism and why more companies don't embrace the "Unipart Way".Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With John Neill.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To some it might seem like the plot of a Jeffrey Archer novel: identical twins born to hardship who graft their way up together and ultimately get to own the Ritz Hotel, the Daily Telegraph and a socking great castle in the Channel Islands. But the story of Frederick and David Barclay is much stranger than that. With the Barclays back in the news as they attempt to recover control of the Telegraph, Neil and Jonathan talk to journalist Jane Martinson about the invisible rise of the twins, their complex finances and their ultimate falling out.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Jane Martinson.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bill Gross was the "Master of the Universe" who got the world's attention when he declared in 2010 that UK government debt was sitting "on a bed of nitroglycerine". The man who built the modern bond markets, Gross seemed to have it all. But then he blew up his career just a few short years later with some very strange behaviour. We talk to Mary Childs, journalist and author of a book on Gross, about the strange life and times of a bond market Icarus and his dead cat Bob. Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil CollinsWith Mary Childs.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.