A Long Time In Finance

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.

Explore the challenges and successes of big infrastructure projects, including the Sydney Opera House and Guggenheim Museum. Critique the flaws behind the HS2 Railway project. Learn about the benefits of modularization and standardization in infrastructure projects. Discover the importance of understanding project types and focusing on climate sector projects to combat the climate crisis.

At the recent COP conference, the UK, along with 21 other countries, promised to triple nuclear capacity by 2050. But what does that mean, and how can these plants be built without the delays and cost overruns that marked nuclear projects in the 1970s and 1980s - the last time Britain had a nuclear programme? Neil and Jonathan talk to Tim Stone, head of the UK's Nuclear Industry Association and a former adviser to five energy secretaries, about how to get nuclear done.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Tim Stone.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.