A Long Time In Finance

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.

Matthew Pines, a cybersecurity expert and fellow at the Bitcoin Policy Institute, dives into the surprising resilience of cryptocurrency despite its tumultuous history. He discusses the cyclical nature of Bitcoin, likening its alleged demise to Mark Twain's quip about his own. The conversation covers China's impact on the crypto landscape, Bitcoin's adaptability, and the balance between anonymity and regulatory pressures. Pines also speculates on Bitcoin's potential as a global reserve asset and the implications of institutional investment on its future.

It's got a long history going back to Robert Maxwell and Sir James Goldsmith's long-running battle to bankrupt Private Eye, but in recent years so-called "lawfare" has become a veritable industry. We talk to David Hooper, solicitor and author of Buying Silence about the ways in which companies have used libel and privacy laws to squash their critics, the numerous abuses, and how these might be curbed.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With David Hooper.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No, it's not a novel by GK Chesterton; it's the takeover of the world's investment markets by a sinister posse of giant passive fund managers and private equity firms. These now possess the sort of political and economic power that would have made John Rockefeller green with envy. We talk to John Coates, professor at Harvard Law School and author of a new book on "The Twelve", about Blackstone, BlackRock and the rest; where the threat lies and how we should manage it. Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With John Coates.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.