A Long Time In Finance

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.

Carbon offsets seemed a neat idea: pay poor people in the Global South not to cut down trees, and then use that "avoided" carbon to sell credits to polluters in developed countries. Bish bosh, your Delta Airlines flight or VW SUV is carbon neutral. What could possibly go wrong?Neil and Jonathan pick through the rubble of the South Pole scandal with environmental consultant Andrew Garraway to find exactly what did.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Andrew Garraway.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1987, the emerging private equity industry successfully lobbied the government to slip them a tax break. It allows private equiteers to take huge bonuses from the appreciation of client funds they invest in buyouts (a wedge called "carried interest"), and pay a preferentially low rate of tax on these earnings. Now HMRC may be thinking again. We talk to tax expert Dan Neidle about the origin of this boondoggle and why - as a matter of actual law, let alone fairness - it's never been justified, and why the government should now clarify the position.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Dan Neidle.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The podcast discusses the troubles facing the UK's gilts market, including surging issuance, persistent inflation, and monetary policy. They explore the impact of rising bond yields and the limit to government debt. The speakers also discuss the effects of rate rises on the housing market, highlighting the multiplier effect and predicting a less pleasant outcome. They delve into the connection between human psychology and spending habits, as well as the relationship between borrowing, economic growth, and debt repayment.

The recently released film, Dumb Money, recounts the tumultuous events of 2021 when a group of internet-enabled sans culottes took on Wall Street's finest in a battle over the future of Gamestop, an obscure electronic games retailer. But was it a financial revolution or an amusing (if tech enabled) throwback to the great stock market corners of the past? Neil and Jonathan talk to financial guru Izabella Kaminska about the Gamestop affair, its cultural and historic roots, and whether "flashmob" investing is here to stay.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Izabella Kaminska.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liz Truss is the Lady Jane Grey of British politics, lasting just 49 days as PM before swirling economic chaos swept her from office. But a year on, has Britain dusted itself off and rebuilt - or are we still picking through the ruins? Neil and Jonathan talk to economic historian Duncan Weldon about Truss's economic and political legacy, Sunak's problems and the still unanswered question of how to get more economic growth.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Duncan Weldon.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.