A Long Time In Finance

The government is embroiled in a row about environmental protection. Should it apply pollution rules inherited from the EU in the way its own environmental advisers interpret them, or should it change the rules to help housebuilders construct more homes? Neil and Jonathan discuss the trade-offs with Robert Colvile, a self confessed housing nut who is director of the Centre for Policy Studies.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Robert Colville.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 concluding episode of our two part series, Jonathan and Neil look back on the dramatic events of March in the company of Josef Ackermann, who ran the Swiss bank in the 1990s, financial historian Philip Augar and banking analyst Frances Coppola. They consider the macro background to the bank's collapse, and ask whether things could have turned out differently or whether excessive risk taking was just baked into Credit Suisse's DNA. Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In March 2023 the unthinkable happened: Credit Suisse, that giant of Swiss banking, collapsed. Like the proverbial cat, it had run through its nine lives. From the Chiasso saga to unprecedented corporate fines, via troubled times on Wall Street, Credit Suisse had always lived dangerously. And finally, in 2023, the financial winds caught up with them. In this first part of a two-part special of A Long Time in Finance, Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins are joined by experts Josef Ackermann, former President of Credit Suisse's executive board, financial historian Philip Augar, and banking analyst Frances Coppola, to look at the history of a bank that lived fast and died young.Part two of the story of Credit Suisse will be in your feeds next Friday – so please subscribe now.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With net zero targets in mind, countries like the UK have ambitious targets for renewable energy. But do these make any sense? None at all, according to Doomberg, the US energy analyst. In conversation with Neil and Jonathan, he explains why he's deeply bearish about wind power, why renewables make no sense at all in Western Europe, and how there's a direct link between rising wind and solar usage and declining standards of living.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Doomberg.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The car in front? These days it's likely to be a Tesla - or Chinese. Britain's car industry built just 775,000 motors last year, the lowest figure since 1956. Dwindling investment means we increasingly lack the wherewithal to take part in the unfolding electric revolution. Amid a picture of unremitting gloom, Neil and Jonathan talk to Peter Wells, Director of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research at Cardiff University about the scale of the problem and what can be done.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Peter Wells.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since 2019, Britain has put itself under a legal obligation to decarbonise its economy by 2050. But do people have any idea what that means, how practical it is and how much it might cost? To get an idea, Neil and Jonathan talked to Richard Halsey, innovation director at the Energy Supply Catapult about how the country is faring on its great decarbonisation crusade.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Richard Halsey.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeremy Hunt says that by taking more risk, UK pension funds can make their members £1,000 a year better off. Sounds interesting, but is it really plausible? And should the government even try to interfere in pension markets? Neil and Jonathan talk to pensions expert John Ralfe about what he really said and didn't say, whether the proposals will make much difference, and what reforms might actually make sense..Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With John Ralfe.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"You could be an H20 Owner." That was the slogan when the water companies were sold off in 1989. But while we glugged the share sale down, the public didn't stay owners for long, and most of the companies were later flushed into the hands of international private equity firms. All we own now is the financial and ecological mess they left behind - one that's looming ever larger in the case of Thames Water. Neil and Jonathan talk to Jonathan Portes, economist and (in his youth) a Treasury civil servant who worked on the water sale about what went wrong with privatisation and how to fix it.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Jonathan Portes.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Energy policy has been one of Britain's great political failures over the past two decades. World leaders in climate pledges, we've failed to create the means to deliver them. And we barely build any green kit. This week's guest, energy expert Nick Butler has an idea for a fresh start. Create a state owned company to drive and fund investments in energy technologies with the aim of promoting green manufacturing in the UK. It sounds bold, but will it work? Jonathan and Neil investigate..Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Nick Butler.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With mortgage rates rising ever higher, it's becoming clear the UK is facing a serious housing correction. But how bad will it be, and on whom will the blow fall hardest? Neil and Jonathan talk to Neal Hudson, housing expert at BuiltSpace, about past crises in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, how this one might compare, and what we might do to soften the blow.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Neal Hudson.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.