A Long Time In Finance

It's the key divide in UK economic policy, according to economist Sam Bowman: You are either a growth-hungry Booster who thinks we can revive the economy, or a pessimistic Doomster who believes struggling Britain is condemned to persistent low growth. We talk to Sam about why the Doomsters dominate the discussion, and how Boosters can bounce back.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Sam Bowman.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Tory leadership contest has been badged as a "battle of economic ideas" between "prudent" Rishi Sunak and "go for growth" Liz Truss. But what exactly are these ideas, where do they come from, and how relevant are they to Britain's current situation? Neil and Jonathan talk to economic historian Duncan Weldon about the contenders' plans to put Britain back on track.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Duncan Weldon.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.Sponsored by Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most people think it's all over. But with new variants raging, are we too sanguine about dismissing the risks from Covid. Neil and Jonathan talk to Deborah Birx, who ran the Coronavirus Taskforce in Donald Trump's White House, about dealing with "the Donald", where we are with the virus, and how we can avoid contracting a nasty case of economic long Covid. Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Deborah Birx.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.Sponsored by Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Things are going from bad to worse for the privatised water industry, argues Feargal Sharkey. The rivers are running with sewage, and now there are warnings the whole South East could run out of water. We discuss possible fixes with the ex-Undertone, fisherman and water campaigner, from nationalisation to using "grey" water to flush your bog.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Feargal Sharkey.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wirecard was the rare German startup that seemed primed to become a global player. But it was all too good to be true, as Dan McCrum, financial sleuth at the FT, ultimately discovered. We talk to him about how he unmasked the scam, overcoming spies, mobsters and even the German financial regulator to get at the truth. And also about favourite scams and why fraud is so damned difficult to stamp out. Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Dan McCrum.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.Sponsored by Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Don't know your standard monetary policy from the unconventional kind? Relax! We ask economist and former Bank of England adviser Tony Yates all those questions about QE (and its seldom-seen friend QT) that you always wanted the answer to but never dared put.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Tony Yates.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A victory for public interest journalism, or a travesty of the law? We pick through the surprise judgment handed down in Brexit "bad boy" Aaron Banks's libel case against investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr in the company of top media lawyer, Mark Stephens. Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Mark Stephens.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Private equity firms have amassed vast fortunes for their owners by snapping up companies in a rising stock market using ultra cheap debt. But what happens when values go down and interest rates rise? We talk to US investor and private equity sceptic Dan Rasmussen about the coming buyout Götterdämmerung.(Dan has written recently on this and his note can be found here https://verdadcap.com/archive/private-equity-still-overrated-and-overvalued)Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Dan Rasmussen.Produced by Ewan Cameron and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.Sponsored by Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prices are high; supply is insecure; basically it's a nightmare. But which levers do you pull to make things better, and which do you leave well alone? We talk to former Number 10 adviser and consultant Josh Buckland about how to fix the UK's energy woes.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Josh Buckland.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.Sponsored by Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's now the world's most watched PowerPoint presentation: the pitch by HSBC's head of responsible investing to a conference on green finance in which he suggested the climate crisis was overstated and we should get on building more sea walls instead. We talk to Roger Pielke Jr, the US academic and political scientist about what Kirk was trying to say (or should have said) and his own experience with climate controversies.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Roger Pielke Jr.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.Sponsored by Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.