The David McWilliams Podcast
David McWilliams & John Davis
The aim of this weekly podcast is to make economics easy, uncomplicated and accessible. With the world at a political, technological and financial tipping point, economics has never been so important to all of us and yet, it’s made inaccessible and complicated by so many.I’ve always thought what is complicated is rarely important and what is important is rarely complicated.That will be our motto.Every week we are going to tease out some big economic or political issue facing us, not just here in Ireland but in Europe and further afield. Globalisation has brought us all together. We all face similar challenges whether you live in Dublin, London, Minnesota or Milan.If you would like to enjoy all of our content ad-free and have early access to episodes, subscribe to DMCW+ on Apple Podcast.If you would like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/DavidMcWilliams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
May 4, 2023 • 37min
The Dream Economy
Arts and culture are associated with many things, but rarely is economic impact cited. This is right, culture is not a spread sheet, but nor too is economics. The economy is a highly sensitive ecosystem of which arts and culture are part. We examine the role of culture in the economy, plus in a special detour, we look at the economics one of Ireland's great revolutionary heroes, Wolf Tone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 2, 2023 • 39min
Civilization and the planet
We seldom hear how the environment affected the growth and collapse of civilizations across the world and history. More than any other factor, the environment has been a defining factor to where we live, how we organize and what we consume. Today we’re joined by the great Peter Frankopan for a masterclass in this untold story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 27, 2023 • 27min
The Paradox of Prudence
Having money is only half the battle, deploying it well is the other half. We look at Ireland's financial balance sheet: we're saving far too much! By saving too much, both at the State and the punter level, we are hiding behind the sanctimonious veil of savings rather than involving ourselves in hard thinking, which is what economics is all about. Economists have a bias towards prudence and prudence only, this is highly costly and is an abdication of responsibility. Money is an energy, we have to use it to drive the economy onwards! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 25, 2023 • 33min
Feed your Brain
I’ve just come back from giving a TED talk in Vancouver. Brilliant experience, lots of amazing speakers, top notch presentations ;which more than anything reveal to us the stories that nations tell themselves. Today we also announce the line up for the Dalkey Book Festival, showing that as a nation of storytellers, we Irish are still second to none. Hope to see you at Dalkey which kicks of with a live podcast! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 20, 2023 • 38min
Biden, Relationships VS interests & Contemplations from TED
Countries don't have relationships, they have interests - this notion guides us as we reflect on the coverage of Biden's visit to Ireland before tackling the current economic landscape of Canada from my vantage point in Vancouver where I'm preparing to give a TED talk Friday! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 18, 2023 • 27min
The benefits of longterm thinking in the TikTok age
Future citizens have, by definition, no voice but someone needs to speak on their behalf if we’re meant to build a longterm society. The solution to the global housing crisis requires longterm thinking, creating solutions that will sustain us for at least the next 100 years, not just the next election cycle… and it’s much more affordable than you might think! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 13, 2023 • 34min
Why negativity took over the news cycle
Communicating the bad before the good is an evolutionary trait that has helped us survive - but in today’s world, our ancestral instincts and the need to sell media has created a vicious circle that we need to expose and change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 11, 2023 • 33min
Global Irish Soft Power
What does Ireland do for the Irish Diaspora? Here's an idea: why not use Ireland as the re-charging battery for the Irishness of the Global Irish Tribe? Let's use Biden’s visit to Ireland this week to think about how we harness the soft power of Ireland's greatest and unique asset: the tens of millions people around the world who identify as Irish. Soft power is the power of imagination, and in the future a country's soft power will become much more important for our economy. Hope you enjoy this one. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 6, 2023 • 43min
It's Easter, Ramadan, Passover take your pick! We head to Jerusalem, spiritual home of all three religions.
It's Easter, Ramadan and Passover, so let's go to the centre of the three Abrahamic religions, Jerusalem. Many years ago I spent time living and working in Israel which gave me a first hand impression of the country - both good and bad. This week we talk Israel - a country of 9 million people - as that country erupts in anti-government demonstrations, while some in that government talk openly about annexing the West Bank. We also chat to the last Jew in Cork, who emigrated from Cork to Jerusalem, and tells his story. The occupation is an abomination, and the human rights abuses and murder of innocent Palestinians is a stain on Israel, yet Israel isn't going anywhere, nor should it. So what happens next? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 4, 2023 • 29min
Why a country can be rich on paper, but feel poor in reality
You've never had it so good, but you ain't feeling it. Sound familiar? We explain this dilemma at the heart of a society - in this case Ireland - but its can be applied to many countries. It is one of the reason why politics seems so unstable even in countries where economic data appears robust. Unless economic figures percolate down to how people are experiencing the economy, they are not only unhelpful but worse, they are antagonising. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
