Award-winning podcast about the economic forces shaping our world, with Ayeisha Thomas-Smith and guests. Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the in...
Are we falling for the myth of minority rule? With Ash Sarkar
We are living in a time of contradictions.
For the last forty years, our politics and media have been dominated by neoliberal, right-wing voices - yet pundits insist that the UK is dominated by a woke, left-wing elite.
Our politicians claim to champion the voices of the forgotten working class - yet working-class people are not seeing better wages, housing or healthcare.
And the majority of people in this country are being screwed by the economic system - yet for some reason we seem unable to secure a better future for ourselves.
So where did it all go wrong? Are we really ruled over by a censorious woke mob? Or is it all a convenient story, to distract us from the real villains?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Ash Sarkar, journalist and author of Minority Rule: Adventures in the Culture War.
Music by A.A Aalto (available: freemusicarchive.org), used under Creative Commons licence: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
Produced by Katrina Gaffney and Margaret Welsh.
The New Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more about becoming a NEF supporter at: neweconomics.org/donate/build-a-better-future
New Economics Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales. Charity No. 1055254
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46:47
Is the Labour government delivering on its promises?
Half a year ago, the Labour Party swept into power with a huge parliamentary majority and Kier Starmer celebrated by saying that the country could “get its future back”.
Today, Labour are dogged by low approval ratings, having upset everyone from environmentalists to pensioners, farmers to small-business owners.
And just last week Reform overtook both the Conservatives and Labour in a poll of voting intentions - suggesting the public are already looking for an alternative.
So, why has the public seemingly turned on the Labour Party? Should they be threatened by the rise of Reform? And how can the progressive movement push this government to create the world we want?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Grace Blakeley, economics commentator and author of Vulture Capitalism: Corporate Crimes, Backdoor Bailouts and the Death of Freedom, and David Edgerton, historian and author of The Rise and Fall of the British Nation: a Twentieth Century History.
Music by A.A Aalto (available: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_A_Aalto/Bright_Corners/Corps_Of_Discovery/), used under Creative Commons licence: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
Produced by Katrina Gaffney and Margaret Welsh.
The New Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more about becoming a NEF supporter at: neweconomics.org/donate/build-a-better-future
New Economics Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales. Charity No. 1055254
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48:34
Why should the left care about central banks?
The price of your food shop rocketed because of inflation and now your mortgage is going up hundreds of pounds because the Bank of England decided to increase interest rates. You might be struggling to make ends meet and wondering why our central bank has made your life more difficult.
Across the pond Donald Trump is putting pressure on the American central bank to lower its interest rates, saying he knows more about it than Federal Reserve policymakers. It might seem a tempting proposal to the average American who feels that their central bank has not provided them with the stability it is supposed to.
So what is the role of central banks in all of this? Are they under threat from right-wing populism? And what are the progressive alternatives to dealing with inflation?
This week Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Dominic Caddick, economist at NEF, and Sebastian Mang, senior policy advisor at NEF, to discuss.
Music by A.A Aalto (available: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_A_Aalto/Connections/Focus/), used under Creative Commons licence: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
Produced by Katrina Gaffney and Margaret Welsh.
The New Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more about becoming a NEF supporter at: neweconomics.org/donate/build-a-better-future
New Economics Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales. Charity No. 1055254
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38:00
What's new in the fight for workers rights
Do you work from home? Then you’re probably not doing proper work, and you’re causing the UK’s economic decline! At least that’s what the former boss of Asda and M&S said last week. Meanwhile, gig economy Deliveroo riders have launched a new campaign for greater openness around the opaque algorithms that rule their working lives. It’s clear with new technology comes new battles for workers.
So what is working life like in the UK right now? After pandemic lockdowns and high inflation, have we changed our expectations of what work provides? And are unions ready to lead the fight back against bad work?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Kate Bell, assistant general secretary at the Trades Union Congress.
Music by A.A Aalto (available: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_A_Aalto/Bright_Corners/Coast_Highway/), used under Creative Commons licence: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
Produced by Katrina Gaffney and Margaret Welsh.
The New Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more about becoming a NEF supporter at: neweconomics.org/donate/build-a-better-future
New Economics Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales. Charity No. 1055254
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35:13
What are we getting wrong about tax
Last week hundreds of tractors drove through Parliament Square. It was the latest protest by UK farmers against changes to inheritance tax announced by the chancellor. From farmers’ protests to the poll-tax riots in the 90s, the amount of tax we pay to the government churns up intense emotions. We want to rescue our cash-strapped public services - but most of us are reluctant to pay more tax.
Do Labour’s tax plans go far enough to fix our broken economy? Is the UK really a high-tax nation? And if we want an economy that meets everyone’s needs, do we all just need to pay more tax?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Sara Hall, deputy director at Tax Justice UK, and Hannah Peaker, director of policy at NEF, to discuss.
Music by A.A Aalto (available: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/A_A_Aalto/Bright_Corners/Corps_Of_Discovery/), used under Creative Commons licence: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
Produced by Katrina Gaffney and Margaret Welsh.
The New Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more about becoming a NEF supporter at: neweconomics.org/donate/build-a-better-future
New Economics Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales. Charity No. 1055254
Award-winning podcast about the economic forces shaping our world, with Ayeisha Thomas-Smith and guests. Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy.
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