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The Autumn Budget was the most significant since George Osborne implemented austerity in 2010. Rachel Reeves announced one hundred billion pounds for infrastructure, forty billion in tax rises and a whole host of policy changes, which she hopes will deliver Labour’s mission of national economic renewal. But what does an extra hundred billion pounds mean for the UK? Are we finally taxing the wealthy properly? And has the chancellor gone far enough to rescue our public services?
Ayeisha Thomas Smith is joined by economist James Meadway and NEF Director of Policy Hannah Peaker to discuss.
Music: Caterpillar Tunnel by Poddington Bear (available: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear/Curious/CaterpillarTunnel/), used under Creative Commons licence: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
Produced by Katrina Gaffney, Margaret Welsh and James Rush.
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 -
By the time this episode comes out, the new Labour government will have been in charge of the country for one hundred days. So what do we know about how they’ll run the economy? Can they rescue our threadbare public services while promising a tight grip on government spending? And will their focus on growth deliver real change for those who need it most?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Aditya Chakrabortty, senior economic commentator at the Guardian, and Ailbhe Rea, associate editor at Bloomberg UK, for the first episode in a new series of the New Economics podcast.
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Music: Gathering by Poddington Bear (available: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear/Encouraging/Gathering/), used under Creative Commons licence: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
Produced by Katrina Gaffney, Margaret Welsh and James Rush.
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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A few weeks ago, far-right rioters gathered outside a hotel hosting asylum seekers in Rotherham and tried to set it on fire. Across the country this horrific act of violence was replicated, as mosques, libraries and people driving home from work came under attack.
But in the face of this racist and Islamophobic violence, people gathered to protest the presence of the far right in their communities and to rebuild after the attacks. It was people showing solidarity with their neighbours which ultimately seemed to stem the riots.
As the dust settles on the violence, how do we combat the rise of the far right? Are economic deprivation and austerity to blame for that week of violence? And can communities come together to combat racism and Islamophobia?
For a one off special episode of the podcast, Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Minnie Raham, Chief Executive of Praxis, and Abi O'Connor, researcher at NEF.
Find out more about:
Praxis: https://www.praxis.org.uk/
Green and Black Cross: https://greenandblackcross.org/
Music: What happened in the past doesn't stay there by Lee Rosevere, Free Music Archive: https://freemusicarchive.org/m... used under Creative Commons licence: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. -
In the recent European elections, the far right won unprecedented gains. From the success of the AfD in Germany, to Le Pen’s National Rally in France, the elections saw nationalist and eurosceptic parties sweep up nearly a quarter of the seats in the European parliament.
In the UK, the next general election is just days away. Voters will be heading to the polls against a backdrop of decades of economic failure, crumbling public services and a cost of living crisis that has left more than four in 10 households unable to afford life’s essentials.
But you wouldn’t know it from the way a lot of our political leaders are talking. Voters are being told, yet again, that times are tough, government spending power is weak, and there is no magic money tree. Oh, and of course, it really is time to crack down on migration, once and for all.
So, how can we understand the promises, or lack thereof, of the people vying for our votes, within a broader context of political upheaval across Europe? In a time of such great need, why are Labour and the Conservatives offering so little? And as the dust settles on the European elections, is the UK really an anomalous country leaning the left, while our continental neighbours lurch rightward?
This week, Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Yanis Varoufakis - economist, academic, formally Greece’s finance minister, and author of a number of critical books, the latest of which is Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism. They discuss: how do we build a Pan-European progressive movement that can win?
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Music: Melting Ground by Jangwa, used under Creative Commons licence: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
Produced by Amy Clancy, James Shield, Margaret Welsh and James Rush.
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 -
We live under an invisible ideology. It tells us that we are not citizens but consumers. That intervening in the free market compromises our freedom. That we are all millionaires-in-waiting - and if we are struggling to make ends meet, then we only have ourselves to blame.
This is capitalism on steroids. But few of us can even identify the doctrine we live under. It’s called “neoliberalism”, and it’s been the dominant economic ideology for the past four decades.
So what does this ideology have to tell us about the world? How is neoliberalism shaping our democracy? And what has almost half a century of neoliberalism done to our lives?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by George Monbiot, journalist and co-author of the new book The Invisible Doctrine: the secret history of neoliberalism, to discuss: how do we tell a new story about neoliberalism?
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Music by Inaequalis is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Produced by Amy Clancy, Margaret Welsh and James Rush.
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
The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent or NEF.
New Economics Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales. Charity No. 1055254 -
In February, the prime minister warned that “mob rule is replacing democratic rule” in the UK. He encouraged police to take action on pro-Palestine protests which, he said, had descended into “intimidation, threats, and planned acts of violence”. Over 50 organisations responded by accusing this government of placing draconian restrictions on the right to protest.
A UN expert has claimed that before the 1930s, it was almost unheard of for peaceful protesters to be imprisoned in the UK. But last year two climate protestors who scaled a bridge on the Dartford Crossing received the longest sentences for peaceful protest in modern British history.
Are we witnessing a protest crackdown? Why are politicians referring to some protest groups as “extremists” and “militants”? And how can we defend the right to protest?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Akiko Hart, Director of Liberty, and Audrey Cherryl Mogan, Criminal Defence and Civil Liberties Barrister.
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Music by Aldous Ichnite, used under Creative Commons licence: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
Produced by Amy Clancy, Margaret Welsh and James Rush.
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 -
Three years’ ago, the Conservative Party celebrated their best local elections performance since 2008. But after last week’s local elections in England and Wales, the Telegraph called the results a “dire day” for the Conservatives.
Now that the dust has settled, we’re taking a closer look. Local elections aren’t just about Count Binface and potholes. With the next general election creeping ever closer, journalists and political wonks were watching these elections like hawks.
So who were the big winners and losers? Has the rise of metro mayors increased democracy in England? And what does this all mean for the next general election?
Hannah Peaker is joined by joined by Dr Abi O’Connor, senior researcher at the New Economics Foundation and Jack Shaw, fellow at the Bennet Institute for Public Policy.
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Music: Thoughtful by Lee Rosevere, Free Music Archive: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lee-rosevere/music-for-podcasts-playful/more-questions-than-answers/, used under Creative Commons licence: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
Produced by Katrina Gaffney, Margaret Welsh and James Rush
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 -
Almost three million people in the UK are unemployed and unable to work because they are ill or disabled. According to the right-wing media, these people aren’t nearly as unwell as they claim. Meanwhile a UN committee warned that disabled people in the UK are subjected to a “traumatising” benefits system.
We have a social security system that’s been stripped to the bone and millions of people are struggling to afford the essentials as a result, yet both of the main political parties are desperate to be seen as “tough on benefits”.
So what’s gone wrong with our social security system? Why are politicians so intent on alienating those who rely on it? And how can we build a system that gives everyone the support they need?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Kaliya Franklin, freelance disability policy expert and campaigner, and Mikey Erhardt, campaigner at Disability Rights UK.
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Music: Thoughtful by Lee Rosevere, Free Music Archive: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lee-rosevere/music-for-podcasts-serious/thoughtful-2/, used under Creative Commons licence: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
Produced by Katrina Gaffney, Margaret Welsh and James Rush
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 -
Britain’s favourite broadcaster David Attenborough once said: “Anyone who thinks you can have infinite growth in a finite environment is either a madman - or an economist.”
But our political leaders don’t seem to agree. Both our major political parties have made growing the economy a key metric for their success in government.
So what is economic growth? How did it become so central to our understanding of the economy? And should we really be striving for infinite growth on a finite planet?
Ayeisha Thomas Smith is joined by Kate Raworth, economist and author of Doughnut Economics, and Michael Jacobs, professor of political economy at the University of Sheffield.
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Music: Under Suspicion by Lee Rosevere, Free Music Archive: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lee-rosevere/music-for-podcasts-serious/under-suspicion/, used under Creative Commons licence: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
Produced by Katrina Gaffney, Margaret Welsh and James Rush
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 -
We’re waiting longer than ever for hospital appointments, our kids’ schools are literally crumbling, and homelessness has sky-rocketed in the past year. This week’s spring budget was a vital chance for chancellor Jeremy Hunt to respond to the huge problems our country is facing.
But instead of trying to fix any of our problems, the chancellor announced a cut to national insurance that will benefit the richest households twelve times more than the poorest.
So what do Jeremy Hunt’s announcements mean for people across the UK? Why are the opposition talking about maxed out credit cards? And what needs to happen to save our public services and boost living standards for all?
Ayeisha Thomas Smith is joined by Hannah Peaker, director of policy at the New Economics Foundation, and Lydia Prieg, head of economics at the New Economics Foundation
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Music by Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/.
Produced by Katrina Gaffney, Margaret Welsh and James Rush
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 -
Worried about your carbon emissions? Don’t stress! You can pump out as much as you want - as long as you buy some offsets to balance it out. Scared of the collapse of wildlife? No problem! We can figure out how much money our ecosystems are worth, and let the market do the rest!
Welcome to the logic of green capitalism. Fossil fuel giants claim to celebrate sustainability while pumping out toxic emissions. Governments are relying on carbon offsets to make their climate promises add up. And we’re told that we can fight the climate crisis with the magic of economic markets.
Why have corporations got so interested in sustainability? Will carbon offsets save us - or are they just a cute accounting trick? And if wind and solar energy are so cheap, why haven’t we embraced them?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Adrienne Buller, author of The Value of a Whale: On the illusions of green capitalism, and Brett Christophers, author of The Price is Wrong: Why capitalism won’t save the planet.
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Music by Serge Quadrado, used under Creative Commons licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
Produced by Katrina Gaffney, Margaret Welsh and James Rush
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 -
It’s 2024 and in Westminster an election is at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Step back a little further and across the UK millions of us are more concerned with how we’ll afford to pay their sky-high rent or energy bills. Zoom out further again and we see a world where billions of people are reckoning with the threat of the climate crisis.
For the first episode in a new series of the New Economics podcast, Ayeisha is joined by the new chief executive of the New Economics Foundation, Danny Sriskandarajah, to discuss the biggest challenges facing the world and how we can win a new global economy.
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Music by Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/.
Produced by Katrina Gaffney, Margaret Welsh and James Rush
The New Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more about becoming a NEF supporter at: https://neweconomics.org/donate/build-a-better-future
New Economics Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales. Charity No. 1055254 -
The Metropolitan Police’s diversity and inclusion strategy claims it is determined to “eliminate racism and discrimination”. But the force was branded ‘institutionally racist’, and not for the first time, in an official report this spring. Recently, a Met firearms officer has been referred to prosecutors on a potential murder charge for shooting dead Black Londoner Chris Kaba last September.
So, what does racism have to do with our 21st century economic system? How can we understand institutions who uphold racism while claiming to value diversity and inclusion? And what does it mean to truly be anti-racist?
For the final episode of this series, Ayeisha is joined by Arun Kundnani to discuss his new book, What Is Antiracism?: And Why It Means Anticapitalism.
Grab a copy of Arun's book here: https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/2670-what-is-antiracism
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Music by Chris Zabriskie and Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
Produced by Becky Malone, Margaret Welsh and Katrina Gaffney.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The New Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org -
This spring, swimmers in Kent were told to avoid ten beaches in the county due to sewage leaks. Public outrage at sewage pouring into our rivers and beaches has so far focused on water companies. But is someone else to blame? The pipes that carry sewage in Kent are not owned by Southern Water, or even Kent County Council. They belong to a massive Australian asset management firm that most of us have never heard of.
Asset management firms are not household names, but they’ve come to own our energy systems, hospitals, schools, and even the pipes that supply our drinking water. So who are these shadowy companies? What even is asset management? And why are they buying up the things we need to keep our society going?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by political economist and economic geographer Brett Christophers to discuss his new book Our Lives in Their Portfolios: Why Asset Managers Own the World.
Grab a copy of the book here: https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/2985-our-lives-in-their-portfolios-why-asset-managers-own-the-world
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Music by Chad Crouch and Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
Produced by Becky Malone, Margaret Welsh and Katrina Gaffney.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The New Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org -
The friend who has to cancel plans to look after their elderly mum. The colleague who leaves their phone on loud so they don’t miss a call about their disabled child. The neighbour you’ve barely seen since their partner’s diagnosis. We’re surrounded by people who are dealing with the challenges of caregiving, but they often go unseen.
According to Carers UK, there could be over ten million people providing unpaid care in the UK. We’ll all have to care for someone or be cared for over the course of our lives. So why are the challenges caregivers face so overlooked? And how can we build a system that supports their wellbeing?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by writer and activist Emily Kenway to discuss her new book Who Cares: the hidden crisis of caregiving and how we solve it.
Grab a copy of the book, out now: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/who-cares-the-hidden-crisis-of-caregiving-and-how-we-solve-it-emily-kenway/5956477?ean=9781472288486
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Music by Chris Zabriskie and Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
Produced by Becky Malone, Margaret Welsh and Katrina Gaffney.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The New Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org -
As the chancellor stood up in Parliament to present his spring budget in March, half a million people went on strike to demand better from their bosses. Teachers, junior doctors, Tube drivers, civil servants and more all walked out of work, in the biggest day of strike action in over a decade.
As the strikes rumble on into another summer, how can workers keep up the momentum? Will new legislation make it harder to fight for better pay and working conditions? And should more of us be trying to unionise our workplaces?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by workplace organiser Lydia Hughes and researcher Jamie Woodcock, authors of Troublemaking: why you should organise your workplace.
Grab a copy of Troublemaking: Why You Should Organise Your Workplace – out now www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/2889-troublemaking
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Music by Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
Produced by Becky Malone, Margaret Welsh and Katrina Gaffney.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The New Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org -
Nurses struggling without PPE, the frantic search for hospital ventilators, even the dreaded ping from NHS test-and-trace. To most of us, these memories represent some of the worst of the Covid pandemic. But for a select few companies, they were an opportunity to make millions.
Consultancy firms won over seven hundred million pounds worth of government Covid contracts to do things like run the test-and-trace system and vaccine rollout. This February, ministers dropped restrictions on Whitehall spending on consultants, allowing these firms to potentially rake in millions more.
So why is the government so dependent on consultants? Whose interests do they serve? And how worried should we be about their effect on public life?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Rosie Collington, co-author of 'The Big Con: How the Consultancy Industry Weakens Our Businesses, Infantilises Our Governments and Warps Our Economies'.
Grab a copy of The Big Con out now https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/451193/the-big-con-by-collington-mariana-mazzucato-and-rosie/9780241573082
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Music by A. A. Aalto and Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
Produced by Becky Malone, Margaret Welsh and Katrina Gaffney.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org -
You can’t paint your walls, you can’t have a pet, you can’t guarantee you’ll have somewhere to live in six months time. Millions of us are paying sky-high rents but struggling to make a home in a housing system where safety and security takes second place to landlords’ profits.
Some private tenants face mould and broken boilers but daren’t complain. According to Shelter, complaining to your landlord about conditions in your home more than doubles your chance of being evicted.
How did private renting become so prevalent? Why are the rights of tenants so weak? And what does this mean for our ability to make a home?
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Vicky Spratt, housing correspondent at the i and author of Tenants, and Kieran Yates, journalist and author of the upcoming All the houses I’ve ever lived in.
Further reading:
- Grab a copy of Vicky's book Tenants https://profilebooks.com/work/tenants/
- Kieran's book All the houses I've ever lived in is out on the 27 April https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/All-The-Houses-Ive-Ever-Lived-In/Kieran-Yates/9781398509832
- Kojo Koram's book Uncommon wealth is available here https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/kojo-koram/uncommon-wealth/9781529338652/
- Find out more about about the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's work on home-owners and poverty https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/home-owners-and-poverty
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Music by Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
Produced by Becky Malone, Margaret Welsh and Katrina Gaffney.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org -
On a sunny day in January, a ghostly figure covered in green ribbons appeared on a moor in south-west England. It was a person dressed as Old Crockern, the guardian spirit of Dartmoor. He was greeted by 3000 people who had gathered to protest a court ruling that took away the right to wild camp in the area. It was the biggest countryside access protest in living memory.
The ruling reignited a long-running concern over land in England: who owns it? And who is allowed to use it? The aristocracy and landed gentry still own around thirty per cent of English land, and half of England is owned by less than one per cent of the population.
How did we get here? What does land ownership have to do with wealth and power? And is there another way?
Ayeisha is joined by Nadia Shaikh, naturalist, conservationist and land justice activist with Right to Roam and Frances Northrop, associate fellow at the New Economics Foundation.
Further reading:
- Find out more and get involved with Right to Roam https://www.righttoroam.org.uk/
- Listen to the Land for Who podcast series sharedassets.org.uk/resources/land-for-who-land-justice-podcast-series
- Find out more about the Ecological Land Cooperative https://ecologicalland.coop/
- Read the Sold from Under You investigation https://council-sell-off.thebureauinvestigates.com/
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Music by Chad Crouch and Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone. With thanks to Katrina Gaffney.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org -
Last year the UK had three different prime ministers, four different chancellors and five different housing ministers. Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's first minister for close to a decade, recently announced her resignation - and it’s not clear who will replace her. British politics now seems to be permanently tumultuous. And with a general election peeking over the horizon, political parties are gearing up to win over the public.
What are the big ideas influencing UK politics? How much appetite does the public have for change? And what will be the key battlegrounds at the next general election?
Ayeisha is joined by Anoosh Chakelian, Britain editor at the New Statesman, and James Meadway, director of the Progressive Economy Forum.
- James' new book The Cost of Living Crisis (and how to get out of it)is out next month versobooks.com/books/4259-the-cost-of-living-crisis
- Read Anoosh and Ben Walker's piece on the “the new social groupings of the inflation age” newstatesman.com/economy/2023/02/britain-cost-of-living-classes
- More on Scottish independence in this article by Jonathon Shafi jonathonshafi.substack.com/p/after-sturgeon-a-new-era-in-scottish
- Listen to James' podcast Macrodose patreon.com/Macrodose
- Latest from the New Statesman podcast here newstatesman.com/podcasts
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Music by Blue Dot Sessions and Podington Bear, used under Creative Commons licence.
Researched by Margaret Welsh. Produced by Becky Malone. With thanks to Katrina Gaffney.
Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF!
The Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org - Visa fler
