Share Sounds. presented by Gavin Oldham related to Politics - UK

There's a rising crescendo of concern over HM Treasury's decision to leave tax thresholds frozen at current levels until 2028. At a time of high inflation, it particularly bears down on low- and middle-income earners, and itself keeps inflation higher for longer. Several suggestions have been made for alternative ways to sort out the public finances, not least in these Share Radio commentaries, but there's no indication of any willingness to sit down and talk: like an ostrich, heads are firmly in the sand. Background music 'The Nexus Riddim' by Konrad OldMoney

As the Party Conference season draws to a close, we check out last week's rather lacklustre Conservative event and add some thoughts to Sunak's agenda for education. Meanwhile, for those more focused on how to invest and still meet the net zero targets, don't miss the Sustain:Social Investing Conference on Saturday 21st October! https://sustain.social Background music: 'Communicator' by Reed Mathis

After the December 2019 election, Dominic Cummings brought HM Treasury under the heel of No. 10. Little did he realise that in 2023 the financiers would be running the whole show. Rishi Sunak, financier par excellence, thinks he is making long-term decisions for a brighter future. Not everyone agrees: but then a week is a long time in politics — or finance, come to that. Background music: 'Something Is Wrong' by Sir Cubworth Image source: BBC

Government Debt at the end of June '23 was £2.53 trillion, or £38,000 for every person living in the UK. This will be increased by 10% as a result of HM Treasury indemnifying the Bank of England for their QE losses and the cost of the dysfunctional HS2 project. Hidden away on page 54 of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority Annual Report is where you can find their assessment of the huge HS2 project: then check out William Hague's Times article, 'HS2 has gone from shambles to red alert'. Please visit the Share Radio webpage for links. Background music: 'Sarabande' by Joel Cummins

On 5th July the Treasury Select Committee held an evidence session on the hot topic of inflation. Their witnesses included: Professor Sir Charles Bean, Professor of Economics, London School of Economics (LSE), Former member, Monetary Policy Committee, Former member, OBR Budget Responsibility Committee; Nina Skero, Chief Executive, Centre for Economics and Business Research; Stephen King, Senior Economic Adviser, HSBC; Dr Sushil Wadhwani CBE, Chief Investment Officer, PGIM Wadhwani, Former member, Monetary Policy Committee. This episode covers the first 50 minutes of the hearing and its conclusion with year-end predictions for interest rates — the full podcast is two hours long and can be accessed via https://www.shareradio.co.uk/podcasts/treasury-select-committee-evidence-session-on-inflation-full-length-07-jul-23/PodcastPlayer

On 5th July the Treasury Select Committee held an evidence session on the hot topic of inflation. Their witnesses included: Professor Sir Charles Bean, Professor of Economics, London School of Economics (LSE), Former member, Monetary Policy Committee, Former member, OBR Budget Responsibility Committee; Nina Skero, Chief Executive, Centre for Economics and Business Research; Stephen King, Senior Economic Adviser, HSBC; Dr Sushil Wadhwani CBE, Chief Investment Officer, PGIM Wadhwani, Former member, Monetary Policy Committee. This full length podcast is two hours long

'What is Truth?', were Pilate's last words to Jesus on Good Friday. We all experience being economical with the truth, although the Privileges Committee clearly regards itself as above such a challenge. The result for Boris Johnson is a trashed reputation, alongside others who have experienced a sudden fall from grace. There should, however, be a road back from outer darkness, but not without some serious self-examination first. Background music: 'Confliction & Catharsis' - Asher Fulero Image source: https://rateyourmusic.com/

“The [Child Trust Fund] scheme has been closed to new entrants for over 12 years. In this time HMRC has been focusing resources on evaluating and improving existing schemes. We will continue to keep the need to evaluate old schemes under review.” So said Andrew Griffith MP, Economic Secretary to HM Treasury in reply to a parliamentary question from John Ashworth MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. But this is not an 'old scheme' — there is currently over £1.7 billion sitting in mature accounts belonging to over 900,000 mainly low-income young adults throughout the UK who don't know anything about their good fortune! Their Child Trust Fund harvest is seeing too little action at present: but it's not too late to get it sorted, and the current focus from the National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee will certainly help. Background music: 'Hopeful Freedom' by Asher Fulero

As we progress through the pomp and splendour of the Coronation over the next few days, many will be asking themselves ‘what is the relevance of the monarchy in today's world?’. Will King Charles reign forward, spending the majority of his time travelling the world and building one human family in which discord can become a thing of the past? Or will he just rein back here in the United Kingdom, allowing parochial pressures for contraction to eclipse this wider opportunity? Background Music: 'World's Sunrise' by Jimena Contreras; image by Mark Tantrum - https://gg.govt.nz/image-galleries/official-portraits, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia

The big ticket item this week is the House of Commons Privileges Committee, which is holding a televised evidence hearing with Boris Johnson on Wednesday 22nd March. Select Committees do an important job holding Government to account, and the most powerful is the Public Accounts Committee which oversees the delivery efficiency and effectiveness of Government programmes. They're able to draw on objective analysis provided by the National Audit Office whose latest investigation, published last week, is into the huge Child Trust Fund programme. Background music: 'People Watching' by Sir Cubworth