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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Moral Compass Missing

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Moral Compass Missing
Nothing seems to shake the populist following of Mr. Trump, which includes a substantial proportion of the evangelical Christian community. Is their moral compass somewhat unbalanced — are they omitting to focus on the second great commandment, to love our neighbours (those least likely to be our 'neighbours') as ourselves? Here in the UK, populism is more associated with the Reform Party, which is attracting 15% of voters compared to the Conservatives 21%. They share Trump's appeal for self-interest and antipathy towards migration: meanwhile the need for a real focus on helping the poor continues. Where's the moral compass? Background music: 'Charisma' by The Brothers Records

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Assess the Individual, not just their Party

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Assess the Individual, not just their Party
Not my platitudes — but we do indeed need bold reforms, vision, groundbreaking solutions and to lead the edge of change. Our key concerns and calls for action are in this commentary, but they're not in the party manifestos: for example, the call to break the cycle of deprivation first made 50 years ago — we're still waiting. Euphemisms abound as the parties converge towards the central ground in the quest for your votes, but they draw together many different perspectives. Test them on issues such as a more egalitarian form of capitalism, smaller government, inter-generational rebalancing and a longer-term perspective — see where they stand as individuals. Background music: 'Hidden Agenda' by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1200102.

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: AI raises the urgency for disintermediated participation

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: AI raises the urgency for disintermediated participation
Professor Hinton, the 'godfather of AI' warns that the challenges of Artificial Intelligence are not just economic but also strategic. His quotation of Putin shows clearly the need for a convergent approach towards these risks. And remember the Bletchley conference just six months ago? The scientists have lost no time in preparing their interim report, but there's much to be done in planning the best way forward. Background music: 'Metamorphosis' by Quincas Moreira

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Recognising Individual Achievement

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Recognising Individual Achievement
Individual achievement is recognised in many walks of life, and that recognition spurs people on to achieve even greater things. With education, good exam results and university entrance are celebrated, but this doesn't do much for those who find it difficult to get started in the first place. That's why The Share Foundation's introduction of incentivised learning is so important for young people in care, achieving an attitudinal transformation as they progress through the six-step Stepladder course. We need acceptance of incentivised learning to break the cycle of deprivation. Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Three Presumptions for re-thinking Politics

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Three Presumptions for re-thinking Politics
England delivered a withering verdict on its ruling Conservative Party last week, but the motley spread of replacement parties plus low turnout revealed a population thoroughly disenchanted by politics. Democracy is calling for a fresh perspective, based on reason and logic. We need to draw inspiration from people like Thomas Jefferson who said, 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights, and that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.' Background music: 'Freedom' by Dan Lebowitz

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Mexican Stand-off over Health

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Mexican Stand-off over Health
Rachel Reeves points to a sea change in economic policy, 'As we did at the end of the 1970s, we stand at an inflection point': but there's no indication, apart from a tiny hint of criticism for an 'inflexible welfare state', of moving away from the socialist dogma which is ruining health services in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile the Conservatives' fear of losing electoral support among the elderly leaves them incapable of introducing mandatory health insurance for wealthy old folk which the NHS can draw down as it's used. It's a confrontation where no strategy exists that allows any party to achieve victory — the only way through is to look for a consensus. Background music: 'People Watching' by Sir Cubworth

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Shifting the Burden Stealthily

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Shifting the Burden Stealthily
Jeremy Hunt's focus on young working people, by making a further significant reduction in employees' NI, is welcome; but his overall strategy is cloaked in disguise. As Michael Gove made clear in February, young people need direct economic encouragement: for example, the omission of any mention of unclaimed adult-owned CTFs indicates more of a studied indifference from HM Treasury. Background music: 'Hidden Agenda' by Kevin MacLeod - http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1200102

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Counteracting Fear and Greed

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Counteracting Fear and Greed
Rishi Sunak's call for tolerance in Downing Street on Friday 1st March was couched in terms of hard work and endeavour, which are generally associated with self-interest; but what's really needed is convergence based on generosity of spirit, starting with tolerance and journeying through respect for others, no matter how different they are, towards unconditional love. Background music: 'Resolution' by Wayne Jones

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Manifesto for Manifestos (UK)

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Manifesto for Manifestos (UK)
Universal provision of free health and social care plus the payment of interest on government debt comprise nearly two-thirds of UK public spending. We need fresh polices underpinned by a new set of principles appropriate for the 21st century, and political advisers and pundits would do well to check our Thought for this week when constructing their manifestos for the approaching UK general election. Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Year: A Global Manifesto for 2024

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Year: A Global Manifesto for 2024
It's time to step up the role and democratic legitimacy of the United Nations in a way that prioritises peace, harmony, freedom and a fair standard of living for all people, from all walks of life — so let's look beyond national manifestos in this 2024 election year (in both the UK & USA) and start addressing the real global challenges of international conflict, climate change and participation for all. Background music: 'World's Sunrise' by Jimena Contreras

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