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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Mexican Stand-off over Health

Gavin Oldham
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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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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Democracy, Ownership and Young People

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Democracy, Ownership and Young People
Oxford University Professor Ben Ansell is delivering this year's Reith Lectures on the future of democracy: whether it's in retreat across the world, whether citizens of wealthy countries have embraced a false sense of security, how to build a sense of solidarity in polarised societies, and how to enable continued economic growth without wrecking the environment in the process. But will he tackle the question of how democracy can — and should — evolve from national to global governance? And will he address the need for participation in individual ownership and the accompanying enhanced sense of responsibility, combined with the need for the young to be empowered through inter-generational rebalancing? The next three lectures will tell. Background music: 'Resolution' by Wayne Jones, Image source: BBC
Guest:

Lord Lee


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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Health & Education Shortcomings hold back UK Growth

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Health & Education Shortcomings hold back UK Growth
Adam Smith set out the foundation building blocks for economic growth in the Wealth of Nations, and capital and labour were the key components — Jeremy Hunt says he is now pursuing growth as his key priority, and there's no doubt that increasing capital availability in both public and private sectors will help: but where is the labour capacity? It's on NHS waiting lists. Background music: 'The Nexus Riddim' by Konrad OldMoney

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Gavin Oldham

Though for the Week: Who should stay, Who should go?

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Though for the Week: Who should stay, Who should go?
A warm welcome back for David, now Lord, Cameron. Let's put the years of struggling in the wake of Brexit behind us, and look forward to a new global perspective in which Britain acts as a catalyst in bringing the world together. What better place to start than by setting out plans for strengthening the democratic legitimacy and authority of the United Nations, with a new perspective on long-term governance which fully addresses the challenges of conflict, climate change and inequality. Background music: 'Master of the Feast' by Kevin MacLeod (licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Image source: Wikipedia

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Democratising AI Ownership

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Democratising AI Ownership
In a world absorbed with tension and conflict, it says something about the significance of AI that Rishi Sunak was able to host the conference at Bletchley Park, with government representatives from twenty-eight nations and eight leading Artificial Intelligence businesses. Warnings abound both within and outside the AI industry, including for its impact on employment, to which we referred nearly six years ago. However, is the Bletchley Park gathering just evidence of the rich and powerful flexing their muscles yet again to take control? Surely we should be looking for an alternative, offering mass participation in wealth creation and democratisation through distributed governance? Background music: 'Digital Solitude' by Silent Partner

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: What 'Love your enemy' means

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: What 'Love your enemy' means
This week's Thought proposes four key routes towards 'Loving your enemy', including a gradual transition from national to international law. This would mean justice not being constrained by national borders, so we could look forward to a system of international civil law enforcement replacing reliance on military force to resolve criminal outbreaks — it would also help us to resolve the challenges of climate change. Another element is restorative justice: Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu showed the world that such a system can provide a pathway to peace in the most challenging of circumstances. These initiatives, based on an understanding of unconditional love and an equitable sharing of resources, can provide a way forward from our current woes. Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins. Image source: United Nations

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