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Programme: Thought for the Week
Presenter: Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week: Could Justin Welby hold the key to peace in Ukraine?

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Could Justin Welby hold the key to peace in Ukraine?
In a House of Lords debate on the continuing conflict in Sudan, Archbishop Justin Welby called for a long-term plan towards peace building. The need for that is just as acute in Ukraine and, using all his considerable skills in reconciliation, he could open the door to a pathway to peace by going to meet Patriarch Kirill in Moscow. Thus far Kirill has given steadfast spiritual support to Putin, but is this in keeping with the Christian faith? How can the clear instruction to 'love your enemies' be reconciled with the continuing devastation and anguish in Ukraine and the abduction of more than 20,000 children? Background music: 'Confliction & Catharsis' by Asher Fulero

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Falling birth rates unsettle the Vatican

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Falling birth rates unsettle the Vatican
Pope Francis calls for more focus on children, suggesting that in many countries pets take preference. If the hard-won values of gender equality are to benefit generations well into the future, western democracies need to help young people towards family formation. His comments may have been prompted by the collapse in Italian fertility rates to just 1.3 birth per woman: well below the 2.1 needed for a stable population. Background music: 'Young And Old Know Love' Puddle of Infinity

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: “I’m 22 years old — where’s my CTF?”

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: “I’m 22 years old — where’s my CTF?”
The oldest recipient of a Child Trust Fund turned 22 on Sunday 1st September, but the great majority of those allocated by HMRC (due to no action by the young person's parents by their 1st birthday) are unclaimed. This is the story of Joe, who really needs his money to get started in adult life — but he doesn't know anything about his good fortune. The Share Foundation has already enabled over 60,000 young people to claim their accounts, but that's a drop in the ocean compared to the huge number of accounts lying dormant with account providers. So The Share Foundation is now asking Government to implement its 'Default Withdrawal at 21' proposal for HMRC-allocated accounts. Background music: 'Missing Persons' by Jeremy Blake

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: The Art of Communication

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: The Art of Communication
Building the art of communication is essential for a successful adult life, and the performing arts provide a great way to develop confidence and conversational dialogue. They can bring hope and career opportunities to young people when more academic doors are closed. Unfortunately, this is not an easy option for those in state education or from disadvantaged backgrounds. In a world where so much communication is uni-directional, we must work harder to bring these opportunities to all. Background music: 'Communicator' by Reed Mathis YouTube Sketch link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT0ay9u1gg4

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Time

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Time
What does time mean for you? A busy diary, rushing people, stress and anxiety — 'never enough hours in the day'? If so, there's plenty of that to watch on the Sky Movies channel. Or do you see it as one of the crowning glories of creation which makes all life possible? Nobel Prize winner Kip Thorne helped to unravel its mysteries in 'The Life Scientific' following his input on 'Interstellar', and thus inspired our thought for this week. Background music: opening with grandfather clock chimes, closing with 'Take Your Time' by Dan Lebowitz

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Global stock ownership requires global investment platforms

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Global stock ownership requires global investment platforms
While Hargreaves Lansdowne accepts an outcome driven by Private Equity, Abrdn attempts to shrug off the high price it paid for buying its retail investment platform from Private Equity. The short-term and intensely finance-based motivation of that sector achieves a real contrast between its entry and exit pricing, notwithstanding the damage it does to public markets. That short-term focus has also denied a strategic transition to global retail investment platforms capable of supporting widespread global stock ownership in the years ahead; although the parochial nature of investment regulation and antiquated technology also conspire against making that transition. Employee share ownership has made that change, and its workplace solutions could set the template for individual stock ownership across the world. Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Summer at Last?

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Summer at Last?
It's been a long wait for summer this year, and we need to search for glimmers of hope as we approach the new political/economic/academic year. One such is the significant rise in Maths 'A' level entries, which will help young people find good careers. Another is the 0.25% reduction in interest rates: a cautious and close-run decision in times of considerable turbulence. Real interest rates are still 3%, so there's a long way to go. If the current rash of street riots allow it, we need to use the few weeks of summer calm to reflect on the big issues holding us back, including how to achieve a world without poverty. Background music: 'Solar Power' by Ashley Shadow

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Inter-generational injustice requires wholesale reform

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Inter-generational injustice requires wholesale reform
David Willetts set out the challenge of inter-generational injustice 14 years ago in his book, 'The Pinch': but the problems have got worse, not better, during that same period of Conservative government. Young people face huge problems as a result of a fiscal environment structured to benefit older people, student debt, asset prices inflated by prolonged low interest rates — and then the pandemic: not to speak of demographic dislocations as a result of migration. Government finances may indeed require a complete overhaul, but it needs to be done in combination with resolving inter-generational injustice. Background music: 'Generations Away' by Unicorn Heads

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Usurping God

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Usurping God
‘God is on my side', Trump told his re-vitalised Republican Party following the attempt to assassinate him. Bob Dylan's 1964 song 'With God on our side' told how this claim has been used to justify violence and oppression throughout history. Trump is not alone: Patriarch Kirill makes exactly the same claim for Putin's murderous assault on Ukraine. When will we learn that none of us can usurp God's favour or authority? Background music: 'With God on Our Side' by The Golden Gate Strings

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: One Human Family

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: One Human Family
Sport is not only a good way to celebrate national identity but also a great way to celebrate human convergence; football is one of the best in this respect, where we see teams comprised of so many different ethnicities representing so many different countries. Just as regional identity is something to celebrate within countries, so also is national identity something to celebrate in a global context. But this doesn't mean turning countries into fortresses, and the United Nations needs to play a more prominent role in converging governance. Background music: 'India Fuse' by French Fuse

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