Podcasts

Are there limits to free speech – and if so, where should they be set? In this week’s podcast, Dr Steve Davies, Head of Education at the IEA and News Editor Kate Andrews examine this question. They take a look at free speech on social media, and at universities, where issues like ‘safe spaces’ and ‘no platforming’ are increasingly controversial. Yet, the situation is rather more complex than it might seem. Though, Steve argues, speech should be as free as possible – private institutions and private individuals also have a right to determine what speech they permit on their own property. And public funding of institutions can also complicate matters.

Joining Adam Cox in this episode is Dilara Tetik, one of the UK’s leading relationship coaches, to discuss the challenges of modern relationships. Is technology hindering rather than helping the formation of lasting connections? And what do we need to learn about communicating to enable our relationships to thrive? Plus, Dilara gives her view on Donald and Melania Trump’s relationship, and the advice she might offer to the President of the United States to make his marriage as successful as his finances.

Political commentator Mike Indian, author of the Groucho Tendency blog, discusses the top political stories with Simon Rose. What does the crisis over the Windrush generation mean for EU citizens living in the UK? Should Parliament have had a say over military action in Syria? What will the Lords' defeat of the Government mean for Brexit? Why has Labour not been able to tackle satisfactorily the antisemitism accusations?

Helal Miah of The Share Centre looks at recent numbers from AB Foods, Unilever, Segro and Amerisur and looks ahead to expected announcements from Glaxo and the banks, including Lloyds, Barclays, RBS, Metro and Virgin.

Steve Caplin turns his roving eye towards robots, to robots doing Rubik's Cubes and building Ikea furniture, to the laws we ought to have in place for AI and to the slacker robots at Tesla. He also looks at a device to read our thoughts, curated walks and an impressive case to protect an impressively expensive smartphone.

James Cameron-Wilson looks at new action movie Rampage (and the career of its star Dwayne Johnson) as well as horror debutant Truth or Dare. He also comes up with a remarkable statistic about the nationality of the Oscar's Best Director winners over the past decade. Great pub trivia question in the making.

Want to keep up with the latest earnings updates from the States? Well join Chris Hill and the Motley Fool Radio Show team here on Share Radio, direct from Washington DC, for news, views and analysis of the US stocks that matter. In this week's show: Mark Zuckerberg testifies before Congress; Bed Bath & Beyond takes a bath; And Walmart and Amazon battle it out in India. Ron Gross, Matt Argersinger and Jim Mueller analyze those stories and more.

In the first episode of this brand new series, Linda Lewis is joined by Tom Levitt: author, former Labour MP and consultant on responsible business. They discuss Tom’s latest book, The Company Citizen: Good for Business, Planet, Nation and Community, and why tackling the challenges of climate change, hunger and poor health makes sense in the long run for modern businesses – both within their companies and more broadly. Can business help change the future of climate change and human rights? Tom talks about why he thinks it can be done if businesses fully embrace a simple concept: long-term thinking.

In this episode of Track Record, Sue Dougan is joined by Ebony Gayle, a talented dancer who was one of the first intake at the BRIT School of Performing Arts in the 90s. Despite loving performance, a business module at the school fired her enthusiasm for public relations. Now a consultant, writer, presenter and volunteer with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, Ebony says we can all work on a freelance or consultative capacity – so long as we're prepared! She also discusses how easy it can be to become fearful in the workplace, questioning our own skills and experience – and how we can overcome that.

British Gas have revealed this week that more than four million households face a 5.5 per cent bill increase from the end of May thanks to changes to its standard variable tariff. Hot on its heels, EDF Energy announced it will be hiking the cost of energy bills by 1.4 per cent for 1.3 million customers. In this week’s podcast, Rachel Rickard Straus and Lee Boyce say it is time for people to fight back and switch. On the energy theme, we talk about our campaign to stop power firms using bullying tactics in order to force households into getting a smart meter – and why it is better to wait until the end of the year. We take a look at some of the methods to make your home more energy efficient, including insulation and wood burning stoves.