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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Has the rush for economic stimulation obscured joined-up thinking?

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Has the rush for economic stimulation obscured joined-up thinking?
The Chancellor was like a person sitting on the cliff-edge of colossal public debt last week, convinced that her massive 'investment' commitments can overlook the void below. It appears that economic stimulation is the only game in town for the British economy, and even that seems to avoid joined-up thinking in some key areas. Background music: 'Ether Oar' by The Whole Other
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Gavin Oldham

The Bigger Picture: The UK Chancellor’s Spending Review

Gavin Oldham
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The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: The UK Chancellor’s Spending Review
The unabridged recording of Rachel Reeves’ speech in the House of Commons on 11th June 2025.
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Why Attitudinal Transformation Matters

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Why Attitudinal Transformation Matters
Author of 'Capitalism in the 21st Century' Thomas Piketty proposes an unconditional 'inheritance' endowment for all young people on reaching 25 years of age. Grants often appear to offer instant solutions to problems of inequality, but unless they are accompanied by conditional incentivised learning they will not achieve inter-generational rebalancing. In contrast, Muhammad Yunus has built accountability into his design for micro-finance, thereby enabling young people to look forward with a constructive approach towards achieving their potential in our fast-changing world. Attitudinal transformation takes time and commitment to take hold, but it does achieve results. Background music: 'World's Sunrise' by1 Jimena Contreras Image source: Wikipedia
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Bearing down on Spending

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Bearing down on Spending
On 11th June UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves presents her Spending Review against the backdrop of a gargantuan public debt liability which is costing the UK taxpayer £111 billion a year in interest. Further tax rises have been ruled out, so she needs to identify achievable, structural reductions in spending. Elon Musk thought he'd done just that as head of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but only a small fraction of his planned reductions were achieved. In the UK at least we can break away from welfare universality — but will she do it? She's tried taxation and now she has to tackle spending, but the real elephant in the room is debt: all £2.7 trillion of it. Background music: 'Dark Alley Deals' by Aaron Kenny
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Capitalism in need of a Moral Compass

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Capitalism in need of a Moral Compass
Vladimir Putin has the audacity to claim moral superiority over western democracy: for the full story of complicity between Russia's leaders and the the Russian Orthodox Church, read 'The Baton and the Cross' by Lucy Ash. However implausible Putin's claim may be, we do need to examine our own consciences and become more aware of the need for a moral compass for capitalism. In so many walks of life, this is also conspicuous by its absence in western democracies. Background music: 'Something Is Wrong' by Sir Cubworth
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: The Art of Conversation

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: The Art of Conversation
The definition of what is art and what is science is a key part of academic life; the former being a matter of subjective opinion, albeit developed with skill and practice, and the latter a matter of exploring and defining objective facts. While we may seek the latter in our conversation, there is no doubt that, in itself, conversation is an art. Kahlil Gibran wrote many words of great insight one hundred years ago and, in his book, 'The Prophet', he included a section on talking. In our modern era of social media, this has much to offer — and a few things which could be added, as young people struggle with the art of conversation. Background music: 'Communicator' by Reed Mathis
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: The Fallacy of Male Headship

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: The Fallacy of Male Headship
Male dominance has tracked humanity throughout our evolution from the animal world, but it's now presenting an existential danger as our ability to threaten the future escalates. Meanwhile society's call for gender equality without addressing the doctrine of male headship is delivering a generation of 'lost boys'. Men need to learn what comes naturally to women: 'servant leadership'. Jesus showed his disciples what it means two thousand years ago, but Christian churches still struggle to understand. It will enable us to care for others and to plan for a better future including bringing inspiration, as opposed to aggression, for young men. Background music: 'Leaders' by Text Me Records — Jorge Hernandez
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Change requires delivery, not just policies

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Change requires delivery, not just policies
Nigel Farage's stunning electoral success last Thursday exposed the chronic failure of state-centred socialism and the policy vacuum at the heart of the discredited Conservative party, following a decade of errors of judgement. Thomas Jefferson set out his 'self-evident truths' in 1776, that all are equal in deserving life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness: these, combined with constitutional acceptance of the need for inter-generational rebalancing, provide the real alternative to the narrow populism of the far right. Background music: 'The New Order' by Aaron Kenny
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: New Ideas to tackle Climate Change

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: New Ideas to tackle Climate Change
Climate change deniers may be in the hot seat across the Atlantic, but there is still a real determination to tackle global warming here in the United Kingdom. Harnessing sunlight is at the heart of new initiatives to build on the natural process of photosynthesis: much better that attempting to tamper with the atmosphere to dim sunlight. Meanwhile tidal flow generation has already given us a very reliable source of power generation — could tidal rise and fall bring us yet more benefit from the Moon's orbit of the Earth? Background music: 'Solar Power' Ashley Shadow
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Matters of Consequence

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Matters of Consequence
News of Pope Francis's death early on Easter Monday shocked everyone after his Easter blessings to those in St. Peter's Square on Easter Sunday. Tributes have poured in, one of the most notable from Keir Starmer. As Pope Francis journeys to the next world, we look forward to Professor Michael Egnor's new book, 'The Immortal Mind' and celebrate the resurrection. Pope Francis also had much to say on Artificial Intelligence, whose challenge for humanity and youth employment is rising fast. It's not something that we can wish away — we have to learn to live with it. We share some ideas for young entrepreneurs, and look forward to the potential for widespread participation in its benefits. Background music: 'Requiem In Cello' by Hanu Dixit
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