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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Cummings' Unintended Legacy

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Cummings' Unintended Legacy
After the December 2019 election, Dominic Cummings brought HM Treasury under the heel of No. 10. Little did he realise that in 2023 the financiers would be running the whole show. Rishi Sunak, financier par excellence, thinks he is making long-term decisions for a brighter future. Not everyone agrees: but then a week is a long time in politics — or finance, come to that. Background music: 'Something Is Wrong' by Sir Cubworth Image source: BBC
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, U-PHARSIN

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, U-PHARSIN
Here is our 'writing on the wall': the clearest evidence yet that sea temperatures are undermining the Antarctic. Let's not turn a blind eye and follow the mistakes which destroyed the Libyan city of Derna, whose leaders failed to heed their warnings. The total area of missing sea-ice at the height of the southern hemisphere winter is five times the area of the United Kingdom: no-one can justify denial of global warming in the face of this clear evidence. The catastrophic flooding of Derna should therefore be a wake-up call for us all — don't let climate change get out of control. Background music: 'Ether Oar' by The Whole Other Image source: BBC
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: How do the young become entrepreneurs without financial education?

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: How do the young become entrepreneurs without financial education?
Last week Jerome Mayhew MP drew attention to the dire state of financial education in the UK: a recent survey for Parliament suggested that 62% of young people had no recollection of being taught about finance in school. But how can it be given proper recognition among teaching staff when there's no Financial Awareness GCSE? Meanwhile King's College Entrepreneurship Lab has launched an inaugural essay competition for Year 12 and 13 students, designed to encourage UK Sixth Form students to pursue entrepreneurial aspirations and to understand better how to launch an enterprise. Great idea — let's give it the oxygen of publicity! Background music: 'The Plan's Working' by Cooper Cannell.
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: The Need for Fresh Expressions

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: The Need for Fresh Expressions
While Pope Francis looks east to Mongolia, bringing praise for their religious freedom and forward-looking encouragement, The Times reports general confusion among Church of England clergy — meanwhile our fast-changing and often lost and lonely society has a real need for the unconditional love offered by the Christian faith. This calls for Fresh Expressions from the Church of England — an initiative introduced by Rt. Revd. Steven Croft, now Bishop of Oxford:, but currently only 18% of the Church's clergy support its expansion. If only the Anglican Church would learn more from theologian Richard Hooker’s 3-legged stool of Scripture, Tradition and Reason: but in practice its ‘Tradition’ leg is about ten times higher than that of ‘Reason’. Background Music: 'Requiem In Cello' by Hanu Dixit
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: The Black Hole of Economics

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: The Black Hole of Economics
Enjoy this entertaining romp through capitalist economics from the demise of feudalism to Thomas Picketty’s book ‘Capital in the 21st Century’, but a careful search for any mention of inter-generational rebalancing will leave you disappointed. Welcome to the Black Hole of Economics, the elusive feature which keeps us from integrating free enterprise and individual empowerment with fair provision of opportunity for each new generation to enable them to achieve their potential in adult life. Background music: 'Generations Away' by Unicorn Heads Order 'Capitalism - A Graphic Guide' here: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/capitalism-a-graphic-guide-dan-cryan/1475839?ean=9781785785146
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Could Africa benefit from Incentivised Learning?

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Could Africa benefit from Incentivised Learning?
Last week we heard of sixty migrants dying in an attempt to reach Cape Verde across the Atlantic Ocean: young people risking all for a better life. But, as we wrote on 15th May, it's the underlying challenges, including conflict and poverty, that must be addressed. Global problems like these require global solutions: we suggest a combination of inter-generational rebalancing funding a programme of incentivised learning for young people across Africa, providing them with the resources and life skills to start achieving their potential. Background music: 'Six by Eight' by Jimmy Fontanez_Media Right Productions. 15th May Commentary link: https://www.shareradio.co.uk/thinkingaloud/newsletters/comment-wc-2023-05-15/
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: The Consequences of Unbridled Self-Interest

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: The Consequences of Unbridled Self-Interest
Pixar's 2008 computer-animated movie 'Wall•E' paints a depressing picture of the Earth laid waste by a combination of consumerism, corporatocracy, proliferation of waste and human environmental impact. Just fifteen years later we see this spectre emerging in front of our eyes. But is science the answer, as put forward by Lord Rees in his book 'If Science is to Save Us'? We suggest that the problem is deep-rooted in our unbridled self-interest, and that only a genuine re-building of care for others, including our neighbours of tomorrow, can save us from these horrendous consequences. Background music: 'Dance of the Mammoths' by The Whole Other
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Public Finance Disasters in small print

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Public Finance Disasters in small print
Government Debt at the end of June '23 was £2.53 trillion, or £38,000 for every person living in the UK. This will be increased by 10% as a result of HM Treasury indemnifying the Bank of England for their QE losses and the cost of the dysfunctional HS2 project. Hidden away on page 54 of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority Annual Report is where you can find their assessment of the huge HS2 project: then check out William Hague's Times article, 'HS2 has gone from shambles to red alert'. Please visit the Share Radio webpage for links. Background music: 'Sarabande' by Joel Cummins
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Account Providers need to Take Action!

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Account Providers need to Take Action!
Dame Meg Hillier is Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, which has published its 25-page report into Child Trust Funds following the recent National Audit Office analysis. HMRC is asked to follow a series of recommendations to link young adults to their unclaimed accounts, including getting account providers to take more action. Young adults from disadvantaged households are most in need of the c. £2,000 waiting to be claimed in their Child Trust but an estimated one million 18-20 year-olds are not claiming their money because they don't know anything about it. As we said on 22nd May, don't waste the Child Trust Fund harvest! Background music: The Plan's Working - Cooper Cannell Image by Richard Townshend
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Loneliness and Mental Health

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Loneliness and Mental Health
In mid-2022 there were 716,000 people economically inactive in the United Kingdom because of mental health and neurological conditions, including depression, nerves, anxiety and autistic spectrum disorders: an increase of 33% from 2019. 196,000 of these people were aged 16-34. Part of the explanation is the scar left behind from the pandemic. But that in itself points to a malaise which is rooted in loneliness and self-orientation. Technology is no substitute for human conversation: no amount of social media, text messaging or conversations with Alexa can replicate it. Background music: 'Digital Solitude' by Silent Partner
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