Podcasts

We have a housing crisis. That’s the message, loud and clear, and it was reiterated by the Prime Minister this week. What’s the answer? Build more homes. Or is it? Because once you start digging into the subject, this housing crisis is a pretty ill-defined problem - and it’s not clear that a lack of homes is causing the problem of too high house prices. Many people suspect that actually it’s too much cheap money that made homes so expensive. On this week’s podcast episode, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost get stuck into the housing crisis. They look at what the problem is meant to be, what made homes so expensive, what the plans are to solve the issue, and whether building more homes will make house prices cheaper.

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: Investors cheer the latest jobs report; Toymakers tank on a possible Toys R Us liquidation; Cigna shakes up the healthcare industry; And Costco helps consumers prepare for the apocalypse.

Chris Norris, NLA Director of Policy, and Nigel Lewis, Head of Content at The Negotiator, join Richard Blanco to discuss the latest issues affecting the world of property. There’s a new Ministry of Housing and we exchange views on the seventh housing minister to be appointed since 2010. There’s an update on changing gas, electricity and carbon monoxide safety regulations, the new Fitness for Human Habitation Bill and some unexpected changes to arrangements for licensing and Article 4. Will you be contributing to the consultation on the proposed Landlord Redress scheme, and what do you think about Labour’s proposals to give tenants the right to have pets? Inside Property is produced in collaboration with the National Landlords Association.

As the Guardian’s US correspondent, Gary Younge documented America’s social and economic challenges, the role of race in the country’s politics, and the deadly consequences of US gun laws. Now the Guardian’s editor-at-large, Gary took an unusual approach to covering the 2016 presidential election, reporting from one small town in Indiana, called Muncie, nicknamed ‘Middletown, America’. In this week’s podcast, Ayeisha Thomas-Smith asks Gary about Middletown today. Can it help explain a US election result that few people predicted? And do we have ‘Middletowns’ in the UK that can help us understand our own political upheaval?

The collapse and liquidation of the building firm Carillion – a company responsible for numerous government projects – has ignited a row over Britain’s system of outsourcing public services. Many are now calling for such procurement contracts to be taken back into state hands. Kate Andrews, News Editor at the Institute of Economic Affairs, and Head of Education Dr Steve Davies, sat down to discuss the question of outsourcing, and whether public services are best delivered ‘in-house’ by government, or through the private sector.

Political commentator Alex Clark discusses Merkels's new coalition and what her concessions might mean, what is likely to happen in Italy after their inconclusive election and the EU's reaction to Theresa May's latest Brexit speech.

Graham Spooner, investment research analyst at The Share Centre, looks at recent news from Smurfit Kappa, Rolls Royce and Restaurant Group and looks ahead to numbers from Clarkson, Morrison's, Prudential and Berkeley.

Steve Caplin, Share Radio's Technology Editor, looks at Amazon Echo's Alexa apparently mocking its users by laughing at them, iphones spontaneously calling emergency services, the Chinese woman whose toddler managfed to lock her iphone for 47 years (25m minutes) and the 4G network destined for the moon.

James Cameron-Wilson reviews new films Red Sparrow, Game Night and Kobiety Mafii and discusses the effect of the adverse weather on the UK box office as well as the extraordinary continuing success of musical The Greatest Showman. He also looks back at the recent Oscars ceremony, admitting that his predictions were not perfect - he got ONE category wrong!

Helal Miah from The Share Centre explained the background to this week’s biggest story: Comcast’s takeover bid for Sky. He also looked at updates from Associated British Foods, which owns Primark and Twinings Tea, as well as ITV and advertising giant, WPP. Looking ahead, Helal focused on expected updates from online takeaway firm, Just Eat, and Rolls Royce.