Podcasts

Inflation has slipped to 1.8 per cent - below the 25 per cent target - and the Bank of England has downgraded the UK's growth prospects and indicated interest rate hikes are on hold. But at the same time, wages are rising by more than inflation and unemployment remains low. So has the clock already started ticking on a slowdown in the UK economy, or is this just some pre-Brexit jitters that could eventually be followed by a bounce? Elsewhere, we talk about the property market and a recent slump in prices in London and the South, along with why you should consider carefully how long your mortgage term is for. And finally - with holiday season on the horizon, and with all-inclusive trips on the rise, we ask: are they actually a good idea?

Clive is a former director at KPMG, and following an infamous dismissal, founded Hyman Capital 14 years ago. He’s a science graduate of Cambridge University; later scored (almost 100%!) marks in his accountancy exams. He’s a keen sportsman and has recently branched out into film financing. His big tip is to listen to the customer, whatever your business. His other claim to infamy is that he was run over once by Professor Stephen Hawking.

In this episode, Adam Cox talks to fashion sustainability expert and founder of Nothing to Wear, Cyrine Joaristi. Cheap production lines and social media influencers have created a perfect storm of fashion waste, resulting in 10 billion pounds worth of clothes sitting unworn in British wardrobes. With the clothing industry now sitting in second place for most polluting industry in the world, the consequences of throwaway fashion are real and damaging. How can we as consumers help turn the tide?

Thanks to the internet and social media, we are more connected than ever – so why is it that loneliness remains a growing issue? Joining Adam Cox to discuss this is leading psychologist, Dr Linda Papadopoulos. Could it be that modern technology is actually to blame for rising feelings of solitude and inadequacy – and could “old” media, like radio, be the cure?

The Windrush scandal outraged the nation last year. But last week the Home Office reinstated deportation flights to Jamaica for criminal offenders who they say are foreign nationals. Meanwhile, parliament passed a new immigration bill last month, promising to control the ​“number and type” of people coming to the UK. The home secretary came under fire for proposing a £30,000 income threshold for EU immigrants. A lot of the debate we hear about immigration is made in economic terms. But it’s also about identity, race and belonging. It can be hard at the moment to imagine that a more humane immigration policy might be possible, but that’s exactly what we’re trying to do this week. Guest host Dave Powell is joined by chief exec of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants Satbir Singh, executive director of War on Want Asad Rehman, and Maya Goodfellow, author of a forthcoming book on Britain’s immigration policies.

Davos, the super-exclusive annual gathering of the world’s political and business elite displays all the features of a petri dish for the spread of “crony capitalism”. A tiny number of extraordinarily powerful individuals meet to discuss how the affairs of all seven billion human beings should be planned and co-ordinated. It represents an environment for the growth of regulation, intervention and enhanced barriers to entry for small businesses. All too often what we see in criticisms of capitalism are actually examples of rent-seeking and corporations trying to game the system, which amounts to crony capitalism. But has crony capitalism like that displayed in Davos become a catch-all term? The challenge for free markets, and for capitalism, is manifold: the message is tarnished, the frames are poor, and, fundamentally, the moral case for what they achieve is missing. On this week's podcast, the IEA's Digital Manager Darren Grimes is joined by the IEA’s Director General Mark Littlewood and the Director of the IEA’s FREER initiative Rebecca Lowe to discuss these challenges.

Helal Miah of the Share Centre looks at recent numbers from packaging group Smurfit Kappa, drugs giant Astrazeneca and home furnishing group Dunelm, which has bucked the air of depression in the retail sector. He also looks ahead to reporting from the big banks and, in particular, HSBC, Lloyds and Barclays.

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University considers the new world of ideas, communications and self-censorship and how we will cope with the unintended consequences of "many to many" conversations. He also wonders whether Governor Mark Carney is damaging the Bank of England's reputation and, in the EU debate, in the wake of Donald Tusk's comments, who will win the race to Hell?

James Cameron-Wilson, with sinking heart, looks at the UK box office, with Lego Movie 2 at #1, Alita: Battle Angel at #2 and How to Train Your Dragon 3 at #3. The new Kenneth Branagh film about Shakepeare's last days All Is True could only limp in at #10. James ponders the BAFTA results and reviews for home entertainment the 1955 film Picnic with William Holden and Kim Novak. Scandalous in its day and OTT in much of its acting, it's an indication of just how much has changed in the past 60 years.

For entrepreneurs, every penny can matter. Yet many simply throw hard-won money away throbyugh making elementary mistakes when it comes to tax. Jonathan Amponsah, founder and CEO of The Tax Guys, talks to Simon Rose about the 12 most common tax mistakes business owners make. These include such errors as not keeping proper records, wasting tax allowances, failing to claim relevant tax breaks and acquiring or disposing of businesses the wrong way.