Podcasts

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.

Steve Caplin marks, but does not mourn, the end of Google+, due to close in April. He also looks at how you can sample pufferfish sushi without the risk of instant death, a survey helping drive morality to be built into driverless cars, sticking plasters that won't be as painful to remove, a sail for bicycles, an impressive pocket phone stabiliser, a weight loss device, why eating clay might achieve the same result and how some people can access Amazon's Alexa in a very retro way.

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: Jeff Bezos squares off with the National Enquirer; Chipotle sizzles; And Alphabet ramps up its spending. Our analysts discuss those stories and dig into the latest from Disney, Electronic Arts, Take-Two Interactive, Hasbro, Mattel, Papa John’s, Skechers, Spotify and Twitter. Plus, on Satya Nadella’s 5th anniversary as Microsoft CEO, tech journalist Mary Jo Foley talks about Nadella and the future of Microsoft.

Political commentator Mike Indian discusses the latest Brexit developments as Theresa May once more visits Brussels in the hope of breaking the stalemate. Will Jeremy Corbyn's 5-point letter help to bring about cross-party co-operation to take things forward? Mike also looks at President Trump's State of the Union Address. What were the positives and negatives. In conclusion, Mike wonders whether, as perhaps with the UK, the centre ground of politics has vanished.

Are you a confident speaker? You’ve been able to speak since you can remember – so why is it that in some situations, the concept of using your voice is so terrifying? In this episode, Adam Cox talks to the UK’s only Vocal Confidence Coach, Judith Quin. They discuss how and why simply speaking can present such a challenge, as well as the benefits of overcoming that fear to become a confident speaker – no matter what the occasion.

In the UK, one in four of us will experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives. And according to the latest stats, one in eight young people have a mental health problem. One big problem is access to treatment. Mental health services are underfunded, leaving many people stuck on waiting lists. But what are the wider social and economic factors that are causing poor mental health in the first place? Is the economy itself damaging our mental health? Is modern life making us sick? Ayeisha Thomas-Smith talks to Hana Riaz, who is researching the impact of gentrification on mental health, NEF organiser Becki Winson, and our wellbeing researcher Annie Quick.