Share Sounds.

Political commentator Mike Indian, author of The Groucho Tendency blog, looks at the formation of The Independent Group, with 8 ex-Labour and 3 ex-Conservative MPs to date. What do they stand for? And against? Will there be more defections? Could they change the face of British politics or is it too early to say? What might their arrival on the scene mean for the Brexit process, with the clock ticking down and even Jean-Claude Juncker confessing to "Brexit fatigue"?

Steve Caplin looks at Samsung's new phones, including one far more expensive even than Apple's top of the range model. He also laments the loss of a project aiming to send people to Mars, though there's another planning a space station with gravity. For those looking for something new in dating, try an app that matches the contents of your fridges. Or perhaps a peanut butter pump is what you need. Or a cocktail-maker using capsules from coffee machine makers Keurig.

James Cameron-Wilson looks at the latest UK box office numbers, reviewing new movies Instant Family, Happy Death Day 2 U and The Kid Who Would Be King. He laments the fact that the drama about war reporter Marie Colvin, played by Rosamund Pike, who got a Golden Globe nomination, only limped in at #13 in the chart. He also reviews for home release - and recommends highly - the documentary RBG about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The legal process could be about to change dramatically if blockchain technology is used in the creation of so-called disintermediated smart contracts, with a decentralised ledger that can be seen by all. It's a brave new world for lawyers but also an exciting one, as explained by Jacqueline Watts, Senior Associate Solicitor at A City Law Firm. With the legal system based on precedent, how will things develop where there is no precedent?

Ian Forrest, Investment Research Analyst at The Share Centre, looks at the CMA's negative attitude to the planned merger of Sainsbury's and Asda. What does it means for those companies and for the whole supermarket sector? He also takes us through the recent round of bank results, in particular HSBC, Lloyds and Barclays. Looking ahead, he highlights forthcoming numbers from British American Tobacco, Associated British Foods and British Airways group IAG.

Public ownership is back on the agenda. Opinion polls show high levels of support for taking all kinds of things back into public hands, from the railways to water to energy, and the Labour party is committed to a vast expansion of public ownership. But if privatisation has failed, what kind of public ownership should replace it? As the critics of nationalisation are quick to say, British Rail wasn’t that great. What should be done differently this time? If these services were nationalised, would the state even know how to run them? And are there other ways of putting them back in public hands? Ayeisha Thomas-Smith is joined by Cat Hobbs, director of We Own It campaign, Hilary Wainwright, co-editor of Red Pepper magazine and fellow of the Transnational Institute, and Sahil Dutta, lecturer in political economy at Goldsmiths University.

Brexit has revitalized debates about democracy. Restoring democracy and sovereignty can come risk for those strongly committed to free markets — that our fellow citizens might choose another path, perhaps even one that could lead to socialist and freedom-hindering policies. But is that a risk we must take? In a free society, what individual rights should never be infringed on? What should be voted on? And is there a place for technocratic decision-making? In a new paper, the Director of the IEA’s FREER initiative, Rebecca Lowe, argues that one clear answer to ‘improving’ democracy here in the UK would be to institute a proper focus on local decision-making — something that, she says, has been overlooked in past years. Rebecca joins the IEA's Darren Grimes to discuss, alongside Adam Bartha, the Director of EPICENTER, the European Policy Information Center.

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: Amazon rebuffs the Big Apple; Coke fizzles while Pepsi sparkles; And NVIDIA stops the bleeding. Analysts Andy Cross, Ron Gross, and Jason Moser discuss those stories and talk Activision Blizzard, Shopify, Restaurant Brands International, and UnderArmour. Plus, corporate governance expert and film critic Nell Minow talks about the problem with stock buybacks and previews the Oscars.

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.