Original Broadcast: Ed's Macro-Economic View
The Chancellor George Osborne says he'll slash public spending and increase taxes in an emergency Budget to tackle a £30bn "black hole" if the UK votes to leave the European Union. That could include raising income and inheritance taxes and slashing the NHS budget. 57 rebel Tory MPs have threatened to block the measure which they've said would make the Chancellor's position "untenable". The Chancellor's warning comes as the latest polls suggest that public momentum is moving towards a vote to leave Europe. With both sides pulling out all the stops to change the minds of the vast pool of undecided voters, there is still everything to play for. Today we're going to hear the arguments For and Against Britain remaining in Europe. David Buik is a market commentator at Panmure Gordon and a supporter of the OUT Campaign. John Springford is a Senior fellow at the Centre for European Reform. He's also an Advisor to the House of Commons Treasury Committee for Economics of the Brexit inquiry.
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Original Broadcast: The Investment Hour with Juliette Foster
As we all know, property in London is not cheap, but where, if anywhere, is there still value to be had and will prices keep on rising? Well to answer that and other questions The London Valuation Report launches next week from property investment firm IP Global. It looks at how property in London has performed compared to other assets and against other global cities and to get a peek into its contents Steve Clarke is joined on Investment Perspectives by Hamish Pound from IP Global.
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Original Broadcast: The Weeks Update
We begin with a clip of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders speaking after his victory in Indiana over rival Hillary Clinton, as they slug it out for the Democratic nomination in the US presidential elections. Although Mrs Clinton as good as has the top prize in her pocket, Mr Sanders has refused to make life easy for her. Despite trailing by an average of seven points in opinion polls and losing bigger states on the east coast, his latest victory shows that he still appeals to disaffected mid-west voters. So...does Bernie Sanders have any further rabbits to pull from a hat...or could Hilary Clinton yet outfox him by inviting him onto her ticket as her running mate? In the studio is Jeff Faux, author of The Servant Economy and founder of the "Economic Policy Institute in Washington", and Professor John Weeks, Share Radio's regular economics commentator.
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Original Broadcast: The Weeks Update
With the local elections just two days away the Labour party could be on track to suffer one of its worst results in opposition for 34 years....according to one of the country's leading polling experts. Professor John Curtice of Strathclyde University believes Labour could lose 170 councillors and control of key local authorities like Redditch and Crawley. It's the latest run of bad news for a party still reeling from claims of anti-Semitism in its ranks. Labour's candidate for Mayor of London, Saddiq Khan, has even warned party leader Jeremy Corbyn that accusations of anti-Semitism will make it more difficult for him to beat his Conservative rival Zac Goldsmith. Could Mr Corbyn's days as leader be numbered, and what last minute actions can the party take to avoid a massacre at the polls? Councillor Angela Mason, Cabinet Member for Children at Camden Council, is in the studio along with Professor John Weeks, Share Radio's regular economics commentator.
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Original Broadcast: Ed's Macro-Economic View
Retail sales fell at the fastest pace over the last year since January 2012, thats according to the CBI's latest monthly Distributive Trends Survey. Analysts had hoped to see a pick up in growth in the sector and the figures come in the same week as high street retailers BHS and Austin Reed entered administration. Joining Juliette Foster to shed more light on this research is Anna Leach, Head of Economic Analysis at the CBI.
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Original Broadcast: Ed's Macro-Economic View
Well let's stay with politics and events north of the border where Scotland's Labour party has unveiled its manifesto for the May 5th elections. Party leader Kezia Dugdale said the document was a "return to the party's roots" and that Labour was the only party "offering an alternative to austerity". Yet with the Scottish National Party enjoying a 30 point lead in opinion polls, can the manifesto woo back those Labour supporters who've defected to the nationalists? Juliette Foster is joined on the phone by our man in Scotland Maurice Smith.
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Original Broadcast: The Weeks Update
This week experts from Greenwich University's Political Economy Research Centre will publish a report which include proposals to strengthen trade unions and increase the statutory minimum wage in Britain and Europe. Similar themes will be addressed in May when a conference hosted by the University, will argue the case for raising public and private investment to stop Europe lagging behind the US and Japanese economies. The reports are published as the debate over the UK's position in Europe gathers more heat in the run up to June's referrendum, and as questions are raised about the future of think tanks like the "Political Economy Research Centre", which get some or all of their funding from Europe. What future do they have if Britain leaves the EU and what could happen to their research? In the studio are Professor Ozlem Onaran and Doctor Giovanni Cozzi, from the Political Economy Research Centre, and Professor John Weeks, Share Radio's regular economics commentator.
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Original Broadcast: The Weeks Update
For those who've yet to decide which way they're going to vote in the EU referendum, the claims and counter claims from the rival camps are probably about as helpful as driving through fog without lights or a Sat Nav. So have George Osborne's Treasury backed findings made the road ahead any clearer....or worse? Juliette Foster is joined in the studio by Professor John Weeks, Share Radio's regular economics commentator.
Guests: John Weeks
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Original Broadcast: The Investment Hour with Juliette Foster
A survey by the professional services group Deloitte, reveals that support for Britain to stay in the European Union, has risen among the Chief Financial Officers of the UK's biggest companies. It also found that the possibility of a British exit, is now the top issue on the corporate worry list. Ian Stewart, is the Chief Economist at Deloitte, and he joined Investment Perspectives host Juliette Foster in the studio for more analysis of the new survey.
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Original Broadcast: The Weeks Update
On the day that Chancellor George Osborne made his budget speech to the House of Commons, the government's controversial Trade Union Bill was dealt a major blow by peers in the House of Lords. By a majority of 320 votes to 172, they defeated a proposal to change the way that union members pay their dues. It was a strong show of support to a recommendation from a cross-party committee which had said that any changes to party funding should be restricted to new members only. The Lords then ended what had been a bruising session for the government, by giving its overwhelming support to two other bill ammendments. So what happens now? Is the Trade Union Bill dead in the water? Will the government now have to rip it up and start again? Silkie Cragg is the "Policy & Campaigns Support Officer" for the TUC, and Professor John Weeks is Share Radio's regular economics commentator.
Guests: John Weeks
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