Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
With the Labour Party taking the reins of power after a absence of 14 years, it's important to understand their journey. Here's a replay of Simon Rose joined by political commentator and author of The Groucho Tendency blog, Mike Indian, discussing how UK politics has got to the modern era. In this replay of an episode first broadcast in October 2019 when Jeremy Corbyn was its leader and just over two months before the December 2019 election, Simon and Mike discuss the history of the Labour Party.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors
Replay from February 2017: 'This is My Portfolio' with Lord Lee, Share Radio's catchup with FT columnist Lord Lee, author of 'How to Make a Million Slowly'. Early 2017 was an intriguing start to the year for investors, with sterling hitting new lows, driving the stock market to a record high. Forecasting the future direction of markets is a tricky business but for investors who maintain a long term view, the importance of growing dividends and hard assets continue to stand out.
Guests: Lord Lee
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Original Broadcast: The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors
Neil Shah of Edison Group looks at YouGov whose shares have halved since a recent profit warning. Despite having 15 years of valuable data and with a sound core business, they were on a vulnerable high rating and investors will how need to reassess and reevaluate and it may be some time before the shares are less volatile. Diageo shares have fallen 30% or so this year, partly because of weakness in the Latin America region. It feels like an opportunity to buy into a quality business which can continue to grow market share in sector which has attractive prospects and the company is one with a fabulous record on dividend payouts.
Guests: Neil Shah
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
With the box office relatively robust, despite the warmer weather, James Cameron-Wilson saw Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy in #2 The Bikeriders, taking £1.1m. Despite its great look and some fine acting, he found it a poseurfest that doesn't knit together and lacks real characters. He was impressed by #10 Something in the Water. Although it only took £120,000, this terrific British-made Carribean-set survival thriller is head and shoulders above most genre films this year. Unusually for James, he was genuinely unnerved on many occasions. He was also impressed by Apple TV's Fancy Dance, an unblinking look at life on an American reservation with Lily Gladstone which is moving and touching and perhaps the most realistic film about contemporary Native Americans.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin says executive oneupmanship comes with Sirius Aviation's CEO eVTOL jet powered by hydrogen fuel cells. Ferrari has produced its first electric car, while Volkswagen is to sell solar panels to reduce charging costs. Swedish scientists have invented a weightless carbon fibre battery that can be built into cars or planes. The Pillbot is a dirigible pill to help with gastrointestinal problems. A Tokyo university has been experimenting with making robots smile, using artifical human skin. And there are advances with bike saddles to make them more comfortable.
Guests: Steve Caplin
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Indian assesses the state of the nation a week ahead of the General Election, finding the political betting scandal just the latest nail in the coffin of a disastrous Conservative campaign. Although the Prime Minister acquitted himself well in the debate with Keir Starmer, with most postal votes already sent in, it is far too late to stop the Labour juggernaut. Which, though, will be the main opposition party? Could the Libdems return more MPs than the Conservatives. And will Labour end up with a "sandcastle majority"? Mike discusses what he expects to happen on 5th July and in the subsequent days, believing the real test for Labour will come during next winter when the reality of Britain's position could hit home.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson reports UK box office up a remarkable 100%, thanks to the new #1 Inside Out 2, which took £11.3m. That's the biggest opening of the year and the 3rd biggest UK opening for an animated film. Pixar have done it again with an enjoyable adventure which is both exciting and funny. On Netflix, Glen Powell has a star-making turn in Richard Linklater's Hit Man, a romcom supposedly based on a true story. With a terrific script and great chemistry, it's an entertaining watch. And on Amazon Prime, Bad Behaviour sees Jane Campion's daughter Alice Englert do virtually everything in a bracingly original, disturbing, funny and touching drama.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin discusses the importance of cheese, red wine and chocolate for living longer. Artificial leather just got better by using pineapples. The $400,000 Genesis III helmet can make the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning jet invisible – while you're piloting it. There's a deflatable bike helmet which is safer than the hard type. And instead of autonomous vehicles, the University of Tokyo has developed a robot taxi driver which fits into any car. All this plus the downside of McDonalds using AI in their drive-throughs.
Guests: Steve Caplin
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Original Broadcast: The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors
Russ Mould of A J Bell wasn't surprised that the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee opted for no change in interest rates, though he was surprised that the vote was yet again 7-2. Services inflation is still too high, as is wage growth, for the Bank to be comfortable easing off. He notes that the UK stock market is now worth more than the French, one positive sign. He will be interested to see what the new government does when it comes to planned reforms and the UK market. Have we become too risk-averse?
Guests: Russ Mould
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University focuses on the "political atmospherics" or the "vibes" of the main parties. He considers this to be the only General Election in his lifetime that is more like a by-election, where most people are voting negatively. The Tories have essentially become the "untrusted socialists", as irrelevant as old Labour in the 70s and 80s. Labour is shapeshifting in a Tory Party way and could become the natural party of government. The LibDems are the closest to moderate old Labour while Reform UK are now the Thatcherites. As for the electorate: they are smart and don't change much.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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