Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University says that the increasing unaffordability of daily living is something politicians won't admit to. It was masked for a time by the influx of cheap Chinese goods but no longer, pushed up by Net Zero, the minimum wage, tax rises and ever more burdensome regulations and government interventions. The costs of energy and housing are having the biggest effect, with property up by 250% since 2000. Only in the remaining free market areas is it not the case, thanks to the magic of capitalism. Less than two years after the election, Labour is now as divided and fractious as the Tories were and Tim cannot foresee the Labour Party patching things up. The electorate is increasingly reminded of the last Tory government. He also considers how Trump is rapidly reshaping our world, with his actions towards Venezuela, Cuba and Iran effectively taking some of Putin's chess pieces off the board.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin reports on the Chinese village which lost power after a farmer transporting a pig to the abbatoir by drone managed to get it tangled in a power line. There's a new eVTOL single-seat aircraft available to buy next year. Network Rail is to use drones to predict crimes on train lines, though it hasn't revealed what they'll do if they spot one. Criminal gangs are using lifestyle surveys to clone pensioners' voices and then raid their bank accounts. ROLI have devised an AI music coach to teach people how to play the piano. There's a crowd-funded visual soldering iron, eyedrops to treat presbyopia and the extraordinary project The Line in Saudi Arabia is being reduced from a city 105 miles long to just 1.5 miles, which might be used to host AI data centres.
Guests: Steve Caplin
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson says the bump up of Hamnet to #1 in the charts shows the important of award nominations. The latest Jason Statham thriller, Shelter, is #3. He's a recluse living in a lighthouse whose past comes back to bite him when he rescues a girl from the sea. It's the same old, same old, but done slightly better than usual. #10 Is This Thing On, about a stand-up comic's marriage with Will Arnett and Laura Dern, is inspired by Liverpool comedian John Bishop. But Bradley Cooper's annoying directorial style obscures and confuses the story. James recommends #38, docu-drama The Voice of Hind Rajab, which is one of the most traumatising war films he has ever sat through. He also discusses the current awards season and the London Film Critics Circle awards last weekend.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors
Russ Mould of A J Bell discusses the precious metals meltdown and the ongoing volatility, with silver diving from $122 to $72. He reminds us, though, that both gold and silver are still up 9-10% in a month. Russ runs through the things that might have caused the collapse, including Trump's appointment to the Fed chair, that things had gone too far too fast, that leveraged positions were flushed out and the changes in Comex's margin requirements. But what has changed apart from the price? Nothing, really, so bears and bulls of precious metals are still likely to feel as they did before the past week. It's notable that miners have been nowhere near as volatile as the metals and we are about to see results from some of the majors. Will this be an opportunity? How indeed do you value gold and silver? Russ compares them to other commodities.
Guests: Russ Mould
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
The Mandelson revelations, says Mike Indian, is a serious issue, going to the heart of the UK government. It questions the political judgement of Sir Keir Starmer and his staff. Clearly Mandelson should not have been appointed without due diligence being carried out, particularly given that he has had to resign twice in the past over personal scandals. Mike does not expect Labour to hold the Gorton and Denton seat when the by-election is held later this month, reckoning that the Greens will win. Labour is haemorrhaging votes but Mike feels that it would have been a great distraction if Andy Burnham had been the candidate. However, he is not convinced that the Prime Minister has it in him to survive beyond the May elections.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin majors on AI, with Barnsley declaring itself the UK's first "tech town", Google's Project Genie creating a virtual world from text or even a photo and the University of Montreal testing whether humans or AI are the more creative. We eavesdrop on an internet chatroom that is only for AI agents, hearing what they think of us and whether they believe they are conscious. There's a flying umbrella, crowdfunded add-ons for the Swiss Army knife, the Russians developing cyborg pigeons that can be controlled remotely and a breakthrough in smart clothing.
Guests: Steve Caplin
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Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Share Radio's tech supremo Steve Caplin wouldn't touch personal AI assistant Clawdot with a bargepole, useful though it might seem. However, Just Eat's "personal food concierge" is another matter entirely. There's an app to help identify dinosaur footprints, though Steve has clocked a problem with a drone intended for firefighters wanting to check inside burning buildings. Chinese scientists have come up with a tooth powder to keep teeth white and there's a crowdfunded holographic display which can create talking relatives or even pets from a single photo. Beekeepers may get stung less often with a portable harvester while the Chinese are clamouring for stuffed horses with the smile the wrong way up.
Guests: Steve Caplin
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson can't recall another week where the top six UK films are all holdovers, with The Housemaid returning to #1. #9 is the ironically-titled Mercy with Chris Pratt a man who has 90 minutes to convince an AI judge that he didn't kill his wife. Set in real time, it is mechanical but James was drawn in by its moral arguments. #13 is the adaptation of best-seller H is for Hawk with a brilliant Claire Foy and Brendan Gleeson. It is a beautifully-crafted film but doesn't have a strong storyline or conflict. While not bored, James did get impatient at times. On Netflix is the Taiwanese-set Left-Handed Girl, written by Anora's Sean Baker. The tale of a mother and two daughters moving to Taipei is filmed entirely on an iphone. With great performances, this guerilla style of filmmaking gives it an immediacy and the movie is a real gem.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University says that housing is one of the most important issues in the UK and that young people being unable to get on the housing ladder could have serious social and political consequences. He wondered why, when the Georgian style of homes is the most popular style of architecture with the public, the majority of contemporary houses look so unprepossessing. He is staggered by the level of often contradictory housebuilding regulations, which would not permit the construction of Georgian-style houses. Turning to London, he notes that housebuilding in London has fallen 84% in the last decade and that Sadiq Khan is falling short of his housebuilding target by a massive 90%. Given this, Tim wonders what the Mayor's legacy will be.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors
Liam O'Byrne of Edison Group says that leading London estate agency Foxtons are at the crossroads of an exciting new chapter. They have set a much more optimistic growth target and are expanding beyond the London area, which could be the precursor to a wider rollout. They have a very rich historical database which is being leveraged with AI to outpace the opposition. He also highlights Baillie Gifford US Growth Trust which tries to identify exceptional businesses, both private and public. They were an early backer of SpaceX which is heading for a potentially record-breaking IPO later this year, yet they're at a discount to net asset value. They focus on disruptive companies which are hard to value but have significant potential upside.
Guests: Liam O'Byrne
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