New research released reveals how the vast majority of people in Britain are concerned that 2030 is too soon to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars. However, there is a general consensus that we need a viable solution to greenhouse gas emissions right now. Joining Adam Cox to discuss this is Dickon Posnett – the President of the European Biodiesel Board and Director of Corporate Affairs at Argent Energy.
Guests: Dickon Posnett
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Original Broadcast: Modern Mindset
New research from children's audio platform, Yoto, reveals widespread concern around the amount of time children are spending on screens — as well as the content they can access easily online. Joining Adam Cox now to discuss this is former children’s publisher and Yoto Content Director, Jessica Tarrant.
Guests: Jessica Tarrant
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Original Broadcast: Modern Mindset
Obesity costs the UK £100 billion a year, yet stigma still clouds the conversation. Science shows it’s more than willpower—genetics which drive up to 80% of weight gain, and new treatments are changing the game. With weight loss medications proving effective and the government backing their use, is it time to rethink our approach? More than one in ten women in the UK already use GLP-1s for weight management, but 31% hesitate due to stigma — highlighting the urgent need to shift public perception. Joining Adam Cox today is pharmacist Kevin Joshua from Juniper Technologies UK Ltd, who will discuss the future of obesity treatment and its impact on public health.
Guests: Kevin Joshua
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When alcohol becomes a need, it's not uncommon to look for ways of scaling back that desire. There are nausea-inducing medications which may help, but Adam Cox looks for how you might trigger such an aversion through hypnosis. There is, of course, another alternative in the run-up to Easter: try giving it up for Lent! It's a way to test your conscience's ability to cope with a temptation which may be quite compelling ... so Adam's hypnosis session might be one of a number of options here.
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Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves delivers her March '25 Spring Statement — this is an unabridged audio record of her speech to the House of Commons
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University says that if the markets turn against the government then it is real trouble. If Reeves increases taxes in the Autumn, as many expect, then we will be in a doom loop. He admires an idea from Dr. Madsen Pirie of the Adam Smith Institute for using a blockchain approach to speed up the lamentable speed of the UK housing market. Why can the Americans move so easily? And he discusses the record fine imposed on the University of Sussex over the case involving Professor Kathleen Stock, a big victory for defenders of free speech.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
With box office + 63%, James Cameron-Wilson says #1 Snow White is neither as bad nor good as some would have it. Rachel Zegler lights up the screen but the CGI dwarves make it feel like an animated remake. It's not a new classic. #7 The Alto Knights has Robert de Niro playing 2 rival gangsters at once, a truly bad idea. It's misjudged and incredibly boring. James recommends documentary A Thinking Game if you can find it. O'Dessa, on Disney+, is a dotty, cheap and nasty, post-apocalyptic rock opera, with Sadie Sink considerably better than the movie which is a real rag bag of influences.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin discusses a hybrid STOL plane which is as quiet as a vacuum cleaner and only needs a 100m-long runway. Amazon's plan for UK drone deliveries might be kiboshed by the CAA insisting on one pilot for each drone. There's an example of just how realistic GPT is when you chat to it. Placebos are the most effective way of treating PMS. Running a marathon shrinks your brain. There's a bizarre crowdfunded watch. Farmers with unhappy crops are being offered a (possible) solution. And heavily-polluting concrete may be a thing of the past with the future use of seawater instead of sand.
Guests: Steve Caplin
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Original Broadcast: The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors
Russ Mould says that with the OBR lowering its growth and raising its inflation target, stagflation looks even more likely. The concept of "fiscal headroom", he says, is pure rhubarb but the bond market seemed content with what Rachel Reeves had to say, even though the UK's interest bill is higher than the defence budget. However, tariffs are going to complicate things. With the NASDAQ this year's worst market so far and Hong Kong the best, the mood music is changing. Investors must think about whether the environment for the next ten years is going to be different than the previous ten.
Guests: Russ Mould
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Original Broadcast: Thought for the Week
When Clement Attlee introduced welfare universality to post-war Britain, he was aiming for a more egalitarian society. Seventy-five years on we can see not only that it has not been achieved, but also that it has nearly bankrupted the public finances: a major task for UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves to tackle in her Spring Statement. Targeting support for those most in need with the help of philanthropy will be a key part of replacing 'egalitarian socialism' with egalitarian capitalism, enabling those with a social conscience to concentrate support and encouragement where it's needed, rather than providing publicly-funded services 'free at the point of use' for everyone. Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins Image source: Wikipedia
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