Funding the Future

Funding the Future

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Funding the Future episodes

  • The UK isn’t out of money

    The UK can’t run out of pounds any more than it can run out of inches. In this response to Gary Stevenson, I explain why money is a public good, created by the state, and why it’s wrong to claim the government is broke. That myth props up the austerity agenda. If we want real change, we must stop telling neoliberal stories—even by accident.

     

    13 min
  • We’ve got enough pie!

    Lisa Nandy says the UK needs a “bigger pie.” But the truth is, we already have enough pie. The problem is how it’s sliced—and Labour refuses to talk about that. In this video, I explain why the Big Pie Theory is economic nonsense, how growth hides inequality, and what we must do instead: redistribute, regulate, and reprioritise.

     

    11 min
  • Do we need the wealthy?

    Are the wealthy essential to our economy – or are they holding it back? In this 10th video of the series, I examine whether we need their land, their taxes, their consumption, or their ideas. And I explain why redistributing wealth could make us all better off – even the rich themselves

    12 min
  • What is profit?

    I’ve spent 50 years studying profit as an accountant, economist, and political economist. And here’s the truth: almost no one understands what profit really is, least of all mainstream economists. In this video, I explain why profit is not just income minus expenses, why external events matter more than you think, and why our government has no concept of capital worth preserving. This isn’t just about accounting. It’s about building a new system where people and planet come first.

     

    19 min
  • What kind of politics do we really want?

    We face crises on every front—climate, inequality, insecurity. The economic models we’ve been told are “normal” have failed. So what kind of politics could work for people and planet? In this video, Richard Murphy compares socialism, social democracy, capitalism, neoliberalism, and his alternative: the politics of care. Which vision do you want for our future? Watch now and vote in the polls.

    14 min
  • Unhappy by design?

    Advertising tells you every day that you’re too old, too poor, too unfashionable. Why? Because unhappiness sells. In this video, I explain how advertising is deliberately designed to make you feel inadequate—so you buy things you don’t need, often with money you don’t have. It’s not about informing you. It’s about controlling you. So, what can we do about it? 

    9 min
  • The wealthy won’t leave

    People say higher taxes will drive the rich away. But here’s the truth: most wealthy people stay put — and even if some do leave, the UK keeps their houses, pensions and financial assets.

    This video exposes the hollow threat of ‘rich flight’ and makes the case for bold action on tax justice. Let’s stop being held hostage by a myth.

     

    15 min
  • Tell stories to change the world

    Change isn’t just about policy – it’s about narrative. In this video, I explain the storytelling method that can transform public opinion and reshape our politics. Drawing on a centuries-old narrative structure – and even Jane Austen – I show how we can tell stories that move people, overcome political obstacles, and demand real solutions to problems like inequality, poverty and the climate crisis.

    You don’t have to be an expert – you just have to care. Start telling your story. It’s how we win.

     

    10 min
  • Markets aren't bubbling - they're going to crash

    We’ve seen it before — 1929, 1987, 2000, 2008, 2020. Markets rise, then fall off a cliff. But this time, the economic damage could be worse. Trump’s tariffs, political incompetence, poverty, and debt are all tightening the screws. In this video, I explain why current policies are setting us up for collapse — and how we must rethink economics before it’s too late.

    12 min
  • Is the doctor's strike a tipping point?

    Everyone says the doctor's strike is about pay. And yes, doctors in the UK are being grossly underpaid. But this strike is about something deeper. It’s about a collapsing economy, systemic exploitation, broken housing, and a government – including the current Labour one – that just doesn’t get it. This isn’t just about the NHS. It’s about whether our society is even working anymore. 

    12 min

About Funding the Future

From the publisher's feed

Richard Murphy and occasional friends talking about everything you need to know to understand the economy, tax, finance and how we fund our future.