Journeys of hope move forwards, not backwards; they need to keep moving, not get stuck in a rut. They need to build progress as we go forward, by discovering more about human capability and understanding. In this context, we somehow need to tackle the major challenges necessary in order to focus on global, not just national or regional, problems. Looking back at European Union membership with rose-tinted spectacles won't help us make that transition. Background music: 'Hopeful Freedom' by Asher Fulero

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The collapse in electoral support for both Labour and the Conservatives shows the extent to which central governments have become a black hole for people's economic wellbeing by freezing tax thresholds, clinging on to universal (as opposed to targeted) welfare, and failing to address the gulf of opportunity which is holding back so many young people. It's time for politicians of all colours to reflect the need for all to see the opportunity for individual ownership and empowerment. Background music: 'Something Is Wrong' by Sir Cubworth

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Paul Johnson's new book, 'Challenging Inequalities', sets out graphically the barriers to opportunity for young people whose early years are spent in disadvantage and poverty. When Sir Keith Joseph referred to breaking the cycle of deprivation, he wasn't referring to negative impositions from central government but looking for ways to deliver individual opportunity in order to give everyone the chance to fulfill their potential in life. Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins

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'Contemporary global inequalities are close to their early 20th century level, at the peak of Western imperialism': the World Inequality Report in 2022 laid bare the failure of the past one hundred years of socialism. It has failed to make any appreciable impact on wealth polarisation — in fact Russia has the highest wealth inequality in the world alongside Brazil, with a 'Gini Coefficient of 0.82. It's time to show how egalitarian capitalism can shift the dial. Background music: 'Missing Persons' by Jeremy Blake

Image source: Wikipedia/Credit Suisse

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Adam Smith's 'Wealth of Nations', now celebrating its 250th anniversary, celebrates the role of competition from the perspective of service providers; however the merit of enabling individual choice to underpin a sense of ownership and responsibility is central to individual empowerment. Meanwhile the key concepts of egalitarian capitalism should work alongside Adam Smith's time-proven economic analysis in order to provide participation for all. Background music: 'Hopeful Freedom' by Asher Fulero

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Merryn Somerset Webb is Editor-in-Chief of MoneyWeek and a contributing editor and weekly columnist for the Financial Times. She has published a book called 'Share Power', showing not only where capitalism is going wrong, but also how every one of us can have the power to make it work for us. Larry Fink, Chair and CEO of BlackRock, also understands the problem. However 'Participation for all' is the key objective in Share Alliance's quest for a more egalitarian form of capitalism — Merryn's book and Larry's annual letter to shareholders move us strongly in the right direction. Background music: 'People Watching' by Sir Cubworth

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Image sources: Merryn Somerset Webb — Alchetron; Larry Fink — Wikipedia

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Temper tantrums do not solve fights in the playground, and they certainly don't resolve international disputes. If we are concerned about young people under the age of 16 having access to social media in order to reduce the risks to which they are exposed, we should certainly be concerned about the existential risks to which we are all exposed as a result of this 'Epic Fury' being unleashed on the Middle East, the powder-keg for so many conflicts. Background music: 'Don't Look Inside' by Biz Baz Studio

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Image source: Sunday Times

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The young owners of over two-thirds of all Child Trust Funds reach adulthood at the end of March 2026, but very large numbers of HMRC-allocated accounts remain unknown and unclaimed, including almost three-quarters of the £1 billion belonging to low-income young adults: the position is particularly acute in the north of England and devolved nations. These are accounts for which HM Treasury/HMRC are the 'settlor', and therefore have a duty to deliver these young adults' birthrights. Background music: 'Waiting' by Andrew Langdon

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The current state of humanity could well be giving rise to a degree of despair in divine quarters: we certainly don't seem to have learnt much over the past two thousand years. With Easter now only just over a week away, perhaps it's time to see how a deeper understanding of logic and unconditional love could contribute to religious insight. Background music: 'Pastorale' by Joel Cummins

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For the past fifty years the world's conflicts have been powered by our addiction to oil, while the climate has continued to suffer. If concern about our environment is insufficient to break this addiction, perhaps the straw that breaks the camel's back is more likely to be the immense geopolitical and economic instability which results from relying on regions such as Russia and the Middle East. Could the current conflicts be the birth pangs of a new world order without fossil fuels? Background music: 'Addicted' by VYEN

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