This week we ignore the political shenanigans in Ireland (as it’s so pathetic) and look at what we can learn from ancient Mesopotamia and its approach to pandemics. Plus, staying in the region: how to make sense of the Middle East by understanding a coup in Iran in 1953 and how it set the tone for everything that came after!

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Cities are at a crossroads. The decisions we take now will dictate a new urban future. The office as we know it is over and its main enemy is not COVID, it’s Zoom. This can lead to a renaissance of our urban centres and a repopulation of our rural towns - the choice is ours! Hope you enjoy! 

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This week we talk with two brilliant economists Mark Blyth and Eric Lonergan on this fantastic new book - Angrynomics. We analyze why people are angry, how it's affecting economics and politics and what we can do about it. There are some obvious solutions and this conversation sets them out. You’ll love it!

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This week we mark the death of John Hume, a great Irish patriot. We explore one of his unheralded achievements, the Credit Unions and how these small “community banks” transformed Ireland and led to the success of the Derry punk band the Undertones. However, in using financial innovation, Hume was part of a long tradition in Ireland of financing social and political reform. We explore the “magic of the bond market” in making the impossible, possible.

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Four massive economic changes are going on right now under our noses, yet we are unaware of their magnitude because we increasingly value short-term thinking at the cost of long-term thinking. Today we explore those changes, make a case for thinking long-term and tease out how we can escape “the tyranny of now” with the help of Roman Krznaric, Author of: “The Good Ancestor”.

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This week we take a rather unconventional look at the Apple ruling - taking the time to look at the many ways that countries around the world have created wealth. We follow that chat with another conversation with Luke O’Neill who gives us a breakdown of the medical breakthroughs that COVID has accelerated and a quick update on what might be on the horizon from a vaccine point of view

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Another week, another episode where we look at the world and try to make sense of it. This week we explore how language evolves, the idea of "the craic economy" and have a chat with Stav Shaffir, the leader of the green party in Israel

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This week we explore black swans and black lists. First, we explain why the economy behaves more like a complex adaptive system rather than a giant machine. This means we, in the West are exposed to “black swan” events which disrupt the economy. From black swans we move on black lists and black lives with Trinidadian economist Marla Dukharan talking about EU racism, neo-colonialism, bullying and double standards when dealing with small, largely non-white countries.

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How the ECB is turning into the Fed. What Austria issuing a 100 year bond means for Irish economy policy. Why a new EU philosophy is changing the rules of the game! We also talk with Harvard economist Megan Greene about the United State’s future, outlook and why a V shaped recovery might not be on the horizon!

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This week we talk about the youth & money - because if you lose the youth, you lose the future - something our new government doesn’t seem to be giving much thought to. We also have a chat with renowned international diplomat and former Under Secretary-General of the UN Shashi Tharoor about Ireland winning a seat on the Security Council

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