Mark and Pete

UK central bank scrambles as pound tanks, debt costs soar and the Bank of England has intervened in the markets with emergency action to steady the nation's finances. The effort came after a tax cut proposal under new Prime Minister Liz Truss and finance minister Chancellor Kwasi Kwateng were perceived as triggering financial chaos. Can the country break the habit of increasing debt or is it here...

Liz Truss was met with a fierce political backlash from Conservative MPs after lifting the fracking ban, sparking anger from Tories worried that opposition parties will use the issue to win support in key battleground seats. Is it worth this unpopularity, can it solve the energy crisis despite Prime Minster Truss' claims gas from fracking could flow in six months being called into doubt – with one...

Billionaires sometimes make grand gestures of giving away money, is this a moral imperative? Yvon Chouinard of the firm Patagonia is doing just this. Do they have to be philanthropists? Are billionaires necessarily bad? Mark and Pete have the answers. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--1245374/support . Supporters get updates on new projects and hot...

A new UK law will require schools to follow Government statutory guidance on school uniform costs. Is this a good thing? Are uniforms necessary or just an added unnecessary financial burden? Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--1245374/support . Supporters get updates on new projects and hot takes on the latest news plus Mark and Pete Extra  in depth...

Millions of households in the UK are bracing for a winter catastrophe of rising energy bills that experts say will plunge people into destitution and cause an increase in avoidable deaths - what is the remedy to this impending disaster? Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--1245374/support . Supporters get updates on new projects and hot takes on the l...

Bus, tube and train services have been underfunded for decades and are often overpriced, delayed or just nonexistent. Almost £400 million has been cut from local bus funding in the last decade alone, and rail fares in the UK are some of the most expensive in Europe. With strikes and public discontent on the rise, what is to be done? Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podc...

Mystery at Mar-a-Lago: What were FBI agents looking for and what are the consequences? Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--1245374/support . Supporters get updates on new projects and hot takes on the latest news plus Mark and Pete Extra  in depth commentary episodes and Mark and Pete vs AI  comedy episodes. All right here in this podcast feed.  Than...

Insects are proposed to be the future food of the planet. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) has been making continuous efforts to popularise entomophagy as a healthy, sustainable, and environment-friendly practice for years. Yuck! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--1245374/support . Supporters get updates on new...

Swiss food giant Nestle has warned that it will continue to raise the prices of its products because of the rising costs of food. The maker of KitKats and Nesquik increased prices by more than 5% in the first three months of the year. The price rise helped Nestle to report sales growth of 7.6% in the period. As costs rise, Nestle boss Mark Schneider said "further pricing and mitigating actions ove...

The present Queen of England has been through quite a few Prime Ministers. With the prospect of a new one very soon, Mark and Pete do a review of she and they have done. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--1245374/support . Supporters get updates on new projects and hot takes on the latest news plus Mark and Pete Extra  in depth commentary episodes a...

Tyson Fury is coming back ... or is he? The WBC heavyweight world champion insisted he would be retiring after his sixth-round stoppage win over Dillian Whyte in April, but recently teased he would be persuaded to box again Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--1245374/support . Supporters get updates on new projects and hot takes on the latest news pl...

Russian and Ukrainian officials have signed a deal to allow grain exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports, as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the agreement would help ease a global food crisis. Its this a good thing? Will it actually happen? Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--1245374/support . Su...

A new Vincent Van Gogh hidden self-portrait has been discovered in Scotland using X-ray As it prepared for an exhibit, the National Galleries of Scotland found a previously unknown self-portrait by Vincent Van Gogh, covered by glue and cardboard, on the back of another of his paintings. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--1245374/support . Supporters...

The truth is that Mindfulness for kids could be harmful, when they already live in the moment, the practice won’t improve your kids’ mental health – and it may even make things worse Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--1245374/support . Supporters get updates on new projects and hot takes on the latest news plus Mark and Pete Extra  in depth commenta...

Starting with the regular poem or "thought", Mark and Pete analyse the strange case of the sticky Constable. Are climate protesters and in particular "No More Oil" going to far? Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--1245374/support . Supporters get updates on new projects and hot takes on the latest news plus Mark and Pete Extra  in depth commentary ep...

Starting with a poetic "though" as usual Mark and Pete analyse the state of play as candidates vie to be leader of the UK's Conservative party after the resignation of Boris Johnson, this will make the Prime Minister. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--1245374/support . Supporters get updates on new projects and hot takes on the latest news plus Mar...

The UK Conservative party MP and deputy chief whip quit after allegedly groping two men while drunk. In his resignation letter, Chris Pincher admitted he had “embarrassed myself and other people” after a boozy session on Wednesday night. Was he right to resign? Should something harsher be done? Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--1245374/support . Su...

Cancelled flights, proposed rail strikes and record-breaking petrol prices have thrown people's plans into disarray. These strikes strike us as very 1970's, and that's not good! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--1245374/support . Supporters get updates on new projects and hot takes on the latest news plus Mark and Pete Extra  in depth commentary ep...

The constitutional right to an abortion has been struck down in the United States. The US Supreme Court announced on 24 June that it would overturn the 1973 landmark decision Roe v. Wade, which had protected abortion access up until the point that a fetus could live outside the womb - should abortions now be made illegal? Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-an...

Kim Kardashian paid tribute to one of the all-time greats of Hollywood and stardom at the 2022 Met Gala, but it’s got people talking over who wore it better: Kim Kardashian or Marilyn Monroe? And was it a good idea? Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--1245374/support . Supporters get updates on new projects and hot takes on the latest news plus Mark...

Five years on from the Grenfell Tower fire in which 72 people died, survivors and campaigners say they are still seeking a form of justice. The blaze happened on 14 June 2017 and while a criminal investigation into the disaster is under way, the Met Police has said no prosecutions will be brought until the public inquiry is finished and its findings are published. The BBC has been told that could...

A poetic thought each episode and incisive discussion of apposite topics. This episode: The legal smoking age in England could reportedly be raised from 18 to 21 after a “radical” review into plans to make the country smoke-free by 2030. An independent review commissioned by the health secretary, Sajid Javid, and led by Javed Khan, the former chief executive of the children’s charity Barnardo’s, i...

The UK government's plan to reinstate imperial measurements will 'bring British culture back', a Conservative minister has claimed. Currently, retailers and traders must use metric measurements, like grams and kilograms, when selling packaged or loose goods - although the imperial equivalents can also be displayed. Prime Minister Boris Johnson made the announcement on Friday to coincide with the Q...

Do Abba’s avatars show the way to relive every event we missed? Mark and Pete have the answers. Leave your comment and have your say. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--1245374/support . Supporters get updates on new projects and hot takes on the latest news plus Mark and Pete Extra  in depth commentary episodes and Mark and Pete vs AI  comedy episo...

After the Uvalde school shooting that left 21 people dead, some are urging state leaders to enact gun control measures to help prevent similar tragedies in the future. However others say that other measures such as such as gun violence restraining orders would be more effective as this would allow law abiding citizens to have guns to protect themselves and children. Who is right? Become a supporte...