The David McWilliams Podcast

This week we visited the richest and poorest parts of the UK and it didn't feel right. London, so long the dynamo for productivity, growth and taxation is spluttering and stagnating, while up the road in Northern Ireland; the poorest people now have a healthy life expectancy on par with Sierra Leone. Something has to give. What are Britain's options, will it take them or is the national decline no...

AI has really come into its own in 2023 with the mainstream use of ChatGPT - but beyond the headlines and the initial curiosities, what does the ascent of AI mean for our economy and our society? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the mindset of the West, Russia is a big, significant, military power with significant resources, but is this perception based in reality? Is the reality that Russia is a decrepit state that has failed its people and ransacked its resources? Have the Russians done what they've done for years, which is lie and spin about its real potential, taking hostages and threatening all around them? In tru...

The way out of the housing crisis, both in Ireland and abroad is going to require us to think as a collective and reject individualistic, speculative instincts. Let’s look at what can be done to create better cities and communities, it’s actually pretty simple. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the eve of the invasion of Ukraine, we examine how fragile this idea of liberal democracy, where the individual is valued and protected, has become. Yes it has its problems and yes, on a number of fronts, it has not delivered for all, but would you change the combination of liberal democracy and capitalism? There are alternatives out there, I'm not sure I'd like to live in any. Hosted on Acast....

It’s finally happening, the government is going to tax vacant land! Or at least, they’re thinking about it. As a listener to the podcast, you'll be aware that taxing land to bring it into use has been a cornerstone of what is necessary to bring about a more efficient use of land. Not surprisingly, those with most to lose - major landowners/speculators are pushing back. This fight is the future of...

This week's Chinese balloons are only the latest sign of tension between the two superpowers. The relationship between China and the US has deteriorated drastically in the last decade - what happened? Today we explore how China transformed itself from a simple producer to a high-tech producer, how that impacts their relationships on the global stage and why microchips are the epicentre of a t...

On last week’s episode we discussed the fact that immigration is good for the economy in the aggregate, but is it good for everyone? As with most things, poorer people and richer people experience life and its challenges differently. Poorer people compete with new immigrants in the housing and jobs market, as well as for public services. This creates tensions. We examine these social tensions, and...

This bonus episode is brought to you by Done Deal Motors. Price and value don't exist in isolation - everything is relative. Join us for this bonus episode as we look at our social lens on value and the profound impact of interest rates on our lives Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Economic growth is not distributed evenly. Why are some societies richer than others? What is the impact of economic growth? let's look at the very essence of economics today and explain how successful economic growth has a profound impact on our daily lives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Immigrants are used to having it hard, both in life an in the public eye where they are often vilified. This lambasting though is based on nothing more than lies - the truth is that immigrants helps society grow and prosper. It’s time to set the record straight. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Argentina and Brazil are currently undertaking the herculean task of creating a new currency based on the Euro model. Let’s discuss why they’re attempting this and how the Euro, the model they are following, came to be. The currency is the most important price in most economics, so getting this right is hugely important. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The people who build Europe's gothic cathedrals knew that they wouldn't be around to see them completed. They were building for people yet to be born. This is what we need to build liveable cities right now. Looking at John Gray the 19th century architect of Dublin's water system, we apply Gray's thinking and planning to the of the biggest urban dilemma of the 21st century: housing and u...

Davos’s World Economic Forum, although often maligned for it’s ultra-wealthy attendees - and understandably so - is still an event that outlines, and in some cases, shapes the economic priorities of the world for the year ahead. Today we go right to the source to understand what is on the mind of this year’s speakers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's never been more expensive to be 30 something. The old social contract used to be, work hard, study, get a degree, keep your beak clean and soon enough your income will rise and you will end up richer than your parents. That's no longer the case. The conveyor belt of upward social mobility has stalled. The Millennials are falling behind, while their parents are surging ahead. And what about th...

Listen to the view of the region from my travelling companion to Ukraine, Sasha Kabanovsky, born and bred in Kyiv. We covered a lot of ground, historic, political, social and economic. Hope you enjoy it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a student I first went to the Soviet Union in 1987. Then spent months in the Russian countryside trying to learn the language in 1991. Since then, I have worked and travelled in both Russian and Ukraine. I was first in Kyiv in 1998, working in the Ukrainian economy. So I've spent many years in that part of the world and have friends from both countries. Last week, I went back to Kyiv with an ol...

2022 saw many ups and downs - and one notable "down" was the fall of crypto-mania. While the madness feels behind us, most still don't understand this "currency" that is shrouded in myths and lore - today, we're going to make sense of it all. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Like fire, money has profoundly impacted our species. So much so that it’s development has shaped how we organize together, how the world was discovered and who innovated first (and best!). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let's start the new year with a fresh perspective on housing - because looking at it differently can create new ideas to solve the problem! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With inflation still very much present at the end of the year and various unions fighting to maintain their real world wages, some through strikes, let's take a look at why inflation hasn't been transitionary and how China has been able to hold it at bay for so long. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Messi apart, the player that caught most people's eye was Alexis McAlister. But how did his Irish family end up in the Pampas? Today we tell the story of the Irish Argentineans. More than 500,000 Argentineans are Irish-Argentineans, who are they and when did they leave Ireland.  The most famous of course is Che Guevara Lynch.  In February 1889, the largest single transport ship of immigr...

This year has been a turbulent one, across Europe, one of the countries that has felt this the most is the UK: 3 prime ministers in a year, a bank crisis and rising Scottish nationalism. Let’s explore how we got there and what might come next Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This bonus episode is brought to you by NOW. Where did movies come from? What costs and expenses are involved in making them? How has streaming platforms changed the types of movies being made? All this and more answered in this episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.