Hrkn to .. Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: The inter-generational journey of hope

Mon, 18 May 2026 16:33:00 -0000

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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Thought for the Week: Stealth Taxes & Policy Stagnation

Mon, 11 May 2026 14:33:00 -0000

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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Thought for the Week: Breaking the cycle of deprivation

Tue, 05 May 2026 12:27:00 -0000

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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Thought for the Week: Why intergenerational rebalancing must be global

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:15:00 -0000

'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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Thought for the Week: Why individual choice works

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 16:00:00 -0000

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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Thought for the Week: Delivering participation through share ownership

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:58:00 -0000

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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Thought for the Week: Epic Anger

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:29:00 -0000

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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Thought for the Week: £1 billion birthright being denied for young adults in poverty

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 15:22:00 -0000

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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Thought for the Week: Imagining the divine perspective

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 17:31:00 -0000

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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Thought for the Week: Breaking the world’s addiction to oil

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 16:36:00 -0000

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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Thought for the Week: We are all complicit

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 18:32:00 -0000

Donald Trump's comment about Keir Starmer being 'No Churchill' wholly overlooks Churchill's part in destabilising Iran when the UK and US were the prime movers behind the 1953 coup d’état — or was he perhaps making reference to that? What followed was 26 years of authoritarian rule by the Shah, which brought about the 1979 Islamic revolution — then the past 47 years of more authoritarian rule. It's now more urgent than ever to provide a forum for stability and peace, and the UK has a real duty to help find the answer. Background music: 'Lost in Prayer' by Doug Maxwell

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Thought for the Week: Entrepreneurial resolve could be the answer

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 18:00:00 -0000

The past half-century has provided a generally well-structured approach to employment and career opportunities, but there's little reliability or predictability today. Increasingly, young people cannot rely on others to sort their lives out for them: they need to take matters into their own hands. Could it be the time for entrepreneurial activity to move from the margins to the centre-ground? Background music: 'Any Thing You Can Dream' by The Whole Other

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Thought for the Week: Economic Chaos

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 17:05:00 -0000

President Trump has learnt the hard way that he can't just impose tariffs by Executive Order. The U.S. Supreme Court may be beefed up by his own nominees, but they have shown that they do understand the law. We're now beset by uncertainties: on tariffs, refunds, exchange rates and U.S. public debt. The financial markets hate uncertainty, and his 150-day 'Section 122' tariffs won't fend off the risk of financial meltdown unless a long-term solution can be agreed on a cross-party basis. Background music: 'Confliction & Catharsis' by Asher Fulero

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Thought for the Week: What matters for young people

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 13:34:00 -0000

There are a host of big issues facing young people, but lowering the voting age to 16 is not one of them. Student debt post-graduation is one of the biggest: as Gavin Williamson says, ‘Saddling young people with eye-watering debts before they have even begun their working lives is more than unfair: it amounts to a levy on ambition'. Why can politicians not get out of the mindset of pandering to the elderly at the expense of the young? They need to learn what inter-generational rebalancing means. Background music: 'Something Is Wrong' by Sir Cubworth

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Thought for the Week: What is Truth?

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 16:34:00 -0000

Starmer has learnt the hard way that without truth there can be no trust. But throughout society people feel that they cannot take anything at face value, and the deception and dishonesty which riddles social media are significantly exacerbating this problem. The need for a moral compass is heavily tested without faith: GK Chesterton said, 'When people stop believing in God, they'll believe in anything’. Is this really where we want to be? Background music: 'Dark Alley Deals' by Aaron Kenny

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Thought for the Week: Universal participation — the logical approach

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:53:00 -0000

Universal Basic Income is frequently cited as the way to cope with the growing spectre of AI-driven mass unemployment; but there are few, if any, workable ideas on how to fund such welfare subservience. Universal participation would not only enable all to share in tech wealth creation, but also allow tech companies to benefit from people's involvement. Background music: 'Forever Yours' by Wayne Jones

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Thought for the Week: The need for a moral compass for young people

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 17:01:00 -0000

There's been much discussion about the social media and NEET challenges for young people over the past week: the Bigger Picture reports on debates in parliament and The Hypnotist reflects on the importance of experience built up during childhood: experience that can be severely handicapped by social media addiction. Meanwhile the steady erosion of a moral compass for young people could result in serious instability for adult generations to come. Background music: 'Don't Look Inside' by Biz Baz Studio

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Thought for the Week: Responding to Greenland tariffs, & ID verification

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 16:46:00 -0000

We're getting increasingly used to Donald Trump's bullying tactics; it's time to encourage U.S. tech leaders to persuade him to back off, by applying the same (Greenland-based) level of tariffs on their exports to Europe and the UK. Meanwhile, ID verification should not be used so much to restrict young people from work in the UK as to help them make a good start to adult life in their countries of origin. Background music: 'Dance of the Mammoths' by The Whole Other

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Thought for the Week: Focusing on future generations

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 17:32:00 -0000

We're looking forward to a significant step forward towards inter-generational rebalancing as a result of Share Alliance's two-day conference in May: the first day focused on academic research and the second on policy options. Please let us know if you're interested by visiting this 'Save the Date' page. This will hopefully be a refreshing contrast to the mix of nostalgia and charisma which seems to be driving so much of politics at present, and which was the subject of an interesting discussion between Amol Rajan and Louisa Munch in his BBC 'Radical' podcast last week. Background music: Generations Away' by Unicorn Heads'

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Thought for the Week: Global leadership requires participation for all, not domination

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 17:59:00 -0000

Trump's assault on Venezuela casts a major question mark over his claim to be a peacemaker — resorting to military action to deal with criminal activity is a poor substitute for international law and order. We urgently need to listen to Xi Jinping's call for global leadership — on a new basis of participation, not domination. Background music: 'World's Sunrise' by Jimena Contreras

Image source: Wikipedia

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Thought for the Week: Sharing love at Christmas

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 15:28:00 -0000

There's not much love being shared between Russia and Ukraine this Christmas. Putin calls for respect, but respect for others doesn't come naturally for him. Meanwhile, it's time that Rutger Bregman should see evolution as the essential process of continuous creation driven by our conscious creator who is unconditional love. Background music: 'O Holy Night' by DJ Williams

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Thought for the Week: 2025 — a watershed year

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 17:32:00 -0000

The first year of Trump's Mark 2 presidency has seen huge swings in critical areas for the future of humanity, including climate change, the risk of existential conflict and wealth polarisation. Where are the statesmen who can look ahead further than the next election, and at the interests of future generations? And is Rutger Bregman right to claim that a moral revolution can be delivered by national governments? Background music: 'Hopeful Freedom' by Asher Fulero

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Thought for the Week: The 1,700-year-old omission

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 18:37:00 -0000

Few would disagree with St. John's conclusion that the nature of our conscious creator — of God — is love. In the Christian faith, it's at the heart of the two great commandments and inspires the whole amazing journey against all odds. But the word is totally absent from the Nicene Creed, repeated each Sunday in Churches. Christmas is the time to celebrate love in all its many splendours, but particularly to share love with children and young people. Let's hope that strategies announced by the UK Government over the last few days for children and young people are just the beginning, in terms of showing love for the generations who will follow us. Background music: 'Carol of the Bells' by Quincas Moreira

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Thought for the Week: Inter-generational Incoherence

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 17:56:00 -0000

Labour MPs' celebration of the Chancellor's abolition of the 2-child welfare benefit cap in last week's Budget statement completely eclipsed the outstanding need for a comprehensive strategy to address the economic and familial stresses impacting children, adolescents and young adults: so much worse than a few decades ago. We focus on three specifics in this commentary: the continuing denial of Government to deliver Child Trust Fund money to low-income young adults unaware of their money; the punishing burden of the student loan system, and the instability and insecurity caused by a society which has lost its moral compass. Background music: 'Generations Away' by Unicorn Heads

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Thought for the Week: Not seeing the wood for the trees

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 16:36:00 -0000

Is it the cacophony of everyday noise or the fact that 'a week is a long time in politics' which is driving long-term thinkers out of the centre ground? You know that the emperor has no clothes today when young people make that challenge. However, the major long-term issues of climate change, intense wealth differentials and geopolitical tensions are global, not just national — and we don't even have a democratic basis of global governance to tackle them. No wonder we can't see the wood for the trees. Background music: 'People Watching' by Sir Cubworth

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Thought for the Week: UBI rejected by voters

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 16:23:00 -0000

Unemployment is not just an economic scourge — it also substantially undermines mental well-being, as Tom Paxton described so vividly in his 1964 song, 'A Job of Work'. Universal Basic Income offers a very inadequate substitute, as voters in Hamburg have shown. Automation is however, an indisposable part of modern life — again, Tom Paxton warned of this sixty years ago. As we commented three weeks ago, the solution is for all to participate in tech giant wealth creation, bringing responsibility through participation in ownership. Background music: 'Taking in The Changes' by Everet Almond

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Thought for the Week: Welfare should be targeted, not universal

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 17:11:00 -0000

Universal publicly-funded welfare, including health care and education, has proved a very expensive Marxist experiment in western democracies. Far from resolving the challenge of eliminating poverty and disadvantage, it has loaded a huge debt burden on public finances which Rachel Reeves needs to address in the forthcoming UK Budget. But there is no point in loading still more income and capital taxes on the wealthy: they'll just leave the country in ever greater numbers, and economic growth — and tax revenue — will fall as a result. A much more practical solution is that people who can afford to pay for these services should do so, so that Government can focus financial support where it's most needed. Background music: 'The New Order' by Aaron Kenny

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Thought for the Week: Share 2025

Sun, 02 Nov 2025 17:58:00 -0000

This commentary takes stock of all things 'Share' as at Autumn 2025. The Share Foundation has made substantial progress: it's enabled over 100,000 young people to claim nearly £ ¼ billion of Child Trust Funds, and the relatively modest £200 central government grant for opening Junior ISAs for young people in care is enabling substantial local contributions to be raised, accompanied by significant reductions in welfare benefit costs as a result of reduced NEET rates. Meanwhile, Share Alliance's quest for a more egalitarian form of capitalism is steadily building momentum. This is particularly so with research into the potential issuance of equity shares in return for tech businesses which are harvesting our data and creativity while significantly reducing employment opportunities, particularly for young people. Background music: 'Hopeful Freedom' by Asher Fulero

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Thought for the Week: Data — Exploitation and Denial

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 15:30:00 -0000

General Data Protection Regulation was introduced in 2016, but it's already past its sell-by date. With 56% of UK web browsers choosing to accept all cookies, there's plenty of data available for harvesting by tech businesses, while that and creativity is throughly exploited by AI. Meanwhile, employment opportunities for young people are steadily reducing, while data protection restrictions are cited by government as one of the reasons for not automatically releasing HMRC-allocated mature Child Trust Funds. We need a new approach, prioritising people. Background music: 'Digital Solitude' by Silent Partner

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Thought for the Week: Pride comes before a fall

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 13:54:00 -0000

(Prince) Andrew is not alone in undergoing a seismic fall from grace which has been amplified by a prolonged absence of remorse and contrition: politicians, senior business people and church leaders have all walked this path. Personal failure is an endemic part of humanity, but we need to accept when things have gone wrong and search for reconcilation. Not easy, but the alternative is escalation resulting in an even heavier fall from grace. Background music: 'Metamorphosis' Quincas Moreira

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Image source: Wikipedia

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Thought for the Week: Economic misconceptions within politics

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 16:47:00 -0000

Politicians of all parties seem to think that we can both cut immigration and achieve significantly higher economic growth, notwithstanding the fact that there would be no population growth from which it would come: artificial growth from short-term policies such as public sector 'investment' stimulation is not the answer. After 75 years during which the world's human population has quadrupled, an increasing number of countries are facing this challenge. We now need more focus on GDP per capita, less public spending and debt, and more focus on inter-generational rebalancing. Background music: 'Something Is Wrong' by Sir Cubworth

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Thought for the Week: Listening to our conscience

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:04:00 -0000

Conscience has challenged humanity for millenia: so much so that its entry on Wikipedia includes 22,000 words. However securing that moral yardstick is not easy, whether you are guided by faith or not. Meanwhile, what was personal has become societal, while technology and what appear to be victimless crimes promote amorality. The Christian faith has struggled with understanding the fluid nature of conscience, notwithstanding Jesus's clear illustration of its significance in St. John's Gospel. Will the Church of England's new Archbishop contribute guidance with understanding conscience — and, for that matter, explaining how to love our enemies? Background music: 'Lost In Prayer' by Doug Maxwell

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Thought for the Week: Guidance, Reaction and Experience

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 15:13:00 -0000

We all benefit from a blend of guidance, reaction and experience in our journey through life, and most of all in those formative years of childhood and adolescence. However, as David Willetts wrote 15 years ago in 'The Pinch', the link between generations is getting ever more stretched. Experience should not have to bear the full weight of the absence of guidance and reaction as family structures weaken; if that is the case, we will have only ourselves to blame for anti-social breakdown. Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins

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Thought for the Week: Love Your Enemy

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 13:36:00 -0000

There's a strange convergence of aggression which is drawing both international conflict and personal hatred into the mainstream; social media bears considerable responsibility for this convergence, and Donald Trump's combination of his calls for peace while posting aggressive messages on Truth Social really don't help. There's a very straightforward instruction in the gospel of St. Matthew, to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, but little guidance or teaching from Church leaders on how to make this happen. Drawing inspiration from a variety of sources, here are some ideas which could work at both personal and international levels. Background music: 'Confliction & Catharsis' by Asher Fulero

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Thought for the Week: Calling for Global Democracy

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 15:57:00 -0000

Rather than seek global convergence, nation states are digging in deeper in all the three areas that conspire to drive them apart — conflict, threats and re-armament; climate change; and massive wealth differentials. The United Nations was designed to provide a route for resolving these differences, but it's not working. It's time to step forward and provide it with democratic legitimacy, so that the voices of people across the world can be properly heard. Background music: 'World's Sunrise' by Jimena Contreras

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Thought for the Week: Delivery is indeed the challenge

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 16:50:00 -0000

Government inaction is rooted in Civil Service reticence. It's not a recent phenomenon; it inspired 'Yes Minister' forty years ago, much to Margaret Thacher's amusement. But when it frustrates a Labour Government's abiity to deliver a key policy of its predecessor such as Child Trust Funds, that's a different matter. At the start of Boris Johnson's premiership, Dominic Cummings sought to control HM Treasury reticence by moving his team into HMT. Sir Keir Starmer appears to be doing a reverse takeover by drawing Darren Jones into No. 10 as his 'Chief Economic Secretary'. Will it work? Background music: 'People Watching' by Sir Cubworth

Image source: BBC

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Thought for the Week: Government Bond markets risk autumn meltdown

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 13:37:00 -0000

If buyers of government bonds fear potential default, they require significantly higher yields to offset that risk. For bonds already issued, that means much lower prices — and big losses for holders, especially if the bonds are long-dated. For new bonds being issued, governments have to pay a much higher interest rate, significantly increasing their current deficit and requiring still more taxation. Governments can ask the International Monetary Fund to bail them out; if the IMF can help, it imposes stringent conditions on their economic and fiscal policies. The world has not been faced with multiple and concurrent defaults to date, and no-one knows how such a situation can be resolved.The United States, United Kingdom and France are approaching this black hole now, and need to make some urgent changes in policies to avoid it. Background music: 'Dark Alley Deals' by Aaron Kenny

Image source: Wikipedia

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Thought for the Week: The Frontiers of Science

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 15:23:00 -0000

The rate at which scientific discoveries such as electricity, flight, radio communication and computing have been made has been accelerating since that great inventor and artist, Leonardo da Vinci. However others have also left in their wake a legacy of redundancies: some, like the canal network, bring unanticipated pleasure, but others, including hydrocarbons, are leaving a real mess to clear up. Background music: 'Any Thing You Can Dream' by The Whole Other

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Thought for the Week: The solution for today’s Gordian Knots

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 15:20:00 -0000

The Gordian Knot is an ancient Greek legend of an immensely complex knot ‘so tightly entangled that it was impossible to see how it was fastened’. Whoever succeeded in releasing it was destined to rule all of Asia: that task was achieved by Alexander the Great. Today’s Gordian Knots — conflict, climate change and the polarisation of wealth — are all critical to the future of humanity, but they all share a common origin: the motivations of fear and greed. We can see the solution, but do we have the determination to apply it? Background music: 'World's Sunrise' by Jimena Contreras

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Thought for the Week: In Loco Parentis

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 17:06:00 -0000

It's a long and lonely road for over 100,000 young people in care throughout the UK. Local Authorities and foster carers do everything possible to help with their journey through adolescence, but disrupted education and insecurity often leads up to a cliff-edge entry to adulthood at 18. In a stable family setting, parents provide resources and life skills, and help build the attitudinal transformation necessary for a forward-looking approach with which to start adult life. In its work for the DfE on behalf of young people in care, The Share Foundation helps to build that same strong foundation. Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins

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Thought for the Week: Celebrating the Individual

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 12:24:00 -0000

Herd mentality among humans is amply demonstrated in family, sport and business, but collective self-interest becomes more threatening in politics and particularly in international relations. Developing an individual perspective on life is central to freedom, but it needs to be accompanied by a generosity of spirit in order to respect the right of 'each to their own' among others. Background music: 'Freedom' by Dan Lebowitz

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Thought for the Week: Setting Limits

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 12:48:00 -0000

Our fast-moving world throws up continual challenges; genetic modification is among the latest, and we continually need to contend with the rights and wrongs of Artificial Intelligence. Setting limits is a key part of modern life: not everything that can be done, should be done. In respect of climate change, western democracies struggled hard to set limits in the first place; but they have found it even harder to maintain a consistent focus when political allegiances change. Environmental degradation is particularly threatened by such oscillations. Background music: 'People Watching' by Sir Cubworth

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Thought for the Week: No Country for Young People

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 10:45:00 -0000

Italy is not alone in experiencing a massive fall in its birth rate over recent years: so has the United Kingdom. Lowering the voting age to 16 is all very well, but it needs to be accompanied by a raft of co-ordinated policies to help young adults towards family formation and independent living. Rural villages, where house prices are so often well out of reach for young people, provide a clear litmus test of whether these policies are working. Do you remember mortgage interest rate tax relief, or when university life didn't end in heavyweight student debt? We need a coordinated policy framework to improve conditions for young adults. Background music: 'Folk Tap Harp' by Unicorn Heads

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Thought for the Week: Cash or Shares — or neither?

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 17:50:00 -0000

The debate over Cash ISA limits and the need to re-invigorate public interest in UK stock market investing has re-awoken people's ongoing approach to risk and reward, as if it's an 'either/or' question for your finances. However the Child Trust Fund scheme has shown the real benefit of long-term stock market investment — the challenge for this huge initiative taken by the previous Labour Government is to ensure that it gets delivered in cash at the right time for low-income young adults.

Chart link for unclaimed HMRC-allocated accounts

Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins

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Thought for the Week: Individual Freedom & Ownership — for all

Mon, 07 Jul 2025 14:01:00 -0000

A comment article in The Times last Friday was headed, 'Starmer and Reeves must change to survive' — but which way? The backbench Labour MP uprising called for even more State spending, but the bond market and the July 22nd ‘Cost of Government Day’ say no — the public sector is already much too big. Of more concern is their preference to go for the 'stick' of welfare reduction rather than the 'carrot' of empowerment through individual ownership and freedom for all, drawing a sharp contrast between this Labour Government and that of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown two decades ago. Background music: 'Hopeful Freedom' by Asher Fulero

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Thought for the Week: The Linguistic Poverty of Love

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 15:02:00 -0000

The English language does a real dis-service to Love. How can we use the same word to show our appreciation of ice cream as to define the nature of God — and everything in between? But the driving passion which is often described by the word love is often more about control. In contrast, we turn once again to 'The Prophet' by Kahlil Gibran to find his definition, which is much better phrased in terms of mutual trust and respect: both of which could significantly benefit inter-faith relations. Background music: 'Young And Old Know Love' by Puddle of Infinity

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Thought for the Week: Global Assembly for Faith

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 15:42:00 -0000

In ancient Roman religion and mythology Mars was the God of War but, judging by the fact that almost all wars in our modern age have their origins in disputes and disagreements over faith, you could be forgiven for thinking that Mars was still in the ascendant today. The difference is, today's wars can literally bring life on earth to a close. However almost all religions have love and peace at their heart; initiatives such as the 'Common Word' prepared in 2007 by leading Muslim scholars and teachers reflect Jesus's teaching to 'love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you'. This very irenic and ecumenical document is in ironic contrast with today's Iranian conflict. Background music: 'Beauty for Brokenness' by Graham Kendrick

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Thought for the Week: Has the rush for economic stimulation obscured joined-up thinking?

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 15:56:00 -0000

The Chancellor was like a person sitting on the cliff-edge of colossal public debt last week, convinced that her massive 'investment' commitments can overlook the void below. It appears that economic stimulation is the only game in town for the British economy, and even that seems to avoid joined-up thinking in some key areas. Background music: 'Ether Oar' by The Whole Other

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Thought for the Week: Why Attitudinal Transformation Matters

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 15:14:00 -0000

Author of 'Capitalism in the 21st Century' Thomas Piketty proposes an unconditional 'inheritance' endowment for all young people on reaching 25 years of age. Grants often appear to offer instant solutions to problems of inequality, but unless they are accompanied by conditional incentivised learning they will not achieve inter-generational rebalancing. In contrast, Muhammad Yunus has built accountability into his design for micro-finance, thereby enabling young people to look forward with a constructive approach towards achieving their potential in our fast-changing world. Attitudinal transformation takes time and commitment to take hold, but it does achieve results. Background music: 'World's Sunrise' by1 Jimena Contreras

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Thought for the Week: Bearing down on Spending

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 16:29:00 -0000

On 11th June UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves presents her Spending Review against the backdrop of a gargantuan public debt liability which is costing the UK taxpayer £111 billion a year in interest. Further tax rises have been ruled out, so she needs to identify achievable, structural reductions in spending. Elon Musk thought he'd done just that as head of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but only a small fraction of his planned reductions were achieved. In the UK at least we can break away from welfare universality — but will she do it? Background music: 'Dark Alley Deals' by Aaron Kenny

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Thought for the Week: Capitalism in need of a Moral Compass

Tue, 27 May 2025 14:01:00 -0000

Vladimir Putin has the audacity to claim moral superiority over western democracy: for the full story of complicity between Russia's leaders and the the Russian Orthodox Church, read 'The Baton and the Cross' by Lucy Ash. However implausible Putin's claim may be, we do need to examine our own consciences and become more aware of the need for a moral compass for capitalism. In so many walks of life, this is also conspicuous by its absence in western democracies. Background music: 'Something Is Wrong' by Sir Cubworth

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Thought for the Week: The Art of Conversation

Mon, 19 May 2025 13:15:00 -0000

The definition of what is art and what is science is a key part of academic life; the former being a matter of subjective opinion, albeit developed with skill and practice, and the latter a matter of exploring and defining objective facts. While we may seek the latter in our conversation, there is no doubt that, in itself, conversation is an art. Kahlil Gibran wrote many words of great insight one hundred years ago and, in his book, 'The Prophet', he included a section on talking. In our modern era of social media, this has much to offer — and a few things which could be added, as young people struggle with the art of conversation. Background music: 'Communicator' by Reed Mathis

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Thought for the Week: The Fallacy of Male Headship

Mon, 12 May 2025 12:05:00 -0000

Male dominance has tracked humanity throughout our evolution from the animal world, but it's now presenting an existential danger as our ability to threaten the future escalates. Meanwhile society's call for gender equality without addressing the doctrine of male headship is delivering a generation of 'lost boys'. Men need to learn what comes naturally to women: 'servant leadership'. Jesus showed his disciples what it means two thousand years ago, but Christian churches still struggle to understand. It will enable us to care for others and to plan for a better future including bringing inspiration, as opposed to aggression, for young men. Background music: 'Leaders' by Text Me Records — Jorge Hernandez

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Thought for the Week: Change requires delivery, not just policies

Tue, 06 May 2025 10:45:00 -0000

Nigel Farage's stunning electoral success last Thursday exposed the chronic failure of state-centred socialism and the policy vacuum at the heart of the discredited Conservative party, following a decade of errors of judgement. Thomas Jefferson set out his 'self-evident truths' in 1776, that all are equal in deserving life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness: these, combined with constitutional acceptance of the need for inter-generational rebalancing, provide the real alternative to the narrow populism of the far right. Background music: 'The New Order' by Aaron Kenny

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Thought for the Week: New Ideas to tackle Climate Change

Sun, 27 Apr 2025 20:26:00 -0000

Climate change deniers may be in the hot seat across the Atlantic, but there is still a real determination to tackle global warming here in the United Kingdom. Harnessing sunlight is at the heart of new initiatives to build on the natural process of photosynthesis: much better than attempting to tamper with the atmosphere to dim sunlight. Meanwhile tidal flow generation has already given us a very reliable source of power generation — could tidal rise and fall bring us yet more benefit from the Moon's orbit of the Earth? Background music: 'Solar Power' by Ashley Shadow

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Thought for the Week: Matters of Consequence

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 12:52:00 -0000

News of Pope Francis's death early on Easter Monday shocked everyone after his Easter blessings to those in St. Peter's Square on Easter Sunday. Tributes have poured in, one of the most notable from Keir Starmer. As Pope Francis journeys to the next world, we look forward to Professor Michael Egnor's new book, 'The Immortal Mind' and celebrate the Resurrection. Pope Francis also had much to say on Artificial Intelligence, whose challenge for humanity and youth employment is rising fast. It's not something that we can wish away — we have to learn to live with it. We share some ideas for young entrepreneurs, and look forward to the potential for widespread participation in its benefits. Background music: 'Requiem In Cello' by Hanu Dixit

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Thought for the Week: Bonds across Humanity

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 15:22:00 -0000

Bonds can cement obligation, and the rising yields on long-dated U.S. Treasury bonds are currently closing down Donald Trump's options for bullying the world into submission. Other superpowers may be relishing the opportunity to wrest hegemony away from America, but would this change the world for the better? Bonds can also draw people together, using the example of servant leadership given by Jesus two thousand years ago when he washed his disciples' feet. Such unconditional love enables integration and definitely leading to a better world — surely a preferable way forward than superpower hegemony. Background music: 'Saving the World' by Aaron Kenny

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Thought for the Week: Everything, Everywhere — All At Once

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 14:09:00 -0000

Donald Trump may think he's a deal-maker, but he's more likely to turn out to be an economy-breaker, putting the U.S. dollar's role as the world's reserve currency at risk. Recession may be the least of our worries — this degree of instant aggression could well bring on a second Great Depression. So while few would disagree that U.S. needs to find a way out of its chronic trade imbalances, a transitional approach to tariffs with cross-party agreement designed to run over at least 2-3 presidential terms — thereby giving time to make the necessary changes — would have made far more sense. Background music: 'When Johnny Comes Marching Home' Cooper Cannell

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Thought for the Week: Why ‘Non-Experimental Evaluation’ Matters

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 15:06:00 -0000

Outcome assessment is vital for all new initiatives, particularly political, but traditional academic research, which is sequential in character, is not good at responding to the speed of change in our modern world. This is particularly the case in tackling Child Poverty, for which a UK-Government Task Force is due to report later this Spring. If we are to break the cycle of deprivation with inter-generational rebalancing, we need a new sense of dynamism and responsiveness. Background music: 'Peony Morning' by TrackTribe

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Thought for the Week: End of the Road for Universality

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 15:56:00 -0000

When Clement Attlee introduced welfare universality to post-war Britain, he was aiming for a more egalitarian society. Seventy-five years on we can see not only that it has not been achieved, but also that it has nearly bankrupted the public finances: a major task for UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves to tackle in her Spring Statement. Targeting support for those most in need with the support of philanthropy will be a key part of replacing 'egalitarian socialism' with egalitarian capitalism, enabling those with a social conscience to concentrate support and encouragement where it's needed, rather than providing publicly-funded services 'free at the point of use' for everyone. Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins

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Thought for the Week: Monopolies provide no answers

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 16:40:00 -0000

Abolition of NHS England reverses the de-politicisation of the health service, but it leaves intact all the inefficiencies of being a monopoly: thereby rendering people complacent and satisfied with mediocrity, unless they're moved by the 'Florence Nightingale' mindset. Competition enables progress, efficient delivery and innovation, but most of all it respects individuals as customers, not simply treating them as account numbers. No wonder that the Competition & Markets Authority encourages government to use competition effectively on behalf of consumers. Background music: 'Hopeful Freedom' by Asher Fulero

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Thought for the Week: BRICS in the Ascendancy

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 16:51:00 -0000

As the United States descends towards economic turmoil as a result of its new-found isolationism and unreliability, the BRICS group of nations (including Russia and China) will be looking forward to a new dawn for their mainly autocratic regimes and potentially an opportunity to replace the U.S. dollar as the world's reserve currency. If western democracies, particularly in Europe, are to turn that tide, they must discover long-term governance, a new approach to targeted welfare working in partnership with philanthropists as opposed to universality, and a significant increase in democratic legitimacy for global governance. Background music: 'India Fuse' by French Fuse

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Thought for the Week: Stepping Forward — Together

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 16:45:00 -0000

Isolation and insecurity as a result of reducing levels of in-person contact are causing problems in all walks of life, but particularly for young people in care. Getting started in adult life isn't just about learning the technical skills, but building self-confidence, communication skills and hope for the future. The performing arts — singing, dancing, acting and backstage — can provide these transferable skills with the real enjoyment of working together with others. So The Share Foundation has just launched its new programme 'Stepping Forward' in partnership with Tring Park School and the Rothschild Foundation. Background music: 'Communicator' by Reed Mathis

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Thought for the Week: Humanity's Stupidities

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 16:57:00 -0000

The 2025 Doomsday Clock is set at just 89 seconds before midnight by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, but it's not just the potential for nuclear catastrophe that is rearing its head: climate change and biodiversity are causing deep concerns, and even if we can struggle through this difficult period, the legacy that we're leaving to future generations is awful. It's said that charity begins at home, but the treatment of our own young people is not encouraging in this respect: debts abound, both at the personal and public levels. With so many current-day challenges, the big question is how to encourage people — and our elected leaders — to take a longer-term perspective? Background music: 'Lost In Prayer' by Doug Maxwell

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Thought for the Week: Calling for Tech Philanthropy

Mon, 17 Feb 2025 15:29:00 -0000

Sam Altman, the tech entrepreneur who built OpenAI and its ground-breaking ChatGPT Artificial Intelligence functionality, correctly says that increasing equality may require new ideas. He's right: governments and political ideologies of many hues just can't deliver, besieged by conflicts of interest and debt. The Credit Suisse Wealth Distribution chart shows the huge contrast between those who are super-rich (in blue), the wealthiest of whom are the giant tech oligarchs, and those who live in real poverty, in red. It's time we accepted that 'The State', whether socialist or populist, can't deliver, and for philanthropists to step up to the plate, working in partnership with governments who still need to provide the necessary regulation and logistics. Background music: 'Resolution' by Wayne Jones

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Thought for the Week: The Consequences of Currency Manipulation

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 16:48:00 -0000

Whatever you may think of trade tariffs, there is no doubting the massive trade imbalance that has developed between China and the United States over the past three decades. Deliberate currency manipulation has enabled China to become the world's factory through resisting any meaningful appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar. Parts of Europe have also suffered much economic damage as a result of the failure to balance out regional economic differences. If strong, accommodating economic control cannot be delivered, freely-floating currencies are the answer — but not tariffs. Background music: 'Something Is Wrong' by Sir Cubworth

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Thought for the Week: How Tech could lift the Debt Straitjacket

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 16:27:00 -0000

Both the Office for Budget Responsibility and Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England, have warned of serious consequences for public finances if significant action isn't taken. The assumption is that this must be achieved by lifting growth in productivity. But what if the main impediment to traditional economic growth, as evidenced by GDP, is endemic demonetization brought about by advancing technology and automation? Is it time to look for a radically new approach which will allow everyone to participate in that wealth creation? Background music: 'The New Order' by Aaron Kenny

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Thought for the Week: Dishonesty on a Pedestal

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 12:27:00 -0000

More than seven million people tuned in for the explosive finale of the third series of hit BBC series 'The Traitors', an entertaining romp through the psychological effects of dishonesty. The BBC has succeeded in making adjustments so that dishonesty doesn't always win, but the finale showed clearly how it evaporates trust. In a wider context, it's becoming increasingly clear that social media is driving people apart by enabling people to express views and aggression 'at arm's length' — the removal of fact-checking is another significant step backwards. So does social media drive people apart? We should not delay in seeking more research on the question. Background music: 'Hidden Agenda' by Kevin MacLeod — 'Hidden Agenda' by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Image source: Wikipedia

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Thought for the Week: Wealth and Autocracy

Mon, 20 Jan 2025 15:30:00 -0000

This week is a real watershed, as we move from Biden to Trump. Joe Biden sounds a clear warning in his farewell address, setting out the risks for democracy and participation from the cohort of oligarchs that are now taking power, combined with the challenge from social media. Meanwhile the United Kingdom is losing its wealth creators at an accelerating rate due to the imposition of socialist ideology and a swathe of new taxes. Neither political stance will deliver the rallying cry of the French revolution, 'Liberté, égalité, fraternité'. Background music: 'Officer Of The Day March' by United States Marine Band

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Thought for the Week: Insuring Risks Unknown

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 16:42:00 -0000

The past year has seen a litany of climate change disasters of which the wildfires in Los Angeles are the latest. Yet Americans still supported Trump's call to 'drill, baby, drill' in the presidential election. This is just the latest disaster that financial markets have to contend with. How much pressure can the insurance and investment markets take? The one thing that we know for sure is that, while the American people may have locked in their choice for the next four years, there's no such insurance for the bond market — it can strike at any time. Background music: 'Trap Unboxing' by Jimmy Fontanez_Doug Maxwell

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Thought for the Week: Democracy threatened by impoverishing the young

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 16:47:00 -0000

Turnout at the 2024 general election was 59.7%, the lowest at a General Election since 2001, and 7.6 percentage points lower than in 2019. We are all keenly aware of the disproportionate number of Labour MPs (63.2%), notwithstanding their low overall polling (33.7%), but only now are we starting to see how young people have been disenfranchised by their poverty. This correlation between youth and poverty supports our consistent and strong calls for inter-generational rebalancing, and the need for more long-term focus in western democracies. If we don't take action, we run the risk of oscillating between an over-sized self-interested state driven by socialism and self-interested reactionaries driven by populism. Background music: 'Generations Away' by Unicorn Heads

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Thought for the Week: Should leadership be based on strategy or circumstance?

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 16:33:00 -0000

Leadership inspires and is transformative in character: it's hard to see how reacting to circumstances can achieve this outcome. The leadership given by Jesus Christ, whose birthday we celebrate each year on 25th December has provided both inspiration and transformation throughout the past two thousand years. Oh that the Church and our politicians could learn from that example! Background music: 'Carol of the Bells' by Quincas Moreira

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Thought for the Week: Short-termism — Democracy’s Achilles’ Heel

Mon, 16 Dec 2024 17:26:00 -0000

Food banks are very busy at this time of year, and Trussell, which co-ordinates and supplies 1,400 of them in the UK with 36,000 volunteers, is particularly active. Its combination of nationwide scalability and local partnerships shows how voluntary and philanthropic contributions can deliver hope in the face of a welfare state which has failed to break the cycle of deprivation over the past fifty years. Is this the model, combined with a more egalitarian form of capitalism, which can provide a more compassionate society with participation for all?Background music: 'Soul Food' by Chris Haugen

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Image source: Trussell

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The real merit of individual ownership is responsibility

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 17:11:00 -0000

Dame Julia Hoggett is Chief Executive of the London Stock Exchange, and featured in a half-page interview in The Sunday Times Business last weekend. She is a strong advocate for encouraging personal share ownership, which demonstrates clearly how a sense of responsibility builds from individual ownership: this is also particularly evident in employee share ownership. The correlation between ownership and responsibility at an individual level throughout society needs to be more fully understood and supported by business and politicians. Background music: 'Waiting' by Andrew Langdon

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Thought for the Week: A Matter of Life and Death

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 16:06:00 -0000

Matters of life and death featured strongly in the House of Commons last Friday. thanks to Kim Leadbeater's Private Members' Bill on assisted dying — it's curious how the new UK parliament has developed such a fixation on 'end of life'. The Government's plans for inheritance tax might encourage people towards a serious look at philanthropy — register to join Philanthropy Impact's webinar on Donor Advised Funds, starting at 12 noon this Wednesday 4th December. Background music: 'Wandering Soul' by Asher Fulero

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Thought for the Week: The Woes of the Church of England

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 16:25:00 -0000

A fortnight ago Justin Welby announced that he would resign as Archbishop of Canterbury following the Makin report's criticism of the Church's handling of allegations of abuse and Welby's failure to investigate the allegations. We suspect that real reason for this failure to act was not so much the desire to protect someone whose behaviour was evil but rather the chronically damaging cult of inaction in the Church, which can smother even the most urgent priorities. 'Nothing changes here' is a hymn extract which neatly encapsulates the way that inaction has been treated as a virtue for centuries, but in today's world it has become quite the opposite. With reducing congregations and chronic administrative duplication and inconsistency, urgent action is needed to focus on core Christian principles and organisational rationalisation. Background music: 'Requiem In Cello' by Hanu Dixit

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Thought for the Week: Tackling Child Poverty with Inter-generational Rebalancing

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 10:28:00 -0000

Gordon Brown and Ruth Kelly set out a comprehensive plan to tackle child poverty with the Child Trust Fund. We've learnt a huge amount from putting it into practice over the past two decades, and we're now ready for a more focused 'Mark 2' which will embody all of the lessons learnt. But will our new Labour Government have the strategic determination to follow their example? Or will it fall to today's philanthropists, walking in the footsteps of people like Andrew Carnegie, to take up the baton? The encouragement to make significant charitable endowments remains intact in inheritance taxation arrangements, and can support 75% of the commitment necessary to deliver a new scheme. Background music: 'Generations Away' by Unicorn Heads

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Thought for the Week: Walking into the Unknown

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 16:53:00 -0000

Last week we focused on UK government debt: but it pales into insignificance when compared to U.S. national debt. Donald Trump has radical plans to apply tax cuts and huge import tariffs, but could this trigger a global financial crisis with no-one prepared to buy debt in a zombie economy? U.S. national debt has doubled to over $35 trillion during just the ten years that Share Radio has been on air: both Democrats and Republicans have driven it remorselessly. A new approach to economics is needed which doesn't rely on either bigger government or lower taxes. Background music: 'Dark Alley Deals' by Aaron Kenny

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Thought for the Week: The OBR should analyse generational impact

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 15:12:00 -0000

The yellow-shaded column is the OBR's forecast for borrowing in 2028-29 as at March this year; the blue-shaded is their latest forecast. Is this really 'Invest, Invest, Invest' or 'Borrow, Borrow, Borrow'? The problem is that it all lands on the shoulders of today's young people, who will struggle more to find jobs after the employer NI changes and whose prospects of home ownership and family formation are already weighed down by student debt. Background music: 'Missing Persons' by Jeremy Blake

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Thought for the Week: Democratising Copyright

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 16:19:00 -0000

Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft has called for an overhaul of copyright legislation to recognise the broad span of human creativity. It is indeed time to re-align the balance between sharing knowledge and ring-fencing ownership, but the quid pro quo is to provide mass participation in the wealth creation made possible by Generative Artificial Intelligence. John Maynard Keynes' experience of the two world wars of the 20th century showed how complacent attitudes amongst the wealthy led to these tragedies, and Gillian Tett has drawn a parallel with today's cocktail of globalisation, capitalism and rapid technological development. The Achilles Heel is still acute wealth polarisation, but mass participation could provide a way forward. Background music: 'Intellect' by Yung Logos

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Thought for the Week: Busy Times for The Share Foundation

Mon, 21 Oct 2024 15:45:00 -0000

With the '50% matured' stage for Child Trust Funds being reached at the end of October, The Share Foundation hopes the Chancellor will announce introduction of its 'Default Withdrawal at 21' plan in the Budget. This would immediately release c. £250 million of accounts to low-income young adults. Meanwhile The Share Foundation's pre-launch announcement of its forthcoming 'Stepping Forward — Performing Arts for Life' course also caught the eye of BBC news with their webpage article of this major life skills initiative for young people in care, building on the success of its Stepladder Plus course. Background music: 'Hopeful Freedom' by Asher Fulero. Image source: Particle6

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Thought for the Week — and beyond: Nobel Committee sets out existential threat to humanity

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 15:21:00 -0000

Five countries were recognised as nuclear weapon states under the 1970 Non-Proliferation Treaty: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and China. Other states now with nuclear weapons include India, Pakistan and North Korea — and Israel is thought to have them too. Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite but was appalled at the thought that he would be remembered as leaving such a deadly legacy, would be pleased with the Nobel Committee's decision to issue such a clear warning against any future use of nuclear weapons. Background music: 'Sarabande' by Joel Cummins. Image source: Wikipedia

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Thought for the Week: UK Budget on the Horizon

Mon, 07 Oct 2024 16:16:00 -0000

UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves presents her first Budget on Wednesday 30th October after a major spending review. Her election commitments on tax rates and the priority she has given to restoring growth will limit the scope for raising further revenues, but there's plenty of room for re-balancing health spending by introducing mandatory health insurance for wealthy old folk. The balance between what comes in and what goes out is a struggle for almost all western democracies: in the United States, debt interest accounts for 76% of income tax receipts. In the UK it's 36%: still high, and that's notwithstanding the impact of frozen tax thresholds causing higher receipts, which would act to reduce that percentage. Background music: 'People Watching' by Sir Cubworth

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Thought for the Week: Inter-generational Logic

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 16:16:00 -0000

UK Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson describes our current system for financing higher education as 'the worst of all worlds', and she's right. The combination of loan funding and universality has generated chronic problems for both students and universities. We need to apply inter-generational logic to address both this problem and the challenges faced by other disadvantaged young people from low-income backgrounds. The Times placed this story on its front page last Saturday, and re-introduction of maintenance grants for these young people will be part of the solution: this issue will clearly get some focus in the UK Budget on 30th October. Hopefully it will also include those other areas where focused help is needed for disadvantaged young people, including starter capital accounts and incentivised learning, with funding to be drawn from IHT receipts. Background music: 'Generations Away' by Unicorn Heads

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Thought for the Week: How shifting priorities risk our future

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 15:05:00 -0000

In our fast-moving world, priorities are often distracted: issues which require long-term focus often lose out as a result. Unscrupulous marketeers are well aware of this, and the New Weather Institute has published a report showing how fossil fuel giants are using sport sponsorship in order to divert our attention from the need to address climate change. Background music: 'Hovering Thoughts' by Spence

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Thought for the Week: Could Justin Welby hold the key to peace in Ukraine?

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 15:38:00 -0000

In a House of Lords debate on the continuing conflict in Sudan, Archbishop Justin Welby called for a long-term plan towards peace building. The need for that is just as acute in Ukraine and, using all his considerable skills in reconciliation, he could open the door to a pathway to peace by going to meet Patriarch Kirill in Moscow. Thus far Kirill has given steadfast spiritual support to Putin, but is this in keeping with the Christian faith? How can the clear instruction to 'love your enemies' be reconciled with the continuing devastation and anguish in Ukraine and the abduction of more than 20,000 children? Background music: 'Confliction & Catharsis' by Asher Fulero

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Thought for the Week: Falling birth rates unsettle the Vatican

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 15:24:00 -0000

Pope Francis calls for more focus on children, suggesting that in many countries pets take preference. If the hard-won values of gender equality are to benefit generations well into the future, western democracies need to help young people towards family formation. His comments may have been prompted by the collapse in Italian fertility rates to just 1.3 birth per woman: well below the 2.1 needed for a stable population. Background music: 'Young And Old Know Love' Puddle of Infinity

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Thought for the Week: “I’m 22 years old — where’s my CTF?”

Mon, 02 Sep 2024 14:48:00 -0000

The oldest recipient of a Child Trust Fund turned 22 on Sunday 1st September, but the great majority of those allocated by HMRC (due to no action by the young person's parents by their 1st birthday) are unclaimed. This is the story of Joe, who really needs his money to get started in adult life — but he doesn't know anything about his good fortune. The Share Foundation has already enabled over 60,000 young people to claim their accounts, but that's a drop in the ocean compared to the huge number of accounts lying dormant with account providers. So The Share Foundation is now asking Government to implement its 'Default Withdrawal at 21' proposal for HMRC-allocated accounts. Background music: 'Missing Persons' by Jeremy Blake

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Thought for the Week: The Art of Communication

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 13:56:00 -0000

Building the art of communication is essential for a successful adult life, and the performing arts provide a great way to develop confidence and conversational dialogue. They can bring hope and career opportunities to young people when more academic doors are closed. Unfortunately, this is not an easy option for those in state education or from disadvantaged backgrounds. In a world where so much communication is uni-directional, we must work harder to bring these opportunities to all. Background music: 'Communicator' by Reed Mathis

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Thought for the Week: Time

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 16:31:00 -0000

What does time mean for you? A busy diary, rushing people, stress and anxiety — 'never enough hours in the day'? If so, there's plenty of that to watch on the Sky Movies channel. Or do you see it as one of the crowning glories of creation which makes all life possible? Nobel Prize winner Kip Thorne helped to unravel its mysteries in 'The Life Scientific' following his input on 'Interstellar', and thus inspired our thought for this week. Background music: opening with grandfather clock chimes, and followed by 'Take Your Time' by Dan Lebowitz

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Though for the Week: Global stock ownership requires global investment platforms

Mon, 12 Aug 2024 16:33:00 -0000

While Hargreaves Lansdowne accepts an outcome driven by Private Equity, Abrdn attempts to shrug off the high price it paid for buying its retail investment platform from Private Equity. The short-term and intensely finance-based motivation of that sector achieves a real contrast between its entry and exit pricing, notwithstanding the damage it does to public markets. That short-term focus has also denied a strategic transition to global retail investment platforms capable of supporting widespread global stock ownership in the years ahead; although the parochial nature of investment regulation and antiquated technology also conspire against making that transition. Employee share ownership has made that change, and its workplace solutions could set the template for individual stock ownership across the world. Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins

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Thought for the Week: Summer at Last?

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 15:02:00 -0000

It's been a long wait for summer this year, and we need to search for glimmers of hope as we approach the new political/economic/academic year. One such is the significant rise in Maths 'A' level entries, which will help young people find good careers. Another is the 0.25% reduction in interest rates: a cautious and close-run decision in times of considerable turbulence. Real interest rates are still 3%, so there's a long way to go. If the current rash of street riots allow it, we need to use the few weeks of summer calm to reflect on the big issues holding us back, including how to achieve a world without poverty. Background music: 'Solar Power' by Ashley Shadow

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Thought for the Week: Inter-generational injustice requires wholesale reform

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 11:58:00 -0000

David Willetts set out the challenge of inter-generational injustice 14 years ago in his book, 'The Pinch': but the problems have got worse, not better, during that same period of Conservative government. Young people face huge problems as a result of a fiscal environment structured to benefit older people, student debt, asset prices inflated by prolonged low interest rates — and then the pandemic: not to speak of demographic dislocations as a result of migration. Government finances may indeed require a complete overhaul, but it needs to be done in combination with resolving inter-generational injustice.Background music: 'Generations Away' by Unicorn Heads

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Thought for the Week: Usurping God

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 14:15:00 -0000

‘God is on my side', Trump told his re-vitalised Republican Party following the attempt to assassinate him. Bob Dylan's 1964 song 'With God on our side' told how this claim has been used to justify violence and oppression throughout history. Trump is not alone: Patriarch Kirill makes exactly the same claim for Putin's murderous assault on Ukraine. When will we learn that none of us can usurp God's favour or authority? Background music: 'In God We Trust' by United States Marine Band

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Thought for the Week: One Human Family

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 16:14:00 -0000

Sport is not only a good way to celebrate national identity but also a great way to celebrate human convergence; football is one of the best in this respect, where we see teams comprised of so many different ethnicities representing so many different countries. Just as regional identity is something to celebrate within countries, so also is national identity something to celebrate in a global context. But this doesn't mean turning countries into fortresses, and the United Nations needs to play a more prominent role in converging governance. Background music: 'India Fuse' by French Fuse

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Image source: NASA

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Thought for the Week: Debt is the Achilles' Heel of Democracy

Mon, 08 Jul 2024 11:30:00 -0000

The scale of the nominal national debt is staggering, but when you add in unfunded pension schemes (state and public sector) and HM Treasury indemnities to the Bank of England it places a heavy load indeed on the new Chancellor. Her early career at the Bank of England and HBOS will have prepared Rachel Reeves well to tackle this challenge in her new role as Chancellor of the Exchequer; and she will be well aware of the heavy burden being placed on younger generations. Background music: 'Burden Laid Down' by The Westerlies

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Thought for the Week: Egalitarian Capitalism should replace Socialism

Mon, 01 Jul 2024 12:22:00 -0000

Most of us believe in personal freedom within a fairer society, but that combination isn't currently on offer from any of the political parties seeking your vote. It is, however possible — but you need to start young. Reducing the voting age to 16 might help a bit, but a more egalitarian way forward for capitalism calls for starter capital accounts and incentivised learning for disadvantaged young people. Then, you need to do something about wealth concentration brought about by the tech giants. Background music: 'Freedom' by Dan Lebowitz

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Thought for the Week: Learning takes a Lifetime

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 15:18:00 -0000

We all have so much to learn from others as well as from our own experience. In his April 2015 Track Record, Sir Martin Jacomb, who died on 8th June, referred to Gordon Richardson, Bank of England Governor from 1973 to 1983, as his mentor, but it was Martin himself who was my fount of wisdom. Everyone (even Prime Ministers) could benefit from a mentor; I was fortunate indeed to learn from Martin. Background music: introduction for Share Radio's Track Record programme

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Thought for the Week: AI — An Exciting and Fearsome Tool

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 16:40:00 -0000

Tools have accompanied us since the dawn of humanity, but few are as exciting and fearsome as Artificial Intelligence. That's why the Pope chose to talk to G7 leaders last Friday about this swiftly developing technology with his plea that politicians need to ensure that it benefits every human being.

Artificial Intelligence is just one of the long-term concerns included in our pre-General Election survey, asking your opinion on issues not included in party manifestos: these include linking inheritance levies directly to inter-generational rebalancing, transforming the UK's welfare system, and reforming the 'second chamber' to enable proper long-term review of legislation. Please take part! Visit https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/FU34N0/

Background music: 'The New Order' by Aaron Kenny

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Thought for the Week: Say Farewell to Socialism, Sir Keir

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 15:33:00 -0000

Spot the difference (if you can) between the communist and socialist perspectives on welfare, as defined by byjus.com. After seventy-five years it's crippled the public sector with its huge demand for cash, and provides a dysfunctional service due to monopoly strangleholds. It's time for Sir Keir Starmer to move from socialism to egalitarian capitalism: you won't find it in Party manifestos, but you will find it at Share Alliance. Background music: 'People Watching' by Sir Cubworth

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Moral Compass Missing

Mon, 03 Jun 2024 14:50:00 -0000

Nothing seems to shake the populist following of Mr. Trump, which includes a substantial proportion of the evangelical Christian community. Is their moral compass somewhat unbalanced — are they omitting to focus on the second great commandment, to love our neighbours (those least likely to be our 'neighbours') as ourselves? Here in the UK, populism is more associated with the Reform Party, which is attracting 15% of voters compared to the Conservatives 21%. They share Trump's appeal for self-interest and antipathy towards migration: meanwhile the need for a real focus on helping the poor continues. Where's the moral compass?

Background music: 'Charisma' by The Brothers Records

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Thought for the Week: Assess the Individual, not just their Party

Tue, 28 May 2024 16:34:00 -0000

Not my platitudes — but we do indeed need bold reforms, vision, groundbreaking solutions and to lead the edge of change. Our key concerns and calls for action are in this commentary, but they're not in the party manifestos: for example, the call to break the cycle of deprivation first made 50 years ago — we're still waiting. Euphemisms abound as the parties converge towards the central ground in the quest for your votes, but they draw together many different perspectives. Test them on issues such as a more egalitarian form of capitalism, smaller government, inter-generational rebalancing and a longer-term perspective — see where they stand as individuals. Background music: 'Hidden Agenda' by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1200102.

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Thought for the Week: AI raises the urgency for disintermediated participation

Mon, 20 May 2024 16:26:00 -0000

Professor Hinton, the 'godfather of AI', warns that the challenges of Artificial Intelligence are not just economic but also strategic. His quotation of Putin shows clearly the need for a convergent approach towards these risks. And remember the Bletchley conference just six months ago? The scientists have lost no time in preparing their interim report, but there's much to be done in planning the best way forward. Background music: 'Metamorphosis' by Quincas Moreira

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Thought for the Week: Recognising Individual Achievement

Mon, 13 May 2024 14:46:00 -0000

Individual achievement is recognised in many walks of life, and that recognition spurs people on to achieve even greater things. With education, good exam results and university entrance are celebrated, but this doesn't do much for those who find it difficult to get started in the first place. That's why The Share Foundation's introduction of incentivised learning is so important for young people in care, achieving an attitudinal transformation as they progress through the six-step Stepladder course. We need acceptance of incentivised learning to break the cycle of deprivation. Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins. Share Radio webpage for links

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Thought for the Week: Three Presumptions for Re-thinking Politics

Tue, 07 May 2024 11:35:00 -0000

England delivered a withering verdict on its ruling Conservative Party last week, but the motley spread of replacement parties plus low turnout revealed a population thoroughly disenchanted by politics. Democracy is calling for a fresh perspective, based on reason and logic. We need to draw inspiration from people like Thomas Jefferson who said, 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights, and that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.'

Background music: 'Freedom' by Dan Lebowitz

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Thought for the Week: The Illusion of Legacy

Mon, 29 Apr 2024 15:01:00 -0000

Voyager-1's legacy includes greetings in 55 languages, 35 sounds from life on Earth (such as whale songs, laughter, etc.), 90 minutes of music including everything from Mozart and Bach to Chuck Berry and Blind Willie Johnson, all dating back to its launch in 1977. There are also 115 images of life on Earth and recorded greetings from then-US President Jimmy Carter (1924– ) and then-UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim (1918–2007).

It would take about 70,000 years to reach the nearest star to our solar system. In contrast, most tombstones in British graveyards date from well before the Voyager-1 launch, but for most of them it's no longer possible to discern who they commemorate or when they were erected. Burial grounds occupy over 19,000 acres in England, but the legacy they seek to preserve is forgotten within a very small number of generations. Background music: 'Elegy' by Wayne Jones

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Image Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech (installing the archives in Voyager-1)

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Thought for the Week: Logic and Reason in the Spotlight

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 15:34:00 -0000

In so many respects the news that greets us each day seems devoid of logic and reason. Whether it's international conflict, short-termist governments or the denial of reality, we are led to believe that we can walk on water indefinitely and set aside intellectual thought. But the biggest challenge is to bring logic and reason into the public square for young people, at a time when their perspectives have been stunted by the pandemic and social media. It is this new generation which will have to deal with the mess we're leaving behind: let's help them to participate actively. Background music: 'Intellect' by Yung Logos

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Thought for the Week: Action required for Default CTF Pay-out

Mon, 15 Apr 2024 15:34:00 -0000

The core of the problem with unclaimed, adult-owned Child Trust Funds (of which there are over £2 billion waiting to be claimed) is with accounts opened by HMRC. That's why The Share Foundation has proposed a 'default withdrawal at 21' process, based on the young person's National Insurance number. Danny Kruger MP took part in the CTF conference in Westminster on Tuesday 5th March, and two weeks later in a Westminster Hall CTF debate, and supported this initiative which could release £1/4 billion each year to help these young and predominantly low-income young adults. Background music: 'Waiting' by Andrew Langdon

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Thought for the Week: Putting Dormant Assets to Work

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 14:46:00 -0000

Just in the United Kingdom alone, it has been estimated that there is £200 billion lying unclaimed as dormant assets. Better analysis is needed, more use should be made of search facilities by families — but the money needs to be put to work, prioritising inter-generational rebalancing. The Dormant Assets Act 2022 is a major step forward by Government, and the Reclaim Fund will enable its provisions to be put into practice. This will become an increasingly important contribution to empowering disadvantaged young people as the birth rate falls. Background music: 'Sea of Ancestry' by Jesse Gallagher.

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Thought for the Week: Private Equity undermining the UK’s role in global finance

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 16:44:00 -0000

The Bank of England has sounded its strongest warnings yet of the danger to financial stability from Private Equity, and the London Evening Standard simultaneously reported the serious attrition of London Stock Exchange trading activity. We explain the close connection between these, and call for a more global perspective. It's important that both Finance and Government rise to this challenge, so that the United Kingdom can continue to provide a leading role in the development of the global manifesto for which we called on 2nd January. Background music: 'Dark Alley Deals' by Aaron Kenny

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Thought for the Week: Mexican Stand-off over Health

Mon, 25 Mar 2024 17:43:00 -0000

Rachel Reeves points to a sea change in economic policy, 'As we did at the end of the 1970s, we stand at an inflection point': but there's no indication, apart from a tiny hint of criticism for an 'inflexible welfare state', of moving away from the socialist dogma which is ruining health services in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile the Conservatives' fear of losing electoral support among the elderly leaves them incapable of introducing mandatory health insurance for wealthy old folk which the NHS can draw down as it's used. It's a confrontation where no strategy exists that allows any party to achieve change — the only way through is to look for a consensus. Background music: 'People Watching' by Sir Cubworth

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Thought for the Week: Memory and Copyright

Mon, 18 Mar 2024 16:15:00 -0000

The science of memory and how it shapes us is the central question in Dr. Charan Ranganath's new book. It's an absolute truism that memory is deeply personal and individual to each one of us, but does it really vest in the neurons in our brain, or in our soul? In contrast, human creativity is not the possession of intermediating corporations but a collage gathered from right across the great human family. Antiquated copyright legislation is really showing strains as generative AI emulates the thinking process: it's time to overhaul copyright law, and for everyone to share the benefits. Background music: 'In Memory of Jean Talon' by Mini Vandals

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Thought for the Week: Shifting the Burden Stealthily

Mon, 11 Mar 2024 17:18:00 -0000

Jeremy Hunt's focus on young working people by making a further significant reduction in employees' NI is welcome, but his overall strategy is cloaked in disguise. As Michael Gove made clear in February, young people need direct economic encouragement: for example, the omission of any mention of unclaimed adult-owned CTFs indicates more of a studied indifference from HM Treasury. Background music: 'Hidden Agenda' by Kevin MacLeod - http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1200102

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Image: gov.uk, holding the Budget speech box

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Thought for the Week: Counteracting Fear and Greed

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 16:02:00 -0000

Rishi Sunak's call for tolerance in Downing Street on Friday 1st March was couched in terms of hard work and endeavour, which are generally associated with self-interest; but what's really needed is convergence based on generosity of spirit, starting with tolerance and journeying through respect for others, no matter how different they are, towards unconditional love.

Background music: 'Resolution' by Wayne Jones

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Thought for the Week: New Approach needed for Bequests

Mon, 26 Feb 2024 16:42:00 -0000

The birth rate is falling swiftly, leaving wealthy old folk with their ever-greater reserves looking for a home. Meanwhile Professor Eric French and his colleagues ask, 'Why Do Retired Households Draw Down Their Wealth So Slowly?', showing how in the United States 80% of bequests are left to an ever-decreasing number of descendants, and just 2% to charity. It's time for a re-think, whose purpose is inter-generational rebalancing. Background music: 'Young And Old Know Love' by Puddle of Infinity

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Thought for the Week: What's required for a good start to adult life

Mon, 19 Feb 2024 16:53:00 -0000

Much like Sir Keith Joseph, Michael Gove provides intellectual stimulus for the Conservative Party. 'Breaking the cycle of deprivation' was Keith Joseph's strategy in the mid-70s, but after 32 years of Conservative governments there's little progress to show. Is Michael Gove just talking about housing or can he tackle the wider issue, including unclaimed Child Trust Funds? Background music: 'Waiting' by Andrew Langdon

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Thought for the Week: The Word we stretch

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 14:29:00 -0000

With 1.45 billion speakers, English may be the most commonly spoken language across the world, but it displays a real poverty with the word ‘love’. It's not often that St. Valentine shares the same day as Ash Wednesday, but this year the essence of sexual attraction converges with the unconditional love of God at the beginning of Lent, providing a pointer to the contrasting splendours of this wonderful word. Background music: 'Forever Yours' by Wayne Jones

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Thought for the Week: Manifesto for Manifestos (UK)

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 17:38:00 -0000

Universal provision of free health and social care plus the payment of interest on government debt comprise nearly two-thirds of UK public spending. We need fresh polices underpinned by a new set of principles appropriate for the 21st century, and political advisers and pundits would do well to check this Thought for this week when constructing their manifestos for the approaching UK general election. Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins

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Thought for the Week: What is Truth?

Mon, 29 Jan 2024 14:56:00 -0000

We see distortion of the truth in holocaust and genocide denial, in Donald Trump’s refusal to accept his myriad of indictments, and in Putin's denial of invading Ukraine two years ago. Dishonesty and exaggerated claims are commonplace on social media and even work their way into corporate and public bodies, such as we've recently seen in the sub-postmasters’ scandal. Is our increasingly secular society losing touch with its moral compass? Background music: 'Dark Alley Deals' by Aaron Kenny

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Thought for the Week: Participation for All

Mon, 22 Jan 2024 16:47:00 -0000

Huge disparities in wealth lie at the heart of most of humanity's problems, including conflict. The route towards participation for all relies on respect for others, however different, and individual freedom: then the respective needs of adults and young people can be met through 'Stock for Data' and inter-generational rebalancing. Here's a summary report from Share Alliance and The Share Foundation of progress in both these areas over the past year. Background music: 'Hopeful Freedom' by Asher Fulero

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Thought for the Week: The £2 Billion Challenge

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 15:57:00 -0000

The UK sub-postmasters' scandal is not just an issue for politicians: it deeply questions the quality and integrity of corporate governance, auditors and the legal profession: for example, surely The Law Society should have monitored the quantum of convictions and cried 'wolf'? The huge quantum of unclaimed adult-owned Child Trust Funds is a similar massive injustice for young people from disadvantaged and low-income backgrounds. Politicians, account providers and regulators need to take urgent action to tackle the £2 billion challenge: however, The Share Foundation is crying 'wolf' in this case - but will people listen? Background music: 'Missing Persons' by Jeremy Blake

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Thought for the Week: Copyright, and Ownership for All

Mon, 08 Jan 2024 16:20:00 -0000

Steamboat Willie, the original Mickey Mouse, steps into the public domain after 95 years of copyright restriction. Copyright law has been with us for over 300 years, but it's due a serious revision in the light of Artificial Intelligence. The New York Times is relying on current legislation to sue Open AI for infringing their copyright to train ChatGPT, but surely the information and analysis that the NYT report on belongs to us all?

Background music: 'People Watching' by Sir Cubworth

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Thought for the Year: A Global Manifesto for 2024

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 14:46:00 -0000

It's time to step up the role and democratic legitimacy of the United Nations in a way that prioritises peace, harmony, freedom and a fair standard of living for all people, from all walks of life — so let's look beyond national manifestos in this 2024 election year (in both the UK & USA) and start addressing the real global challenges of international conflict, climate change and participation for all. Background music: 'World's Sunrise' by Jimena Contreras.

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Thought for the Week: Shadow over Christmas — Massacre of the Innocents

Wed, 27 Dec 2023 13:16:00 -0000

The Holy Family's flight in Egypt was followed by the 'massacre of the innocents' in and around Bethlehem. Today's Middle Eastern tragedy is again denying thousands of children and young people a future — why can we not learn to live in peace with each other? Every child born into our world has the same mix of amazing potential, whatever their gender, nationality, race or religion. It's not nature which condemns them to mediocrity and despair, but nurture. Therefore, let's all make a new year resolution to vastly improve the way we value and respect children and young people: not only for the sake of their current circumstances and prospects of survival, but also to give them all a real chance to achieve their true potential as adults.

Background music; 'The New Order' by Aaron Kenny

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Thought for the Week: Respect for Others, not Solidarity, is what matters

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 17:36:00 -0000

Christmas is with us again, celebrating the birth of Jesus over two thousand years ago. This year, however, it is overshadowed by the horrific events in the Middle East: so our Thought for Christmas includes a reference to Bishop Steven of Oxford looking across the millenia in his recent address (see link below), and our comments reflect the contrast between the yearning for solidarity (whether national or otherwise) and the failure to show respect for others, however different they may be.

Background music: 'Erev Shel Shoshanim' by E's Jammy Jams

Bishop of Oxford address

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Thought for the Week: More Focus on Young People, please!

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 18:07:00 -0000

On 22nd May, following the Public Accounts Committee hearing in Westminster, our commentary was entitled 'Don’t waste the Child Trust Fund harvest!' It's now over three months since the oldest recipient of these accounts turned 21: with the percentage of unclaimed adult-owned accounts still over 40%, it's time to take action. So please register to join us on Tuesday 5th March at Church House, Westminster, for a major half-day event sponsored by NatWest and The Tracing Group calling for priority action to reach over one million young adults whose accounts, worth over £2 billion in total, are lying dormant because their young adult owners don't know anything about them. Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins.

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CTF Conference webpage & registration

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Thought for the Week: Democracy, Ownership and Young People

Mon, 04 Dec 2023 17:51:00 -0000

Oxford University Professor Ben Ansell is delivering this year's Reith Lectures on the future of democracy: whether it's in retreat across the world, whether citizens of wealthy countries have embraced a false sense of security, how to build a sense of solidarity in polarised societies, and how to enable continued economic growth without wrecking the environment in the process. But will he tackle the question of how democracy can — and it should — evolve from national to global governance? And will he address the need for participation in individual ownership and the accompanying enhanced sense of responsibility, combined with the need for the young to be empowered through inter-generational rebalancing? The next three lectures will tell. Background music: 'Resolution' by Wayne Jones, Image source: BBC

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Thought for the Week: 21st Century Elephant Traps

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 16:40:00 -0000

In the old days we either telephoned someone for a quick answer to a question, or sent a letter which focused the attention of the recipient. Now huge volumes of emails fly across the net, and we're left waiting days for an answer. It may be cheap, but is it productive? Also — People think that debit cards are as safe as credit cards or direct debit authorities — until something goes wrong. And, if it's a continuous payment authority given to an overseas supplier, there's very limited protection available, beyond FCA guidance.

Background music: 'Communicator' by Reed Mathis

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Thought for the Week: Health & Education Shortcomings hold back UK Growth

Mon, 20 Nov 2023 16:45:00 -0000

Adam Smith set out the foundation building blocks for economic growth in the Wealth of Nations, and capital and labour were the key components — Jeremy Hunt says he is now pursuing growth as his key priority, and there's no doubt that increasing capital availability in both public and private sectors will help: but where is the labour capacity? It's on NHS waiting lists ..

Background music: 'The Nexus Riddim' by Konrad OldMoney

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Though for the Week: Who should stay, Who should go?

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 18:33:00 -0000

A warm welcome back for David, now Lord, Cameron. Let's put the years of struggling in the wake of Brexit behind us, and look forward to a new global perspective in which Britain acts as a catalyst in bringing the world together. What better place to start than by setting out plans for strengthening the democratic legitimacy and authority of the United Nations, with a new perspective on long-term governance which fully addresses the challenges of conflict, climate change and inequality.

Background music: 'Master of the Feast' by Kevin MacLeod (licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Image source: CC BY 2.0 DEED Attribution 2.0 Generic

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Thought for the Week: Democratising AI Ownership

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 15:42:00 -0000

In a world absorbed with tension and conflict, it says something about the significance of AI that Rishi Sunak was able to host the conference at Bletchley Park, with government representatives from twenty-eight nations and eight leading Artificial Intelligence businesses. Warnings abound both within and outside the AI industry, including for its impact on employment, to which we referred nearly six years ago. However, is the Bletchley Park gathering just evidence of the rich and powerful flexing their muscles yet again to take control? Surely we should be looking for an alternative, offering mass participation in wealth creation and democratisation through distributed governance?

Background music: 'Digital Solitude' by Silent Partner

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Thought for the Week: What 'Love your enemy' means

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 15:46:00 -0000

This week's Thought proposes four key routes towards 'Loving your enemy', including a gradual transition from national to international law. This would mean justice not being constrained by national borders, so we could look forward to a system of international civil law enforcement replacing reliance on military force to resolve criminal outbreaks — it would also help us to resolve the challenges of climate change. Another element is restorative justice: Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu showed the world that such a system can provide a pathway to peace in the most challenging of circumstances. These initiatives, based on an understanding of unconditional love and an equitable sharing of resources, can provide a way forward from our current woes. Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins. Image source: United Nations

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Thought for the Week: Frozen tax thresholds lose votes

Mon, 23 Oct 2023 16:36:00 -0000

There's a rising crescendo of concern over HM Treasury's decision to leave tax thresholds frozen at current levels until 2028. At a time of high inflation, it particularly bears down on low- and middle-income earners, and itself keeps inflation higher for longer. Several suggestions have been made for alternative ways to sort out the public finances, not least in these Share Radio commentaries, but there's no indication of any willingness to sit down and talk: like an ostrich, heads are firmly in the sand.

Background music 'The Nexus Riddim' by Konrad OldMoney

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Thought for the Week: Unbridled Revenge is not the answer

Mon, 16 Oct 2023 13:50:00 -0000

Unbridled revenge leads to an escalation of the cycle of violence: in a world which possesses such an arsenal for mass destruction, we have to learn how to deal with national insecurity in ways which promote rather than destroy international harmony. In this episode of Share Radio's Thought for the Week, we set out realistic routes by which this can be achieved.

Background music: 'Sarabande' by Joel Cummins

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Thought for the Week: Curate's Egg

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 09:59:00 -0000

As the Party Conference season draws to a close, we check out last week's rather lacklustre Conservative event and add some thoughts to Sunak's agenda for education. Meanwhile, for those more focused on how to invest and still meet the net zero targets, don't miss the Sustain:Social Investing Conference on Saturday 21st October! https://sustain.social

Background music: 'Communicator' by Reed Mathis

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Thought for the Week: Parenting Under Pressure

Mon, 02 Oct 2023 15:19:00 -0000

The scars borne by the younger generation reflect parents under pressure: from relationship breakdown, the demands of work, migration, the cost of living. So we must look intelligently at the journey towards adulthood, responding particularly to the call for reason, and underpin it with the firm foundation of unconditional love.

Background music: 'Generations Away' by Unicorn Heads

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Thought for the Week: Cummings' Unintended Legacy

Mon, 25 Sep 2023 16:20:00 -0000

After the December 2019 election, Dominic Cummings brought HM Treasury under the heel of No. 10. Little did he realise that in 2023 the financiers would be running the whole show. Rishi Sunak, financier par excellence, thinks he is making long-term decisions for a brighter future. Not everyone agrees: but then a week is a long time in politics — or finance, come to that.

Background music: 'Something Is Wrong' by Sir Cubworth

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Image source: BBC

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Thought for the Week: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, U-PHARSIN

Mon, 18 Sep 2023 16:13:00 -0000

Here is our 'writing on the wall': the clearest evidence yet that sea temperatures are undermining the Antarctic. Let's not turn a blind eye and follow the mistakes which destroyed the Libyan city of Derna, whose leaders failed to heed the warnings. The total area of missing sea-ice at the height of the southern hemisphere winter is five times the area of the United Kingdom: no-one can justify denial of global warming in the face of this clear evidence. The catastrophic flooding of Derna should therefore be a wake-up call for us all — don't let climate change get out of control.

Background music: 'Ether Oar' by The Whole Other

Image source: BBC

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Thought for the Week: How do the young become entrepreneurs without financial education?

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 10:54:00 -0000

Last week Jerome Mayhew MP drew attention to the dire state of financial education in the UK: a recent survey for Parliament suggested that 62% of young people had no recollection of being taught about finance in school. But how can it be given proper recognition among teaching staff when there's no Financial Awareness GCSE? Meanwhile King's College Entrepreneurship Lab has launched an inaugural essay competition for Year 12 and 13 students, designed to encourage UK Sixth Form students to pursue entrepreneurial aspirations and to understand better how to launch an enterprise. Great idea — let's give it the oxygen of publicity! Background music: 'The Plan's Working' by Cooper Cannell.

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Thought for the Week: The Need for Fresh Expressions

Mon, 04 Sep 2023 11:10:00 -0000

While Pope Francis looks east to Mongolia, bringing praise for their religious freedom and forward-looking encouragement, The Times reports general confusion among Church of England clergy — meanwhile our fast-changing and often lost and lonely society has a real need for the unconditional love offered by the Christian faith. This calls for Fresh Expressions from the Church of England — an initiative introduced by Rt. Revd. Steven Croft, now Bishop of Oxford:, but currently only 18% of the Church's clergy support its expansion. If only the Anglican Church would learn more from theologian Richard Hooker’s 3-legged stool of Scripture, Tradition and Reason: but in practice its ‘Tradition’ leg is about ten times higher than that of ‘Reason’.

Background Music: 'Requiem In Cello' by Hanu Dixit

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Thought for the Week: The Black Hole of Economics

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 11:18:00 -0000

Enjoy this entertaining romp through capitalist economics from the demise of feudalism to Thomas Picketty’s book ‘Capital in the 21st Century’, but a careful search for any mention of inter-generational rebalancing will leave you disappointed. Welcome to the Black Hole of Economics, the elusive feature which keeps us from integrating free enterprise and individual empowerment with fair provision of opportunity for each new generation to enable them to achieve their potential in adult life.

Background music: 'Generations Away' by Unicorn Heads

Order 'Capitalism - A Graphic Guide' here

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Thought for the Week: Could Africa benefit from Incentivised Learning?

Mon, 21 Aug 2023 10:32:00 -0000

Last week we heard of sixty migrants dying in an attempt to reach Cape Verde across the Atlantic Ocean: young people risking all for a better life. But, as we wrote on 15th May, it's the underlying challenges, including conflict and poverty, that must be addressed. Global problems like these require global solutions: we suggest a combination of inter-generational rebalancing funding a programme of incentivised learning for young people across Africa, providing them with the resources and life skills to start achieving their potential.

Background music: 'Six by Eight' by Jimmy Fontanez_Media Right Productions.

15th May Commentary link

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Thought for the Week: The Consequences of Unbridled Self-Interest

Mon, 14 Aug 2023 14:04:00 -0000

Pixar's 2008 computer-animated movie 'Wall•E' paints a depressing picture of the Earth laid waste by a combination of consumerism, corporatocracy, proliferation of waste and human environmental impact. Just fifteen years later we see this spectre emerging in front of our eyes. But is science the answer, as put forward by Lord Rees in his book 'If Science is to Save Us'? We suggest that the problem is deep-rooted in our unbridled self-interest, and that only a genuine re-building of care for others, including our neighbours of tomorrow, can save us from these horrendous consequences.

Background music: 'Dance of the Mammoths' by The Whole Other

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Thought for the Week: Public Finance Disasters in small print

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 09:51:00 -0000

Government Debt at the end of June '23 was £2.53 trillion, or £38,000 for every person living in the UK. This will be increased by 10% as a result of HM Treasury indemnifying the Bank of England for their QE losses and the cost of the dysfunctional HS2 project. Hidden away on page 54 of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority Annual Report is where you can find their assessment of the huge HS2 project: then check out William Hague's article, 'HS2 has gone from shambles to red alert'. Please visit the Share Radio webpage for links.

Background music: 'Sarabande' by Joel Cummins

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Thought for the Week: Account Providers need to Take Action!

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 14:56:00 -0000

Dame Meg Hillier is Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, which has published its 25-page report into Child Trust Funds following the recent National Audit Office analysis. HMRC is asked to follow a series of recommendations to link young adults to their unclaimed accounts, including getting account providers to take more action. Young adults from disadvantaged households are most in need of the c. £2,000 waiting to be claimed in their Child Trust but an estimated one million 18-20 year-olds are not claiming their money because they don't know anything about it. As we said on 22nd May, don't waste the Child Trust Fund harvest!

Background music: The Plan's Working - Cooper Cannell

Image by Richard Townshend

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Thought for the Week: Loneliness and Mental Health

Mon, 24 Jul 2023 11:38:00 -0000

In mid-2022 there were 716,000 people economically inactive in the United Kingdom because of mental health and neurological conditions, including depression, nerves, anxiety and autistic spectrum disorders: an increase of 33% from 2019. 196,000 of these people were aged 16-34. Part of the explanation is the scar left behind from the pandemic. But that in itself points to a malaise which is rooted in loneliness and self-orientation. Technology is no substitute for human conversation: no amount of social media, text messaging or conversations with Alexa can replicate it.

Background music: 'Digital Solitude' by Silent Partner

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Thought for the Week: Monopolies are not the answer

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 15:57:00 -0000

With aggregate annual licence fee income of £3.7 billion, a degree of self-interest and parochialism which permeates its coverage, and swiftly-reducing interest from young people, the BBC's 100th anniversary poses more questions than answers. Meanwhile the National Health Service, celebrating its 75th anniversary, spends over £158 billion a year in England alone: but still struggles with record waiting times and dismal GP service to patients — yet more evidence of the dysfunctionality of quango monopolies.

Background music: 'The New Order' by Aaron Kenny

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Thought for the Week: Financial Legacies

Mon, 10 Jul 2023 15:19:00 -0000

The shining towers and ivory walls of the City of London — many of our financial trials and tribulations can be traced back to October 1986, when the clear distinction between self-interest and acting in the interests of customers was abruptly brought to an end in the 'Big Bang'. Among those who saw it all happen was legendary market-maker Brian Winterflood MBE, who died on 29th June. His financial legacy, built over sixty years in the City, is massive.

Background music: 'Communicator' by Reed Mathis

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Thought for the Week: The Social Merits of Long-Term Ownership

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 16:21:00 -0000

What is the psychological effect of individual ownership — and, notwithstanding the low starting point, how can we bring a sense of ownership right across society? Is the rate at which people discount the future impacted by their sense of ownership and thereby their sense of responsibility for the future?

Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins

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Thought for the Week: Russia in Crisis

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 14:54:00 -0000

Last Saturday's trail of chaos exposes the challenge facing Russia, absorbed in conflict and with its people living in fear and poverty. Plans are urgently needed to find a way out of this mess: but it has to start with ending the violence in Ukraine. Could there be a role for UN peacekeepers to help while Russia looks for a new way forward?

Background music: 'Russian Dance' by Joey Pecoraro

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Thought for the Week: The Rise and Fall of Honesty

Tue, 20 Jun 2023 15:38:00 -0000

'What is Truth?', were Pilate's last words to Jesus on Good Friday. We all experience being economical with the truth, although the Privileges Committee clearly regards itself as above such a challenge. The result for Boris Johnson is a trashed reputation, alongside others who have experienced a sudden fall from grace. There should, however, be a road back from outer darkness, but not without first some serious self-examination.

Background music: 'Confliction & Catharsis' - Asher Fulero

Image source: https://rateyourmusic.com/

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Thought for the Week: Understanding Entrepreneurs

Mon, 12 Jun 2023 15:22:00 -0000

Entrepreneurial activity is the throbbing heart of business and economic growth, but Evelyn Partners have discovered that 40% of business owners are planning to exit within the next year faced by the spectre of a massive rise in Capital Gains Tax if Labour wins next year's General Election. It's therefore critically important that the Shadow Chancellor, Rachel Reeves builds a full understanding of the dynamics of entrepreneurial endeavour and the deep level of commitment and risk shouldered by those seeking to build long-term businesses.

Background music: 'The Plan's Working' by Cooper Cannell

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Thought for the Week: Repurposing and Reforming Inheritance Tax

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 14:06:07 -0000

Former Chancellor of the Exchequer and Children's Minister Nadhim Zahawi MP set out a strong case for abolishing inheritance tax in last Wednesday's Telegraph. It certainly needs its purpose defined and structural reform — however young people from disadvantaged backgrounds really need starter capital accounts and life skills to break the cycle of deprivation that ties them down, and hypothecation of inheritance tax receipts would transform inter-generational rebalancing.

Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins

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Thought for the Week: Debt, Equity and (long-term) Risk

Tue, 30 May 2023 12:22:00 -0000

Andrew Griffith MP, Economic Secretary to HM Treasury, wants to see a greater appetite for risk to encourage investment in British business. It's good to hear such a positive approach, but let's make it quoted-equity focused; debt and private equity are not the way forward for long-term success.

Background music: 'The Nexus Riddim' by Konrad OldMoney

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Thought for the Week: Don't waste the Child Trust Fund harvest!

Mon, 22 May 2023 18:32:00 -0000

There's currently over £1.7 billion sitting in mature Child Trust Funds belonging to over 900,000 mainly low-income young adults throughout the UK who don't know anything about their good fortune. Linking these accounts to their rightful owners is seeing far too little action at present: Andrew Griffith MP, Economic Secretary to HM Treasury recently dismissed Child Trust Funds as an 'old scheme'. In fact it's anything but — like a crop ready for harvesting, this is the time to link these accounts, and the current focus from the National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee will certainly help. Public Accounts Committee Hearing on 18th May 23

Background music: 'Hopeful Freedom' by Asher Fulero

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Thought for the Week: Tip of the Iceberg

Mon, 15 May 2023 14:10:00 -0000

'Stop the boats', calls the UK Prime Minister, but there's no linking of his short-term strategy to the big global issues which are driving migration: conflict, poverty and climate change. That's why the Archbishop of Canterbury called for a new approach in the House of Lords last Wednesday, seeking to tackle the causes rather than just the symptoms, and calling for a long-term perspective to address these challenges. This episode contains his full speech in parliament.

Background music: 'Freedom' by Dan Lebowitz

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Thought for the Week: Democracy’s struggle with the long-term

Tue, 09 May 2023 16:48:00 -0000

Democracy is a great blessing, but it has a major Achilles Heel — it is not good at coping with all the long-term issues which are growing in number and importance. Trying to address long- and short-term issues together without specific definition will always handicap the former. That's why Princess Anne focused correctly on this challenge in her interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation — but monarchy can do little more than draw attention to the problem, which needs constitutional and political resolution. We propose a way forward out of this dilemma, suggesting how the United Kingdom can set a course for the democracies of the world to follow.

Background music: 'Saving the World' by Aaron Kenny

Image source: BBC Research, based on National Archives Federal Reserve Economic Data

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Thought for the Week: Reigning forwards — or reining back?

Tue, 02 May 2023 10:15:00 -0000

As we progress through the pomp and splendour of the Coronation over the next few days, many will be asking themselves ‘what is the relevance of the monarchy in today's world?’. Will King Charles reign forward, spending the majority of his time travelling the world and building one human family in which discord can become a thing of the past? Or will he just rein back here in the United Kingdom, allowing parochial pressures for contraction to eclipse this wider opportunity?

Background Music: 'World's Sunrise' by Jimena Contreras; image by Mark Tantrum - https://gg.govt.nz/image-galleries/official-portraits, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia; presenters Gavin Oldham & Maxi Maintzer

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Thought for the Week: Investing in Energy

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 15:39:00 -0000

Dire warnings about the damage from climate change, plus the war in Ukraine, mean that we need to wean ourselves quickly off fossil fuels. However the investment markets are very slow in re-aligning opportunities in quoted investment markets: personal investors need to be able to invest in massive renewable energy projects such as Xlinks, but private equity and institutions have got in there first. We need a thorough overhaul of the investable energy sector to provide socially acceptable alternatives to fossil fuels.

Background music: 'Boundless Energy' by Nate Blaze

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Thought for the Week: Understanding Stock Ownership

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 15:06:00 -0000

The first SHARE conference in Cambridge last Friday provided much food for thought, and comments particularly drew attention to the need for widespread understanding of stock ownership if 'Stock for Data' is to take hold. In financial terms and because equity stock in companies is a surrogate for human enterprise, earnings from capital growth and dividends massively outperform bonds and cash over the long term; meanwhile stock owners have a key role in contributing to the governance of their companies, as employee shareownership has shown. All this needs straightforward and intelligible communication.

Background music: 'Communicator' by Reed Mathis

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Thought for the Week: Economic Dynamism across Generations

Tue, 11 Apr 2023 10:27:00 -0000

There's a real logic to maintaining economic dynamism throughout the broad span of adult life: our commentary today picks up on recent reports in The Times on the extent to which parents and grandparents help out, on the value of incentivising young people to build early experience in the workplace, and how fresh ideas and opportunities can bring new potential for those of more mature years. If you don't use it, you'll lose it, body and mind: and we shouldn't get too fixated on retirement!

Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins

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Thought for the Week: Resurrection

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 11:01:00 -0000

The climax of the Easter story, for those of a Christian persuasion, is resurrection: something which should concern us all, because we're all going to die one day — and this is about life after death. Drawing on reason and logic, and referencing great intellectual thinkers throughout history, Revd. Canon Rosie Harper contributes her thoughts to help you make sense of it all.

Background music: 'Erev Shel Shoshanim' by E's Jammy Jams

Image source: BBC

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Thought for the Week: Customer Stock Ownership to the Rescue?

Mon, 27 Mar 2023 15:19:00 -0000

At first sight the challenges facing TikTok and John Lewis appear very different. For the former, it's the risk of being denied access to much of the free world as regulators clamp down over concerns of it becoming a major security threat. For the latter, John Lewis's need to raise investment is threatening the partnership which staff and customers hold in such high regard. These very different problems could, however, both be solved by applying customer stock ownership — in TikTok's case, in return for the immense wealth creation made possible by data harvesting; in John Lewis's case, in return for that £2 billion which they urgently need to update their business model. In each case, disintermediation leading towards a more egalitarian form of capitalism.

Background music: 'On Hold' by Silent Partner

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SHARE Conference on 14th April

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Thought for the Week: Holding Government to Account

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 15:17:00 -0000

The big ticket item this week is the House of Commons Privileges Committee, which is holding a televised evidence hearing with Boris Johnson on Wednesday 22nd March. Select Committees do an important job holding Government to account, and the most powerful is the Public Accounts Committee which oversees the delivery efficiency and effectiveness of Government programmes. They're able to draw on objective analysis provided by the National Audit Office whose latest investigation, published last week, is into the huge Child Trust Fund programme.

Background music: 'People Watching' by Sir Cubworth

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Thought for the Week: Underlying Principles for Taxation

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 17:00:00 -0000

For the past 250 years, starting with Adam Smith, there have been valiant attempts to set out principles for taxation: but they have been principally domestic, and with no attempt to address inter-generational rebalancing. Without specific provisions requiring hypothecation of inheritance levies it's hard to see how disadvantaged young people can be empowered with resources and life skills so that all may share in future wealth creation. Don't expect change in this week's Budget, but the Treasury Select Committee should look again at the principles they established over ten years ago.

Background music: 'Dark Alley Deals' by Aaron Kenny

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Thought for the Week: Boris deserves credit for eventual Irish-EU pragmatism

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 14:11:00 -0000

“Give your grace abundantly to our European Union Leaders, that they may lead with wisdom and insight”, prayed Archbishop John Sentamu in early 2019. But it only became possible to knock sense into Brexit negotiations with the EU once Boris, armed with his very direct slogan ‘Get Brexit Done’ and with his impressive parliamentary majority following the December 2019 general election, took the EU bull by the horns. We all knew then it couldn't be the end of the story and, sure enough, we now have the Windsor Framework: but let's give credit where credit's due.

Background music: 'When Johnny Comes Marching Home' - Cooper Cannell

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Thought for the Week: Male Headship and Putin

Sun, 26 Feb 2023 15:45:00 -0000

Putin's two-hour monologue in Moscow last week sought to justify his assault on Ukraine with a raft of dogma, including a presumption of divine male headship - hardly the basis for economic and social justice for all. Elitist theories, whether based on gender, race or nationality, have no place in an egalitarian, peaceful world: it is men, not women, who start wars and fill the prisons. Likewise, Churches should not allow themselves to be drawn into defending masculinity in the nature of God: please also visit 'Love and the Individual'.

Background music: 'A Fool's Theme' by Brian Bolger

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Thought for the Week: Leadership in Devolved Nations

Mon, 20 Feb 2023 16:30:00 -0000

Just as Nicola Sturgeon steps out of Scottish politics and Rishi Sunak struggles with the Brexit Protocol for Northern Ireland, my attention was drawn to some world-leading legislation passed by the Welsh Government in 2015: 'The Well-being of Future Generations Act'. Recognising the degree to which modern society impacts the future so much more than any of the generations which have preceded us, this Act is of constitutional significance — requiring public bodies to think about the long-term impact of their decisions, to work better with people, communities and each other, and to prevent persistent problems such as poverty, health inequalities and climate change. No wonder that it is attracting interest from countries across the world, offering a huge opportunity to make a long-lasting, positive change for future generations.

Background music: Celtic Impulse by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Thought for the Week: Coping with Change and Disaster

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 17:36:00 -0000

The earthquake disaster in Turkey shows yet again how little we learn from the past, and the limited attention we give to planning for the future. Constitutional principles could do much to help - but are we making best use of them? Meanwhile insurers tend to refer to natural disasters as 'Acts of God', but such a description doesn't align with with the Christian understanding that the nature of God is love. In March 2020 we recorded 'Love at the Cutting Edge' seeking to provide an answer: please click on the link to listen via Share Radio.

Background music: 'Elegy' by Wayne Jones

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Thought for the Week: Solving the AI Challenge to Wealth, Control and Intelligence

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 16:13:00 -0000

The huge take-up of ChatGPT over recent weeks has brought the challenge of Artificial Intelligence into sharp relief. As the Chief Executive of its creator, OpenAI, said in one of his blogs, 'Artificial Intelligence will bring unimaginable wealth but, unless something changes, most of us will get none of it. We need a radical solution'. Conventional wisdom sees Universal Basic Income as the way through this dilemma, but this will only bring us more state intermediation and human subservience. We can put forward a better solution, by enabling all to share in the wealth that technology brings and to play their part in its future governance.

Background music: 'Digital Solitude' by Silent Partner

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Thought for the Week: Generation X in the Spotlight

Mon, 30 Jan 2023 16:51:00 -0000

If you’re currently aged between 43 and 59, start watching the news carefully: the chances are that the Government has you firmly in its sights. Of course there's much talk of getting you back to work, if you're one of the 'economically inactive' following the pandemic — but they also have it in mind to make you wait a couple of years longer before your pension can start. For every downside there is, of course, an upside: but that flows 100% to the Government, since HM Treasury would see a windfall of c. £10 billion pa. Be prepared to roll your sleeves up, unless you can master new technologies!

Background music: 'Officer of the Day March' by the United States Marine Band

https://www.shareradio.co.uk/thinkingaloud/newsletters/comment-wc-2023-01-30/

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Thought for the Week: Resolution in need of foundations

Mon, 23 Jan 2023 17:52:00 -0000

The Resolution Foundation's paper 'ISA ISA Baby' released last week drew a scathing response from This Is Money, and understandably so. Their analysis of the inadequate attention given to building savings and investment in low-income families was very much on target, but they chose to accompany it with an ill thought-out and uninformed attack on the most successful long-term savings and investment plan in the United Kingdom, the Individual Savings Account. The route to a more egalitarian form of capitalism is not through attacking aspiration by penalising those who are successful and thrifty. Savings are not just for a rainy day — they bring economic freedom.

Background music: 'Resolution' by Wayne Jones

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Thought for the Week: Inter-Generational Rebalancing In Action

Mon, 16 Jan 2023 16:19:00 -0000

Everyone knows the key ingredients which provide the best opportunity for a young person to achieve their potential in adult life. Love and encouragement are right at the centre but, following close behind, there’s the need for some financial resources and life skills in order to give them the best opportunity for success. For young people in care, the last two of these plus plenty of encouragement are provided through The Share Foundation, which has just published its 2022 annual report. It also operates a major recovery campaign for the Child Trust Fund which focuses attention on supporting young people in low-income families throughout the United Kingdom.

Background music: 'Ammo' by Density & Time

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Thought for the Week: Professional but Uninspiring

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 15:46:00 -0000

New Year resolutions are in the air, and both Sunak and Starmer set out theirs in speeches on 4th and 5th January respectively. Much of the media reporting was drowned out by Harry's book and associated interviews, and headline objectives such as halving inflation and restoring growth were somewhat 'motherhood and apple pie'. But dig deeper (there are links to the full texts in the webpage commentary) and there are some gems to be found, although they still merit some close scrutiny. However George Bush's 1988 quote seems to encapsulate their performance: 'What's wrong with being a boring kind of guy?'

Background music: 'Resolution' by Wayne Jones

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Thought for the Week: Unwrapping God’s technology

Tue, 03 Jan 2023 10:51:26 -0000

Our understanding of science moves forward relentlessly: it feels that we are not far from unwrapping the mysteries of the spiritual dimension. For example, the seemingly impossible basis of communication which is quantum entanglement, illustrated by murmurations, appears to be beyond the limitations of the known laws of physics — could this be the route by which the disciplines of spiritual and scientific endeavour can converge? Meanwhile the established Churches seem locked in tradition as they struggle to present the message of love and servant leadership which Jesus brought.

Background music: 'In the Temple Garden' by Aaron Kenny

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Thought for the Week: Action for Oldies

Wed, 28 Dec 2022 15:16:00 -0000

Liz Truss and Kwazi Kwarteng could have done with the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee report 'Where have all the workers gone?' to supplement our commentary on 26th September 'Workforce Capacity is the Missing Link'. It was, however, published a couple of working days before Christmas, and it prompted us to consider again what's happened to the more than half a million people who are not employed and not claiming benefits. So, supported with evidence from the excellent Oldie magazine, we offer a few thoughts on a wide variety of enterprising activity that these older folk could be doing — and we round off this episode with a further suggestion for entrepreneurial activity which the Government might support in due course.

Background music: '64 Sundays' by Twin Musicom, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Artist: http://www.twinmusicom.org/

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Thought for the Week: Moving on from 2022

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 16:28:00 -0000

Let's hope that, as we approach 2023, we can start looking ahead in contrast to the wave of pessimism with which we greeted 2022, and which has proved to be so accurate in retrospect. Is it too much to hope that we are at the nadir of the economic cycle, and at the point when tyrants recognise the limits of force and suppression of individual freedom? Is it unrealistic to imagine a world in which we share our resources more willingly, and empower young people from all backgrounds to achieve their potential? The next two weeks will give us a chance to reset the dial — we must do better in 2023.

Background music: 'O Holy Night' by DJ Williams

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Thought for the Week: Transforming our nation of shopkeepers into global financiers

Mon, 12 Dec 2022 15:32:00 -0000

Last week's rather under-stated 'Edinburgh Reforms' will pave the way for a major step forward in the UK's contribution to global financial services. In what Mark Austin describes as a 'Darwinian evolution', this broad set of regulatory changes not only frees the City from decades of living under the European Union umbrella of directives, but also continues with measures to ease over-reaction following the 2008 financial crisis.

Background Music: 'The New Order' by Aaron Kenny

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Thought for the Week: Sharing Love

Mon, 05 Dec 2022 17:45:00 -0000

Last week's Census announcement, that the population of those in England and Wales who identify as Christian has fallen below 50% for the first time in 1,500 years, contrasts strongly with the fact that the secular culture which surrounds us is more deeply embedded than ever with the values that Jesus taught — arguably more so than the Church itself — to love our neighbours as ourselves. How did the Church get left behind, and what should it learn from those who are not its members?

Background music: 'Not Forgotten' by Dan Lebowitz

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Thought for the Week: The Pointlessness of War

Mon, 28 Nov 2022 16:35:00 -0000

Even if Putin were to succeed in his barbarous land-grabbing attempt, what would he inherit? A land where almost all facilities of civilisation are being bombed into oblivion, inhabited by a people filled with disgust and distrust for the Kremlin autocracy: and, bearing in mind that an estimated 11 million Russians have family in Ukraine and the close cultural relationship between their two countries, this disgust and distrust will be shared by much of the Russian population. Meanwhile the young generation is of course the most impacted by conflict, which is almost always initiated by old men. So the pointlessness of war is not lost on these young generations, whose high level of communication and mobility also gives rise to a much better understanding of the need for global interconnectivity.

Background Music: 'Breathing Planet' by Doug Maxwell

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Thought for the Week: Conservative Socialism

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 16:30:00 -0000

Far from digging the UK out of the mess that seventy years of socialist welfare have got it into, our new Conservative government seems intent on burying us still deeper. Of course fiscal responsibility must come first, but why perpetuate the myth that everyone, including the wealthy, must receive equal free rations: even if it significantly reduces the amount of public resources available for those most in need? At least the NHS in Scotland has heard the message, even if politicians across the board don't understand (or is it just electoral bribery?). What we really need is a strategy for individual freedom within an egalitarian society — we're a long way from this at present.

Background music: 'Freedom?' by Dan Lebowitz

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Thought for the Week: Empowering the United Nations

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 16:35:00 -0000

The greatest challenges facing humanity - climate change, economic injustice and peaceful coexistence - are global and long-term in character. The United Nations talks about them, but lacks authority — which can only come from democratic legitimacy. We propose a country-by-country transition to directly-elected UN representatives in order to enable global long-term solutions to take precedence.

Background music: 'World's Sunrise' by Jimena Contreras

Share Radio webpage for links

Image source: Wikipedia

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Thought for the Week: Barriers to Social Mobility

Mon, 07 Nov 2022 16:42:00 -0000

The UK Office for National Statistics reports that one person in every six was born overseas. It's evident that geographical mobility is already with us: the problem is now social mobility. Solutions lie not with parochial nationalism, but in working with business and organisations with an international governance remit such as the UN for a long-term resolve, just as we are attempting to do with climate change.

Background music: 'Wandering Soul' by Asher Fulero

image source: Hippopx

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Thought for the Week: Investing Basics

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 16:44:00 -0000

Following the past few turbulent weeks on stock markets, the launch of a new training course called ‘Investing Basics’ by the UK society for individual shareowners 'ShareSoc' comes at a good time. It will both remind seasoned investors of good practice, and help newbies understand the dynamics of the markets and the potential for good investment. After setting the scene for a fresh look at investing prospects, we invite you to find the links to the ten-video series here, via the webpage version of our Thought for this Week:

Share Radio webpage for full commentary and links (incl. the videos)

Background music: 'Dark Alley Deals' by Aaron Kenny

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Thought for the Week: Educational Choice

Mon, 24 Oct 2022 15:13:00 -0000

As Rishi Sunak steps into the lead role in British politics, we look at the educational choices which have paved the way for him, and discuss how the search for a more egalitarian form of capitalism can reconcile opportunity for all with individual freedom. The degree to which parents take responsibility for that education, as Rishi's parents did for him, is critical — and that poses a significant question for the huge numbers of young people who are not enjoying a traditional family upbringing.

Background Music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins

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Thought for the Week: Health and the Economy

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 15:38:00 -0000

Our new Chancellor of the Exchequer, formerly the longest-ever serving British Health Secretary, is uniquely well-placed to understand the burden that universal health care provision places on the public finances, and why we must crack this 70-year addiction. In this episode, we analyse how heavily this burden is impacted by care for older people, many of whom are well-placed to be able to cover the costs which they incur. Now is the time to take a fresh look at the 41% of central government spending committed to the health service — we propose that in future there should be an intelligent use of mandatory private medical insurance for those who can afford it, with the NHS drawing down the cost of their treatment from their insurer, as it’s incurred. ('FCE' stands for 'Finished Consultant Episode')

Background music: 'The Plan's Working' by Cooper Cannell

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Thought for the Week: Excess Debt is not the answer

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 14:47:00 -0000

The past seventy years have seen remarkable progress in so many areas, but they have also been accompanied by a growing addiction to debt. We've lost connection with the disciplines which should govern the use of debt: like the road runner who has just lost touch with the cliff edge, there is no longer any solid ground on which we can land — so we must now anticipate painful re-adjustment as markets fall. We need to move to a mindset where debt is a form of investment for the future, to be drawn down carefully and sparingly — not to be used either for chasing higher and higher prices, or for incessant Government bail-outs.

Background music: 'Addicted' by VYEN

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Thought for the Week: Science to the Rescue

Mon, 03 Oct 2022 14:28:00 -0000

Lord Rees, Astronomer Royal and former Master of Trinity College Cambridge, has just published a new book called ‘If Science is to Save Us’, which he discussed at a Topos Institute seminar at the Royal Society in London on Wednesday 27th September. Our 'Thought' for this week reflects on his analysis of the mega-challenges which confront us, picking up links to commentaries on his themes which we have provided over recent years, and which are accessible from the website commentary link below.

Background music: 'Ether Oar' by The Whole Other

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Thought for the Week: Workforce Capacity is the Missing Link

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 14:37:00 -0000

There's a key missing link in Kwasi Kwarteng's mini-Budget strategy — workforce capacity. The unemployment rate is already at a record low of 3.6%, with many more vacancies than job-seekers: if we don’t tackle workplace capacity, the new Growth Plan won’t work. However there are initiatives we can take at both ends of the working age-range which could increase the available workforce by at least half a million people, together with significantly improving mobility for young adults to take advantage of work opportunities wherever they arise, and reducing public expenditure on health and care services. So, while the current focus is understandably on Government borrowing and the exchange rate, we must increase workforce capacity for the Growth Plan to succeed.

Background music: 'The Plan's Working' by Cooper Cannell

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Thought for the Week: Energy Supply - the Silver Lining

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 13:52:00 -0000

The ground-breaking announcement last week from the Oxford Institute for New Economic Thinking, almost totally eclipsed when it was published, is that decarbonizing the energy system by 2050 could save at least $12 trillion compared to continuing with our current levels of fossil fuel use. So, once this has transformed energy supply across the world, can we at last look forward to a silver lining to the dark clouds currently hanging over us, in terms of drawing a line under climate change, economic turmoil and international conflict?

Background music: 'Solar Power' by Ashley Shadow.

Image source: Institute for New Economic Thinking

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Thought for the Week: Tributes to the Queen

Fri, 09 Sep 2022 18:21:00 -0000

“I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year, ‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’ And he replied, 'Go out into the darkness , and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light, and safer than a known way.'”

- indeed, the guiding light for the servant leadership that she gave us throughout these past seventy years. Our Thought for this Week comprises the tributes given in the House of Commons on Friday 9 September, beginning with the Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, and followed by -

(4:46) Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP, The Prime Minister

(11:17) Rt Hon Keir Starmer MP

(20:06) Sir Peter Bottomley MP

(20:36) Rt Hon Ian Blackford MP

(27:57) Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP

(36:31) Rt Hon Harriet Harman KC MP

(41:53) Rt Hon Theresa May MP

(50:05) Rt Hon Ed Davey MP

Background Music: 'New Year's Anthem' by Quincas Moreira

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Thought for the Week: Transforming Leadership

Mon, 05 Sep 2022 14:11:00 -0000

As Liz Truss takes the hot seat in British politics, we explain why political leaders must embrace disintermediation and servant leadership as the way forward to a better world: indeed, this may have been the missing link in Gorbachev's Russia which might have enabled egalitarian capitalism rather than oligarchs and autocracy. Arrogance is so often the Achilles heel of leaders, and genuine humility is hard to detect. So, as she takes the reins in 10 Downing St, we call for a proper understanding of servant leadership and explain why disintermediation is critical to effective delivery, the ability for all to share both wealth and opportunity, and a legacy of continuing progress for the future.

Background music: 'When All of This is Over' by The Westerlies

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Thought for the Week: Future generations left stranded by Baby Boomers

Tue, 30 Aug 2022 14:40:00 -0000

Hardly a day goes by without yet more evidence of our approach to empowering the next generation being wholly dysfunctional; the gap between Baby Boomer and Millenial wealth is reaching record proprtions. Meanwhile, as President Biden made his bold move last week to cancel student debt, it provoked an explosive eruption of criticism from Wall Street Journal readers. Here in the UK, another initiative to help the young, the Child Trust Fund, has over £1 billion waiting to be claimed by young adults, almost all from low-income backgrounds, due to a lack of focus from Government. It's hard to avoid the conclusion that we are a selfish and short-sighted generation of ‘Baby Boomers’ — we need to stand back and take stock of our failure to empower coming generations.

Background music: 'Future Glider' by Brian Bolger

Please visit Webpage for charts and links

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Thought for the Week: Quality of life for all is the challenge

Mon, 22 Aug 2022 14:40:00 -0000

The contrast between stock market reaction so far this year and that which followed the oil price shock in the 1970s suggests that there is little comparison with those days: and yet the massive increase in fossil fuel and food prices driven by Putin's war in Ukraine is every bit as severe as then. So why, notwithstanding the fact that economic recession is expected, are stock markets so sanguine about the conditions facing us today? It has all to do with the very different impact felt by different segments of society as a result of chronic polarisation of wealth, and it explains why we need to move to a more egalitarian form of capitalism.

Background music: 'Sarabande' by Joel Cummins

Webpage links⁮

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Thought for the Week: Generational Disconnect

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 14:04:00 -0000

Janice Turner's strikingly clear article in Saturday's Times (13/8/22) sets out why young people from low income households have such a struggle finding stability and economic security, after years of student debt, soaring house prices, and a much higher risk of split parents. In 2010 David Willetts' book 'The Pinch' was published, setting out the huge generational divide at that time: but over the past 12 years, the position has deteriorated significantly. Will Liz Truss call for change?

Background music: 'Land of My Fathers' by The 126ers

Links via Share Radio webpage

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Thought for the Week: ++ Justin's Lions

Sun, 07 Aug 2022 16:49:00 -0000

Opening the Lambeth Conference last week, Archbishop Justin drew his colleagues' attention to the ‘lions’ threatening humanity with attack, hostility, danger and uncertainty, summarising them as climate change, religious extremism, war and government oppression, economic injustice and poverty, and culture wars. His comments on science and technology were more circumspect, accepting their capacity to deliver solutions as well as to present challenges. It is, however, important to recognise how long-term and short-term motivations to tackle these challenges are so often in conflict. In a world where our actions today influence the long-term more acutely than at any time in history, we must re-balance our search for solutions in order to avoid the long-term being continually eclipsed by, and often sacrificed to, the short-term.

Background music: Brass Chorale and Motet by Sir Cubworth

Links via Share Radio webpage

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Thought for the Week: Engage or Detach?

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 09:48:00 -0000

The dilemma between whether to engage or detach has challenged humanity for millennia. In all walks of life, from international tensions to faith, and from living in a civilised society to personal relationships, it challenges us — whether to work hard at finding solutions, or to stand aloof. As we've seen in Ukraine, with international relationships detachment leads ultimately to conflict. It's an outcome which our ancestors have had to suffer throughout history but, since the mass deployment of nuclear weapons, it is now an existential threat every bit on a par with the other great issue of our time: climate change. In both respects, engagement is now not only the preferred way forward — it's the only way which makes it possible to see a long-term future.

Background music: 'Resolution' by Wayne Jones

Links via Share Radio website commentary

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Thought for the Week: Sacrificing the economy to NHS universality

Mon, 25 Jul 2022 15:20:00 -0000

Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak are both understandably focused on the economy, challenged by massive public debt and soaring inflation, but who will tackle the 'elephant in the room' of the gargantuan health and social care budget, which has resulted from seventy years addiction to socialist universality? We update our proposal first made in June 2018, since when the cost per adult of health and social care has doubled.

Background music: 'Addicted' by VYEN

Links:

June 2018 Commentary, with original proposal

HM Treasury Public Expenditure Analysis

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Thought for the WeeK: Personal Share Ownership Matters

Mon, 18 Jul 2022 15:37:00 -0000

Publication of the Austin Report by HM Treasury should herald a new era for a vibrant UK stock market and much greater profile for personal investors. However there needs to be significant improvements for the latter, including strengthened rights to share owner communication and voting for those whose holdings are in nominees, normalising the threshold levels for partaking in circularisations and resolutions, and the ability for personal investors to take part in the 'rump' sell-off of nil-paid rights so that personal investors as a genre are not diluted. It's a time for change ..

Background Music: Hopeful Freedom by Asher Fulero

Links:

Austin Review explained

Share Owner Enfranchisement

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Thought for the Week: There has to be a role for the unconventional

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 15:24:00 -0000

People come in all shapes and sizes, and there are many people who have that strange combination of seemingly boundless energy and inherent unpredictability which are found in Mr Johnson. People who are more measured and reliable find them intensely frustrating, but there should still be a place for unconventional people, albeit not as prime minister. In this episode we find other examples in history of unconventional individuals who were also not accepted by many of the people with whom they worked, and we look not so much at weighing their offences but counting their merits in asking how the undoubtable strengths of someone like Boris can work for the benefit of all.

Background music: 'Enable the Tiger' by JAde Wii

Links:

https://www.shareradio.co.uk/thinkingaloud/newsletters/comment-wc-2022-05-09/

https://www.shareradio.co.uk/media/8400/mark-antony-speech.pdf

https://www.shareradio.co.uk/media/8401/how-do-you-solve-a-problem-like-maria-lyrics.pdf

Image source: By Ben Shread / Cabinet Office, OGL 3, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83764351

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Thought for the Week: Wanted - Systemic Commitment for Inter-generational Rebalancing

Mon, 04 Jul 2022 15:34:00 -0000

Are rich people who come from poverty more likely to be sympathetic to others in poverty because they understand their lives? Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, clearly isn't: here he is speaking in 2014 'You are poor because you have no ambition'. And a new study confirms that those who make the journey from rags to riches are more likely to pull the ladder up behind them. It goes to show that, if we want a fair and just society where young people have not only the life skills but also some resources to achieve their potential as an adult, we must build the strategy into the structure of our economic governance: much as public health and addressing climate change are accepted by an all-party consensus.

Background Music: Waterfall by Aakash Ghandi

Links:

Research Article

https://www.shareradio.co.uk/podcasts/the-hypnotist-the-bathtub-of-money-02-jul-22/

https://www.shareradio.co.uk/podcasts/the-bigger-picture-the-politics-of-nothingness-young-activists-secular-britains-rituals-30-jun-22/

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Thought for the Week: Guiding Principles for our first 250

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 15:54:00 -0000

Welcome to our 250th commentary, all produced over these last five years since Share Radio moved to 100% online broadcasting. It's been a period of massive change and increasing clarity on what we need to do to sort out the problems of the world, and we hope these thoughts are making some contribution in that respect. To mark this staging point we thought it might be helpful to set out some of the guiding principles which have steered, and will continue to steer, our comment.

For our full list of commentaries, please visit https://www.shareradio.co.uk/thinkingaloud/newsletters/

Background music: Hovering Thoughts by Spence

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Thought for the Week: Our human legacy — personal and species

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 14:28:00 -0000

In much of modern life we value the present much higher than either the past or the future; the latter because, if we'd like our descendants to remember where they came from, we would need to leave them a legacy — which we’re clearly not prepared to do, either in our personal and civic lives. So in this episode we consider some of the range of areas afflicted by this timeline poverty, and how this focus on the ‘now’ threatens the whole prospect of a legacy for our species as a result of both climate change and international aggression.

Links: UN video & Thought for the Day 2 March 2004 (BBC Radio 4)

Background music: Turn by The Tower of Light

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Thought for the Week: Sense of Ownership

Mon, 13 Jun 2022 15:28:00 -0000

Boris Johnson clearly hopes that an increased focus on home ownership will restore his fortunes as we approach the next election in the United Kingdom: we've certainly slipped a long way from the focus on ‘right to buy’ and popular capitalism over the decades since Margaret Thatcher was in power. Politicians often speak glibly about ownership as if it's a definitive term, but the sense of ownership depends on a whole range of features. We look at a number of different styles of, and pressures on, ownership, and how they weaken or strengthen that sense of connection for which Boris Johnson is no doubt seeking.

Background music: Timeless by Slenderbeats

Visit https://www.shareradio.co.uk/thinkingaloud/newsletters/comment-wc-2022-06-13/ for links

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Thought for the Week: The Global Elizabethan Legacy

Mon, 06 Jun 2022 17:37:00 -0000

The Commonwealth's extraordinary ability to reconcile and accept diversity of politics and faith in this huge and growing family of nations started with Elizabeth seventy years ago. Democracy works well within nations, but her generosity of spirit has proved how an appointed leader can bring about real reconciliation between nations. The British people have yet to learn what this lesson of true partnership in the Commonwealth of nations and faith really means. We are too quick to recall our sense of history and importance, too quick to reach for our Union Jacks and our ‘Rule Britannia’. We have a lot to learn from our Queen, and perhaps we should start by paying much more attention to the Commonwealth which she has fostered so brilliantly over the past seventy years.

Background music: Airline by Geographer

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Thought for the Week: Raleigh off the Road

Mon, 30 May 2022 15:51:00 -0000

It's sad to see the demise of Raleigh International, which has arranged for 55,000 young people to join expeditions to developing countries over the past 44 years. Not only have they helped many communities in countries such as Nepal, Tanzania, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, but they have also helped open the eyes of young adults to the wider world. In this episode we look at Raleigh as an example of an organisation that failed to adjust to the challenge of the pandemic and other global impacts, and that had allowed itself to become too reliant on Government over recent years. At a time when global convergence and inter-generational rebalancing are urgently required, we hope a solution will be found by the Raleigh administrators to recover and rebuild their activities.

Background music: India Fuse by French Fuse

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Thought for the Week: Looking Forwards

Mon, 23 May 2022 13:20:00 -0000

'Consult not your fears, but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.' - Pope John XXIII

The old saying ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it’ (George Santayana) has its place, but only to the extent that it helps us to move to a better future. It is a feature of our material existence that time marches forward at a constant pace — we cannot revisit the past, for better or for worse: so why dwell in it? At a time when there is a perfect storm of convergent problems, it's worth looking beyond our present experiences and seeing how we can make the world a better place.

Background music: 'Communicator' by Reed Matthis

Visit https://www.shareradio.co.uk/thinkingaloud/newsletters/comment-wc-2022-05-23/ for links

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Thought for the Week: Government must learn how to be a catalyst

Mon, 16 May 2022 15:40:00 -0000

The Bank of England expects the price inflation peak to be high, but short-lived: however if it feeds into wage inflation it could seriously undermine both national debt servicing and the property market: that's why the Government appears to be adopting a tight fiscal stance and announcing a large reduction in the civil service. Carefully targeted support with the swiftly rising cost of living is urgently needed for those most in need and, if the Government can't or won't respond, it could be enabled through the voluntary sector: with Government acting as catalyst. However this is a role to which they're not currently accustomed.

Background music: 'Everything has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins.

Please visit https://www.shareradio.co.uk/thinkingaloud/newsletters/comment-wc-2022-05-16/ for links

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Thought for the Week: The need to re-discover Conservative values

Mon, 09 May 2022 14:25:00 -0000

Will Johnny go marching home, after this awful set of mid-term elections for the Conservatives? He has the intelligence needed to steer this country forward, as he's shown with both Brexit and the Covid-19 vaccine strategy. However, he has a major handicap: he not only lacks a firm foundation in Conservative values, but he's also prone to falling foul of the cult of personality. As he can't seem to get to grips with this handicap, the Conservative Parliamentary Party should take steps to build a new leadership to move it forwards, closely aligned to its core values.

Background music: 'Johnny comes marching home' by Cooper Cannell

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Thought for the Week: Young People Search for Meaning

Tue, 03 May 2022 10:05:00 -0000

The Theos Think Tank has demonstrated that the ‘angry hostility towards religion engineered by the new atheist movement is over' in their report ‘Science and Religion: moving away from the shallow end’. This shows how young people are increasingly open to exploring the meaning of life, and prepared to explore the bridge between science and faith. This podcast brings out some of the key points emerging from their work and provides insights from economics and the book of Ecclesiastes in order to argue that the best way to tackle these dilemmas is through the application of logic.

There are a wide range of links from the webpage version of the commentary, which can be accessed at https://www.shareradio.co.uk/thinkingaloud/newsletters/comment-wc-2022-05-03/

The background music is the track 'Resolution' by Wayne Jones.

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Thought for the Week: Inflation Drivers

Mon, 25 Apr 2022 16:09:00 -0000

The range of major drivers which will steer inflation over the years ahead is wide and diverse, but their duration must be considered as well as their positive or negative impact on rates. For example, the drivers most affected by Putin's war in Ukraine are energy shortages and supply chain disruption, and the threat of de-globalisation in future. These all contribute to higher inflation but it is only a more cautionary approach leading towards de-globalisation which will persist. Meanwhile technology, demographics and a swifter transition to low cost alternative energy will all bear down on price rises. In this commentary we take a look at nine major influences on future rates of inflation, and conclude that central bankers are right to be cautious about chasing after inflation with their interest rate policy.

Webpage version of commentary: https://www.shareradio.co.uk/thinkingaloud/newsletters/comment-wc-2022-04-25/

Image source:

License: Creative Commons 3 - CC BY-SA 3.0

Attribution Link: Pix4free.org - link to - https://pix4free.org/

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Thought for the Week: Realising Individual Potential

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 13:13:00 -0000

Helping young people to achieve their potential as an individual is a key objective for those who believe in a more egalitarian form of capitalism. So in this episode, we focus on some initiatives which will help us move in that direction in the years ahead. Included in this programme is an excerpt from the epilogue of Antoine de Sainte Exupery's 'Wind, Sand and Stars'. Background music is 'Solar Power', by Ashley Shadow

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Thought for the Week: Misrepresenting Christianity

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 15:13:00 -0000

How can Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church justify his support for Putin's murderous assault as in keeping with Christian teaching? Former Church of England Archbishop Rowan Williams, whose long affinity with the Orthodox Church brings a deep awareness of its history, is right to call for Russian Orthodox expulsion from the World Council of Churches. In this week before Easter we need to re-visit basic Christian teaching on respect for others, however different they may be to ourselves. As our quote from author D.B. Harrop says: 'Have a big enough heart to love unconditionally, and a broad enough mind to embrace the differences that make each of us unique'.

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Thought for the Week: Abundance and Scarcity

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 17:21:00 -0000

The contrast in wealth distribution between key regions and countries around the world is as stark as ever. In this commentary, using analysis in the Credit Suisse Global Wealth Databook, we look at the convergence we need to achieve in order to help encourage a more egalitarian form of global capitalism.

The music accompanying this episode is The Nexus Riddim by Konrad OldMoney

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Thought for the Week: Needed - A Strategy for Sharing

Tue, 29 Mar 2022 10:46:00 -0000

There's no question over Rishi Sunak's commitment to a strategy to encourage people to work; however, faced with a major cost of living crisis for those on the breadline, there's a real need to complement it with a strategy for sharing. If HM Treasury is not inclined to assist, it should at least set out a plan to encourage those who will.

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Thought for the Week: Is mass charisma the Achilles heel of humanity?

Tue, 22 Mar 2022 12:28:54 -0000

The sight of Putin seeking to rally his 'supporters' at Moscow’s Luzhynik Stadium is nothing new: the use of mass charisma as a tool for controlling people goes back millennia, and remains a major challenge for those who believe in individual liberty. This week we look at how the technique, recognised by German sociologist and political economist Max Weber as one of three tools of political domination, is used to inject a subconscious herd mentality into humanity and how, at a personal level, it can be controlled.

Accompanying music is 'Russian Dance' by Joey Pecoraro

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