The David McWilliams Podcast

What do you get when you cross Donna Summer, David Bowie, Bitcoin, Joseph Schumpeter, creativity and innovation? You get the essence of the modern capitalist economy, something called “creative destruction” - the most potent force in economics. In this podcast ,we explore the role of disruption in the economy from 1970s disco beats to 21st century blockchain technology. Hope you enjoy it and tell us about what you thought! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s time to face the facts - the war on drugs has been a failed experiment. Anyone with a basic knowledge of economics and supply and demand will know that prohibition drives prices upwards, drive profits into the hands of criminal gangs and those very profit coaxes more gangs into the business, leading to more and more violence. It's time to call time on the war on drugs and apply common sense economics to this global issue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we examine today’s geo-politics, the China vs America showdown and related economic threats through lessons from Japan’s Meji Restoration, plus Soviet and Chinese history. Remember, those who forget their economic history are condemned to repeat it. Enjoy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why has Germany, the most important country in Europe, not had the political sway that matches its economic dominance and how that might change in the future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dublin Port is 600 acres of prime residential land, beside the sea, close to all transport links and it should be developed in a new city on the water. The rest of the world is moving their ports, even Cork is, yet in Dublin, the legacy of a time when ports had to be at the mouths of rivers because rivers were a country’s key transport links, dominates our urban thinking. It is time to move the port, reimagine the city, reconsider the gateway to the capital and reorientate our city to face the sea, Dublin’s best natural resource, rather than turning our backs to it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The global markets have never been so connected, and economies tend to be cyclical - what does that mean for Ireland as we face the real possibility of a global economic slowdown? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Trump lands in Ireland this week, we examine his trade war with China, his tariff policy and who it really hurts, plus why China and the US are heading for a major conflict and why the new Cold War is in truth a tech Cold War which the US believes it has to win and the implications of all this for politics, Silicon Valley and the world economy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's a wind of change in the air and its nationalism, you can feel it - it's in France, in the UK and even in Ireland. For the first time in a long time, Brexit and demographics in Northern Ireland have opened a real possibility of a united Ireland. But what would it mean, culturally, politically and economically? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is going to be a bit of a different one - back in 2017 I had a chance to sit down with Bernie Sanders for a wonderful conversation - and as some of the topics discussed then are still making headlines now, we wanted to share this amazing conversation with you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s time to join the dots. We explore why the shift to the left from younger voters is simply a logical reaction to policies that were put in place to save the baby boomer’s way of life, what that means for politics & for the economy now, and in the future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Dublin about to experience a commercial property crash? For some, the skyline with swarms of cranes signals prosperity, to others it signals risk. Which one will it be? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

They say history repeats itself. Economic history certainly does. In this podcast, we are going to look at the upcoming European elections and in particular, the rise of populist parties, through the lens of Irish history and specifically, what happened in American politics in reaction to 1000 Irish emigrants a day arriving, poor and destitute into New York in the 1840s and 1850s. The story the Irish in the ghettos of New York and “nativist” political reaction to mass migration will help us understand what is going on in Europe right now. I hope you enjoy it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can Ireland make the best of Brexit? Join us as we explore the potential benefits and pitfalls of Brexit through soccer anecdotes, comparisons with Yugoslavia, and childhood bar stories to outline Ireland's path to success post-Brexit Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.