The David McWilliams Podcast

Happy Christmas! Here's a fascinating discussion that I've had with Naomi Klein this year that covers a wide range of political topics - something to ponder on as we all take a well deserved break! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As I spend my last night in Los Angeles, I’ve come to appreciate the drive of this city where so many creative endeavours are born. Hollywood is the core of America’s soft power - What story will it tell next? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Live from Las Vegas we talk about 2024, the upcoming American election, falls in global interest rates, potential American isolationism, the Gutenberg Bible, today’s AI boom - and where it is all taking us! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Time to eat humble pie? Despite us saying last year it that Bitcoin was a BS idea, its value has risen over 150% this year! What’s behind the surge? We talk about Notorious B.I.G, Benjamin Franklin, the wisdom of Charlie Munger and the fact that Bitcoin is something, but it ain't money! But where from here? Should we revise our stance on the technology? Joins us to find out! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ireland has a massive deficit in public infrastructure and a massive surplus in the public finances. Economists are advising the government to save on the basis that saving is "good". But not spending when we have an increasing immigrant population is a recipe for social chaos. This podcast is celebration of spending. Ireland's tax base is set up to generate surplus, so spend the money. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Putin's back, swanning around the Gulf visiting Saudi Arabia and the UAE, telling the world that he was never really away. Things are going his way. Meanwhile America, is swamped with recurring geopolitical crises and its role as the global top dog is under enormous pressure as we head into an election year. 2024 could be the year of a global infection point, we set out the issues. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We mark the death of Shane MacGowan by looking at the Irish Diaspora, particularly in England and its impact on English popular culture. From there we look at Ireland's relationship with its Tribe abroad and from there, we imagine what a 2nd Irish Republic will look like (which will happen because it's necessary) and the role of the diaspora in this thinking. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liberal democracy in the western world is all too often taken for granted. But its enemies, nationalists, theocrats, Marxists and isolationists - are rising. Will Israel become a "wedge" issue? Also, why we should defend it and what the erosion of commercial liberalism in China is doing to its economic performance. What does 2024 has in store for the best political idea we've come up with yet, liberal democracy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the riot, the analysis. We look at the power of crowds, why crowds love destruction, why they grow and how they the dissipate. Plus, of course the economics of the Irish far right, we look at the numbers, who are they and why they are here to stay. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From tantric sex expert to President, Javier “chainsaw” Melei is a new type of populist - and anarchy-capitalist one! What does this mean, is this guy libertarianism’s answer to Che Guevara? And where will “dollarisation” take this beautiful but profoundly dysfunctional country? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The board of Chat GPT may be firing its CEO, but that doesn't mean this revolution is slowing down. A whistle wind tour from the dawn of time with Stanley Kubrick, to Gutenberg in 1453, and up to now, we look at the economics of innovation. With AI are we now facing catastrophe or a creative surge? Listen up, as we explore the economics of AI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anti-semitism, inflation, threats to democracy, despotic leaders and fragile governments, if you thought it was today, its is - but hold on. It's happened before... This very month 100 years ago, German hyperinflation peaked, Adolf Hitler announced himself with a putsch and anti-semitism was rife. History is repeating itself, or is it? Join us on this epic journey back in time to see what we can learn and whether we can apply any historical remedies to today's global problems. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we kick-off a new three part series that looks at the state of the big economic blocs in the world. Part one is the state of the US as it enters an election year. Plus we scan the UK and the EU, briefly. We call this world the NATO-sphere for obvious reasons. Next up in this series, we will deal with the impact of AI and third we will look at China the link between economics & liberalism. Our first conversation is around US economy, the rate of interest, inflation and the miracle of recent US economic performance, which is challenging our understanding of macroeconomics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How is the Israeli tail is wagging the American dog? America's election is exactly one year from now and Joe Biden is in bed with Netanyahu, but his own party, the Democratic Party is deeply divided by his embrace of Israel. He has given Netanyahu his blessing, but he can't influence the outcome in Gaza. This emasculation, combined with the end of the 0% interest rate days where previous "stars" are falling to earth - WeWork goes bankrupt, NFTs blinds people and SBF gets convicted - and we have a perfect storm, economically and geo-politically, raging. All this before we talk about Donald Trump. Strap up! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John and I sat down at the Watergate Theatre in Kilkenny and had a natter, covering all classes of topics from economics, to James Joyce, WB Yeats and a whole host of other topics, focussing on Europe's economic policy dilemmas.  We chatting about unconventional thinkers, how the artist & the entrepreneur are much more similar than meets the eye, both being unconventional dissenters.And If you’d like to hear my full TED talk on unconventional thinking, simply click here: https://www.ted.com/talks/david_mcwilliams_the_power_of_unconventional_thinking Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We go way back to 70 AD before coming bak to today. Demography demands a two state solution, and the Israeli's know this. But a trap has been set for America, into which it is sliding. The Kremlin has its "wedge' issue and the battle for the West continues, Putin can't believe his luck. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's not world shattering to announce that there is a pay discrepancy between men and women - but it's important to note that this gap has been maintained despite numerous laws and financial requirements that have been implemented to remove said gap. So why is is still here? Join us as we talk about the underlying issues that laws can't address! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the third instalment of our series we explain the period of 1993 to the present in the Middle East. Why the peace accords floundered, the impact of 9/11, why the middle ground gave way to the extremes, and the rise of the Israeli tech industry. Don’t miss it! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The commercial property market is struggling to swallow the interest rate hikes aiming to bring down inflation. Can the mass building of the last decade, built on the back of very low interest rate, survive this new economic landscape?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part 2 of our overview of the Israel-Palestinian conflict brings us from the Six Day War to the Oslo Accords. Key things here are the change in the image of Isreal in the world imagination from defiant fighter to oppressive bully and the emergence of Iran, fundamentalism, settlers and economic stagnation. We end with Soviet Jewry emigrating to Israel, the Palestinian Intifada, chaos in Lebanon and the road to, a short-lived, peace. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The budget, despite all the posturing, should make you be afraid, very afraid. It reveals a complete lack of Leaving Cert economic thinking. Today we interrogate just one aspect to see if there is any logical and consistent economic heft behind all the political tinkering. We look at housing. Stay tuned for the verdict! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To understand where we are, you have to appreciate the history - economic, political and social - and that’s what we’re setting out to do! Starting in Dorset St Dublin in 1904 with Leopold Bloom in Jame Joyce's Ulysses, we explore the history of Zionism and make our way from Bloom to the 6 Day War 1967. Stay tuned for part 2 next week when try to bring events from then up to the the current catastrophe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're in North America this week thinking about the US economy. How come the USA is creating so many jobs, why are interest rates not biting, does macroeconomics have to have a massive re-think about monetary policy and if so, what does this all mean for you? Is the Fed flunking it? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brexit was supposed to be simple, that was the promise! The reality however is a world of complex costs & frictions which has backed the UK into a structural cul-de-sac. Where does it go from here? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Long term interest rates spiked up in September. This will have an impact. Mortgage rates everywhere are up dramatically. Could it be time for the debt crunch? We know that there’s a delay between raising rates and the impact of those new rates, but no one knows exactly how long - while the economy appears to be doing fine, are we missing something, something big? A day of debt reckoning? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does one of the richest economy of the 19th century blow it? What are the lessons for the rest of us? As the saying goes, “The road to ruin is shorter than you think”. How does a good country go bad? And now that Argentina has completely come off the rails, can its be saved or is it about to become a "failed state"? If it does, could the Argentinean virus spread to the rest of Latin America? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vienna, one of the world’s most liveable city, was created through a strong vision for its future and targeted taxes. Today, housing costs in Vienna are a third of its Irish counter part, we should be taking notes! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s episode is a unique discussion with the writer Neil Howe about a completely different way to look at history, in chapters over decades and how history tends to repeat itself over given periods of time… and spoiler alert: Neil thinks we’re about to change chapter VERY soon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The ECB has raised interest rates ten times in two years but the Euro is not getting stronger, it is getting weaker. What does this tell us about the European economy and inconsistency at the heart of European policy making. We head to Frankfurt and put the ECB in the dock. I rest my case! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The euro-tour continues as we dive into what makes Sweden tick - but not before one of our usual tangents on skin differences! Nevertheless, today is about the libertarian/socialist contradiction that is Sweden and how it always manages to punch above its weight. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does the latest G20 accord tell us about the new Cold War and speaking of wars, we examine the Rugby World Cup and more interestingly the Economics of Rugby. Will Saudi Arabia do to rugby what it’s trying to do to football, golf, F1 and probably tennis? Imagine Munster owned by a Sheik? Could it happen? As it spends billions in sports-washing, the RWC is surely a shop window event for potential buyers of the game! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the coming G20 summit in India we take a look at how the rise of india came to be, how it went from colonialism, to socialism and now to capitalism. Now a significant player on the international stage, will India succeed at becoming rich before it becomes old? Join us as we find out how its going to try Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If we are to prepare a future that welcomes 10 million people in Ireland, we need take back control of public infrastructure project costs because these runaway costs are hindering our growth and reducing public confidence in the state. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Portugal’s current economic situation can only be explained through its rich & expansive history. As we tease out the various chapters of Portugal we uncover another nation that although is supposed to be rich, feels poor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ireland is an outlier within the European demographic, how can it shape it’s growth in a bloc that is going to be managing for an aging population? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The economy has two main levers: fiscal policies & monetary policies. Through these mechanism we have the means to ensure that our infrastructure keeps up with the population growth while simultaneously keeping the “far” parties of politics at bay… if we use them! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

China’s economic growth is far from what it used to be and cracks are currently appearing in a variety of sectors. Has China’s heroic growth in the last decades finally come to an inflection point? Join us as we break down what is currently happening and where it might go. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The European tour continues, next stop: Poland! An extraordinary country that is rapidly evolving - an evolution that might very well pull the axis of European power towards the East. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As John returns from Washington DC we take a quick state of that nation before coming home to talk about how the Irish banks are actually stealing their customer's money. Interest income is the income of savers not the banks, if the banks don't pass that on, they are stealing customers income. That's what is happening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Continuing our European tour we arrive in the the Iberian Peninsula. What makes Spain, this most brilliant of countries tick? With many European countries leaning to the right, Spain has been an interesting outlier - the centre has just held! Join us today as we’re joined with Prof Joe Haslam for a “tour de force” on Spain, its economics, politics, industry and future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the most talked about global movements is the DeGrowth movement which believes economic growth is the problem and if we can wean ourselves of the economics of growth, lots of good things will flow. Today, we interrogate this notion, is it a brilliant soundbite or a true and practical guideline for a new world? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Culture always mirrors, reinforces or leads economics & Oppenheimer has just returned nuclear energy to the center of the energy discussion. Is is the silver bullet to sustainable energy or the next catastrophe waiting to happen? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a quick top-up on last week’s Italian episode, we talk about Sinead O'Connor before she became Sinead O'Connor. From there we explore why music was always much more than entertainment and how the origins of music might have driven Stone Age productivity and the first economy of the cave man! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Italy, the cradle of European civilization often gets a bad rap, which I personally think is completely unjustified. Today's conversation looks at where the country stands but also how it's history gave it so much resilience - it's a fascinating discussion! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can some countries be doing well on paper but in reality, there is growing frustration and instability from the population, leading to more extremist ideology? The answer is all about insiders VS outsiders… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The UK is a mess. Investment, productivity and GPD per head is all flatlining. Why? How can a once good country go bad. In today’s conversation we’re joined by economist Russel Jones to explore what happens when a people look backwards not forwards. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Americans might have engineered the impossible: a soft landing… which would be an absolute anomaly in economic cycles! While we look at how this might be happening, we also investigate the many camps claiming to have been right on the cycle and the outcome. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the eve of Bastille Day we head to France to explore the French economy. Who really runs France, the technocrats, big business or the political class of the people? How have the recent riots changed the country? More to the point, how closer is the Republic to being run by President LePen and what would that mean for Europe?  Fascinating one this, hope you like it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We explore why the world is not in a recession despite everything. The US economy simply refuses to buckle under the pressure of high interest rates. A key difference between 2008 and now is that that this time around, the people are not in desperate debt but corporate America is. Companies with lots of debt will struggle. Which big company might go bust first? Look at Twitter and shudder! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Germany, Europe's most important economy, is at a turning point. It is now a massive industrial economy with no energy. For over one hundred years, Germany has managed this dilemma. But now without Russian gas, and after closing off its nuclear industry, how will Germany power itself? Plus, can its political system handle this transition without a lurch to the extreme? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.