Funding the Future

The podcast dives into Trump's warning about Greenland as a test of imperial ambition. It argues that this isn't just about land; it’s a strategic move towards normalizing coercion. Historical patterns of aggression are discussed, alongside Canada's potential as the next target. The importance of moral clarity in democracies is stressed, urging leaders to confront authoritarianism openly. Practical countermeasures against US aggression, such as sanctions and military adjustments, are proposed to safeguard sovereignty and resist this expansion.

People keep asking: “When are we going to do MMT?” That question is built on a misunderstanding. Modern monetary theory is not a manifesto, and it’s not a magic “print money” promise. It is an explanation of how the monetary system already works, in the UK and elsewhere. It describes what government spending really is, why taxation does not fund spending, and what “borrowing” really means in a sovereign currency system. In this video, I explain: - That the UK government creates the pound. - Why government spending must come before tax. - What tax is actually for (inflation control, demand management, and resource shifting). - Why government bonds are a savings product, not borrowing. - Why deficits create private sector net financial assets. - What the real constraints on the economy are. - Why austerity is always a political choice MMT doesn’t tell you what to do; it tells you what’s true. And once we understand that truth, we can finally have an honest debate about policy, democracy, and the society we want.

We’re constantly told that people in rich countries live longer and that GDP growth is therefore the route to health, well-being, and social progress. But the evidence is far less simple than the slogans. In this video, I use 2022 data to show four versions of the same relationship between GDP per person and life expectancy, and explain how the way economists present that data can create a misleading story. The key point is this: the link between income and life expectancy is non-linear. Once basic needs are met, the curve flattens. Beyond that point, what matters most is not GDP but inequality, housing, healthcare access, stability, and social care, or, in other words, the politics of care. This is why GDP fetishism is not only intellectually empty. It becomes politically dangerous.

AI is happening. We are not going to stop it, and we shouldn’t pretend we can. But we can manage the economy that AI will reshape. And we must. In this video, I explain what it means to manage the AI economy through regulation that makes AI pay its full resource costs and through an investment-led programme to cut inflation structurally while creating the jobs AI cannot replace, most especially in energy, housing, skills, transport, and care. This is not about surrendering to market forces. It is all about the government staying in charge.

The podcast dives into the dollar's role as the backbone of global trade and how recent US politics are shaking trust in it. It discusses the structural issues behind persistent US deficits and highlights the fragility of relying on one currency. Keynes' Bancor proposal is explored as an alternative to stabilize global trade. The limitations of BRICS currency ideas are analyzed, and there's a call to consider a neutral international clearing system to prevent growing volatility. The conversation emphasizes the urgency of reforming the current reserve currency framework.

Westminster’s new “common sense” says defence spending must rise and that the price must be paid in cuts to care, public services, and social security. But that isn’t realism. It is ideology dressed up as prudence because if we hollow out the state to fund missiles and weapon systems, we don’t strengthen national security, we undermine it. A society built on insecurity, collapsing services, and rising poverty is not a society people will defend. In this video, I ask the most important question in the entire debate: what exactly are we defending, and for whom?

Universal basic income (UBI) is often dismissed as unaffordable, unrealistic, or politically impossible. But the conversation I had recently with Howard Reed and Elliott Johnson of the Common Sense Policy Group at Northumbria University left me less sure of that. The Group's research challenges the Treasury orthodoxy in two important ways: Public investment multipliers are far bigger than assumed, and Even current spending has a strong multiplier effect, meaning it can pay for itself And if the economic case for investment is stronger than we’ve been told, then the political question changes too: why aren’t we investing in that case? We also discussed the Group’s three-tier UBI transition proposal, how it interacts with Universal Credit, and why the security it could supply might be the missing foundation of a functioning economy.

Politics is being recast as dominance: strength, winning, threats, hierarchy. Donald Trump may be the loudest advocate of this worldview, but he is not alone. In this video, I explain what I call the politics of might — rule by threat, the rejection of restraint, and the treatment of institutions, law and truth as optional. It shapes taxation, welfare, international relations and democracy itself. It legitimises inequality and makes insecurity a tool of control. I contrast that with the politics of care — not as sentiment, but as the practical recognition of vulnerability and interdependence. Care builds productivity, stability, trust and long-term resilience. It requires accountable democratic government acting to reduce fear, not amplify it. Ultimately, this is the choice: fear or care, dominance or cooperation, exclusion or inclusion. And look at our poll, and let us know what you think. 

The discussion highlights the potential economic crisis driven by artificial intelligence. Concerns about AI-induced unemployment and demand drops are emphasized, alongside the risks of asset bubbles and reckless investments. The impact of rising inflation from chip, energy, and water shortages adds to the dire outlook. The podcast also critiques the effectiveness of current monetary policies and urges a slower, more thoughtful approach to technology adoption, prioritizing people over unchecked growth.

Explore how medicine has shaped societal power dynamics. Discover the disturbing history of drapetomania, where enslaved people’s desire for freedom was diagnosed as illness. Learn how women's anger was pathologized as hysteria. Delve into the medical suppression of homosexuality and its consequences. Discuss current issues around trans rights and neurodivergence being framed as deficits. Examine how conformity is enforced in schools and workplaces. Finally, consider a new politics of care that embraces difference and fosters true liberation.