Taking Stock

This week on Taking Stock Joe Lynam stands in for Mandy and looks at everything from Online Disinformation, reforming planning laws and Rishi Sunak’s eventful week.

Christmas came early at the Department of Finance as exchequer figures revealed a bounce back in corporation tax take - Cliff Taylor of the Irish Times gives us his assessment and looks at the wider economy as we end the year.Best-selling author and New York Times journalist, Rob Copeland, joins Mandy to talk about his book 'The Fund' which looks into the notorious hedge-fund giant Ray Dalio.Caroline Vakil, Campaign Reporter with The Hill talks us through this week’s Republican presidential debate.

Our dilemma over Data Centres continues - with some warning that Ireland risks a ‘Brexit moment’ as companies look elsewhere for their base. This week on Taking Stock Mandy John talks to John Collins of the Currency about the emotive issue of how many Data Centres Ireland should have.What the world wants! – there’s a new global study of consumer behaviour.  Mark Curtis, Global Head of Innovation and Thought Leadership & Sustainability Lead for Accenture Song looks at  the new 2024 Life Trends report from Accenture.And finally the cost of war - as Israel raises billions in a  borrowing bonanza to fund war against Hamas we’ll ask how the war is funded with FT journalist Kate Deguid of the FT.

This week on the Taking Stock Podcast:Mandy speaks to freelance journalist, Josefina Salomon about the election of Javier Milei, Argentina’s new far-right president; Over the last few days Everton football club was hit by a 10-point deduction after an independent commission’s ruling, Mandy is joined by Martin Lipton, Chief Sports Reporter at The Sun to explore the implications for the club and for the Premier League as a whole; and OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman has announced his return to OpenAI just days after he was fired by the board, tech journalist Chris Stokel-Walker joins Mandy with the details.

David Cameron was catapulted back into British politics this week; what does it say about Rishi Sunak/s leadership struggles and what now for the embattled Tory Party? This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston talks to Sir John Curtice about the state of the British Government.Ireland is struggling to cut emissions to say the least. But what can be done? David Mc Gee from PwC and Muireann Lynch from the ESRI share their views.And ‘Buying Silence; How Oligarchs, Corporations and Plutocrats use the law to gag their critics’ the author of a new book on the subject David Hooper chats to Mandy about the growing trend of lawsuits designed to censor.

Trump on Trial; this week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston talks to Joe Miller of the Financial Times to hear what it was like in court in NYC this week.Things sound like they are ‘Maxed-out’ at Dublin Airport and likely to stymie airlines’ growth in 2024; Mandy looks behind the facts and figures with Ellie Donnelly of the Business PostPlus, the ‘WeWork’ story; Mandy looks at what it says about the cult of the CEO and about office culture in 2023 when she chats to Elliot Brown Co-author of ‘The Cult of We’.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston asks are we really trying to get away from Fossil Fuels? With news of a Mega Oil deal in the US Mandy asks what does it tell us about the transition to green energy when she talks to Energy Editor at the Financial Times Jamie Smyth.As comic legend John Cleese takes up a role with GB News and Boris Johnson set to become a presenter soon, we look at the people and finance behind the controversial opinion-led station when Mandy talks to Professor of Communications at the University of Westminster Steven Barnett.  And finally ‘DEINFLUENCER’ made it to the dictionary this week so Mandy takes a look at the  tricks of the trade that make you and me buy stuff you never really wanted and never mind needed when she talks to journalist Brianna Parkins.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston takes a look at the eventful first year in power for Italian PM Giorgia Meloni when she chats to Mark Lowen the BBC News Southern Europe correspondent.Mandy also looks at the use and misuse of social media in the Israel/Palestine conflict when she talks to Sophia Khatsenkova the Tech and Disinformation Correspondent for Euronews.And with more and more people eschewing typical ‘retirement’ Mandy talks to Michael Skapinker a leadership educator and Louisa Meehan a workplace expert about changing the narrative around ‘stopping work’.

Last week, a political bombshell dropped Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his independent run for the US Presidency in 2024 and this week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston talks to Michael Wendling of the BBC about what it means for the race.With businesses all around the world facing many difficult global tensions companies are turning more and more to former diplomats, politicians, and civil servants for advice at the board level. Could this trend be linked to the growing number of politicians choosing to exit the political stage here in Ireland? Mandy talks to Michael Dwyer from the Financial Times.And finally Mandy is joined by Dr Karina Doorley of Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) to shed light on Ireland's ever-evolving discussion on our tax system and what kind of society its creating. 

With the sad passing of Chuck Feeney this week on Taking Stock Mandy Jonston examines the life and generosity of the billionaire who gave away a fortune, much of it here in Ireland when she speaks with former Diplomat Ted Smyth.Is the Taxman about to get tough on debtors? Jon Ihle of the Sunday Times tells Mandy how the Revenue are cracking down on a blasé attitude to tax that took hold during the pandemic.As hostilities in Israel and Gazza intensify, Mandy examines the origins of the conflict and look at the geo-political interests of everyone in this escalating crisis when she talks to Allison Meakem  who is an associate editor at Foreign Policy.