In 1976, the Labour government went "cap in hand" to the IMF for a loan to tide it through deteriorating economic conditions. The price was large cuts in public spending. Neil and Jonathan talk to economist and author Duncan Weldon about the "bailout", what caused it, the changes it brought, and whether there are any parallels to the predicament faced by Rachel Reeves.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Duncan Weldon.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Until recently, Germany seemed to be going through a second wirtschaftswunder, as the country's mighty industry pumped out capital exports to China, powered by cheap Russian gas. Then everything blew up in the 2020s. Neil and Jonathan talk to Wolfgang Munchau about the wishful thinking, political misjudgments, and structural failings that led Europe's largest economy into the mire.

Produced by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Wolfgang Munchau.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the summer of 1944, as Allied armies fought through Normandy, 44 nations gathered at a run-down hotel in New Hampshire to discuss the economic future of the world. What followed was the only ever formal attempt to reorder the international monetary system; one that seemed for a time successful until it collapsed unmourned in 1971. Together with the author Ed Conway, we look at the summit itself, the giant figures who dominated it (John Maynard Keynes and Harry Dexter White), what it concluded and why, ultimately, it failed.

Produced by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Ed Conway.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On 21 November 1974, an obscure backbench MP, John Stonehouse, went for a swim off Miami Beach and disappeared. So began an extraordinary tale of banking fraud, money laundering, spying and identity theft, which unravelled over the following month, ending in Stonehouse's exposure and arrest and making him one of the most famous MPs in the world. Together with the author Philip Augar, we look at Stonehouse's political life and the extraordinary financial dealings that led to his disappearance.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Philip Augar.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Employees of a High Street bank rip off its customers for years. The bank refuses to admit that anything illegal happened. Yet when the fraud is finally exposed, it not only gets to decide what compensation to pay; it gets to investigate its own wrongdoing. Sound strange? We talk to the Ian Fraser about Lloyds Bank and the HBOS Reading Affair, its parallels with the Post Office scandal and the world's longest in-house investigation, under retired Judge Dame Linda Dobbs.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Ian Fraser.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sand, salt, iron, copper, oil and lithium. These materials built the world we live in, and they will transform our future. Neil and Jonathan talk to writer and broadcaster Ed Conway about raw materials that drive our economies, who controls them, and how that affects Britain's place in the world

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Ed Conway.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Additional production by Ewan Cameron.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Coal once powered the Industrial Revolution and made Britain the richest country on earth. Now with the closure of the country's last coal-fired power station, it will cease to play any meaningful part in the economic life of the nation. Aside from welcoming a cleaner, greener future, what are we to make of this momentous departure? Together with Ewan Gibbs from Glasgow University, Neil and Jonathan look at the epic decline and fall of King Coal.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Ewan Gibbs.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

That's how the public increasingly sees today's managerial elite. Bosses enjoy vast rewards without seeming to be accountable for their decisions - at least the ones that go wrong. The economist (and old friend of Altif) Dan Davies has an answer: they've created what he calls an "unaccountability sink" which is delivering terrible business outcomes. Neil and Jonathan investigate.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Dan Davies.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.