Best Phil Dobbie Podcasts (2025)

1
Lessons from Lesotho on trade and alliances 36:01

Play Pause

3h ago36:01

36:01

Lesotho (pronounced ,li-su-tu0 is a small African nature that President Trump threatened with 50% tariffs, describing as a country nobody had ever heard of. Maybe that’s enough for his disciples to dismiss the hardship tariffs will place on the country, where youth unemployment is rife and the minimum wage is US$100 per month. Phil says twenty year…

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The Verdict on Juries 37:57

7d ago37:57

37:57

Are committees of randomly-selected amateurs the best way to decide someone’s guilt or innocence? As the government studies a report that recommends the right to jury trial be restricted further, to ease the court backlog, is there a case for changing the justice system further? There have been many severe and tragic cases of people being wrongfull…

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Getting the numbers we need 41:27

6d ago41:27

41:27

There is a huge reliance on data to aid decision making – whether it’s Investors wanting to know where to move money, central banks pretending to understand the economy, governments making policy decisions or companies planning for their future. Sadly, data collection faces two challenges. One is a lack of sufficient government spending. As Steve p…

1
Sudan - the Horror of the Forgotten War 37:23

14d ago37:23

37:23

Far away from the headlines, a war is raging in Africa that has taken at least 150,000 lives, has displaced 12 million people from their homes, and created what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Sudan is being fought over by two armies, with rape, bombardment of civilian areas and massacres a normal part of the conflict. There are…

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The self-induced healthcare trap 39:54

13d ago39:54

39:54

In real terms the amount the UK spends on healthcare has risen from £500 in 1970 to £3,000 per person today. That’s a massive increase, but the payback has been that we are living 10 years longer. Ask people if they would be prepared to spend 10% of their income to live ten years longer, most would say yes. Yet we have a real problem in having the …

1
Keir - A Year to Forget 42:56

20d ago42:56

42:56

How did it all go so wrong for the Labour government? A massive majority of MPs, and a country yearning for change, but now, a year on: rock-bottom poll numbers and a seeming inability to get bills through parliament. Can Labour learn and improve? Can they roll back the growing disenchantment with both the main parties? Can they get some wins? Robe…

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Blowing the budget? 44:14

22d ago44:14

44:14

Financial markets don’t like it when governments announce plans to spend more money. That’s why there’s concern over Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, which will add, by some accounts, $4 trillion to the US budget deficit over the next decade. Steve Keen says it’s not a problem. Banks buy up the bonds and the central bank ensures they have the liq…

1
Ozempic Nation? 34:17

28d ago34:17

34:17

Has the rise of new weight-loss drugs become a game-changer for the obesity crisis?Can we all now inject ourselves thin? Will restaurants and gyms go out of business as we don’t want to eat, and don’t need to exercise? The drugs are becoming available on the NHS and will soon be in pill form - and they seem to be safe. But does the medical treatmen…

1
Ditching the dollar 41:56

28d ago41:56

41:56

There’s been a lot of talk lately about de-dollarisation. In other words, global investors are parking less of their money in US dollars (in the form of US treasuries/bonds). What was once considered a safe choice, is now seen as having more risk, and that’s being accentuated right now by the falling value of the US dollar. If, as an overseas inves…

1
UK Rail - On The Right Track? 37:35

1M ago37:35

37:35

Why is it that we can't seem to run a railway project that's on time or affordable? Why do our trains also fail to turn up or charge reasonably? Is nationalisation going to make difference. Phil and Roger ask Paul Plummer, Professor in Rail Strategy, and Director of University of Birmingham Centre for Rail Research & Education,. Hosted on Acast. Se…

1
Is manufacturing fetishism a problem? 40:28

1M ago40:28

40:28

There was an article in The Economist last week, shared widely in press around the globe, about the apparent fixation with manufacturing. Aussie economist Saul Eslake calls it Manufacturing Fetishism, with government support focused more on that sector than anything else. President Trump wants to bring home everything from steelmaking to drug produ…

1
World on the Edge 39:09

1M ago39:09

39:09

The conflict between Israel and Iran shows no sign of easing and the threat of US involvement has heightened concerns about a war that is rapidly getting out of control. How does this end? Can Iran be forced away from building a nuclear bomb? Can Israel be reassured about its security? Is there a way to de-escalate when none of those involved seem …

1
Selling the farm 43:07

1M ago43:07

43:07

There’s an irony that the UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves has imposed an inheritance tax on farmers, whilst a trade agreement with the US could see Britain selling-the-farm on a farm grander scale. Phil argues that some sort of tax on the inheritance of farms makes sense kif its only used as a tax dodge. Jeremy Clarkson bought his farm (reportedly for …

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Democracy On The Rocks? 41:25

2M ago41:25

41:25

More than a quarter of UK voters back a party that’s only got 5 MPs. Labour won a stonking majority in parliament last year with just over a third of the vote. What’s happening to our democracy? Does the system still work? Or is the social media-fuelled clamour for instant policy-fixes not suited to going to the ballot box once every five years? Is…

1
AI and the death of work 42:29

2M ago42:29

42:29

Bill Gates has predicted that within 10 years we’ll be working a two-day week, thanks to advances in AI. He says it’ll mean a vast rethinking of the workplace. It’s not too dissimilar to Keynes's prediction in the 1930s that wed al be working 15-hour weeks, with more time to enjoy the good things in life. Of course, Keynes was wrong. We are working…

1
Is Crypto Becoming Credible? 37:32

2M ago37:32

37:32

Is the Wild West of digital currency now becoming a respectable place to put your money? President Trump likes it, and his vice president, JD Vance, backs a US government digital reserve. Does that mean the crazy volatility of Bitcoin and the rest will calm down? Or is the essential ungovernability of blockchain money going to remain? Phil and Roge…

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Insurance, the canary for climate change 40:22

2M ago40:22

40:22

There are challenges that the insurance industry faces, even though it can look like a licence to print money, Since the Big Bang of the nineties, when deregulation allowed the industry to flourish, insurance now accounts for 2.5% of UK GDP. Not bad money for an industry that is a cost to society, rather than a benefit. Until now the business model…

1
Tanks, Troops or Drones? Spending the Defence Bonanza 41:45

2M ago41:45

41:45

Billions in new spending for the UK’s defence, but how to spend it? Does Britain need more soldiers? More shells for artillery? More tanks? Or are drones the future of warfare? What has Ukraine’s war against Russia told us about what weapons we need to stand up to Putin? Dr Bence Nemeth, co-founder of the Centre for Defence Economics and Management…

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Are we ready for the next pandemic? 42:19

2M ago42:19

42:19

The pandemic killed 200 thousand people in the UK. Are we ready for the next time? Experts reckon will be even less prepared should we see another pandemic in the near future. Prof Tom Koch from the University of British Columbia reckons we don’t have long to wait - the next one could strike in the next five to eight years. If you were a virus with…

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Can governments spend their way out of a slowdown? 42:19

2M ago42:19

42:19

Economists seem conditioned to think that we need to suffer before an economy can get back on track. They argue an economy can’t grow if there is a large amount of accrued government debt. That the economy needs confidence to grow, and the confidence won’t exist the government owes a lot of money. Phil suggests to Steve that confidence and the priv…

1
Migrants - Not The Issue They Think It Is 36:52

2M ago36:52

36:52

Keir Starmer has launched his bid to claim back migration policy from the right - talking about the UK becoming an “island of strangers” unless the number of incomers is slashed. But is he correct that this is at the top of voters’ list of concerns? Is tackling this what will win back the Red Wall? Do most Britons really want big cuts in the number…

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India-Pakistan: Endless Enmity? 30:59

3M ago30:59

30:59

The confrontation between the two south Asian neighbours this month seems to have been resolved into a ceasefire. It is almost certainly only a pause of conflict, in a toxic relationship that has lasted since 1947. And the stakes have risen - both nations now have their finger on the nuclear trigger. That’s why the world shudders when New Delhi and…

1
Climate Change. The need for a reset. 38:16

3M ago38:16

38:16

It’s clear to just about everyone that we won’t reach the climate targets set out in the Paris agreement. It was a pipe dream even before President Trump v2.0 came along. The various COP summits, which rely on agreement from everyone, are nothing more than gabfests. They are a COP-out. This was recognised in a paper this month from the Tony Blair I…

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Ukraine - Does The US Now Have Skin In The Game? 40:56

3M ago40:56

40:56

The minerals deal between Washington and Kyiv is pretty opaque, but does it at least give the Trump administration a reason to stick with Ukraine? Or will the president just walk away from the whole crisis, as he has threatened? And can Kyiv keep the war going with just help from the Western European nations? Plus - why is Putin so opposed to a lon…

1
Jobs for all. Is it a false utopia? 42:38

3M ago42:38

42:38

A key policy area of Modern Monetary Theory is the idea of a job guarantee. There might be a limit to available resources, but the labour force should always be employed. It helps the economy and it’s good for the individuals and for society. But Phil wonders how practical it is. If there’s an economic downturn can the government miraculously conju…

1
Conclave Consensus - Choosing A New Pope 41:18

3M ago41:18

41:18

The leader of 1.4 billion Catholics is about to be decided by 132 men in red hats, locked away in a renaissance chapel beneath one of the greatest artworks in human history. The conclave of cardinals is supposed to be guided in its choice by the Holy Spirit, it will there also be some very secular political concerns dictating their votes? Do they w…

1
Why we are getting poorer (with Cahal Moran) 47:30

3M ago47:30

47:30

Why is it, that whilst there are an increasing number of billionaires on the planet, the rest of us are no better than we were decades ago? Young people can’t get on the housing ladder, there’s an increasing waiting list for health services, schools are short of money and tertiary education, once free, leaves students with a lifetime of debt. Excep…

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Reform Revolution? 35:30

3M ago35:30

35:30

Local elections are usually a yawn, but the results next week could overturn the political geography of the UK. Will Reform, riding high in the polls, cause a Tory meltdown, unseating Kemi Badenoch? Will it suggest it’s more than just a protest party, and one that could be a contender for government? And what will happen when it leads councils and …

1
Why nation states fail? 39:07

3M ago39:07

39:07

The standard excuse for why states fail is the rampant printing of money. That certainly doesn’t help, but it’s often the symptom not the cause. In most cases states fail simply because the government isn’t in control. Take, for example, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Somalia, South Sudan. Burt Phil asks Steve whether recent warnings on bond markets sh…

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Show me where to put the money 32:33

3M ago32:33

32:33

Anyone with money faces a dilemma right now. Where do you invest it? Historically it’s been quite simple. If you are prepared to take risks, buy shares. If you want to play it safe, buy government bonds because, although the returns can be quite slim, you know major economies, like the US, will always repay their debt. But now bonds aren’t such a s…

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Trump is half way to Keynes’s answer to deficits 42:34

4M ago42:34

42:34

In 1944, at Bretton Woods, 44 countries agreed to make the US dollar the world's reserve currency. This decision inflated the dollar's value, making American exports expensive and imports cheaper. Donald Trump is now addressing this imbalance with tariffs on countries with high trade surpluses. Steve suggests that adopting Keynes's proposal for a n…

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The White House Ruled by Pathocracy 36:33

4M ago36:33

36:33

The most powerful man in the world doesn't listen to advice, makes up facts, changes his mind on a whim, thinks he was sent by God to save the USA, and loves nothing better than flattery - is he a classic malignant narcissist? Does the man with his finger on the nuclear trigger also have a personality disorder? Dr Steve Taylor, senior lecturer in p…

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Trump. Has he lost his mind? 37:48

4M ago37:48

37:48

It’s clear that President Trump lied to the American people about his reciprocal tariffs. Many of the countries he is imposing tariffs do not impose anywhere near those numbers on imports from America. As Phil points out, some countries, like Cambodia, that sell cheap goods to the US don’t buy from the US because they can’t afford to on their low w…

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The Return of Toxic Masculinity 45:07

4M ago45:07

45:07

Is the pendulum swinging back against gender equality, with aggression and misogyny encouraged by influencers and populist leaders championing traditional roles and behaviour? Is the rise in attacks on women a symptom of this? Is there a risk of young men being drawn to a masculinity that glorifies violence, and gives them a role and purpose they l…