Richard Murphy and occasional friends talking about everything you need to know to understand the economy, tax, finance and how we fund our future.
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Richardmurphy7 Podcasts
Labour says it’s launching a pensions review to make retirement more secure. But dig into the detail, and it’s clear: this is about cutting costs, not helping pensioners. • Higher retirement ages • Forced private savings • Risky stock market exposure • Means-tested pensions We are heading for a pensions crash. And the City of London will cash in be…
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The rich aren’t just rich — they’re scared. Scared of losing face. Scared of taxes. Scared of change. In this video, I explore how the wealthy protect their status by opposing reform, hoarding money, and resisting innovation. And the cost to the rest of us? Enormous.By Richard Murphy
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Crashes don’t just happen – they build, and then they tip. In this video, I explain what causes a financial crash, why we’re facing one now, and why only government – not markets – can save us from the chaos that follows. Donald Trump’s actions, market overvaluation, geopolitical shocks – any one of these could trigger collapse. The consequences? U…
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We spend £80 billion a year encouraging people to save – but it doesn’t fund growth, wages or investment. It just props up banks and financial markets. In this video, I explain why savings are essentially dead money and what a more effective economic strategy would look like.By Richard Murphy
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Taxing the wealthy sounds easy. But what happens when we don’t actually know what they own or what it’s worth? In this fifth video in my series on wealth, I explore the complexity and ambiguity of wealth valuation and explain why taxing the income and gains from wealth might be the only serious route to taxing the rich more fairly.…
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Hyperinflation is the scare story threatened by those who want to stop government spending. But it’s just that: a scare story. In this video, I explain why the UK’s strong institutions, trusted currency, and sound tax system mean we can safely create money and why the real danger is believing the lies told to stop us doing so.…
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Wealth and exploitation: forever friends?
10:57
10:57
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10:57This video is the fourth in our series on wealth — and the second asking a crucial question: Why are the wealthy wealthy? In this episode, I expose the uncomfortable truth: extreme wealth in Britain has not been built on innovation or hard work, but on exploitation. Of land. Of people. Of law. Of monopolies. Of resources. It’s time we faced how the…
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The UK’s CBI claims the London Stock Exchange is in crisis because of tax and regulation. But that’s nonsense. The real issue? London’s stock market has stopped funding business growth. It’s now a playground for speculators, failing our economy, our pensions, and our future. In this video I explain why tax cuts won’t save it — and what real reform …
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In this third video in our series on the wealthy, I explore why the comfortably wealthy in the UK — those with £3 million or more — stay so rich. The short answer? The UK tax system is stacked in their favour. From low capital gains rates to massive ISA and pension subsidies, we’re handing the wealthy thousands each year while working people should…
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We’re told the UK is living beyond its means. But who exactly is living beyond them? It’s not schools, libraries, or the NHS. It’s not people in poverty. It’s the private monopolies and unchecked corporate profits. In this video, I explain why this narrative is not just wrong—it’s dangerous.By Richard Murphy
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Just how rich are the wealthy? In this video, I break down official data to show who truly owns Britain’s wealth. From the bottom 10% with virtually nothing, to the top 1% averaging £5.3 million each, we’ll see how unequal our country has become — and why we urgently need the wealthy to pay more tax.…
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In this video, I explain why Rachel Reeves’ beloved fiscal rules are nothing but political theatre. They’re arbitrary, endlessly changeable, and stop us investing in what matters. It’s time we governed for people, not ratios.By Richard Murphy
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Why do I write five blogs before breakfast? Because injustice doesn’t sleep. I’ve spent my life exposing how power and money rig the system. And I won’t stop — because we need a fairer world. Subscribe, comment, and share. Campaigning isn’t a spectator sport.By Richard Murphy
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Many people dream of changing the world, but very few do. In this video, I explain what you really need to do to stand a chance. And a word of warning: patience, skills, and conviction matter more than quick fixes.By Richard Murphy
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Will you still get a UK state pension when you retire? With means testing, cuts and even abolition on the table, many are worried — and rightly so. In this video, I break down the risks, what recent surveys show, and how it could damage the whole economy if the pension system collapses.By Richard Murphy
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This is the start of my new wealth series. We’re going back to basics — and that means asking what wealth even is. I explain how stocks and flows of wealth shape power, politics, and our future, and expose some of the secrets that the wealthy would rather we do not know as a result.By Richard Murphy
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Most people don’t understand how pensions really work. Not politicians, not City insiders, and probably not you. In this video, I explain why pensions aren’t really about savings at all, but about a fundamental contract between generations, and why private pension systems fail to deliver. And this one is really best watched.…
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We’re starting a new series on this channel: unpacking the myths around wealth. From who the wealthy are, how they got their money, to whether we really need them at all. This is about dismantling the stories the rich tell to keep us in line.By Richard Murphy
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Politicians keep telling us that benefits are a black hole draining the economy. The truth? They’re one of the best ways to grow it. In this video, I explain why paying benefits to those who need them keeps money moving, creates jobs, raises tax revenues and actually balances the books.By Richard Murphy
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Far-right politicians from Trump to Orban to UK ministers are following the same authoritarian script: attack universities, control curricula, ban ideas that challenge power. As a political economist and ex-university professor, I explain why education is at the heart of democracy — and why ignorance is tyranny’s greatest ally.…
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Democracy is not a spectator sport. In this video, I explain why writing to your MP is still one of the most powerful democratic actions you can take—and how a simple tool can help you do it with ease.By Richard Murphy
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Those with power rarely give it up willingly. That’s why protest matters. It’s how we won workers’ rights, women’s rights, gay rights, and have fought inequality in so many forms. But today, new laws are making protest harder in the UK. It’s time to be louder.By Richard Murphy
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Every time stock markets drop, headlines say that billions have been lost. But where does that money actually go? If you want to understand crashes, confidence, and the baked bean market (trust me), this one’s for you.By Richard Murphy
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Wes Streeting says cutting 50 calories a day will solve obesity and save the NHS. That’s bad politics, bad science and classic neoliberal blame-shifting. In this video, I take apart his arguments and ask whether he’s naive or deliberately complicit in weakening our NHS.By Richard Murphy
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Why is Labour punishing disabled people but rewarding the wealthy?
7:35
7:35
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7:35Labour is cutting disability benefits to balance Rachel Reeves’ budget, while handing billions in tax breaks to the rich. I explain why this is morally bankrupt, and why Labour’s 70 MPs who backed down have failed the poorest.By Richard Murphy
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The Co-op has banned Israeli goods. The UK government remains silent. This silence is complicity. Real leadership in the face of genocide would require that the UK sanction Israel.By Richard Murphy
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Neoliberalism promised prosperity—but it’s delivering obesity, anxiety, and inequality. Public services are failing, mental health is collapsing, and ultra-processed food dominates our lives. Is it time we faced the truth and built something better?By Richard Murphy
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Quantitative tightening, high interest rates, and no growth, and all because the Bank of England's policies are damaging households, businesses, and the whole UK economy. Is it time to bring them under control?By Richard Murphy
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The Resolution Foundation says UK incomes will flatline until 2030. This isn’t an accident—it’s by design. High interest rates, unfair taxes, and Labour's inaction are all crushing incomes and deepening inequality. We need change.By Richard Murphy
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Stablecoins are promoted as financial innovation, but are the real winners those avoiding oversight, whether as tax dodgers, money launderers, or crypto speculators?By Richard Murphy
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Keir Starmer is facing rebellion from more than 120 Labour MPs over benefit cuts that target the UK’s most vulnerable. Could this be the beginning of the end for his leadership?By Richard Murphy
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From addictive foods to lifetime drugs, corporations are profiting from your ill-health, and the NHS is left to foot the bill. This is how neoliberalism is eating the state from within.By Richard Murphy
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The US bombing of Iran could have massive consequences. Oil prices are rising. Stock markets are ignoring risk. And the Bank of England may react in all the wrong ways. This could spiral into inflation, recession, and even a political crisis.By Richard Murphy
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Is there a path to peace in the Middle East? In this video, I unpack the issues and suggest that current leadership is failing.By Richard Murphy
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Forget the myths. In this video I set the record straight on MMT: what it is, how it works, and what it doesn’t claim to do. If you’ve ever wondered how modern monetary theory could change things, this is your explainer.By Richard Murphy
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Tired of Labour and the Tories? You’re not alone. Could a coalition of Greens, Lib Dems, SNP and others reshape UK politics by 2029? Watch and cast your vote in our poll.By Richard Murphy
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Keir Starmer promised transformation—and delivered disappointment. I argue that Starmer is not just failing, but failing in a way that makes him worse than his Tory predecessors.By Richard Murphy
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GDP is not national income. It’s not well-being. And it’s not the future. Richard Murphy explains why this outdated measure is holding back better policy — and what could replace it.By Richard Murphy
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After a year of challenging the political status quo, it’s time for something new. In this video, I explain how this channel is evolving — more content, more community, and new ways to get involved. Let us know what you think.By Richard Murphy
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Crypto is not money. It’s not secure. It’s not stable. It’s just speculation wrapped in dogma — and a huge risk to society.By Richard Murphy
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The mixed economy isn’t flashy, but it works. In a world of market failure, it’s time to rebuild the balance between state and private enterprise.By Richard Murphy
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Economics, as it is now taught, is almost total rubbish. No wonder the world is in a mess when political decisions are based on this nonsense.By Richard Murphy
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Economists assume that we don't need to make decisions, because since we are possessed of perfect knowledge, knowing what to do is innate to us. But that's nonsense. So, how do we decide what to do?By Richard Murphy
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Tax havens - or secrecy jurisdictions - are an abomination on the global economic landscape that should have been consigned to history long ago.By Richard Murphy
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People still like to talk about having 'money in the bank'. But they haven't. They just have a bank statement from a bank, with a balance owing to them, which represents an IOU, and nothing more. That might be the hardest lesson in economics to learn.By Richard Murphy
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The assumption that all economic growth is good is clearly misplaced. But how do we convince politicians and economists who are obsessed with growth that this is the case?By Richard Murphy
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By Richard Murphy
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Rachel Reeves' record as Chancellor has not been good. Today provides her with another opportunity to get everything wrong.By Richard Murphy
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The wealthy say they are terrified of the national debt, but they aren't really. It only exists because they don't pay enough tax, and they'd hate that even more.By Richard Murphy
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Many people on the UK's left want wealth taxes. The trouble is that would take years to deliver. Taxing income and gains from wealth more makes a lot more sense.By Richard Murphy
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