The Capitalist

The Capitalist, from CapX
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The Capitalist: where economics meets politics. New episodes every Wednesday. briefing.capx.co

  1. The Capitalist Podcast: Britain's lost ambition

    6d ago

    The Capitalist Podcast: Britain's lost ambition

    From Disraeli's One Nation vision to Thatcher's Right to Buy, aspiration was once the animating principle of British conservatism. Yet after 14 years of Conservative government, the housing crisis has torn up the old promises of reward for hard work. In the 1990s, a first-time buyer couple saving 5% of their wages could afford a deposit in three years. Today it would take 24. How did the Conservative commitment to encouraging aspiration slip away – and what would it take to restore it? Mario Creatura, a former special adviser to Theresa May in Downing Street, joins CapX editor Marc Sidwell to discuss 'A Blue Hope', Mario's new report for the Centre for Policy Studies. He explains what pushed ambition and opportunity off the Conservative agenda – and how to bring them back. Get full access to The CapX Briefing at briefing.capx.co/subscribe

    23 min
  2. The Capitalist Podcast: Matthew Elliott – how Brexit was won

    Jun 18

    The Capitalist Podcast: Matthew Elliott – how Brexit was won

    Ten years ago, Matthew Elliott ran the campaign that changed Britain forever. As the architect of Vote Leave, he helped deliver a result that almost nobody – including many on his own side – genuinely believed would happen. A decade on, with some senior Labour figures openly discussing a return to the EU, Lord Elliott joins The Capitalist to look back at how Brexit was really won, and to make the case for why the battle isn’t over yet. He draws on his new book, ‘Ten Years On: The Untold Story of Brexit’, to reveal what really happened inside the campaign – and why he believes the argument for British independence remains as urgent as ever. Get full access to The CapX Briefing at briefing.capx.co/subscribe

    21 min
  3. Despatch: Rachel Reeves is sleepwalking toward an IMF bailout

    Jun 16 ·  Bonus

    Despatch: Rachel Reeves is sleepwalking toward an IMF bailout

    Britain's national debt is heading for £3 trillion. Servicing it costs roughly the annual wages of four million full-time workers. And a former chief economist of the IMF is now putting the odds of a major debt crisis before 2030 at better than fifty-fifty. Independent economist Damian Pudner argues that the Government is running out of options quicker than many believe. Rachel Reeves can continue hoping for growth, or raise taxes or spend less. She and her colleagues aren't doing much more than talk about the first, they're running out of room on the second, and they will not discuss the third. That, Pudner concludes, is how you end up with the IMF knocking on the door. Each week we bring you an example of the best writing from CapX, read aloud. For hosted conversations, listen to The Capitalist, every Wednesday. Get full access to The CapX Briefing at briefing.capx.co/subscribe Get full access to The CapX Briefing at briefing.capx.co/subscribe

    8 min
  4. The Capitalist Podcast: Is Britain About to Scan Every Smartphone?

    Jun 11

    The Capitalist Podcast: Is Britain About to Scan Every Smartphone?

    Keir Starmer is giving tech companies three months to activate on-device content scanning and age verification across all smartphones and tablets sold in Britain – or face fines and potentially criminal liability. Framed as a child safety measure, the proposal has drawn fierce criticism from privacy advocates, civil liberties groups and free speech lawyers who warn it amounts to building a mass surveillance infrastructure under the pretext of safety. The messaging app Signal has already said it will not comply – will others follow? CapX Editor Marc Sidwell speaks with Preston Byrne, free speech lawyer and counsel to some of the internet's most controversial platforms, about what this proposal actually represents beneath the child-safety framing – and what it could mean for Britain’s tech sector. Get full access to The CapX Briefing at briefing.capx.co/subscribe

    23 min
  5. Despatch: Why your inner caveman hates capitalism

    Jun 9 ·  Bonus

    Despatch: Why your inner caveman hates capitalism

    Why do so many people instinctively distrust free markets? Erik Lidström's answer is rooted in evolutionary psychology. For nearly two million years, humans lived as hunter-gatherers, in small groups where unpredictable resources were shared equally, regardless of individual effort. Our brains are still wired for that world, and the very different rules of the market economy trigger unjustified suspicion. Each week we bring you an example of the best writing from CapX, read aloud. For hosted conversations, listen to The Capitalist, every Wednesday. Get full access to The CapX Briefing at briefing.capx.co/subscribe Get full access to The CapX Briefing at briefing.capx.co/subscribe

    6 min
  6. The Capitalist Podcast: How to win a trade war

    Jun 3

    The Capitalist Podcast: How to win a trade war

    With Donald Trump back in the White House, tariffs have become front-page news, and advocates for free trade find themselves on the back foot. Soumaya Keynes and Chad P. Bown argue that with great powers now using trade as a weapon, there can be no simple return to the settled order of rules-based global trade that dominated the late twentieth century. Their new book, 'How to Win a Trade War', provides a tour through the toolkit of the trade warrior. They join Marc Sidwell to discuss the new world of economic conflict, why tariffs are like a party drug – and how trade wars can still spiral out of control. Get full access to The CapX Briefing at briefing.capx.co/subscribe

    27 min

  7. Jun 1 ·  Bonus

    Despatch: Who funds the charities?

    Over £12 billion of taxpayer money flows to large charities every year – and 21 of them get 99% of their funding from government. So at what point does a charity stop being an independent voice for civil society and become, in effect, an arm of the state? In this piece by Benjamin Elks, published on CapX, he explores the blurry line between public service delivery and state-sponsored lobbying, what greater transparency and accountability could look like, and why getting this right matters for trust in British public life. Each week we bring you an example of the best writing from CapX, read aloud. For hosted conversations, listen to The Capitalist, every Wednesday. Get full access to The CapX Briefing at briefing.capx.co/subscribe Get full access to The CapX Briefing at briefing.capx.co/subscribe

    7 min

  8. May 27

    The industrial policy illusion

    From the progressive left to the nationalist right – in Washington or Westminster – a new consensus is forming. It argues that government should play a larger role in the economy, and that using industrial policy to achieve the economic outcomes we want is just common sense. As president of the American Institute for Economic Research, Samuel Gregg has spent years making the case for free markets. But he knows that dismissing the new consensus is not enough. It has to be understood and engaged with on its own terms. He joins Marc Sidwell to map how far the turn away from free markets has gone, why it’s proved so seductive across the political divide – and what those who disagree are going to have to do about it. Get full access to The CapX Briefing at briefing.capx.co/subscribe

    28 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

The Capitalist: where economics meets politics. New episodes every Wednesday. briefing.capx.co

Information

  • Creator
    The Capitalist, from CapX
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    328
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © CapX
  • Show Website
    The Capitalist

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