Taking Stock With Vincent Wall

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston delves into the geopolitical landscape as Poland heads into an election. The war in Ukraine has cast a long shadow over the political arena and Mandy asks if Ukraine is being used as a political pawn and the implications that might hold.We hear from Joe Millar of the FT in New York who gives us an exclusive preview of what's in store for Donald Trump's upcoming court hearing next week.And there’s also the topic that's on everyone's minds – housing. With Budget 24 around the corner, Mandy takes a 360-degree view of this complex issue with Jack Horgan-Jones of the Irish Times  and Tax Expert Marian Ryan.

With less than a month to go to Budget 2024 Mandy Johnston takes stock of the warnings, wish lists and promises that we have been hearing all summer long with Business Post Editor Daniel Mc Connell & Economist Jim Power.A new book claims that many of us are walking around in a state of BLUR and that information overload is much more acute than we think. The author of that book - BLUR: Clear the Way Ahead - Susan Ford Collins joins Mandy.Credit Suisse has been in the news a lot recently having been bailed out by Government and taken over by UPS this summer. But did you know an Irishman is at the helm there?  Colm Kelleher - possibly the most powerful man in European banking who few people have heard and Mandy hears his story and what's going on at the struggling bank at the moment when she is  by FT journalist Owen Walker.

This week on Taking Stock Joe Lynam is in for Mandy Johnston and he looks at the tangled narrative of Brexit when he talks to author Josh White whose book ‘Goodbye United Kingdom: Descent into Chaos 2015-2022’ chronicles the Brexit crisis and all that that it has meant since.With Minister for Finance Pascal Donohue telling people they are free to deposit their money in foreign banks for better interest rates we take a look at what’s available and how easy or hard it is when Joe talks to Sinead Ryan,And finally news this week from the CSO has found that 1 in 5 CEO’S are female. Joe is joined by  Gillian Hartford of the 30percent club and Caroline Bocquel the Chief Executive Officer with Bord Iascaigh Mhara to see if things are actually getting better in board room when it comes to gender equality.

Tackling the supply side of the drugs market will never be enough; that's the conclusion of the Currency who have been looking into the issue of drug use in Ireland. This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston is joined by Thomas Hubert to take us through what they found.  Now we know that culture eats strategy every time, Frank Devine, specializes in creating a High-Performance culture and he talks to Mandy about his new book ‘Rapid Mass Engagement’.  And finally - Elon’s at it again. As Musk threatens to take on Ireland in the courts we’ll catch up with Elaine Byrne to find out what's going on at X.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston is joined by Congressman Brendan Boyle, rising star in the Democratic party to talk about his recent trip to Ireland where he addressed Dail Eireann and he’ll be giving us his take on the US political landscape as they prepare for Primaries. Boundless changes in boundaries this week as the Electoral Commission sets out the map for the next election and while it may not be a starting gun the bullets are now loaded. Gary Murphy of DCU and Jennifer Kavanagh Constitutional Law Expert takes us through what they mean.Germany the economic powerhouse of Europe faces a lot of challenges. It has dipped into recession and Derek Scally of the Irish Times assess if Germany is now the sick man of Europe.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston talks to Veteran Journalist Dermot Murnaghan ahead of his appearance at the Kennedy Summer School next week and talks to him about his long life in journalism covering some of the defining moments of our time.  Rudy Giuliani has turned himself in to authorities at a jail in Atlanta, Georgia this week. But who is Rudi Guiliani? Mandy looks at one of the most divisive American political figures of our time when she talks to Llyod Green,  a New York Attorney who has served in the US Department of Justice.And finally Finance Minister Michael McGrath is said to be putting pressure on our banking sector to pass on some of their windfall profits to customers - while we wait for the mismatch to be rectified - is there something else you could be doing with your money to get a better return? Mandy talk to Ellie Donnolly Senior Business Reporter at the Business Post.

Coming up on this week's Taking Stock Podcast: Your home may have become your office thanks to the pandemic, but could empty office space become new homes? Shane Duffy, Director of Office Agency with Savills joins Mandy to discuss the possibilities. Who is Keir Starmer? Oliver Eagleton, author of 'The Starmer Project' joins us to shed some more light on the man tipped to be the next UK PM. And, Engineering Industries Ireland (EII) has launched its Budget 2024 submission, calling on the Government to use Budget 2024 to enhance competitiveness, innovation, sustainability, and skills in the engineering sector. To help parse through some of the key challenges facing the sector, Mandy is joined by Pauline O’Flanagan, Director of Engineering Industries Ireland.

On this week's Taking Stock Podcast: Cliff Taylor of the Irish Times explains why mega projects like the MetroLink and the Children's Hospital take so long and cost so much in Ireland. Nigel Doolin, co-founder and managing director at Core Bullion joins Mandy to explain the value of holding your money in gold and why is it one of the most stable assets to have. And the banking sector in Ireland has revealed massive profits in recent weeks, Sean Keyes of the Currency takes us through their latest set of bumper results.

Hannah Daly, Professor in Sustainable Energy and Energy Systems Modelling at UCC joins Mandy to discuss the government's National Hydrogen Strategy. In the political arena, the debates surrounding rail and road options have caused much debate leaving both policymakers and the public in a state of confusion. Mandy gets the insights of Edgar Morgenroth, Professor of Economics at Dublin City University Business School. We discuss new research that discloses an alarming trend in the United States which shows a growing acceptance of violence as a means to achieve political objectives. Kira Lerner, Democracy Editor for Guardian US joins us to examine the implications of this disconcerting phenomenon.

As a raft of big companies leave the Irish Stock Exchange, this week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston asks why they are leaving and explores the importance of having a stock exchange here in Ireland with Donal MacNameee from the Business Post. While Vladimir Putin was clearly prepared for the initial economic impact of the war in Ukraine, the conflict has dragged on far longer than he expected. As Putin runs out of options Mandy talks to Melissa Lawford of The Daily Telegraph about what it means for the future of the war. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez engineered a late swing during the final days of the Spanish election campaign to deny his right-wing opponents a majority in parliament. Mandy looks at the predictions that were made by pollsters, how things transpired and what might happen next and asks could Spain be headed for another election? She chats to journalist Aitor Hernández-Morales.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston talks to the Financial Times’ Legal Correspondent Joe Miller about Donald Trump’s latest possible Indictment. Linda Daly of the Sunday Times chats to Mandy about why Approved Housing Bodies might be the future of home building in Ireland. And finally Mandy talks to James Mayger, China Economy Editor at Bloomberg about China’s economic wobble.

This week on Taking Stock as Irish Universities make major gains on the QS World Rankings Mandy Johnston examines their relevance as Irish students are making their choices this Summer. As the world of work continues to change and evolve post- Covid many tech titans like Apple, Google, Meta have demanded staff show up to the office at least three days a week as new research shows that contrary to what we have come to believe, working from home is not as productive as being at work. Mandy talks to Chris Kane the author of Where is My Office? Reimagining the Workplace for the 21st Century. And finally with three by-elections taking place in the UK next week, we hear from FT’s Political Editor George Parker about what we can expect and how they will affect Rishi Sunak’s leadership as the Tory Party heads for a political thrashing.

Numbers loomed large this week, in the economy and the Government published their summer economic statement, so this week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston looks at inflation, spending and what lies ahead for hard pressed families with Economist Jim Power. In France protests continued on the streets and protests have repeatedly dogged the President’s term in office. Mandy ponders what all this says about Emanuel Macron and his tenure as President of France with Elizabeth Pineau the Reuters political correspondent. And finally, as the debate about the importance of public service broadcasting rumbles on Mandy look at the issue of misinformation and disinformation with a UK based fact checking organisation.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston discusses the relationship between RTE and politicians when she chats to former Communications Minister Denis Naughten and asks how that works in real life! In the US there are now multiple whistle-blowers with high clearances coming forward to disclose information about their direct UFO knowledge. Mandy chats to Science Journalist Jeff Wise about what’s really going on. Plus we get a sense of who and what the Wagner Group in Russia are when Mandy hears from Jen Kirby of Vox.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston Mandy discusses just how hard or easy it is to set up a new political party. We hear from Political Consultant Stephen O’Byrnes and from Frank Fitzgerald from UL. Newsgroups are in the grip of a long-term battle to retain their audiences, that’s according to the latest Reuters Institute Digital News Report. Liam Collins a former news editor for the Sunday Independent and Emer Connolly is an academic who has looked at the media landscape here in Ireland and they join Mandy to examine the plight of journalists caught up this struggle. Plus we hear we hear what exactly the Saudi Arabian Sovereign Wealth Fund is and why it’s dollars are spreading into all sorts of places.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston exploreS a special investigation by the Financial Times that uncovered shocking allegations of sexual assault and harassment within a prominent London hedge fund company. The FT’s Antonia Cundy tells us more about the investigation and the fallout. Mandy also dives into the captivating world of leadership discussing why figures like Trump and Boris Johnson remain popular. Neil Jurd, OBE, renowned author and former Army Officer shares his insights. Plus, as Dublin Airport unveils its plans for massive expansion Ellie Donnelly from the Business Post and Paul Hackett President of the Irish Travel Association discuss the airport's evolution and future plans.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston talks to Pilita Clark of the Financial Times and Sinead English the founder of Hilt Careers about how the modern worker is drowning in emails and what you can do about it. In the US things are hotting up in the race to decide who the Presidential candidates will be. Ted Smyth of the Clinton Foundation joins Mandy from America to take stock of the current runners and riders. Plus, Mandy talks to the former BBC Royal Correspondent and broadcaster Jennie Bond about this week’s Prince Harry Court Case as well as the complex and compelling relationship between the Royal Family and Fleet Street

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston talks to Mark Paul the London Correspondent with the Irish Times about how Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s honeymoon period is well and truly over as Boris is still looming large as are the myriad of complications from Brexit. And staying in the UK Mandy talks to Lucy Fisher of the Financial Times about the proposed price cap in British Supermarkets. Plus what Jack Dorsey the Twitter founder did next. We hear from Chris Stokel-Walker.

As the dust settles on last week's local elections in Northern Ireland Mandy Johnston looks at the real figures and what they mean for the re=establishment of the Assembly and is joined by Tommie Gorman the former RTE Northern Ireland Editor who now writes on politics north and south for the Currency In San Francisco's a crisis of homelessness, drug abuse and crime threaten the city’s future. Tabby Kinder leads the Financial Times’ coverage in Silicon Valley and across the US West Coast and she talks us through the latest developments in the city that seems at breaking point. Plus as The European Central Bank turns 25 next week it is pushing ahead with the development of electronic currency despite political objection. Cliff Taylor of the Irish Tines is here to decipher what it means for consumers.

With the Covid Emergency now being officially deemed ‘over ‘many countries are now assessing how they managed their response to the Pandemic. This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston talks to Jack Horgan-Jones and Hugh O’Connell about their book ‘Pandemonium: Power, Politics and Ireland’s Pandemic’. Often seen as a ‘dirty word’, Sales has a bad reputation in the business world – but selling is a fundamental skill for any founder to successfully drive revenue and business growth. Mandy talks to Rob King the author of ‘Selling Creativity: How Creatives and Agencies can Grow their Business through the Art of Sales’ And ahead of the European Anti-Financial Crime Summit 2023 in Dublin next week Mandy talks to Caroline Costello who is Financial Crime Leader with Deloitte about trends in fraud and money laundering and how to combat the fraudsters.