The David McWilliams Podcast
Episodes
The Population Paradox: Growth, Crisis, and the Global Economy
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is rapid population growth a sign of economic strength, or the trigger for future crises? This week, we explore how shifting demographics are reshapin...
DeepSeek, Deep State or Deep Pockets? Karen Hao on China’s AI Power Play
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
China's DeepSeek has done what it does best, it's made a better copy of an American product. Deepseek has disrupted the markets this week and is almos...
From Fartcoin to Trumpcoin: How Memes and Tokens Are Redefining Power and Wealth
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What do Fartcoin, Trumpcoin, and TikTok have in common? They’re all part of the new frontier where memes, tokens, and attention economics collide. T...
The Coming IMF Bailout of Britain!
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is the UK teetering on the edge of economic chaos? With bond yields now higher than Greece’s and a rapidly weakening pound, we explore why Britain’...
The MAGA Era: Irish America’s New Identity
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're diving into the seismic shifts reshaping America and their ripple effects on Irish identity abroad. With the inauguration of Donald Trump markin...
King Trump and the Bubble Economy
16 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s second instalment on bubbles, we dive into America’s tech-driven exuberance and the dangers of the Magnificent Seven. Apple, Tesla,...
Monsignor Joe Rogan and the Tech Bro Confessions: Risk, Bubbles, and MAGA Tailwinds
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re talking risk. From California’s burning insurance markets to the fragile dominance of America’s “Magnificent Seven” tech gi...
The Epiphany: What Joyce, the Dead, Musk and Twitter Teach Us About Economic Power
09 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We explore today's seismic changes in media and society, by tracing historical parallels between James Joyce’s The Dead (1907) and to...
America’s $30 Trillion Gamble: How Debt Could Rewrite the Global Economy
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We examine the cracks forming in America’s financial dominance, with $30 trillion in debt—equal to 100% of GDP—making it the largest debtor nati...
Runways to Reality: How Airports Reflect the World Around Us
02 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re diving into a surprising truth: airports are the most democratic spaces in society. Think about it—everyone passes through them, ...
Swiftonomics and Centrist Dads: 2024 in Review
31 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Happy New Year! Join us as we nurse our hangovers and take a ride through 2024’s greatest hits—economic and otherwise. From the explosive surge of...
Putin’s Empire, the West’s Game: Revisiting Bill Browder’s Insight on Russia
26 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the war in Ukraine drags on, how do we untangle the web of money, power, and manipulation at the heart of Vladimir Putin’s regime? In this Christ...
AI, Feudal Overlords, and the Fight for the Future: A Conversation with Martin Wolf
24 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As we hurtle toward an AI-driven future, what’s really at stake? In this Christmas Eve special, we revisit our conversation with Martin Wolf, the Fi...
The Bro-tocracy Rises: Top 10 World-Changing Events of 2024
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Was 2024 the turning point for our economic, political, and cultural future? In this episode, we break down the top 10 seismic shifts that reshaped th...
The Prosperity Paradox: Ireland’s Boom, Europe’s Bust, and the Price of Success
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ireland’s economy is booming, bolstered by its close ties to the American economic engine. But beneath the shine of GDP growth and high living stand...
What's Next for Syria?
12 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The fall of Assad’s 50-year regime marks a pivotal moment in Middle Eastern history, but what happens next? In this episode, we connect the dots bet...
The Economics of the Miracle on 34th Street
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Santa exists because the people will it to exist"—a lovely line from The Miracle on 34th Street sets the stage for this episode's deep dive into Bit...
National Capitalism: A New Era of Economic Survival?
05 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the global financial system shifts under the weight of geopolitical tensions and Chinese economic policy reversals, Russell Napier introduces a con...
Syrian Warnings,Irish Limitations, Japanese Solutions
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Ireland inches toward a new government, the housing crisis dominates the agenda. But what if the solution lies not in political reshuffling, but in...
From Beijing to the Box Room: The Global Forces Locking Out a Generation
28 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On the eve of Ireland’s election, we shift focus to the global forces shaping our lives. Why can’t today’s youth afford homes like their parents...
The Octagon Versus the Putting Green
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode, we tackle Ireland's election season, where policies are less about vision and more about swapping slogans. We explore how a la...
Immigration, Housing & Trump's Shadow
21 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we're connecting the dots between the Irish electoral cycle, immigration, and the global aftershocks of Trumpism. Ireland’s housing crisi...
Mars Bar-isation of the Irish Electorate & Other Yarns
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we're tackling two seismic shifts in politics: Ireland’s sugar-rush election and Trumpism’s ripple effects across Europe. As Irish poli...
What's Happening in Germany?
14 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re diving into Germany's political shake-up as the country heads for a snap election this February. Beyond coalition drama, there’s ...
The Trump Epoch: Entering a New Supercycle
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Live from Kilkenomics, we unpack the ‘Trump Epoch,’ a transformative shift that’s reshaping America and reverberating across the globe. From dis...
The Trumpquake: Power, Divisions, and a New World Order
07 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The unthinkable has happened: Donald Trump has swept the Presidency, Congress, the Senate, the popular vote—even the Supreme Court stands behind him...
Power and Plutocracy: Have we Reached Peak Billionaire?
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we delve into the essence of power ahead of the American election. What happens when the warrior, priestly, and merchant castes conve...
Trump 2.0: Should Ireland Be Worried?
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We’re in the final minutes of one of the most consequential American elections ever—and the stakes are high. We're back with Mark Blyth to explore...
Scotland The Brave
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I'm up in Glasgow and we're devoting this podcast to all things Scottish, kkicking off with the amazing Scottish Enlightenment. Why did 18th-century S...
Is Your City Dying?
24 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into the decline of Dublin’s inner city, a reflection of urban decay across the English-speaking world. Drawing on Jane Jac...
America at a Crossroads: Trump, Power, and the Future of U.S. Democracy
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the U.S. election looms, we take a hard look at how this pivotal moment could reshape the country. With Donald Trump pulling ahead in key swing sta...
Are Strong Institutions Enough? Unpacking the Nobel Prize in Economics
17 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we break down the Nobel Prize in Economics awarded to Darren Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James Robinson for their work on developmen...
Could Sanctions Against Israel become a Reality?
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into a rising question: could the European Union impose economic sanctions on Israel if the conflict continues to escalate? A...
Culture vs. Economics: The Battle for America's Political Soul with Thomas Frank
10 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re stepping away from the usual economic focus to dive into the culture wars dominating U.S. politics as the election looms. Despite s...
Fuelling the Fire: Middle East Tensions and Ireland's High Cost-Energy Crisis
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As tensions rise between Israel and Iran, the global energy market is feeling the strain. Oil prices have jumped from $72 to $78 per barrel, and any f...
Middle East on the Brink: Where are the Adults?
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we're diving straight into the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran. As missiles fly and regional powers realign, we break dow...
The Tragedy of the Middle East: A Letter from Lebanon
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we turn our focus to the Middle East, specifically Lebanon, a country currently at the epicentre of political and economic turmoil. J...
Can Draghi's €800 Billion Plan Save Europe from Decline?
26 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we continue our European mini-series, moving from Germany to the broader continental landscape. Europe faces mounting economic ...
Germany on the Brink: Economic Fragility, Immigration Tensions, and the Rise of the Right
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we take a hard look at Germany’s current crossroads, where economic fragility and political tensions collide. Once the bedroc...
The Vinyl Comeback: How Records Survived Streaming
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into the fascinating resurgence of vinyl and its surprising resilience amidst the digital age. We explore the economics of vi...
An Apple A Day Keeps The Taxman Away
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This podcast episode dives deep into the complexities of the Apple tax ruling and its broader implications for Ireland's economic model. We explore ho...
Hitler’s Plan to Destroy Britain with Counterfeit Money – from Money: A Story of Humanity
12 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we’re diving into one of the wildest stories in the book, involving none other than Adolf Hitler. Can you imagine money falling fro...
From Poetry to Punches: Ireland’s Journey from Michael D. to McGregor
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we delve into a fascinating hypothetical for Ireland’s future: could Conor McGregor really be our next President in 2025? From the quaint...
A Letter from America with Jim Chanos
05 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we dive into the shifting tides of the U.S. economy and its global impact on smaller countries like Ireland, who are deeply tied to America...
What Taylor Swift & Oasis Tickets Tell Us About The Economy!
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This episode, we dive into the world of Taylor Swift to explore a Delicate issue—why Ireland’s housing market is stuck in a Blank S...
Arab Disunity: From Ancient Rifts to the Gaza Conflict
29 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we kick things off by exploring the deep divides within the Arab world, tracing the roots of these fractures back to the early 19th c...
A Kick In The Jackson's Hole
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we kick things off by delving into the secluded world of Jackson Hole, where central bankers and economic elites gather in a remote W...
Economics of Trust: What's Next for the UK?
22 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dig into the UK’s recent social unrest with Andy Haldane, former Chief Economist at the Bank of England and now head of th...
Can Ireland Fix Its Infrastructure Crisis Before It's Too Late?
20 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we're kicking off with a classic Irish disaster—a ladder, a man, and gravity having a scrap, but then we're diving deep into someth...
How to Destroy a Country: Venezuela with Noah Smith
15 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore the dramatic downfall of a once-wealthy nation that is now one of the poorest: Venezuela. How does a country with vast nat...
Can Dublin Avoid the Donut Effect?
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we delve into the growing crisis facing Dublin’s city center, exploring the troubling "donut effect" where the heart of the city becomes ...
The Downward Spiral of Upward Social Mobility
08 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we delve into the unsettling reality that this generation in Ireland might be the first in two generations to be poorer than their parents....
Inside the Head of the FED
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With financial markets on edge, the world is anxiously awaiting the Fed’s decision on whether to cut or maintain historically high interest rates. I...
Inheritance Tax & The Curse of the Silver Spoon
01 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we dive into the issue of inheritance tax in Ireland, asking if it's time for a rethink. With house prices skyrocketing by 62% since 2012, ...
The Napster of Finance: A Revolut-ion
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we delve into one of the most transformative shifts in economics and finance: the rise of e-banking, spotlighted by Revolut's meteoric grow...
Kamala's Cash, Vance's Chance, and Biden's Big Exit
25 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What a week! The attempted assassination of Donald Trump, Joe Biden's unexpected withdrawal from the race, and Kamala Harris setting a fundraising rec...
Ireland's Population Boom: Opportunity or Crisis?
23 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Central Statistics Office predicts Ireland's population could surge to 7.5 million by 2057, mostly due to inward migration. What could this mean f...
A Day In The Life Of Abed Salama with Nathan Thrall
18 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I read Nathan Thrall’s book last year before the Gaza and October 7th massacres. I couldn’t put it down. It tells the true story of a young Palest...
Nazi Billionaires: The Dark History Of Germany’s Wealthiest Dynasties
16 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The true story of how Germany’s wealthiest business dynasties amassed untold money and power by abetting the atrocities of the Third Reich — and h...
Beyond The Wall; Life In The GDR With Katja Hoyer
11 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1980, Dalkey United went on a football trip to Germany which ended up in East Berlin. A certain economist, festival director and once under 13s cen...
From Millers to Influencers: Navigating the New Economy
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s episode, we’re journeying from the bustling docks of 17th-century Amsterdam to the modern gig economy, all through the lens of Remb...
A young Irish economist and a Nobel prize winner walk into a bar....
04 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In May 1991 I walked into Keenan's Bar in Crossmaglen, South Armagh with a superstar American economist who would go on to win the Nobel Prize for a c...
Blazers Vs. High Viz Jackets
02 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into the Aer Lingus strike, putting it in the context of the larger global economic landscape. We ask if this strike is the b...
The Economics of Irish Restaurants
28 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We have a very special episode for you today, courtesy of The Bear, Season 3 which is streaming on Disney+ from today, June 27th! We're digging into w...
Sold Down the River
27 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we dive deep into the nitty-gritty of the commercial property market, highlighting its glaring vulnerabilities and the dramatic plunge in v...
Common Sense is Coming Home!
25 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Could Common Sense be Coming Home? We dive into the unexpected shift where Britain now seems like the island of sanity amid European radicalism. We ex...
Christiane Amanpour in Conversation
20 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for a special live recording of the podcast at DBF 2024, where David interviewed the renowned journalist Christiane Amanpour. As CNN's ch...
A Live Podcast Straight from Dalkey!
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for a live recording of the podcast! We dive into the fascinating rise of Gaelic Games live from Cuala in Dalkey - we delve into the incredibl...
Decoding Global Markets with Dave Tilson
13 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we're diving deep into the rollercoaster world of global financial markets. From the wild highs of cannabis stocks crashing down to earth t...
Neoliberalism, my arse!
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
During the European recent elections, you might have heard lots of people defining Ireland as a "neoliberal" country, governed by the ideology of neol...
Tomorrows World: Living With AI
06 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we're diving into the fascinating world of AI economics with the brilliant Professor Eli Noam from Columbia Business School. This episode i...
Enemies to Lovers: The Conversation We Really Should Be Having Ahead of The European Elections
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, while navigating a mid-life crisis and an intensive French course in the south of France, we've decided to reflect on the importance of Fra...
Independence Day for the UK, again?
30 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is Rishi Sunak's announcement of a snap UK election the answer or a political gamble? Joining us to unpack this is Robert Shrimsley of the Financial T...
Recognise Palestine, Now What?
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Irish government stands with the Palestinians, as does most of the country. A moral foreign policy is a sign of what the country believes in ...
The Price is Wrong with Brett Christophers
23 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we delve into the economics of climate change with acclaimed author Brett Christophers - who has previously illuminated the pervasive infl...
Can the Premier League Teach Us About the Future of the UK Economy?
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The British are down on themselves, yet one thing they do well is repackage popular culture and the Premier League is a great example of this. Last ye...
2024:40 The Opium Wars
16 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into the harrowing impact of the opioid epidemic in North America, recounting firsthand observations of addiction's toll in c...
2024:39 Letter from America with Evan Solomon
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As we delve into America in this pivotal election year, grappling with its geopolitical challenges, culture wars, and internal conflicts, Evan Solomon...
2024:38 Rich in Poor Houses
09 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Why do wealthy people live in houses originally built for the less affluent? Despite vast improvements in living standards over the years — lower in...
2024:37 The Rwanda-isation of Ireland
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Tories are seeking revenge for Brexit by exploiting immigration policy. Having been out-foxed, out-thought and out-gunned by Dublin on Brexi...
2024:36 Cod & Chips: The Story of Irish/Italians
02 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, the football team I play with went on a trip to Italian organised by one of our lads Camilio Borza a member of the Irish Italian tribe. In ...
2024:35 The Political Fallout of Housing
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This podcast delves into the intricate interplay of politics and housing, a phenomenon not unique to Ireland but deeply emblematic there. It examines ...
2024:34 Istanbul: The Centre of our World
25 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In part two of our mini-series on Turkey, we delve deeper into the electrifying economic history of Istanbul, from the Byzantine to the Ottoman empire...
2024:33 The Future is Turkish!
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is the first of 2 podcasts on Turkey following a quick visit to Istanbul where the inflation rate is currently at 69% annually, and the currency,...
2024:32 Humanomics
18 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The majority of my tribe, economists have been getting it wrong for decades, if you go back and look at economic research from the seventies, nobody i...
2024:31 What Elon's travails tell us about the New Cold War?
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Elon Musk is to 2024 what Howard Roark was to 1943. In Ayn Rand's book Fountainhead, her hero Roark was brilliant, single-minded and flawed. Musk is a...
2024:30 Common Law or Common Sense? Nimbyism's Grip on Housing
11 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode, we plunge headfirst into the contentious issue of Nimbyism – should property ownership grant individuals the power to stop d...
2024:29 Eat the Rich with Nick Hanauer
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Are we truly living in a Plutocracy', where we are governed by the wealthy elites instead of those we voted for? As election season heats up around th...
2024:28 The Souk Versus The Citadel with Bassem Youssef
04 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Palestine is one of the most, if not the most, tragic national stories of the 21st century. Divided, humiliated, abused, and abandoned by both West an...
2024:27 Sam Bankman Fried and Male Over-Confidence with Michael Lewis
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for fraud on hundreds of thousands of customers that unraveled with...
2024:26 The Curse of Inheritance
28 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Inheritance is a tricky one. We all want to leave something to our kids if possible, yet inheritance for society makes inequality permanent...
2024:25 Should We Copy The Swiss Or Is That Too Cheesy?
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How best to run an economy and a country, bottom up or top down? A trip to Switzerland got me thinking should we invert power, making the local ...
2024:24 The Dehumanisation of Curiosity
21 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The US House of Representatives has just approved a bill with the potential to ban Tiktok from America. But this story is about much more than corpora...
2024:23 The Economics of the Creative Mind with Ed Guiney
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The primary driver of economic growth is the innovative human mind. In this episode, we sit down with Ed Guiney, the visionary co-founder of Element P...
2024:22 The Irish Government, as trustworthy as a Kate Middleton photo-album?
14 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
No one trusts them, the Irish government or Katie M's doctored photos. For them its part of the national theatre, for us its a national threat. How di...
2024:21 Bitcoin is Still Not Money
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bitcoin is being touted as a revolutionary asset, but in reality, it's often the wealthy transferring wealth to unsuspecting individuals, marketed as ...
2024:20 Why Is China Getting So Rich?
07 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For International Women's Day, we're thrilled to welcome Alice Evans, who is currently immersed in writing a book on gender equality across different ...
2024:19 ADHD Nation
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we delve into the concept of black swan events and explore how they resonate with contemporary art & culture. A black swan event,...
2024:18 Stuck in 1980s
29 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we return to the theme of acceleration and confront a stark reality: much of Ireland is stuck in 1984. Despite boasting an economy that has...
2024:17 What is Éire Accelerationism and Why Does it Matter? with Will O'Brien
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Forty years since its inception, the DART and the lack of substantial progress in transport infrastructure reflects a systemic failure in Ireland's ap...