The David McWilliams Podcast

Will America’s Debt Crash the Global Economy?

10 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When Jamie Dimon warns that the U.S. bond market could "crack," it’s time to listen. This week, we dive into America’s mounting debt crisis, with ...

From Bolsheviks to Bolt: The Tallinnovation Nation

05 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’re on the road again, this time reporting from Vilnius, Lithuania, in the heart of Europe’s Bloodlands. Don’t be fooled by the history o...

Creativity in the Cul-de-Sac: Why the Suburbs Won

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Back home at HQ, we stretch our legs and dive into something huge hiding in plain sight: Ireland is now the most educated country in the world. B...

Spain’s Miracle Economy: What They Got Right (That We Didn’t) with Joe Haslam

29 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We're back in Spain, and I’ve got questions. Why is Spain growing faster than Germany, France, and even the US? Why can they build high-speed rail f...

The Bilbao Blueprint

27 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We're in Bilbao this week, and it’s got us thinking. How does a football club that refuses to sign non-Basque players manage to qualify for the Cham...

The Moody Blues: No More Finance Bros in LA

22 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we’re keeping one eye on Wall Street and the other on a canal in Dublin. Moody’s just downgraded the United States' credit rating, a mo...

The Battle for Africa with Pumi Mashigo

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From wine valleys to White House stand-offs, we’re in South Africa as the continent’s biggest economy finds itself caught between China, Russia, a...

Trump’s New Enemies: Billionaires, Big Pharma & Bibi?

15 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Trump is stealing Bernie’s manifesto. In this episode, we dive into why Trump is suddenly talking about taxing the rich and slashing the cost of pre...

A Letter from Africa with Simon Kuper

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I'm in South Africa on a book and speaking tour and am chatting at the Franschoek Literary Festival, so we are all South Africa today. A cou...

Inflation for Losers with Mark Blyth

08 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Broadcast from a wine-soaked table in Italy’s Valle di Comino, ancestral home of Ireland’s chipper dynasties, this episode covers everything from ...

How Canada Became the Anti-Trump Blueprint

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we talk about the most unexpected political shift of the year, Canada’s sudden transformation into the liberal world’s new playbook. We...

Slowing Down in an Age of Acceleration with Elif Shafak

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we take a breath. In a world spinning faster than a speedcubing final, we step away from bond yields and geopolitics and lean into somethin...

The Art of Taxation: How a Crisis Could Save Your City

29 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Trump’s global chaos might just offer an opportunity. if we’re bold enough to take it. In this episode, we dive into how a crisis can give countri...

Popeonomics?

24 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We mark the passing of Pope Francis by asking: is there such a thing as "Catholic Economics"? If so, what is it, and what strain of Catholic economics...

The New Great Game?

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The world shifting under our feet and US financial markets remain in turmoil. We explore whether Trump’s economic war with China is backfiring,...

Paris, Power & Picking Sides: Europe’s Awakening in a MAGA World

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Broadcasting from Paris, we bring a bottle of wine and a warning: the transatlantic honeymoon is over. As America turns inward under the MAGA banner, ...

The Molly Bloom Model: Why Economies Should Say Yes

15 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Yes has always been more of a worldview than a word. In this episode, we channel the spirit of Molly Bloom’s iconic soliloquy from Ulysses to explor...

The Nike Economy: Why Vietnam Is America’s Hidden Factory Floor

10 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do Nike runners, IKEA furniture, and half a million Vietnamese workers have in common? They’re all caught in the crossfire of Trump’s tariff ...

Tariffs & Other Fantasies

08 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we watched the world’s biggest economy base its entire trade policy on a formula so dodgy it wouldn’t pass the Leaving Cert. We break d...

The Economics of Employee Ownership

06 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if the future of capitalism isn’t tech or tax, but trust? This week, we’re talking about Employee Ownership Trusts: a radical rethink of who ...

Jeffrey Goldberg Has Entered the Chat

03 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Wednesday, we watched in real time as America’s trade policy devolved into a parody of itself. Trump’s Liberation Day was part Caesar...

Did Ferris Bueller Predict the Trade War?

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do tariffs, the Laffer Curve, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off have in common? More than you’d think. This week, we dive into the world of trade ...

Why Do Good People Make Bad Decisions?

27 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

 From Dublin’s housing crisis to stalled metros and blocked wind farms, this week’s episode explores how well-meaning people, and governments...

Trump's First 65 Days

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Trump is back, and in just 75 days, he’s issued half as many executive orders in two months than Biden did in four years. Beyond the chaos, there’...

Trump, Putin & McGregor: Ukraine & the New World Order with Olesya Khromeychuk

20 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ukraine is being carved up—again. This week, Trump and Putin are discussing Ukraine’s future, and the Ukrainians aren’t even invited to the tabl...

The Doonbeg Doctrine: Trump and the Chaos Economy

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

St. Patrick’s Day diplomacy, a shifting global order, and Trump whispering in Micheál Martin’s ear; he's nursing more than a hangover with his fr...

Is America the Next Big Short? With Michael Lewis

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In a week where the U.S. stock market has been rocked by recession fears and escalating trade tensions, we sit down with renowned author Michael Lewis...

Germany Wakes Up: Britain Breaks Out

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For 70 years, Germany kept its head down; an economic juggernaut, but a military lightweight, happy to let America call the shots. Not anymore.J.D. Va...

Casement, Congo & the Comeback of Empire: Is Trump Reviving Imperialism?

06 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Neo-imperialism is marching, loud and proud, straight into the heart of global politics. Between Trump’s quiet dealmaking in Riyadh, to his open mus...

The King’s Gambit: DIY Declan, Trump’s Market Meltdown & Musk’s 18th-Century Twin

04 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do DIY stores, French financial bubbles, and Elon Musk have in common? Kicking off with a detour into The Pope’s Children and th...

Deutschland Dilemma: Voting Blocs, Power Shocks & the Bundeswehr Rocks with Katja Hoyer

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Germany’s latest election has sent shockwaves across Europe. The CDU has reasserted itself, but the far-right AfD continues to gain ground, fuelled ...

MAGA, Mercantilism & Mass Extinction: The Economics of a Shifting World Order

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Anxiety is in the air. Trump's latest outbursts underscore America’s shifting economic stance. Who knows if there is a method to the madness? In thi...

The Second Republic: Reinventing Ireland for the Future

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if we could start over? What if instead of just stitching the North onto the South, we reimagined the whole country. new flag, new anthem, even a...

The End of the Affair - Europe and America's Nasty Divorce

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The world as we know it is over. The post-Cold War order, the American-led security umbrella, the assumption that Europe will always be protected has ...

The Economics of the Merchant of Venice: Lessons from an Empire of Trade

13 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What can a city built on water teach us about the economics of the 21st century? In this episode, we dive into the economics of Venice, how a tiny rep...

Hard Liquor, Soft Power: The Death of Proportionality

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump has always been blunt about his transactional view of global politics but has he just accelerated the decline of American soft power? We ...

Trump, Tariffs & the Gold Rush: The McKinley Playbook

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do Donald Trump and William McKinley have in common? More than you might think. In this episode, we dig into the economic and political legacy of...

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...