On The Abundance Agenda this week:* Martin debunks the myth of ‘land-banking’ – and explains why all of the incentives for housing developers are totally broken.* James explores a new paper which sets out how the government could conceivably build Heathrow’s notorious third runway… before the next election!* And we speak to the excellent Michael Dnes about how a focus on time can speed up infrastructure planning – and breaks James’s brain with tails of Britain approving a nuclear plant in a national park… in just three days.You can find “Getting Britain Off The Ground” at Labour Together or the Centre for British Progress.The IPPR paper Martin was not a massive fan of is here.Michael Dnes’s paper on “Making Britain Build Again” is here.Michael also mentions a thread he did on the prospects of reviving HS2 to Manchester – you can find it here.Ian Mansfield’s piece on the case for closing Heathrow and building Boris Island is here.James’s latest is on Nigel Farage and the threat a Reform government might pose to Britain’s institutions.Martin’s latest is on the troubles at the ONS and how weirdly precisely we measure GDP.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here.00:21 The Housing Crisis: Greedy Developers or Systemic Issues?02:10 Debunking the Land Banking Myth07:22 The Realities of Slow Build-Outs10:09 The Economics of Land Value13:02 Government Intervention and Housing Market Solutions18:43 Heathrow's Third Runway: A Controversial Expansion23:49 Global Comparisons and Feasibility of Rapid Airport Construction25:56 Proposed Reforms for Infrastructure Development31:20 Proposing a Shorter Third Runway32:20 Controversies and Government Decisions32:36 Infrastructure Ideas Beyond Heathrow32:52 Government's Role in Decision Making33:54 Housekeeping and Listener Engagement35:18 Introducing Michael Ness and His Report36:20 Historical Context of Britain's Infrastructure37:55 Challenges in Modern Infrastructure Planning43:54 Proposed Solutions for Faster Planning51:30 Specialist Infrastructure Tribunals53:45 HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail Discussion57:06 Conclusion and Listener Call to Action This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
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58:42
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58:42
Jabs for the rich, moralising for the poor
On The Abundance Agenda this week:* Martin digs into the Ten Year Plan for the NHS (which is more important than whether Rachel Reeves was smiling) – and we get mad at the stupid moralising about the use of weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic.* James explains why the innocuous new GOV.UK app is actually a major step towards the total transformation of the British state.* And we speak to Ant Breach from the Centre for Cities about his recent report on housing supply bottlenecks – and how to fix them.James’s exhaustive piece digging into the digital government blueprint is here.Martin’s latest on the unfixable road with no owner is here.James’s latest, on how Universal Credit went from being a disaster to a wild success is here.The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here.00:27 The NHS 10-Year Plan: Context and Challenges01:41 The Infinite Demand for Health02:32 The Rising Costs and Limits of NHS Spending05:57 The Government's New 10-Year Plan for the NHS06:53 Principles of the New NHS Plan07:26 The Cost of Healthcare and the Importance of Early Intervention13:16 The Role of Digital Transformation in the NHS15:40 The Controversy and Potential of Weight Loss Drugs26:15 The Gov UK App: A New Era of Digital Government31:45 Introduction to the Digital Government Blueprint32:33 Richard Pope's Vision for Digital Government33:05 The Gov UK App: A New Relationship with the State34:05 Potential Benefits and Concerns of the Gov UK App35:24 Future Implications of the Gov UK App35:49 Privacy and Civil Liberties Concerns36:14 New Features and Functions of the Gov UK App38:00 The Role of Databases in Government Efficiency39:16 Housekeeping and Substack Newsletters40:26 Interview with Ant Breach on Urban Housing and Regulations42:19 The Future of Urban Planning and Building Regulations58:43 Controversial Ideas in Urban Housing01:01:05 Conclusion and Listener Engagement This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
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1:02:25
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1:02:25
Matt Goodwin's train nightmare
On The Abundance Agenda this week:* James looks at the government’s new attempt to make phone signal on trains better – and explore why getting reliable 4G and 5G on the rails is a really difficult problem.* Martin reveals why the Office of National Statistics might have inadvertently broken a whole bunch of economic statistics – and why this is bad if you care about knowing what is actually happening in the country.* And we speak to Labour MP and the government’s Growth Mission Champion Dan Tomlinson about why we need to build, the importance of growth if we want to redistribute wealth – and we try (with limited success) to sell him on the idea that we should make Abundance the guiding philosophy of Starmerism.The alarming review of the ONS by Sir Robert Devereux is here.James’s post on what the NHS can learn from Dave.Martin’s post on HS2 and the slow decay of Britain.The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here.00:26 Controversial Opinions of Matt Goodwin01:59 The Reality of Phone Signals on British Trains02:16 Government Initiatives to Improve Train Connectivity03:16 Challenges with Train Signal Technology07:04 Comparing UK and French Train Connectivity11:19 Future of Train Connectivity: HS2 and Beyond15:31 The Role of the Office for National Statistics25:21 Chasing New Projects Over Core Work26:47 The Human Element in Official Statistics27:47 Impact of the Pandemic on ONS29:10 Leadership and Culture Issues at ONS30:20 Future of UK Statistics and Management32:15 Promoting the Podcast and Substack34:09 Interview with MP Dan Tomlinson38:14 Dan Tomlinson's Political Journey41:11 Challenges and Solutions for UK Growth52:08 The Abundance Agenda55:43 Conclusion and Farewell This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
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56:39
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56:39
Why HS2 is a disaster
On The Abundance Agenda this week:* Martin digs into the Stewart Review on why HS2 has been such a nightmare construction project. Spoiler: It ain’t pretty.* James looks at progress towards having autonomous cars driving on London’s roads – and explores a new report on some of the second and third-order consequences of autonomous vehicles becoming a real thing in the world.* Then we speak to technologist Tom Forth of The Data City, about his ideas for the National Data Library, and why he’s trolling the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology.You can find the full Stewart Review here.The Productivity Institute report, by Graham Winch, on HS2 is here.The Paradigm Junction report on autonomous vehicles is here.Tom Forth’s ‘National Data Library’ is here.Martin’s Substack is here, where he has written more on HS2 failures.James’s Substack post on why HS2 to Manchester still might happen (maybe) is here.Here’s some background on OpenSafely, which is mentioned by Tom Forth.The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here.00:19 HS2: A Symbol of Britain's Inability to Build01:35 The Stewarts Review: Governance and Mismanagement04:01 The Strategic Case for HS206:33 Design Challenges and Gold Plating20:39 Government Interference and Project Delays28:36 Autonomous Cars: The Future of Transport35:17 Impact of Autonomous Deliveries on Big Business35:42 Cost Reduction in Goods Transportation36:18 Skepticism and Challenges of Autonomous Lorries37:39 Autonomous Public Transport: A Transformative Future39:27 Private Autonomous Vehicles: Ownership and Personalization44:34 National Data Library: Concept and Implementation01:03:50 Conclusion and Housekeeping This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
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1:05:13
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1:05:13
SMRs vs Big Daddy Reactors
On The Abundance Agenda this week:* James is vindicated as Sizewell C has finally been funded!* Martin digs into the economics of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)* We explore the implications of Rachel Reeves supporting Northern Powerhouse Rail* …And James enters ‘The Cope Zone’ and explains how maybe – just maybe – the northern leg of HS2 might not be quite dead yet* Plus we speak to Kirsty Innes from Labour Together about her new policy paper, “BritCard: a progressive digital identity for Britain” – and explore how digital ID could make Britain work better.The grid website Martin mentions is here.You can find James’s howl of despair about the slow pace of infrastructure here.Martin’s piece on Natural England will be here.And James’s piece on why he’s been Blairpilled on digital ID will be here.If you’d like to talk business, you can contact us on martin (at) abundancemedia.co.ukThe Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here.00:16 The NIMBY Debate and Hate Speech03:00 Nuclear Energy Announcements08:00 The Economics of Renewable Energy17:41 Small Modular Reactors: The Future of Nuclear?21:31 Transport Spending Review26:37 Northern Powerhouse Rail and Economic Connectivity27:28 Economic Theory and Football Teams27:53 Trans Pennine Railway Upgrade28:16 Impact of Railway Upgrades on Travel Times30:33 Northern Powerhouse Rail and HS231:52 Funding and Budget Considerations33:33 Podcast Housekeeping and Listener Engagement36:34 Introduction to Brit Card39:49 Digital Identity and Government Services48:24 Addressing Criticisms of Brit Card53:51 Conclusion and Contact Information This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
UK