We dig into the findings from the Independent Nuclear Taskforce led by John Fingleton, on why Britain is so bad at building nuclear energy, and what we can do to fix it. And we speak to Shadow Secretary of State For Energy Security and Net Zero, Claire Coutinho, about why she has taken the abundance pill, why she advocates making energy cheap â and why she wants to repeal the Climate Change Act.You can find Martinâs newsletter here, and his YouTube channel here.Jamesâs piece on why everyone is getting the new Twitter geolocation feature wrong is here, and what he liked â and loathed â about the Budget here.Donât forget to tell your friends about the pod â and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. 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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54:36
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54:36
Build Baby Build (Near Train Stations)
Martin digs into fascinating new public opinion research from CaSE about attitudes towards research and development. James looks at newly announced planning changes to make it easier to build near train stations â and why the government wants to stop theatres from vetoing development. And we speak to Fabian Chessell from the DATA Alliance about why the government needs to get better at sharing data⊠with itself.Martinâs fantastic video on the HS2 âBridge to Nowhereâ is here, and his newsletter is here.Jamesâs piece on why heâs worried about who follows Starmer is here.Tymâs piece on self-driving cars is here.Morgan Wild on municipal bond markets is here.Relevant previous episodes:* Our interview with CaSEâs Alicia Greated â which also features a section on the Cambridge Sewage Works we mentioned.* Why Fabian made a deep-cut reference to Old Bridge Way.Donât forget to tell your friends about the pod â and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. 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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1:09:58
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1:09:58
Why Manchester should bid for the Olympics
James explains why Manchester should bid for the Olympics as an insurance policy for Northern Powerhouse Rail. And we speak to architect Ivan Jordan about why the way we protect historic buildings is broken â and why the listed system needs replacing.Jamesâs newsletter is here.Martinâs newsletter is here.Donât forget to tell your friends about the pod â and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. 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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36:50
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36:50
Let's build a tunnel to the Isle of Wight!
Martin makes the surprisingly persuasive case for building a tunnel to the Isle of Wight. And we speak to Ed Jennings, founder and editor of Kent Current about the maddening story of how NIMBY concerns killed a significant battery storage facility, and just how much worse Reform is making things in Kent, now that the party is in charge of Kent County Council. The answer might surprise you!You can find Jamesâs newsletter here, and Martinâs newsletter here.Donât forget to tell your friends about the pod â and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. 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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36:33
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36:33
HS2's Bridge to Nowhere
Martin tells us the jaw-dropping story of a bridge built for HS2 which is even more egregious than the infamous bat tunnel. This is seriously not to be missed. James explains how a clever new database could make driving much less annoying. And we speak to Lord Ben Gascoigne, Chairman of the Built Environment Select Committee in the House of Lords, about the findings from the first module of the inquiry into New Towns.You can find Martinâs newsletter, which includes his post on the Bridge to Nowhere â and many pictures â here.Jamesâs newsletter and post on digital traffic orders is here.Donât forget to tell your friends about the pod â and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. 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