Podcasts about hs2

Morse code transcription: vvv vvv HS2 investigating two firms supplying staff for West Midlands leg Gary Lineker signs off from final Match of the Day as he leaves BBC after 26 years North Korea arrests senior official over warship launch failure Sir Salman Rushdie pleased with attackers maximum sentence AI could already be conscious. Are we ready for it BBC returns to Gaza baby left hungry by Israeli blockade Michael Gaine Human remains identified as missing County Kerry farmer Portstewart Dead minke whale washed up on beach King travels to support Canada as it fends off Trump The rise and fall of Michelle Mone A self created fairy story

Christian experiences in person London's brand new Silvertown Tunnel and the mandatory cycle shuttle bus [2:18]; elaborates on striking new figures for the construction costs of HS2 [09:55]; releases a narrative of his book 'Liberation Line' by engaging AI bots [19:35} and welcomes proposals to lower the age requirement for train drivers in Great Britain [43:40]. Find 'Calling All Stations - the transport podcast' on social media channels here: X (formerly Twitter) - https://x.com/AllStationsPod  Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Calling_all_Stations_podcast/  Threads - https://www.threads.net/@calling_all_stations_podcast  Facebook - https://m.facebook.com/p/Calling-All-Stations-The-Transport-Podcast-61551736964201/ Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/callingallstations.bsky.social

We sit down with Henri Murison, CEO of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, to discuss the past, present, and future of the North of England. From the realities of devolution to the controversial cancellation of HS2, Henri shares expert insights on how infrastructure, governance, and investment strategies must evolve to truly level up the North.

In today's podcast we delve into the world of Artificial Intelligence to explore the future of infrastructure and technology - and the people reshaping both. To do this we're diving into one of the biggest - and most urgent - challenges facing the built environment: namely how we manage and maintain our ageing infrastructure in a world of rising costs, growing risks, and tightening resources.Across the UK and beyond, roads, bridges, railways and public assets are showing their age. Traditional methods of inspection and maintenance are expensive, reactive, and often too slow to really move the dial and catch up decades of under-investment. But there's a quiet revolution underway - powered by artificial intelligence - that's potentially changing how we understand and care for the structures we rely on every day.And my guest today is someone right at the heart of that transformation.Tom Bartley is Director of Civil Infrastructure at AI scale-up Mind Foundry and brings a deep understanding of both the engineering and the technology worlds. With past roles at WSP and Jacobs - and as co-founder of Barbal and dotBuiltEnvironment, he's spent his career championing digital transformation across planning, design, and delivery.Now at Mind Foundry - a company born out of Oxford University research - he's working to deploy responsible AI that helps asset owners predict risk, extend the life of critical infrastructure, and make better decisions, faster. So let's find out and explore how AI is being used on projects like HS2, ask what's holding the sector back from adopting innovation, and see if Tom can convince us why human-AI collaboration - not replacement - is the key to building smarter, safer systems.ResourcesMind Foundry websiteTom Bartley Linked InAI for Civil EngineersMajor Projects Association - "AI is the solution - what's the question?"

In this episode of the Obehi Podcast, Bridget Badoe, the Learning Legacy Manager at HS2, discusses the significance of legacy building within the Diaspora community. She shares insights into how intentional efforts in preserving and promoting cultural heritage can shape future generations. Don't miss this engaging conversation on the power of legacy and its impact on the community!

We dive into the intriguing topic of whether HS2 trains could cause a ‘sonic boom' as they speed through the UK's high-speed rail network. High-speed trains in other countries, like Germany and Spain, have experienced this phenomenon when entering tunnels, but what about the UK's HS2 project? Join us as we explore the science behind sonic booms, the technology used to prevent them, and take a close look at the world-first Chilterns Tunnel south portal on HS2. We also have an exclusive interview with Rail Minister Lord Hendy at the launch of Siemens Mobility's new £100m research site in Chippenham.In this episode:(00:00) Intro(00:42) Sonic booms on HS2?(15:05) Siemens Mobility ground-breaking event(18:57) Exclusive interview with Lord Hendy(26:55) Railway Industry Association on railway supply chain challenges(33:57) Cambrian line track work preview(39:29) Trespass video preview(42:35) Thanks to supporters, Super Thanks and Members(43:57) Railway News Round-up(44:00) Network Rail £1.1 billion contracts(45:05) Grand Central contract extension(47:28) HS2 TBM completes tunnel drive(49:14) Keswick rejoins rail network!(50:28) Severn Valley Railway landslip update(51:25) Railway 200 Inspiration Train locations(52:47) The Quiz(57:16) Northern Engineer retires after 53 years of serviceMembership: If you want to see even more from Green Signals, including exclusive content, become a member and support the channel further too.YouTube -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@GreenSignals/join⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/GreenSignals⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Green Signals: Website -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.greensignals.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merchandise - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://greensignals.etsy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Newsletter -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.greensignals.org/#mailing-list⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow: X (Twitter) -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/greensignallers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-signals-productions-ltd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/greensignallers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Credits:Presenters - Nigel Harris (@railnigel on X) & Richard Bowker CBE (@SRichardBowker). General Manager: Stef Foster (@stefatrail)Image Credits:- Images of Trespass in the excerpt of Trespass video - courtesy of and approved by Network Rail- Footage of animation of TBM completing tunnel drive - Courtesy of HS2 Limited- George Stephenson statue goes to Locomotion - Courtesy of National Railway Museum- Northern Engineer retires about 53 years - Courtesy of Northern Trains

Huw Merriman, former Minister of Rail in the last Conservative Government talks about his new role as Chair of the Liverpool Manchester Railway Board. He explains how Andy Burnham (Mayor of Greater Manchester) and Steve Rotheram (Mayor of Liverpool City Region) have tasked him with leading the creation of far more than just a railway – an economic corridor to promote jobs and growth on a big scale.We also discuss HS2 and the decision of Rishi Sunak when Prime Minister to cancel Phase 2 north of Birmingham. Huw explains not only was he not consulted, just informed, some of his team were tasked with developing plans for the cancellation and the creation of Network North, yet he was not involved! Huw explains he's still a big supporter however and that one day, he believes HS2 will get to Manchester!Membership: If you want to see even more from Green Signals, including exclusive content, become a member and support the channel further too.YouTube -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@GreenSignals/join⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/GreenSignals⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Green Signals: Website -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.greensignals.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merchandise - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://greensignals.etsy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Newsletter -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.greensignals.org/#mailing-list⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow: X (Twitter) -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/greensignallers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-signals-productions-ltd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/greensignallers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Credits:Photos of Huw Merriman - By David Woolfall - https://members-api.parliament.uk/api/Members/4442/Portrait?cropType=ThreeFourGallery:https://members.parliament.uk/member/4442/portrait,CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86672593Presenters - Nigel Harris (@railnigel on X) & Richard Bowker CBE (@SRichardBowker). General Manager: Stef Foster (@stefatrail)

Thousands of rail jobs to be axed, including on HS2? We discuss the reports in the context of the Chancellor's Spring StatementNetwork Rail and the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) lock horns over access to the networkAnd… Network Rail's Head of Safety Martin Frobisher talks to us about the ORR's concerns on railway structure safetyIn this episode:(00:00) Intro(00:44) Thousands of rail job cuts(09:35) Network Rail and ORR on access to the network(17:57) Teaser of Huw Merriman interview on new Liverpool to Manchester railway(22:33) Martin Frobisher interview on railway structure safety(34:07) New hourly rail service between Oxford and Bristol?(36:49) Thanks to supporters, Super Thanks and members(38:25) Railway News Round-up(38:28) East Midlands Railway solar panels at East Midlands Parkway station(39:30) Latest passenger and revenue figures(41:04) Global Centre of Rail Excellence showcase(42:37) ‘Scrapped HS2 leg set to be replaced with new rail line'(44:15) Southeastern £5 Advance tickets(45:28) The Quiz(48:31) Transport for London celebrates 25 yearsMembership: If you want to see even more from Green Signals, including exclusive content, become a member and support the channel further too.YouTube -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@GreenSignals/join⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/GreenSignals⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Green Signals: Website -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.greensignals.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merchandise - ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://greensignals.etsy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠Newsletter -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.greensignals.org/#mailing-list⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow: X (Twitter) -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/greensignallers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-signals-productions-ltd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/greensignallers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Credits:Presenters - Nigel Harris (@railnigel on X) & Richard Bowker CBE (@SRichardBowker). General Manager: Stef Foster (@stefatrail)

Labour's Planning and Infrastructure Bill promises to speed up the planning process to boost housebuilding and infrastructure development. But does it go far enough, especially when it comes to Parliament's role? Meanwhile, Ruth and Mark unpack the Reform UK fallout between Nigel Farage and Rupert Lowe, exploring why small parties often struggle with internal disputes. And what does it really mean to be an “Independent” MP? Should lone wolves, party rebels and political outcasts all be treated the same? __ Labour's new Planning and Infrastructure Bill promises a wave of housebuilding and major infrastructure projects — but will it deliver? Robbie Owen, Head of Infrastructure Planning and Government Affairs at law firm Pinsent Masons, isn't convinced. He argues that to truly fast-track major projects, the Government should revive an old parliamentary mechanism: one-clause bills that authorise big-ticket schemes while shielding them from judicial review. Plus, he suggests that more transformative projects, like HS2, may need to be directly approved by Parliament so the Hybrid Bill process may need to be utilised more often. He also suggests that this Bill will not be the last word on the issue for this Government: further legislation will probably be required. This week, Ruth and Mark also dissect the dramatic fallout between Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and MP Rupert Lowe. Does this high-profile clash expose an inherent challenge for small and emerging parties—a lack of political culture and mechanisms to manage internal disputes? And with Rupert Lowe joining the swelling ranks of independent MPs, we ask: what does "independent" really mean? Some have left their parties voluntarily, others were elected as non-party candidates, while some lost the whip for defying party lines—or were suspended due to allegations. While a few are true political lone wolves, others remain quietly loyal to their former parties, voting in step and hoping to return to the fold.____

Christian brings listeners the second part of his report on rail developments in India with particular reference to the city of Mumbai [2:15]; Mark Walker and Christian discuss the growing pressure for a decision on how to replace HS2 between Birmingham and Crewe [19:03]; in a tribute from the departure lounge, Christian reflects on the life and work of Professor Rod Smith [26:09].

Camden Council's Cabinet Member for New Homes & Community Investment, Cllr Nasrine Djemai joins Concilio's Account Director Siddo Dwyer to discuss the future of Camden. In the latest episode of Concilio's Better Places podcast, Account Director Siddo Dwyer sits down with Cllr Nasrine Djemai, Cabinet Member for New Homes and Community Investment at Camden Council, to explore the future of Camden, diving into how Camden is shaping a more sustainable and inclusive future. Key points discussed: Camden's Community Investment Programme Affordable Housing & temporary accommodation pressures Climate-focused Future Neighbourhood programmes The repurposing council assets for social action Sustainable Development & Regeneration in growth areas like Regis Road Cllr Djemai's lived experience with HS2 played a pivotal role in catching the attention of both HS2 leadership and Camden Council, ultimately inspiring her to run for public office. In the podcast, she discusses Camden's Local Plan, the role of public-private partnerships, and the borough's ambitious Community Investment Programme - a £2.3bn initiative delivering over 1,700 homes, marking a key milestone in a pipeline of 4,850 new homes. She also emphasises her belief that residents are the experts, advocating for a community-led approach that ensures local voices help shape and deliver Camden's major developments. Don't miss this conversation – listen now! 

Flying Scotsman DOES have a main line future – we speak to the National Railway Museum about plans for the world-famous locomotiveWhere now for HS2? The Public Accounts Committee asks what benefits can be “salvaged” from the project and we speak to former project Chairman Allan Cooke CBEAnd… Does the Royal Train have a future after all?In this episode:(00:00) Intro(00:47) Flying Scotsman's main line future(18:58) HS2 PAC report(41:04) Rail fares increase(45:34) Thanks to Supporters, Super Thanks and Members(47:18) Railway News Round-Up(47:24) Royal Train future(48:16) AI ticket barriers for the Underground?(49:40) Steamology Class 60 project(50:35) Bluebell Railway & Network Rail collaboration(52:35) Railway 200 Inspiration train(53:34) Avon Valley Railway Bounce Back appeal(55:34) The Quiz(01:01:13) East Midlands Railway celebrates World Book DayMembership: If you want to see even more from Green Signals, including exclusive content, become a member and support the channel further too.YouTube -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@GreenSignals/join⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/GreenSignals⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Green Signals: Website -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.greensignals.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merchandise - ⁠http://greensignals.etsy.com⁠Newsletter -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.greensignals.org/#mailing-list⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow: X (Twitter) -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/greensignallers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-signals-productions-ltd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/greensignallers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Credits:Presenters - Nigel Harris (@railnigel on X) & Richard Bowker CBE (@SRichardBowker). General Manager: Stef Foster (@stefatrail)

After a frantic weekend of diplomatic chess, has Sir Keir Starmer emerged as the new leader of Europe? Will Israel agree to enact the second stage of the ceasefire deal and pull troops out of Gaza? Why is the government spending £100m on a bat cave for HS2? Giles Whittell is joined by Tortoise's Stephen Armstrong, Chloe Hadjimatheou and Hashi Mohamed as they each pitch a story they think should lead the news. **Join us at the next edition of the News Meeting Live! Get your ticket for Wednesday 26th March in Bath here: https://www.tortoisemedia.com/our-events/the-news-meeting-live-3 And our London live show on Tuesday 29th April here: https://www.tortoisemedia.com/our-events/the-news-meeting-live-2 Listen to Tortoise's latest series - Lucky Boy here - https://lnk.to/IKgGih Listen to the latest episode of the Slow Newscast: Trump's Dealmaker hereFollow us on Social Media: @tortoise on IG and X, @tortoisemedia on tiktok @tortoisemedia.bsky.social on bluesky Host: Giles Whittell, deputy editor at TortoiseEmail: newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.comProducer: Casey MagloireExecutive producer: Rebecca Moore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) threatens Network Rail with possible enforcement action under the Health & Safety at Work Act. Could there be growing safety concerns with some of our railway structures?We look at the reaction to the government's Railways Bill consultation on GBR and hear from the Rail Freight Group's Director General, Maggie Simpson.There are strong words from the Heritage Railway Association's CEO Steve Oates about the state of leadership and governance with some of the country's heritage railways.In this episode:(00:00) Intro(00:56) ORR and Network Rail assets(07:15) Railways Bill consultation reaction(14:33) Freight's reaction to consultation(26:05) Avanti West Coast and the Beattock landslip(32:22) Heritage Railway Association interview(37:29) Thanks to Supporters and Members(39:17) Railway News Round-Up(36:25) 1000th HS2 freight train(40:40) Class 395 Javelin recovery(43:41) East Midlands Railway vandalism(45:05) Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline(46:39) Class 465 Networker painted in Network South Eastcolours(47:44) Green Signals merch store!(49:27) The Quiz(54:03) Northern conductor praised for helping motherMembership: If you want to see even more from Green Signals, including exclusive content, become a member and support the channel further too.YouTube -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@GreenSignals/join⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/GreenSignals⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Green Signals: Website -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.greensignals.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merchandise - http://greensignals.etsy.comNewsletter -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.greensignals.org/#mailing-list⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow: X (Twitter) -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/greensignallers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-signals-productions-ltd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/greensignallers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Credits:Presenters - Nigel Harris (@railnigel on X) & Richard Bowker CBE (@SRichardBowker). General Manager: Stef Foster (@stefatrail)

Manchester mayor Andy Burnham joins the Matts ahead of this week's Convention of the North - the annual meeting of minds focussed on the ongoing revival of the UK's great northern regions and cities. Andy delves deep into the opportunities and challenges facing cities like Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds - emerging from the threat of obsolescence into economic and cultural powerhouses of the 21st Century. Does Westminster really have a clue about the North? How much of a blow was the cancellation of HS2? And how can the north really compete with London and the south east when it comes to driving innovation and economic growth? All this - plus Andy looks forward to his beloved Everton's move next season to one of the most exciting sporting arenas in Europe - Bramley Moore Dock slap bang on the majestic river Mersey. Enjoy!EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Get The New European for just £1 for the first month. Head to theneweuropean.co.uk/2matts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Claire Baily is a London-based artist, researcher, and educator whose work navigates the intersections of art, sustainability, and material innovation. I had been following Claire's research on Instagram, after knowing her as an artist working with an array of materials, with amazing technical casting ability.. And then seeing her document a shift away from Petrochemicals, resins etc, looking at what a sustainable making practice might look like in the context of the climate emergency, documenting her experimentations with new materials for casting. I enjoyed the way she was sharing the research, the tests and the trials online - developing more sustainable art production systems with regenerative resources at their core, she is focusing on developing bio-based materials and processes that can be viable alternatives to existing making methodologies dominated by petrochemicals.Claire suggested Sarah King as our second guest for the conversation.. Sarah is a circular economy researcher, sustainability and innovation consultant with experience in project management, design led research, and systems change. For the last eight years she has worked closely with businesses and academic institutions to educate and identify innovation opportunities in response to current environmental challenges, supporting the development of new technologies, products, and services. Her areas of scope include the built environment and construction, plastics and packaging, textiles and apparel, and sociocultural behaviour change. Recent projects include the culturing of pure Bacterial Cellulose for use in the apparel industry, food waste composite materials for interior panelling, and natural pigments for utilisation with digital processing techniques.LinksClaire: https://www.clairebaily.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZNJHTKnISc_3qDtrvlDlsbt0S0pMjc86KwWqx9wbRp9MWsV78-i3k6dao_aem_FlxJwHA1EmzgFcSs0WhekgClaire on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairebaily/Sarah: https://www.earthliprojects.com/Sarah on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah_earthli_projects/Materials Club: https://steamhouse.org.uk/news/materials-club-biomaterials-101/On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/materials_club/?hl=enSteamhouse Birmingham: https://steamhouse.org.uk/More on the HS2 project in collaboration with British Ceramics Bienial: https://www.britishceramicsbiennial.com/news/from-waste-to-resource/Centre for Ecology and Art Goldsmiths: https://www.gold.ac.uk/research/centres-units/research-centre/centre-for-art-and-ecology/about-us/Olivia Aspinall: https://www.instagram.com/do_not_go_gentle_/Material Futures at CSM https://www.arts.ac.uk/subjects/textiles-and-materials/postgraduate/ma-material-futures-csmFollow Mater on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mater________/Original writing commissions by Mater: https://mater.digital/Get in touch with any thoughts, questions, or even suggestions for future episodes: info@maddierosehills.co.ukPlease make sure to follow, subscribe and rate if you are enjoying the podcast, it means the world! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amongst all the HS2 construction updates, one important thing has been missing. What is HS2 actually going to be like for passengers? When will we see HS2 trains running? What will the customer experience be like? What has the cancellation of Phase 2a meant for plans to transform rail travel on the West Coast? All these questions and many more are the domain of West Coast Partnership Development Managing Director Shamit Gaiger – an expert in transformational change and a passionate advocate for great customer experience.Membership: If you want to see even more from Green Signals, including exclusive content, become a member and support the channel further too.YouTube -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@GreenSignals/join⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/GreenSignals⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Green Signals: Website -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.greensignals.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Newsletter -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.greensignals.org/#mailing-list⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow: X (Twitter) -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/greensignallers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-signals-productions-ltd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/greensignallers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Credits:Presenters - Nigel Harris (@railnigel on X) & Richard Bowker CBE (@SRichardBowker). General Manager: Stef Foster (@stefatrail)

HS2: blot on the landscape? Or the greatest missed opportunity in a generation?What if the future of transport in Britain wasn't about electric cars and extra runways at Heathrow, but a 200-year-old technology of the past?That's the argument made by Gareth Dennis, the engineer, writer, policy adviser and podcaster who has made a name for himself in recent years with his clear-headed analysis of how people move around. We were delighted, then, when Gareth joined James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast to talk about the future of the railways.Listen to Country Life podcast on Apple PodcastsListen to Country Life podcast on SpotifyListen to Country Life podcast on AudibleIt's eye-opening, fascinating stuff. Did you know, for example, that a single high-speed rail way line can replace 10 lanes of motorway traffic? Or that the true benefit of HS2 was never about the high speed rail link itself, but instead its ability to free up other areas of the network to help improve daily life for people?Gareth presents these and more arguments in a fascinating discussion which — we'll warn you now — will likely challenge a lot of things that you thought you knew.Episode creditsHost: James FisherGuest: Gareth DennisEditor and producer: Toby KeelMusic: JuliusH via Pixabay Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're all familiar with change. Our schedules change. Projects change. The world changes. It's the only constant, as they say. And so, we learn how to adapt to new landscapes, adjusting our plans and executing accordingly. But transforming something and making real progress – that's another beast altogether. It's about moving from who you are to who you want to be. About reinventing a business for the future. Or shaping a project that will impact lives for years to come. Making progress involves risk. Trying new things. Stepping outside of your comfort zone. All while making sure it's ultimately helping society and business move forward. It starts from a vision, but the road to get there is often winding and unexpected. So, what can we learn from those who've been there and done it? We're joined in this episode by Mark Wild, CEO of HS2, and Lorraine Mackin, UK Lead Partner for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Government, to ask: What's the difference between change and transformation? Tune in to find out: Why Mark doesn't like “the T word”   The biggest transformation project facing the world    The vision behind some of society's biggest transformations What Mark's learnt from managing high-profile and large-scale transformation projects    Enjoyed this episode? Check our website for our recommendations to learn more about this topic: deloitte.co.uk/greenroompodcasts You can also watch our episodes over on YouTube: youtube.com/@DeloitteUK Guests: Mark Wild, CEO of HS2 and Lorraine Mackin, UK Lead Partner for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Government Hosts: Annie Wong and Lizzie Elston Original music: Ali Barrett

Melanie Smith is the chief executive of the NEC Group, the owner of the NEC in Birmingham, the largest event venue in the UK. Before that she ran Ocado's retail business with Marks & Spencer and started her career with McKinsey. Originally from New Zealand from a family with little business background, Smith has fought her way to the top of the business world.In this episode we cover the "extraordinary" Blackstone conference where Smith gets to meet and learn from other chief executives, why she has the best job in Britain, why private equity ownership is better than being listed on the stock market, the opportunities that HS2 will bring to the economy, the challenges of M&S/Ocado and why she walks hundreds of miles on her own in some of the remotest parts of the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An HS2 construction update this week with the completion of an incredible 4,500 tonne deck slide for a viaduct at Small Dean in Buckinghamshire Richard takes a trip to see the wonderful semaphore signals and manual signalboxes at Shrewsbury And… We find out all about hotly anticipated The Greatest Gathering at Alstom's Derby Litchurch Lane to celebrate Railway 200 In this episode: (00:00) Intro (01:28) HS2's Small Dean deck slide (21:45) The Greatest Gathering launch (27:16) Shrewsbury semaphore signals (42:23) Reflections on Rachel Reeves' speech (45:52) Thanks to Super Thanks and Members (47:24) Railway News Round Up (47:28) Cardiff Parkway new station plans (48:22) End of Britain's longest timetabled train journey? (51:50) RSSB climate change scenarios (52:47) Severn Valley Railway landslip update (55:06) The Quiz (58:04) Northern engineering apprenticeships Membership: If you want to see even more from Green Signals, including exclusive content, become a member and support the channel further too. YouTube - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@GreenSignals/join⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Patreon - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/GreenSignals⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Green Signals: Website - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.greensignals.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Newsletter - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.greensignals.org/#mailing-list⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow: X (Twitter) - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/greensignallers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-signals-productions-ltd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/greensignallers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Credits: Photos & video - NASA, Southern Railway, Parliament.tv, Telerail, Network Rail, RAIB, Edward Fee Presenters - Nigel Harris (@railnigel on X) & Richard Bowker CBE (@SRichardBowker). General Manager: Stef Foster (@stefatrail)

Do we have to choose between conserving nature and growing the economy?The Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been complaining about the £100m being spent on a tunnel to stop bats being squished by trains on the HS2 railway line. A debate about whether looking after the environment is getting in the way of developing Britain's infrastructure has ensued. Is nature conservation getting in the way of economic growth - and can there only be one winner?Presenter: Adam Fleming Producers: Josephine Casserly, Simon Tulett, Beth Ashmead-Latham Editor: Penny Murphy Production coordinator: Janet Staples Studio engineer: Andy Mills

Mark talks to Jonathan Collins, friend and former leader of Nottingham City Council for 16 years. They discuss in depth Labour's recent budget decisions, infrastructure challenges, and the complexities of political promises. While coming from different sides of the political spectrum, their frank discussion explores local government, infrastructure investment, and the realities of political decision making. The debate around HS2, regional development, and political accountability makes this a must listen for anyone interested in UK politics and economic policy. KEY TAKEAWAYS Good infrastructure (railways, roads, broadband) is essential for local economic growth - when these basics are missing, even successful businesses struggle to expand. Politicians avoid being honest about taxes before elections, creating a cycle of unrealistic promises and voter disappointment. There aren't enough young people being born causing a social care and tax crisis. Government projects often cost much more than necessary because officials are too focused on avoiding any possible criticism rather than being practical. The constant stopping and starting of major projects like HS2 wastes enormous amounts of money as contractors have to keep reorganising their work. Many areas of the UK are held back not by lack of business opportunity, but by poor transport connections and outdated infrastructure. Union influence on Labour Party decisions is less direct than many people think. Professional experts often over-engineer infrastructure projects due to fear of future criticism, leading to gold-plated solutions rather than practical ones. Local councils face challenges in basic service delivery (like waste collection) due to the complex relationship between unions, management, and practical realities. BEST MOMENTS "Part of the challenge with politics is that it often descends into personalities... But ultimately, this is all about how we run the country and it's about policy." "The country isn't working anymore. It isn't functioning and so the conversation is, so are we happy with that? Are we happy to continue doing that?" "There aren't enough young people being born. You're not enough working age people to pay for the old people. We've got social care issues." "If you concentrate on infrastructure and housing, you will get growth. Infrastructure and housing will deliver you growth." "Why does it cost four times as much to do HS2 per mile than it does to do the TGV?" "Each time they get all of their payments, as soon as the government decides to stop again, it's massively disruptive and costly. Stop starting. I mean, it's completely bonkers." VALUABLE RESOURCES https://www.youtube.com/user/progressiveproperty https://www.progressiveproperty.co.uk/the-progressive-co-founders/ ABOUT THE HOST Mark has bought, sold or has managed around 1,000 property units for himself, Rob, his family and his investors since 2003. He is a system and spreadsheet geek and has developed a complex, confidential deal analyser system of buying residential, commercial and multi-let properties. CONTACT METHOD Email: Markhomer@progressiveproperty.co.uk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markhomer1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markprogressive Twitter: https://twitter.com/markprogressive‘Brought to you by Progressive Media': https://progressivemedia.uk/

It's been a frozen and wet start to 2025 with widespread snow and flooding. For many farmers it's all a bit too much like last winter - the wettest on record - which saw crops drowned and delayed much planting simply because the land was too wet to get onto it.We hear from farmers along the cancelled northern leg of HS2, who say they still face uncertainty. The high speed railway line from Birmingham to Manchester was cancelled in October 2023 - but land remains set aside for major infrastructure.And we hear from two innovative companies about what they think the future holds for food and farming.Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced by Heather Simons

It's a wonderful Christmas-Punky time. Whilst we crack out the grog and figgy puddings, let's all enjoy nine festive songs from HS2, The Vibrators, Kittenhead, Captain Marbles, The 4-Skins, Corners Of Sanctuary, Katye Kellye And the Interruption, Poorly Trained Reindeer & Eagle Spits and The Decline.Christmas, Voice of Jeff, Comedy Suburbs, Tony has your Facebook comments, Marbles, last week, work, Babys gig, Last of the Mohicans, parking tickets, From the Vaults, Picasso, Tony's International Gig Guide, Hail Nason, this week, Christmas, Babys recording, Paul's Christmas, Forest v Spurs, new year backlog, Crisis donation, Focus groups, Izzatwat and a reminder of the ways you can listen.Song 1: HS2 – Christmas Is A BoreSong 2: The Vibrators – I Hate ChristmasSong 3: Kittenhead - FalalaSong 4: Captain Marbles – Christmas CashSong 5: The 4-Skins – Merry Xmas EverybodySong 6: Corners Of Sanctuary – Christmas FairytaleSong 7: Katye Kellye And the Interruption – Herald The Punk Rock ElfSong 8: Poorly Trained Reindeer & Eagle Spits – Santa Is A CapitalistSong 9: The Decline – I Never Cared About Christmas

Sam Mercer is the CEO of Plantforce Rentals, a leading plant hire company in the UK. With over 12 years of experience at Plantforce, Sam has risen from the workshop to the boardroom, demonstrating his deep understanding of the business and industry. He was appointed CEO in April 2024, following his role as Chief Operating Officer, where he played a crucial part in the company's growth and strategic direction. Under Sam's leadership, Plantforce is poised to continue expanding and innovating in the plant hire sector. He is committed to maintaining its reputation as a trusted Tier 1 supplier for major projects while preserving its family-oriented culture. Sam is known for his solutions-focused approach and dedication to delivering on promises with integrity.Plantforce RentalsFounded in 1999 by Claire Trott, Plantforce Rentals started as a small regional plant hire company with just three machines and two staff members. Over the years, it has grown into a national industry powerhouse known for its technologically advanced machinery and skilled operators. The company serves various sectors, including construction, rail, significant projects, and energy.Plantforce has been recognised as a Tier 1 supplier on significant projects such as the Hinkley Point Nuclear Power Station and High-Speed Rail 2 (HS2). The company prides itself on its innovative use of digital tools and sustainable technologies, setting new industry standards. With divisions like Plantforce Compact, Attachments, Digital, Heavy Haulage, and Crushing and Screening, Plantforce offers diverse equipment tailored to meet specific industry needs.As Plantforce continues to grow under Sam Mercer's leadership, it remains committed to innovation, sustainability, and delivering exceptional value to its clients. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The government has confirmed London's new HS2 station at Euston will have just six platforms.The London Standard's transport editor Ross Lydall reports rail commentators fear this could result in a lack of capacity should HS2 ever be extended north of Birmingham.Ross joins us to discuss what the reduced number of platforms could mean for passenger journeys and also an update on the mega-project's price tag.In part two, Dr Enrico Amico, assistant professor in applied mathematics at the University of Birmingham, on methods behind research that uses neuroimaging to reveal new ways of mapping the brain. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In recent years transport - and especially rail infrastructure - has been among the most hotly debated policy fields in Welsh politics. Following the disastrous franchise awarded to Arriva Trains Wales, the creation and subsequent nationalisation of the rail operator under Transport for Wales, longstanding under-investment in the network, and the infamous decision to decline full devolution of rail in the 2000s - one that has seen Wales miss out on hundreds of millions, if not billions of pounds from the UK Treasury in the years since - we are finally seeing some of the Welsh Government's investment paying off. So we're delighted to be joined by Professor Mark Barry to discuss his own contribution as the instigator and campaigner for the South Wales Metro and core valley lines electrification, as well as his recent book on the matter. We also discuss the 'missing billions' from the HS2 project, the ongoing injustice of the UK Government's refusal to devolve rail in Wales as it is in Scotland, the debate around building Cardiff Parkway station, and the Welsh Government's plans for reforming bus services in Wales. You can find Mark on BlueSky here: https://bsky.app/profile/swalesmetroprof.bsky.social And Mark's book is available here: https://cardiffmetro.wales/book-navigation/ As always, you can find the latest from us on the socials @hiraethpod, including BlueSky here: https://bsky.app/profile/hiraethpod.bsky.social We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

This month's guest is Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) trustee for policy and external affairs Jonathan Spruce, who joins host Rob Hakimian to discuss the trials of the UK's megaproject High Speed 2 (HS2). The ICE recently put out a report about what went wrong with the project and lessons that can be taken forward to other projects, compiled through interviews with people at all levels in the project. Jonathan and Rob discuss the findings of the report as well as developments with HS2 since its publication, debating the role of HS2 Ltd, the handling of the project by the various governments entrusted with its management, how the messaging around the desired outcomes of the project needed to be refined and much more. Prior to the interview portion, Rob is joined by NCE senior reporter Tom Pashby to discuss their recent reporting about the developments in delivering Saudi Arabia's gigaproject Neom, especially in light of the recent ITV documentary which shed light on the abject working conditions for migrants.

Today we are going deep with a real creator. No, not one of the avatars of AI influencers in the creator economy, but someone who builds things that take 20 years to complete, Roger Madelin, CBE, the name behind the scenes in making London's Kings Cross a reality.For more on Bubble Trouble, including transcripts of the show, visit us online at http://bubbletroublepodcast.comYou can learn more about Richard at https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-kramer-16306b2/More on Will Page at: https://pivotaleconomics.com(Times below correspond to the episode without considering any inserted advertisements.)Transformation and Challenges with King's Cross Visionary Roger MadelineIn this episode of Bubble Trouble, co-hosts Richard Kramer and Will Page delve into urban development with Roger Madelin, CBE. Known for his transformative work at London's King's Cross, Roger shares insights on large-scale urban projects, navigating economic cycles, and the intricacies of aligning diverse stakeholders' interests. The discussion also covers the controversial HS2 rail project, the importance of integrating cultural elements in city planning, and the current political landscape influencing housing policies. Roger emphasizes the need for a strong vision, the significance of public spaces, and the necessity of balancing private and public sector efforts to create vibrant, inclusive urban environments.00:00 Introduction00:48 Part One02:16 Transforming King's Cross03:56 Reflecting on Urban Development05:48 The Impact of Smartening Up Train Stations08:45 Navigating Economic Cycles in Urban Projects15:20 The Future of Workspaces Post-COVID20:09 Balancing Luxury and Community in Property Development24:48 Preview of Part Two: HS2 and Urban Planning Challenges25:34 Part Two26:50 Challenges of High-Speed Rail in the UK29:43 The Flaws in High-Speed Two's Business Case32:08 Comparing High-Speed One and High-Speed Two34:00 The Importance of Comfort Over Speed36:03 The Role of Arts and Culture in City Development42:09 Political and Economic Challenges in Urban Development52:24 Closing Remarks and Reflections53:17 Credits Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we're digging into The B1M's recent video "Canada's First Supertall Skyscraper is in Crisis". Together, we look inside the messy battle to build The One, Canada's first supertall skyscraper. Fred is also quizzed on his Toronto/Canada general knowledge. Later in the episode, we cover:Dubai's super slender new skyscraper = https://www.instagram.com/p/DBtkMy7M4sP/?img_index=1 UK's HS2 rail tunnels to be extended to Euston = https://www.instagram.com/p/DBypbeRMDuD/?img_index=1We end the show with a heartfelt email from William from Canada. Get in touch! Podcast@TheB1M.comwww.TheB1M.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Step into the heart of an ancient woodland as we explore Ashenbank Wood, a Site of Special Scientific Interest rich in history and teeming with wildlife. Woodland has stood here for centuries, but this haven is under threat. A proposed tunnel project, the Lower Thames Crossing, could harm the irreplaceable ecosystem and ancient trees here. Jack, leader of our woods under threat team, explains what's at stake and the challenges and strategies involved in trying to maintain a delicate balance between development and nature. A decision on whether the project goes ahead is due from Government in May 2025. We also meet estate manager Clive, who delves into Ashenbank Wood's history, tells us more about why ancient woodland is so important and shows us the unusual approach of strapping deadwood to trees. Don't forget to rate us and subscribe! Learn more about the Woodland Trust at woodlandtrust.org.uk Transcript You are listening to Woodland Walks, a podcast for the Woodland Trust presented by Adam Shaw. We protect and plant trees for people to enjoy, to fight climate change and to help wildlife thrive.  Adam: Today I am at a site of Special Scientific Interest in the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which is teeming with extraordinary wildlife, and I'm told you can stand in the shadows of gnarled veteran trees and even spot some shy dormice, rare bats, and woodland wildflowers if you're there at the right time of year. But it is also a site under threat. National Highways propose to build a new tunnel linking Essex and Kent under the River Thames, and many feel that that will create a threat to the trees and wildlife here. So I've come not just for a walk, but to chat to experts and the first is the man responsible for coordinating the Woodland Trust response to big infrastructure projects and to chat to him about how infrastructure and nature can live hand in hand.  Jack: So I'm Jack Taylor, I'm the programme lead for the woods under threat team at the Woodland Trust.  Adam: Brilliant. And we're at Ashenbank Woods?  Jack: We are indeed.  Adam: Good, OK, sorry, yeah *laughs* I know I should sound more sure, we are at Ashenbank Woods.  Jack: I think its full title might be Ashenbank Woods SSSI, site of special scientific interest.  Adam: Oh right yes, yes. And we're going to see a bit later a colleague of yours, Clive, who will tell us more about the details of this woodland. But the reason why I wanted to talk to you first as we walk through, what is a lovely, actually dappled, dappled bit of woodland here is about your role in protecting places like this from development because, so what, what is your job?  Jack: Yeah, it's beautiful. That's a good question *laughs* what is my job? I I suppose the the base of it, the basis of it, the foundation really is about trying to protect ancient woods and ancient and veteran trees from forms of development, but also from other threats outside of that as well. So non-development threats like air pollution, pests and diseases, deer overbrowsing. Most of my work does focus on working within the development sector and trying to protect against those development threats.  Adam: Right, and you're the project lead.   Jack: Yeah.  Adam: When I first saw that, I thought you meant you're the project lead for this woodland, but you are not. You are the project lead for all development threatening woodlands throughout the UK. This is an extraordinary, I mean that's quite a job.  Jack: Yeah, it's it's a lot. There are a lot of threats to have to deal with across the UK because we're always building always sort of growing as a nation. We always need sort of new forms of infrastructure and new sort of housing. We recognise that. But all of that does come with the added impact of having threats on our ancient woods and ancient and veteran trees, so we have a team of myself and my my wonderful team of four as well.  Adam: Alright. Yeah, it's not big.  Jack: No, it's not big, but they they are enthusiastic and they're great at what they do.  Adam: So this is quite a political area because we've got a new government which has promised to improve lots of things, get the country working, build lots of homes. I think, I think the Prime Minister only recently talked about, you know, we're going to get spades in the ground, we're going to be doing stuff. Well, is it your job to stop all of that, I mean, or how do you balance what needs to be done for the country and what needs to be done to protect woodlands?  Jack: Yeah. So it's so none of this is really about stopping development from from happening and we we have to be sort of quite clear that that's not what we're set out to do as an organisation. It's about trying to ensure that where development is happening. It's not going to impact on our most important and our most valuable woods and trees and that's why we do have a focus specifically on ancient woodland, but and then also on ancient and veteran trees as well, because we know that for the most part, there are lots of really valuable woods and wooded and wooded habitats and trees that are plenty sort of valuable and important. But we know that ancient words and ancient and veteran trees are likely to be our most important sites. We have to focus on protecting those. So we do have to object to some developments where we think the harm is gonna be too great, but we're never really looking to stop them from happening, unless the harm is too great.  Adam: OK. Which way?  Jack: Umm, I think right.   Adam: OK. So one of the things I've noticed before, I mean, when I was following the HS2 debate, was politicians were going ‘it's fine, it's fine, it's fine. We'll cut this down, we're going to replace them. I tell you what, we'll do you a deal, we'll plant two for every one we cut down.' On the face of it that sounds reasonable?  Jack: OK. Yeah, not to us.   Adam: Why not?   Jack: Well, I think if you're, if you're looking at ancient woodlands and ancient and veteran trees, you're looking at something that is an irreplaceable habitat. There is no sort of recreating that habitat in in one space again, once it's been lost and the reason for that is these things take centuries to evolve and develop to create those sort of vital links between animals, plants, fungi, the soils as well. So ancient woodlands are especially important for their soils. So you can't really just take those soils and put them elsewhere because once that happens you completely disturb the relationships that have built up over centuries within them. And ancient and veteran trees, so you're talking about trees that for the most part are going to be centuries years old. How do you how do you replace centuries of development creating these wonderful sort of niche habitats for different parts of our ecosystems?   Adam: And is it, you said quite clearly that it's not your job or the Trust's job just to stop development, just to sort of blanket go, ‘hey, stop building' so is it about going, ‘don't build here' or is it about saying, ‘if you're gonna build here, this is how to do it with the least amount of impact'? What's the sort of your approach?  Jack: Yeah. In some cases it is about saying not, not building here. It depends what we're dealing with, I suppose so it's different if you're dealing with, say, housing developments or leisure facilities as opposed to something like rail infrastructure or road infrastructure, which is quite linear in nature, so they can only really go in one place to deliver its purpose, whereas housing is not as locationally dependent.  Adam: I see. So you feel you've got a better argument if it's a housing project, cause you can go, ‘put it somewhere else', but the train journey from A to B has to sort of go through this area. You're you're on a loser there are you?  Jack: Well, sometimes, but there are there are ways of of getting around sort of kind of impact. I mean it doesn't have to go absolutely sort of A to B in one way. You can think very carefully about the design to try and minimise impact on ancient woods. You can also look at alternative solutions, engineering solutions like tunnelling for example, so HS2 is a good example of that. The Phase One section which is going ahead between London and Birmingham, they actually put in a tunnel under the Chilterns, which saved about 14 hectares of woodland saved these three really good prime areas of ancient wood. And of course the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty came into that in a way, and they were trying to protect that also. But that was one solution to stop wildlife and nature being harmed.  Adam: Right. So that's, was this, were you involved with that?   Jack: Yeah, yeah.   Adam: Amazing. So how difficult was that to get that that project through and try to avoid the destruction of all that woodland?  Jack: Well, a lot a lot of destruction still is happening from High Speed 2. So about 20 hectares of ancient woodland has been destroyed at this stage now. A lot of the sort of preparation works for the Phase One section, that London to Birmingham bit, are now complete. So it it was difficult, but it it the way in which we were involved is we really brought ancient woodland to the table and put it at the forefront of considerations and and gave it a voice I suppose. It's not that it wasn't being looked at at all, but not nearly to the degree that we thought it needed to be looked at. And so we sort of kind of introduced that idea of well look, there's ancient woodland here, you need to be thinking carefully about the design and, you know, you think you're talking about halving the impacts on ancient woodlands from from our sort of kind of involvement and involvement of other conservation organisations in there as well.  Adam: So a lot of it is trying to say, to make the argument, but also to raise the profile of that argument,   Jack: Sure.  Adam: To bring, population and say this is actually a loss. You know, cutting it down is is a loss. So how much harder or easier has it got for you to make that argument?   Jack: Well, do you know, interestingly, I I would probably say that projects like High Speed 2, where there is such a big argument around the ancient woodland has raised the profile of ancient woodland itself. That's one of the sort of silver linings of that project for us, it's put sort of ancient woodland on the map in terms of habitat that needs to and is worthy of protection. So I think a lot of people now understand ancient woodland a bit better and what it is. There's still lots of awareness to do, you know, people just think of ancient woodlands as bluebells, big large oaks and it's not quite there. I mean, they're all so kind of varied in their nature and geographically across the country, but it's got people thinking about them.  Adam: So that was something of a success, although I know more complicated than just ‘yes, we won that'.   Jack: Sure, yeah.   Adam: Any areas you feel you really lost that, you know, keep you up at night, you go, that was that was a failure and you know, we've lost that woodland?  Jack: Yeah. I mean, there've been, there've been some over the years. Back in 2012 a a large quarry was built on an area of woodland called Oaken Wood in Kent, probably taking about out about 30 to 35 hectares of ancient woodland which is massive, massive amounts, I mean, you're talking about in the region it's like 40 to 50 football fields and and and we're actually dealing with another threat to that woodland from an expansion of that same quarry. So yeah, you know that that one is one that gnaws gnaws at us, is that, you know, we don't want to see that happening anymore.  Adam: Are you getting more optimistic that you know the public are more on your side that this is at least something that plays in policymakers' decisions now?  Jack: I I actually think the public have always really been on our side. I think if you ask the the general public, they would probably say to you, we do not want to see ancient woodlands subject to any loss or deterioration, whatever the cause.  Adam: Yeah, I think you're right. But they also say, yeah, but we like cheaper housing and want better transport links so.  Jack: Yeah. Well, I mean the Lower Thames Crossing, which is going to be affecting this site that we're in now, Ashenbank Wood is sort of a prime example of that the the intention of that project is to relieve traffic congestion on the existing Dartford Crossing.  Adam: Which I think actually I can hear in my headphones this, although we are, I mean it looks beautiful, there's quite a lot of background traffic noise. So we can't be that far away actually from from transport, from big roads. So explain to me you say this this particular site, Ashenbank Woods which is a site of Special Scientific Interest, so it's not just any old woods, this is a really special place, is under threat. What is the threat here?   Jack: So the threat here is partially there will be some loss to the wider SSSI ancient woodland in the area when you're losing sort of kind of, Ashenbank Wood itself is not going to be subject to much loss, although there is a cycle route diversion going through the woods that might impact on some of its special features.  Adam: Oh one second just, we've we've just turned off the path, we're just, oops crawling under some trees. I don't quite know why we've come, we we seem to have chosen the most difficult route. Well, it is beautiful because we've come off the path right into a magic dell.   Jack: There we go.  Adam: Oh, look, there's obviously some, I think, probably some kids have built a sort of camp, tent out of fallen branches. OK, so sorry so I understand that this is under threat from development, the the development plan though is what? What are they trying to do here?  Jack: So so what they're doing is they're building a new crossing further to the east of Dartford Crossing, but that's going to involve connecting...  Adam: A river crossing, a tunnel?  Jack: Yes a river crossing.   Adam: But it's a tunnel.   Jack: Yeah, it's a tunnel.  Adam: Why would that? That's that's great, surely?  Jack: Well, the tunnel goes under the Thames. But in order to connect the A2/M2 to the to the sort of tunnel portal, they're going to be going through a lot of ancient woodlands as a result. So just down the way Clay Lane Wood is one that's going to be heavily impacted by by the proposals, you know several hectares of ancient woodland loss there, but in terms of our wood itself, you're you're gonna have impacts on some of the veteran trees from some of the works that are required in here. But you're also sort of increasing the traffic around the area on A2/M2. And as you can hear, there's already quite loud background noise from the traffic. If that becomes louder, it further reduces the suitability of this habitat for a lot of species.  Adam: Right. So what are your, what are you doing?  Jack: Well we're campaigning against it for one thing. So we've been campaigning against it since 2016, trying to bring those bring those sort of impacts down as far as possible. At this point in time, I would probably say that it's unfeasible, that it could go ahead without causing loss or damage to ancient woodland and veteran trees, and that's something that we have to oppose as an organisation. So we're working with other environmental NGOs, conservation orgs like RSPB, Buglife, Wildlife Trust, CPRE to to oppose this scheme.  Adam: So, and if people want to keep an eye on the sort of campaigns you're running, and the sort of live issues around the country, where can they get that information?  Jack: They can go along to woodlandtrust.org.uk/campaigns and they'll be able to find out about what we're doing in terms of campaigning for protection of ancient woods and veteran trees. We've got a really great campaign at the moment, all about protecting ancient and veteran trees and we're stood in in front of one of these at the moment, we call them Living Legends.   Adam: Right OK, what a lovely link, because I I was gonna say you've brought me to a stand. It looks like a sculpture this, so what, so let me just briefly describe this. I mean, it's a hollowed out tree. There's, it almost looks like there's 3 or 4 bits of different trees supporting each other, and you can go hide in the middle. I mean, there's, I'd, I couldn't spread my arms in the middle, but I mean almost, you know, there's probably, I don't know, 4 or 5 foot wide in the middle. It's most extraordinary. What is this? What's going on here?  Jack: So I would probably say this is an ancient ash tree. As trees sort of grow older, they they have to sort of kind of allow their heartwood to to rot away because that's what keeps them sort of stable and secure and in doing so that creates really important habitat for wildlife. And so this is what has happened to this ash tree effectively, its heartwood has sort of rotted away, it's still got this kind of all important surrounding ripewood to be able to support the rest of the tree.  Adam: That's extraordinary. So the the, the, the wood at the centre of the tree, the heartwood has gone?  Jack: Yes, yeah, yeah, cause it it's not it's not really useful for for trees at that sort of point. It's it's no longer the part of the wood that's carrying the sort of the water and nutrients up the tree. That's what the sort of outer ripewood does. So the heartwood decays away as they as they grow older.  Adam: And that's just ash trees is it?  Jack: No, that's that's pretty much all. Yeah.  Adam: How ignorant am I? OK, fine. OK. I didn't realise that that happens to all trees. And it looks like that would cause an instability problem, but this looks actually fairly fairly stable, it's fine.  Jack: It it's it's actually it's actually the other way they do it because it allows them to remain as stable as possible. And I I mean this one it doesn't, it doesn't look in the best sort of structural condition does it, but they need to do that for their sort of physiological condition because if they have if they're trying to support too much sort of heartwood then it affects the trees energy balances. And I mean that there's actual sort of scientific things here between the kinetic and the potential energy in a tree and why why they do this but all old trees do it and in turn it creates this amazing habitat, so you can see all these little holes in the in the sort of kind of inside wood and the decaying wood as well, where insects have sort of burrowed into it, where birds would be, woodpeckers, you know would be would be accessing that as well.   Adam: Yeah. Amazing   Jack: Amazing structures, aren't they?  Adam: And so I'm going to meet now, one of the people responsible for actually managing woods such as Ashenbank, and he's waiting for me a bit further into the woods.  Clive: OK, I'm Clive, Clive Steward, I'm one of the estate managers for the Woodland Trust working in the South East.  Adam: So what is important about this site? What makes this wood special?  Clive: What makes this site special is that it's ancient woodland or partly ancient woodland, but it's also managed as a wood pasture or has been managed as a wood pasture in the past, and because of that habitat it has lots and lots of old trees and old trees is very important in terms of what they support in terms of dead and decaying habitats.  Adam: Right, so well we're standing by this extraordinary ash tree, I mean, it's extraordinary that there's an ash tree at all, given ash dieback, but it's extraordinary for all sorts of other reasons. But is ash a big part of this woodland?  Clive: In terms of its name, Ashenbank, you you think it should be but but it's it is a component of the site but it's not, the majority species is not ash.   Adam: What is this site then?  Clive: So mostly sycamore and we're in the northern part of Ashenbank where we've got a lot of sycamore and we've got some really big old sweet chestnuts, but there are lovely old oak trees and hornbeam trees.  Adam: Right. And so when we talk about ancient woodland, it's always worth, I suppose, explaining a bit about what we mean because clearly will go, well, that's old. But old for trees can be a whole different sort of thing. So how, what, what, what do you mean when you're talking about ancient woodlands?  Clive: Well, when we say ancient woodland ancient woodland is defined as areas which have been permanently wooded since 1600AD. That's the sort of the the the date.  Adam: Oh right, I didn't realise it was that precise.  Clive: Well, it well, yes, it's roughly when big old estates used to produce maps, so they discovered paper and started drawing maps of what they owned but prior so before this this, the assumption is that if it's wooded then it would have been wooded ever since the Ice Age retreated but managed by mankind for for thousands of years.  Adam: So we're, we're assuming actually that ancient woodland is all it's probably been here since the Ice Age?  Clive: Yes. Yeah.  Adam: So that's why I mean that's it's worth I think pausing on that because it's why when we're talking about ‘oh, we'll have to destroy a bit of woodland for a tree, for a road' sorry, we're talking about taking away a bit of the landscape, which has been there since the Ice Age probably. So that's quite a big deal to have done that.  Clive: Yeah, yeah. It is. It is. Yeah. The the other part of Ashenbank, which is the bit we're in is a more recently wooded area, probably about 200 years old. I have a a map here which is not good for a podcast, but I can show you a map.  Adam: Go on go on, we can describe this. Hold on. I'll hold the microphone and you can describe what we're seeing. So go on, yes.  Clive: So we have a a map here of Ashenbank Wood dating from 1797, which shows the woodland it used to be. I have another map showing the wood as it is today. So here's a map from a couple of years ago, but we're we're actually up here, which in the 1797 map shows fields. And now, now, now it's woods. So so basically, what's happened this Ashenbank used to be owned by Cobham Hall, which is a big estate to the east of Halfpence Lane, so this used to be partly of Cobham Hall Estate and in 1790, as many of these big old estates houses used to do, they used used they they employed a landscape architect to make their their grounds nicer as it were. So it wasn't Capability Brown, but it was a chap called Humphrey Repton who worked on this site from 1790 to about 1880, when he died 1818 when he died. And he landscaped the estate and the view from the house over to here looking west to what is now Ashenbank Wood was obviously important to him. So they actually planted a lot of these big old chestnuts which we walked past, which date from 200 years ago.  Adam: Which is very nice and we often hear about cutting trees down and looking at old maps going ‘oh, we've lost all that wood', here's an example of the reverse to actually that's a good nature story.  Clive: Yeah, yeah, definitely it is. Yes. As you get older, as they get older, these trees there are microhabitats which develop rot pockets, branches fall off, they they rot, big holes develop and that that's these microhabitats which are home to what's called saproxylic species.   Adam: OK, that's a new word, saproxylic?  Clive: Saproxylic. So saproxylics are are basically insects and beetles and flies which only exist in dead and decaying wood. So if these big old trees weren't around, they've got nowhere to live.  Adam: Right, which is why it's useful to have deadwood on the ground. It's not so, it looks untidy, but actually that's often the richest place.  Clive: Indeed. Yeah, yes, but often, but often these insects and beetles are actually in the living tree, not in the in the horizontal, dead and dying stuff. And it's the living trees, which are are why this habitat is so important.  Adam: But I thought you said you said they're living in the living trees, but but saproxylic means they're living in the dead trees?  Clive: But within these big old trees, there are these rot holes and pockets and little microhabitats within the tree...  Adam: Yes, which are dead and that's where they live?   Clive: Where they live yeah that's right.  Adam: Right OK. Yeah, very interesting. OK, very interesting. Now, there's also, I knew I was told, but I'm completely confused by, an idea that I'm told that goes on here of strapping deadwood to live trees. Did I did I misunderstand that?  Clive: No, no, you you didn't misunderstand it. No.   Adam: OK and you're going to show me where this is ?  Clive: Yep. Shall we shall we go, we'll we'll walk there, have a look.  Adam: Alright. Brilliant. So you've taken me to this tree, a very substantial tree, but next to it, this is the a bit of, what, you better explain, because this is really odd and I don't really understand what I'm looking at.  Clive: Right. Well, going back to 1999 when High Speed One was being built, they took out three hectares of Ashenbank Wood along with lots of other woodland in the area. And fortunately, somebody had the idea of of suggesting that we could save some of those big trees they felled and reerecting them against living trees to help them degrade and and become part of the habitat.  Adam: So I mean to describe this, we've got a very big tree. What sort of tree is this?  Clive: So you've got a big, big oak tree.  Adam: That's a big oak, and next to it is 6, 12, I don't know, 30 foot, 40 foot high dead tree, bit of bark. But it's it's not like a small, it's a 40 foot bit of bark which you have propped onto the living tree. Why is it better to have done that than just to leave it on the ground?  Clive: Well, it's about these microhabitats. So I mean, it's not just propped up it's actually strapped to it, so it's actually quite secure.  Adam: It is secure, that's y your health and safety hat on.  Clive: We had to make sure it was strapped up, but vertical dead or decaying wood is equally as important as horizontal, dead and decaying wood.  Adam: OK. Is it different? What, does it do different things?  Clive: The wood doesn't but it attracts different insects and species so that that that's why so. But in most in most woodlands you'll see deadwood as being felled trees which are lying or windblown. You don't often see dead vertical trees.  Adam: I've never seen that.  Clive: Well, they're often well, they're often felled and taken out for firewood or something but they are important as as a sort of microhabitat for these saproxylics. That that's purely why.  Adam: So the saproxylics which are insects which live on deadwood prefer, some prefer the high rise living of the vertical tree rather than the low level bungalow type living. But what what sort of, do you do, don't worry if you don't know, but do you know which insects prefer living vertically?   Clive: I I don't know that.  Adam: You don't. Somebody will, somebody will.  Clive: Yeah somebody will. But if you look at that tree, you'll see that it's a there's a there's a U-shaped crook 2/3 way up and in that there's there's a there's a hole which has probably got water in it. So water gathers from rain and that's that that little microhabitat will be, something will live in it. And if that was horizontal, it wouldn't be there.  Adam: Right, yes, yes. Well that I think this must be, I mean, we've been doing this for a few years. I've never seen that. So that is amazing. Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. So I know that the history of this site goes back quite a long way, not just the natural history, but the human history as well, and am I right in saying there's quite quite a lot of sort of Bronze Age heritage here?  Clive: Well, we've got a Scheduled Ancient Monument which has been dated to between 2000 and 1500 BC, which is a big burial mount and it is scheduled and it's, you know, English Heritage monitor it and we have to make sure it's free of trees and it's there to see.  Adam: Right. Wow. And it's interesting you talk about it's there to see because we came and parked in the Woodland Trust car park. Free parking, as is normal in Woodland Trust places, first time though a full car park. We are here midweek during the day. I was surprised to see it's full so talking about visitors, this is clearly a, I mean have I just come at a weird time, have they all come to see the Woodland Trust podcast being made, it's right, it's a popular site. That always feels like contention to me because I know you want to encourage people to come, on the other hand, coming in a sort of, destroys a bit of what we see. How much of a problem are the level of visitors?  Clive: Well, we basically have a path network through Ashenbank Wood which we maintain, we mow, we make sure it's open and safe. So most people walk on those those paths which steers people around the the wood, as it were, so and we we don't stop people from walking off the path but most people don't cause it's, you know, nettles or brambles or whatever. It's difficult to do.  Adam: Right, yes. And keeping dogs on the lead and everything. You've been with the Trust for a long time, haven't you, really. What sort of change have you seen in the the the debate around the natural world in your time here?  Clive: That's a big question.  Adam: Have you, I mean, sort of, it assumes you have seen a change, you might not have seen a change. I mean I the reason I ask it is because it feels to me it's gone up the political agenda, that it's not just, you know, people dismissively talking about crazy tree huggers and let them onto their own thing. It's become more mainstream. Do you think that that's it's become more optimistic, do you think it's become more pessimistic, do you think, you you know, it's become more informed, I suppose?  Clive: Well, I think there's a growing recognition that ancient woodland is a special habitat, but it hasn't quite gone far enough to get total protection. But I think there's a growing realisation that ancient woodland is special and we need to look after it. And I think the politicians probably do understand it, but maybe can't quite make that move to legislate against total protection.  Adam: Yeah. And I think that's part of the Living Legend campaign that the Woodland Trust is organising, isn't it?  Clive: Definitely is. Yeah. Yeah, very much so.  Adam: Well, there were two websites we talked about today. So if you want to get involved in a local campaign, search for ‘Woodland Trust campaigns' and you can find out more about the attempts to get better legal protection for ancient and veteran trees by searching for the Living Legends campaign and of course I hope you get a chance to visit Ashenbank Woods yourself. So until next time, happy wandering.  Thank you for listening to the Woodland Trust Woodland Walks. Join us next month when Adam will be taking another walk in the company of Woodland Trust staff, partners and volunteers. And don't forget to subscribe to the series on iTunes or wherever you are listening. And do give us a review and a rating. If you want to find out more about our woods and those that are close to you, check out the Woodland Trust website. Just head to the visiting woods pages. Thank you. 

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced £40billion of tax rises in Labour's first budget for nearly 15 years.In a 77-minute speech before a packed House of Commons, the UK's first female Chancellor of the Exchequer announced massive tax hikes to help “fix the foundations” of the economy.Reeves plans to raise £25 billion from employers' national insurance contributions plus increases to capital gains tax, while also making changes to inheritance tax and stamp duty.Billions of pounds in public funding was also pledged for the NHS, schools building, the national minimum wage, GB Energy, HMRC reform, cladding removal, defence and compensation for victims of the infected blood and Post Office Horizon scandals.In a boost for London, the Chancellor confirmed that HS2 would be extended via tunnelling to London Euston.It is all part of the government's plan to tackle the so-called “£22bn black hole” in the public finances.But the opposition Conservatives accused Labour of breaking manifesto pledges. We're joined by Parliament by The London Standard's political editor Nicholas Cecil. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Nick Ferrari at Breakfast,Former One Direction star Liam Payne dies aged 31 after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires.LBC understands the troubled HS2 rail line will now run from London Euston to Crewe in a move soon to be announced by government.Nick speaks to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson. All of this and more on the Nick Ferrari Whole Show Podcast.

Is it smart to bring back HS2?Plus, a phone in on poverty in modern Britain with Big Issue founder Lord Bird and campaigner Matthew Torbitt. And how widespread is the old-fashioned attitude that having children should somehow hold women back?

The killing of HS2 was one of the defining features of the former government's final days but there's now talk the high speed rail line to Manchester might happen after all. Northern Powerhouse Chief Executive Henri Murison asks what Ed Balls and George Osborne make of the chatter that it could be revived, in the form of the so-called ‘HS2 light'.How should we truly define a “pensioner”? Does it just mean someone who is actually receiving a pension, or someone who is of pension earning age? And should pensioners with wealth be treated in the same way as those without?Plus, Ed and George share their favourite moments of political barb and banter. What was George's scariest moment as a politician? You could have been listening to this episode of EMQs early and ad-free!Become a member of POLITICAL CURRENCY GOLD

Transport secretary Louise Haigh has signalled the HS2 high-speed line will terminate in central London.She told Times Radio on Tuesday an announcement would be made soon on the controversial under-construction route from Birmingham into the capital - that's expected at the Budget on October 30.There was uncertainty over HS2's final stop amid funding worries and whether it would instead be at Old Oak Common further to the west of London.We're joined by The Standard's political editor Nicholas Cecil to discuss the project - forecast to cost over £66 billion - plus, rail nationalisation plans and government assurances over pensioners' free bus passes.In part two, water companies in England and Wales have been hit with penalties of nearly £158 after regulator Ofwat published its annual performance report into the sector - and they've been told to knock the money off customers' bills.The report revealed firms continue to miss targets on pollution, leaks and customer satisfaction. To find out what this means for consumers and discuss the impact of water privatisation, we're joined by Dr Eleanor Shearer, senior research fellow at the Common Wealth think tank. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

HS2 is a white elephant and needs scrapping now. We need a full Public Inquiry into the finances and the political decisions that have blighted so many lives and seen the costs spiral out of control. The Pager attack on Hezbollah was a terrific targeted response to years of terrorism. Starmer has accepted more financial gifts and freebies than any other political leader in recent history aand he shows no signs of stopping now. Support me please here buymeacoffee.com/Jongaunt

In today's podcast we reflect on last year's HS2 north project cancellation and, one year one, explore what lessons might be learnt for future major project delivery as we move into the Starmer government era.Now, I have been writing about infrastructure projects for 30 years and it seems that when you look back, one consistent theme constantly crops up – the delivery of major infrastructure projects is troublesome to say the least. As an industry we continuously over-promise when it comes to budgets and programme and under-deliver when it comes to social, economic and environmental outcomes. I'm thinking Jubilee Line Extension, Heathrow T5, Channel Rail Link, Crossrail – all fantastic assets today, but the delivery process has left the industry's reputation in the eyes of the public and politicians in tatters. In fact, according to book “How Big Things Get Done” by Flyvbjerg and Gadner, 99.5% of major projects worldwide are over budget, over time and fail to deliver their expected benefits.So when then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced to the Conservative Party Conference in October 2023 that phase 2 of the HS2 project beyond the West Midlands would be cancelled and replaced with “Network North”, a £36bn hastily thrown together hotch potch of transport projects, it was hardly a surprise.HS2, said Sunak. “is a project whose costs have more than doubled, which has been repeatedly delayed and it is not scheduled to reach Manchester for almost two decades… … and for which the economic case has massively weakened with the changes to business travel post Covid.”  Much disappointment and derision followed. HS2 will now run only from London to Birmingham, with the Oak Common to Euston link on hold until a private sector backed solution can be found. The industry's reputation for delivery sent once again into the bin.I say again because this is not the first example of politically driven descoping as politicians run out of patience waiting for a ribbon to cut. Think the Channel Tunnel in the 1970s, the Crossrail project in the late 1980s, the Advanced Passenger Train in the 1990s, numerous tram projects in the noughties. Of course many of these projects eventually restarted and reaped benefits beyond expectation..The question is why do they seem to have such troubled births? It warrants deeper discussion. It is therefore my pleasure to welcome Kay Hughes, former HS2 design director and Andy Murray, executive director at the Major Projects Association who have just jointly authored a new report looking specifically at what the major projects sector can learn from this recent HS2 cancellation experience. Resources-MPA report: "Cancellation of major projects: Perspectives on rethinking the approach to major projects inspired from HS2 Phase 2 lessons"-MPA Prestige Lecture 2024: The Politics of Projects: Professor Ben Ansell-HS2 North Cancellation announcement -Network North-How Big Things Get Done

London MPs have joined a Commons movement challenging the axing winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners.Evening Standard political editor Nicholas Cecil has Monday morning's details on an early day motion calling for the Starmer government's hugely controversial cuts to be postponed.In part two, a look at how construction of the huge new HS2 station at Old Oak Common will see years of Christmas closures and diversions for passengers using at Paddington.Transport editor Ross Lydall discusses the logistics of moving services temporarily to Euston and its impact on timetables. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Somedays you want to hide away with just a seagull for company... if so, why not let us join the party with nine songs from The Sewer Cats, Johnny Nasty Boots, The Chords UK, Mothra Slapping Orchestra, The Hard Toms, Alldeepends, Bermuda Squares, HS2 and Hood Rats.Voice of Jeff, Comedy Suburbs, Tony has your Facebook comments, Timo, sad news about The Hard Toms, seagull, last week, house hunting, Shropshire, John Peel, renovations, Chuck, Tour rained off, From the Vaults, Tony's International Gig Guide, this week, Lincolnshire, Forest v Wolves, Rockin' The Boneyard, no Izzatwat, Quiztime for Tony, jingles, Quatrro Tonaggio and a reminder of the ways you can listen.Song 1: The Sewer Cats – Tell Me Something TrueSong 2: Johnny Nasty Boots - SohoSong 3: The Chords UK – Indie Disco Friday NightSong 4: Mothra Slapping Orchestra – Ain't Got The SameSong 5: The Hard Toms – She's A LadySong 6: Alldeepends – El Surf Ya TengoSong 7: Bermuda Squares - OutsiderSong 8: HS2 – Don't Really Matter To MeSong 9: Hood Rats – We Can Be Zeros

The chancellor Rachel Reeves is about to confront the British public with the size of the black hole in the country's finances. A funding shortfall of about £20bn is likely to lead to tax rises at the Budget later this year. So — how to fix the problem? The FT's political editor George Parker sits down with colleagues Stephen Bush and Robert Shrimsley to consider the government's options. Plus, the FT's infrastructure correspondent Gill Plimmer outlines the scale of the debacle that is the cancellation of the high-speed rail link between Birmingham and Manchester. Want more? Free links:Rachel Reeves to pave way for UK Budget tax rises in ‘spending audit'Expect a Tory leadership race mired in bitter and personal fightsThames Water's credit rating slashed to ‘junk'Britons may need to be put off taking trains due to HS2 curtailment, watchdog says Follow George on X @GeorgeWParker, Stephen @stephenkb. Robert @robertshrimsley, Gill @gillplimmer1Sign up for 90 free days of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 ‘Best Newsletter' award: https://ft.com/insidepoliticsofferPresented by George Parker. Produced by Audrey Tinline.The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Audio mix and original music by Breen Turner. The FT's global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reform have launched their manifesto which they're calling "Our Contract With You" in South Wales. The "contract" is promising big spending, dwarfing what Labour and the Conservatives have committed to. The party says it will pay for the plans by measures including scrapping net zero targets and what remains of HS2. In this episode Niall Paterson gets analysis on what's in the "contract" from our chief political correspondent Jon Craig. He also speaks with our royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills about the Princess of Wales and the King – and their return to public life. Full list of candidates for North West Essex constituency, which we mention in the podcast:  -Kemi Badenoch, Conservative and Unionist Party  -Erik Bonino, Independent -Edward Gildea, Green Party -Andrew David Green, Independent -Niko Omilana, Independent -Smita Rajesh, Liberal Democrats  -Grant StClair-Armstrong, Reform UK -Issy White, Labour Party Producer: Emma Rae Woodhouse Editor: Wendy Parker 

"Extreme protest groups" should be subject to strict new laws according to the government's independent advisor on political violence Lord Walney. This would include organisations like Just Stop Oil and Palestine Action whose members are willing to break the law to get their point across.   They might have restrictions placed on their ability to fundraise or assemble, according to extracts of a new report by Walney leaked to the press. But is this an appropriate way to deal with protests that may be disruptive, but which are essentially non violent? Adrian Goldberg talks to Gail Bradbrook is one of the founders of Exrtinction rebellion, who been found guilty of criminal damage as a result of her protests against HS2 and Barclays; and Francesca Cociani, a senior associate at  Hodge Jones & Allan, who regularly represents protestors in court. Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White. Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's 2024, and the Manchester extension of HS2 has been cancelled. The leg to Leeds was cancelled in 2021. The remaining line to Birmingham is now less than half the initial planned route, and will cost over double the initial budget. This is not exclusive to HS2; Sprialling costs and missed deadlines have become commonplace in big engineering projects, the UK is now one of the most expensive places in the world to build infrastructure, but Britain has a proud history of engineering, and one name in particular looms large - Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Ruthless, bloody minded and notoriously driven - what could he do about the current state of UK infrastructure?Presenter: Neil Maggs Producer: Johnny I'Anson Editor: Clare Fordham

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has declared it's time to end what he calls “the war on motorists.” First, the Conservative Party leader announced he was delaying the UK's commitment to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars. He followed that with what he called his “plan for motorists,” which would severely restrict local efforts to implement low-traffic neighborhoods, 20 mph speed limits, bus-only lanes, and other policies intended to benefit people walking, cycling, and taking transit. Finally, he scrapped a major portion of HS2, a high-speed rail line linking some of the UK's biggest cities. So… what the hell is happening in the UK? With similar setbacks in Berlin, Madrid, New York and elsewhere, is this part of a broader global backsliding? Are we losing the The War on Cars or is the prime minister just grasping at culture-war straws? The Guardian's Peter Walker returns to the podcast to help us figure it all out. ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, exclusive bonus content and stickers.*** This episode is produced with support from Cleverhood. Listen to the episode for the latest Cleverhood discount code. SHOW NOTES: “Sunak ‘backs drivers,' announces scaling back of HS2, and delays the UK's ban on gas-powered vehicles by five years. (Peter Walker & colleagues, The Guardian) Rishi Sunak says he's “slamming the brakes on the war on motorists.” (The Sun) King Charles III makes his first “King's Speech.” (YouTube) British Transport Secretary Mark Harper on “sinister” 15-minute-city plans. (The Independent) Hear Peter Walker discuss his book, The Miracle Pill, on this Patreon bonus episode of The War on Cars. Pick up Peter Walker's How Cycling Can Save the World at our official Bookshop.org page. See The War on Cars LIVE at Caveat on NYC on Wednesday, January 31st. Tickets are going fast! Register for the Winter Cycling Congress, February 22-24 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. We will be there! Buy official War on Cars merch at our store.  Find us on Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts.  TheWarOnCars.org

Andy Zaltzman quizzes the week's news. Providing all the answers Ria Lina, Ayesha Hazarika, Chris McCausland, and Alasdair Beckett-King. In this episode Andy and the panel discuss Rishi rowing back on net zero, Wales slowing down, HS2 grinding to a halt and Starmer's European sojourn. Written by Andy Zaltzman With additional material by Cody Dahler Mike Shephard Rhiannon Shaw and Miranda Holms Producer: Gwyn Rhys Davies Executive Producer: James Robinson Production Co-ordinator: Dan Marchini Sound Editor: Giles Aspen A BBC Studios Production

TONIGHT: The show begins at the Federal Reserve where speculation begins again for a Soft Landing and properity ahead with lower inflation.  Then to London for details about the Sunak government backing off some from Net-Zero and most away from HS2.  From Mexico City to Buenos Aires to Quito to Caracas searching for Iran.  Then a conversation about ending the Ukraine war and concentrating on containing the Mideast tragedy from a wider war with Iran. Much attention late to the Danube River frontlines and to elections in Germany and Poland going right. 1920 Poland

#LondonCalling:  White Elephant called HS2. @JosephSternberg @WSJOpinion https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/sunak-poised-to-make-incredible-gaffe-by-axing-hs2-in-north-but-saving-london-link/ar-AA1hD3Ip 1950 LONDON

TONIGHT.  The show begins in Minnesota with a young married couple looking to pay high mortgage and car rates while paying off student loans and credit cards. From Berlin to Warsaw, from the UN to Ukraine; from the White House to London to the infamous HS2, never built. A good discussion on the South Caucasus; on the PLA discarding Xi; on West Africa.  Attention to the timeline for 60 % uranium in Iran, and the aim of Saudi Arabia to prepare for bomb making. 1886 Washington