David McWilliams Podcast

completedit · 13-05-2020 5:39pm

I honestly think we forget that we aren't the be all and end all. We will suffer but our future descendants will gain from this upheaval. The prolem is that we will never gain from the changes, or only benefit slightly. But I believe we are on a march towards a better future. I see increased skepticism towards capitalism, not that capitalism is wrong, but the type of neoliberal capitalism we have has destroyed our planet. Time for revolution. And the revolution is coming.

13-05-2020 6:36pm

It won't be coming in Ireland tho, at least not to start. As a small open economy Ireland has pegged its colours to servicing the global corporations.

27-05-2020 8:43am

Interesting spat with the finance minister in the latest episode. Not sure what to make of it.

David states,"You only take flak when you are over the target". Reminds me of something Ewan McKenna would say after spewing nonsense and rightly getting push back. McWilliams repeats this mantra in many different ways. It's a little unsettling. Just because you are being criticised, that does not prove that you are right. I frankly don't know enough about economics to say if either side is correct in this argument (my bias is to side with McWilliams). McWilliams says we should deal with the short term and forgot about the long term. I feel like this goes against what he has been preaching to date.

Anybody have a second opinion?

completedit · 27-05-2020 9:09am

In the long term we are all dead

27-05-2020 9:16am

completedit wrote: »

In the long term we are all dead

Sun explodes engulfing the Earth, gotcha

Dont Be at It · 27-05-2020 9:41am

He needs to stop pushing it..

ballsymchugh · 27-05-2020 11:37am

Deleted User wrote: »

Interesting spat with the finance minister in the latest episode. Not sure what to make of it.

David states,"You only take flak when you are over the target". Reminds me of something Ewan McKenna would say after spewing nonsense and rightly getting push back. McWilliams repeats this mantra in many different ways. It's a little unsettling. Just because you are being criticised, that does not prove that you are right. I frankly don't know enough about economics to say if either side is correct in this argument (my bias is to side with McWilliams). McWilliams says we should deal with the short term and forgot about the long term. I feel like this goes against what he has been preaching to date.

Anybody have a second opinion?

i thought it was more a dig at civil servants and academics in the dept of finance who've never worked in the real world etc spiel that you get every so often.
the same kind of argument for putting Michael O'Leary in as health minister etc.

Poor_old_gill · 27-05-2020 9:07pm

What he's saying is it's all about cash flow from an individual & economy wide perspective - if we don't secure a positive cash flow in the short term then we will all go out of business anyway.

It's genuinely not the complex or far-out of an economic concept which is why he, and others, are getting so frustrated with the DOF's inability to grasp what is going on here.

If anyone has time - do a bit of reading on the Great Depression & the mistakes made at the time - as we could be sleep walking into the same situation with our current approach.

27-05-2020 9:31pm

I kinda get lost when they talk about interest rates

dubrov · 27-05-2020 9:41pm

Poor_old_gill wrote:

If anyone has time - do a bit of reading on the Great Depression & the mistakes made at the time - as we could be sleep walking into the same situation with our current approach.

Economists are great at telling us all about the mistakes of the past but pretty poor about predicting the mistakes of the future.

For this recession, the general consensus seems to pump money into the economy. No one knows yet if it will work well without any unexpected side effects

Poor_old_gill · 27-05-2020 10:06pm

dubrov wrote: »

Economists are great at telling us all about the mistakes of the past but pretty poor about predicting the mistakes of the future.

For this recession, the general consensus seems to pump money into the economy. No one knows yet if it will work well without any unexpected side effects

Economists use that mistakes of the past to help inform future policy & this is what is happening here.

The last paragraph- general consensus isn’t pump money in as we don’t look like we’ll take that approach & of course no one knows as nothing has happened yet.

If we don’t prop up the economy now then there’ll be f*ckall to worry about anyway as we’ll be goosed.

We need to keep small & medium business going as otherwise our tax take will be completely shot.

What’s being advocated is, more or less, a form of capital expenditure with the intention that it will reap benefits, over the life of the debt, that will outweigh the cost of the debt.

However if we do nothing and let businesses go to the wall then we’ll have no chance of even meeting our current expenditure not to mind anything else.

1 sheep2 · 04-06-2020 2:08am

Poor_old_gill wrote: »

...the DOF's inability to grasp what is going on here.

Groan.

dr.kenneth noisewater · 04-06-2020 8:12am

Fairly mad statement that Ireland could have had 30 million people living on the island if it wasn't for the famine

radharc · 04-06-2020 9:32am

dr.kenneth noisewater wrote: »

Fairly mad statement that Ireland could have had 30 million people living on the island if it wasn't for the famine

What was mad about it?

CBear1993 · 06-06-2020 11:58pm

Thought it was interesting the lad Cunningham he had on. Fine Gael went from 21% in the opinion polls pre Covid to %36 now. Highest increase of any political party during this lockdown. Madness.

Only my opinion - I’ve no love for FG. But this would indicate that a lot of Irish people are sheep and will believe Anything they see on tv and what their friends are thinking.
Because Leo and Simon have talked to kids at their level through the tv, and quoted movies and poems, they’ve won people over. Plus the whole mantra of “they’re playing a blinder”.

Mad really. People can’t be trusted to vote based on that. If we held an election right now - they’d vote back in FG whereas in February leo was out on his ars* ??? We’re no better off than other countries of similar size when looking at deaths per capita but your average Joe just ignores this completely

07-06-2020 12:24am

CBear1993 wrote: »

Only my opinion - I’ve no love for FG. But this would indicate that a lot of Irish people are sheep and will believe Anything they see on tv and what their friends are thinking.
Because Leo and Simon have talked to kids at their level through the tv, and quoted movies and poems, they’ve won people over. Plus the whole mantra of “they’re playing a blinder”.

Mad really. People can’t be trusted to vote based on that. If we held an election right now - they’d vote back in FG whereas in February leo was out on his ars* ???

Herd mentality of voters in all its glory with pandemic.

CBear1993 · 09-06-2020 1:12pm

Wasn’t as interesting today. Very America focused. Bit boring apart from explaining how we can’t go back to 1980s Ireland. He seems very optimistic about post Covid for the multinationals and pharma industry but doesn’t say much about the rest

completedit · 09-06-2020 1:32pm

He is right about the doom and gloom. We need to start signalling more upbeat messages so that we don't end up in a self-made mess with people reeling in spending out of some fear of the vengeful economy unleashing its wrath

Chalk McHugh · 16-06-2020 9:58am

Anyone listen to the latest podcast? I thought it was pure nonsense. Couldn't understand a lot of it but he seemed to be saying we should invest the profits of corporation tax in the people and gamble it on the markets. When he started talking about Chimpanze's skin being pink under their black hair i couldn't exit the pod quick enough.

CBear1993 · 16-06-2020 10:21am

I did find them interesting initially and even had a look on his Patreon, but the last few weeks I feel like he's bringing up the same material and points from the previous week in a wishy washy way....maybe we just aren't economics heads!!! :pac:

ngunners · 16-06-2020 10:51am

CBear1993 wrote: »

I did find them interesting initially and even had a look on his Patreon, but the last few weeks I feel like he's bringing up the same material and points from the previous week in a wishy washy way....maybe we just aren't economics heads!!! :pac:

I find them very hit or miss and feel most episodes would be seriously improved if they were kept to half an hour. Lots of interesting points and discussion but much of it gets drowned out in waffle.

Chalk McHugh · 16-06-2020 10:53am

I cant stop thinking of hairless pink cihmpanzee's all morning. Think i'll give this pod a miss for a wee while.

bamayang · 16-06-2020 8:59pm

ngunners wrote: »

I find them very hit or miss and feel most episodes would be seriously improved if they were kept to half an hour. Lots of interesting points and discussion but much of it gets drowned out in waffle.

I always skip to about 7th minute so I don’t have to listen to the obligatory “well head...” ****e

17-06-2020 3:22pm

McWilliams podcasts are like his articles - pretty much a re-hash of the same ideas every few weeks.

Arghus · 17-06-2020 4:12pm

I find him interesting to listen to, but I don't know if I can take him seriously as an economist. He's a bit Hollywood. I think he spins very palatable stories and does a good job of narrativising things, but I don't know how rigourous his thinking is at times. I'm a bit suspicious that he never seems to take into account unforseen complexity or unplanned events in his theories about what should be done. It all seems a little too easy - there's a dose of arrogance in that sometimes. He prefers to think about the sexy big picture, rather than the boring numbers. Which is fine and entertaining, but I'd still take it with a pinch of salt.

PodcastReview · 24-06-2020 6:56pm

David McWilliams, ****ing hell so we've come full circle.

At least a stopped clock is nice to look at.

Robert McGrath · 25-06-2020 9:07am

glasso wrote: »

McWilliams podcasts are like his articles - pretty much a re-hash of the same ideas every few weeks.

Yep. This week’s ideas sounded very familiar. Interview with the Indian UN dude was good, though

Robert McGrath · 09-07-2020 3:15pm

Anyone else think DMcW’s friend from the Caribbean sounded a bit like a Brexiter?

A large part of her complaint seemed to be that the EU treats its own member states more favourably than countries outside the EU.

Ehhhhh, yes ... that’s kind of the point of an economic and political union. The US federal government treats Delaware and Maine and Kentucky differently to Ireland. The UK govt treats Scotland differently to France. Really not sure what she was getting at.

Disappointed that McW didn’t even gently challenge her on it

djemba djemba · 09-07-2020 8:33pm

Robert McGrath wrote: »

Anyone else think DMcW’s friend from the Caribbean sounded a bit like a Brexiter?

A large part of her complaint seemed to be that the EU treats its own member states more favourably than countries outside the EU.

Ehhhhh, yes ... that’s kind of the point of an economic and political union. The US federal government treats Delaware and Maine and Kentucky differently to Ireland. The UK govt treats Scotland differently to France. Really not sure what she was getting at.

Disappointed that McW didn’t even gently challenge her on it

Yeah I thought the same when I was listening to it.

Poor_old_gill · 11-07-2020 6:45am

Robert McGrath wrote: »

Anyone else think DMcW’s friend from the Caribbean sounded a bit like a Brexiter?

A large part of her complaint seemed to be that the EU treats its own member states more favourably than countries outside the EU.

Ehhhhh, yes ... that’s kind of the point of an economic and political union. The US federal government treats Delaware and Maine and Kentucky differently to Ireland. The UK govt treats Scotland differently to France. Really not sure what she was getting at.

Disappointed that McW didn’t even gently challenge her on it

Agreed- it was complete nonsense.
All hidden behind not so thinly veiled suggestions of neo-colonialism/racism.

The whole point of trade agreements is that they have to be mutually beneficial and she didn’t seem to really push forward anything that could benefit the EU- disappointing podcast overall to be honest.

I think the standard has started to drop in recent times & the Patreon subscribers getting an explainer every 2 weeks for a €10er is not cutting the mustard for me in terms of additional content!

I think I’ll just go back to being a listener to the free stuff

Amirani · 16-07-2020 3:21pm

Poor_old_gill wrote: »

I think the standard has started to drop in recent times & the Patreon subscribers getting an explainer every 2 weeks for a €10er is not cutting the mustard for me in terms of additional content!

Agreed, it's becoming really repetitive also. He keeps going back to the same old ideas. What's worse, if you pick him up on any other mediums (e.g. Irish Times column, recent Summer Nights festival) it's the same stuff over and over.

It grates a bit too that he does no self-critique of his ideas, and apparently the only reason none of them implemented are that other people don't understand economics as well as he does (see Paschal Donohue, Christian Lagarde, Patrick Honohon, anyone who ever studied accounting etc.). This is despite the fact that some of Ireland's most prominent economics professors have pointed out issues to him directly on Twitter (Karl Whelan for example, whom David often asks for clarification from on things).

16-07-2020 9:21pm

glasso wrote: »

McWilliams podcasts are like his articles - pretty much a re-hash of the same ideas every few weeks.

what did I say?

djemba djemba · 17-07-2020 1:11pm

glasso wrote: »

what did I say?

I cancelled my Patreon payment because of this. I already pay for my Irish Times subscription. Not going to be paying twice for the same thing

TRANQUILLO · 27-08-2020 4:08pm

I used to love McWilliams . Read his books and loved when he was vox popping on the late late or other current affairs shows.

The podcasts make him too prolific however. He's a bengal lancer when you listen to him every week. A seannachai by the fire. Puts a lovely twist on things and has a flowery vocabulary but when you peel back the veil there is nothing really there. I still listen as its interesting to an extent but the more i listen i realise he is an empty vessel.

His side kick is a sunshine boy who goes whichever way the wind is blowing.

TRANQUILLO · 06-10-2020 11:35am

Seemingly Trump getting Covid is funny now....... The pair of them laughing on todays podcast. There is a smugness to the way they go about their business. Ill still listen moreso for the guests but it is wearing thin.

Either the virus is dangerous and needs to be taken seriously or it isn't. He didnt get diarrhoea.

Its akin to Varadkar being doused in smoothie last week....but it's funny when it happens to Farage. You either stand for something or you stand for nothing.

McWilliams sidekick here is like a less vocal Tony Groves from the Black Eye. There is a sanctimonious holier than thou " forgive them for they know not what they do" air about them.

I listen to McWilliams, Second Captains, the Black Eye, Dunphy and used to listen to Blindboy. But once you start to see the virtue signlling you cant unsee it. A comment here, a remark there. Thinly veiled but always present. Ken early compared the premier leagues proliferation of penalties to Brexit in his indo piece last week which they then ran with on the pod. They just cant help themselves....and I say that as a man with a SC Annual signed by Ken Early on my bookshelf.

I want to listen to sport and economics reportage but I don't want to be moralised to on a daily basis. If anything id say this is the new " populism".

Robert McGrath · 27-10-2020 8:29pm

I’m close to giving up on this podcast.

I love the private sector as much as the next guy (I’m one of those small business owners he lauds) but McWilliams anti-public sector rants are making it almost unlistenable.

The smugness and condescension about how the government finally saw his wisdom with the Budget is also a bit hard to take.

He is really interesting when he sticks to history - anything contemporary and he’s difficult to listen to

Robert McGrath · 27-10-2020 8:56pm

I posted the above before hearing the very end of the latest podcast where he talks about the Mother and Baby Home controversy.

“What are they hiding?”, he asks

No analysis, no nuance. Frankly, it sounds like he couldn’t be arsed to actually read about the topic but didn’t have the intellectual honesty and integrity of his podcast partner to admit that and stay quiet until he could give an informed opinion.

Unsubscribed.

Pity. It was good once

Sweet.Science · 28-10-2020 1:23pm

I used to listen to it weekly

Not such much anymore

It was funny hearing Pearse Doherty repeat what was said on it but its become boring now

bamayang · 10-11-2020 4:22pm

Jesus this weeks american guest was very poor

Aidric · 17-11-2020 10:55pm

TRANQUILLO wrote: »

His side kick is a sunshine boy who goes whichever way the wind is blowing.

He is nothing more than a conduit which renders his presence futile. McWilliams is too used to having his opinions unchallenged and the podcast suffers as a result. His guests are all of the same hue so all the listener gets is a groupthink conclusion.

omerin · 17-11-2020 11:00pm

Aidric wrote: »

He is nothing more than a conduit which renders his presence futile. McWilliams is too used to having his opinions unchallenged and the podcast suffers as a result. His guests are all of the same hue so all the listener gets is a groupthink conclusion.

Agree, it's turning very stale and not sure the extra episode a week will help. The ads at the start and every few mins is very irritating.

Starting to go off podcasts, if i hear Eamo say journalists, after dinner speakers and right wing hacks again I'm likely to throw the phone against the wall.

completedit · 18-11-2020 7:27pm

I think podcasts are good for stuff like football but I honestly think they are overrated as a medium for more serious topics. They feed into our never ending thirst to know but they ultimately come up short. They're good for cintroducing you to a topic but eventually you'll want to crack the surface

igCorcaigh · 18-11-2020 7:35pm

completedit wrote: »

I think podcasts are good for stuff like football but I honestly think they are overrated as a medium for more serious topics. They feed into our never ending thirst to know but they ultimately come up short. They're good for cintroducing you to a topic but eventually you'll want to crack the surface

Pretty much.

It's like a cheap bit of pop science that makes you feel all knowledgeable. Entertaining all the same, and probably harmless.

Arghus · 19-11-2020 12:05am

It depends on what you listen to I guess.

There's quite a few of them on history which are very thorough and informative - I think the medium can be genuinely educational in that sphere.

In terms of politics, I find Talking Politics to be usually excellent and doesn't become semi-dumbed down and simplified tales like McWilliam's can often indulge in. The London Review of Books can also be excellent, depending on the subject.

Do they offer in-depth educations? No, but I think there are more rigiourous podcasts out there than David McWilliams'.

sportsfan90 · 19-11-2020 9:19am

A suggestion for a drinking game - take a shot of whisky every time McWilliams says the word Profound.

A good alternative to the pubs if they’re still closed at Christmas.

completedit · 19-11-2020 11:06am

I liked the Tuesday podcast. TBF, I think the DMCW podcast pretty much nails it for the podcast form. I'm a bit bipolar when it comes to my view on it but in general there will be something that strikes a chord. I really liked the interpretation of modern free trade and how the Brits are caught up in the idea of trade before the 1990's. However, on closer inspection, I feel McWilliams is being hyperbolic; he's acting as if 'light' services are the only things that matter to modern economies which isn't true. It's a nice narrative and one he runs with but doesn't reflect reality.

04-12-2020 10:48am

don't really listen to it much at all anymore but the one on Argentina caught my eye

I've been there a couple of times a number of years apart

Sort of notable though that the Argie economist /politician mate guy that he had on had a few economic excuses but quite little in the way of a note of personal responsibility of the Argies themselves for the state of the place

Seems to me that a lot of it is of their own making

They have voted in some prize eejits over the years like Cristina Fernández de Kirchner for example

04-12-2020 4:37pm

mind you it is a quite a good explanation of why Maradona is so beloved there

Amirani · 08-12-2020 4:18pm

I think this podcast has improved again of late (I was quite critical back in Summer). It's gotten a little less repetitive (has dropped the Pandession stuff etc.) and the sidekick guy has toned down his stupidity act a small bit and become a more genuine devil's advocate figure. Have had some interesting guests on too which has helped.

Dufflecoat Fanny · 08-12-2020 7:24pm

Amirani wrote: »

I think this podcast has improved again of late (I was quite critical back in Summer). It's gotten a little less repetitive (has dropped the Pandession stuff etc.) and the sidekick guy has toned down his stupidity act a small bit and become a more genuine devil's advocate figure. Have had some interesting guests on too which has helped.

Good I stopped listening about 6 months ago mainly because of sidekick guy. I'll check it out tonight.

David McWilliams Podcast

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