Congressman Brendan Boyle, New Boundaries and Germany's Self-Doubt.

Our dilemma over Data Centres continues - with some warning that Ireland risks a ‘Brexit moment’ as companies look elsewhere for their base. This week on Taking Stock Mandy John talks to John Collins of the Currency about the emotive issue of how many Data Centres Ireland should have. What the world wants! – there’s a new global study of consumer behaviour.  Mark Curtis, Global Head of Innovation and Thought Leadership & Sustainability Lead for Accenture Song looks at  the new 2024 Life Trends report from Accenture. And finally the cost of war - as Israel raises billions in a  borrowing bonanza to fund war against Hamas we’ll ask how the war is funded with FT journalist Kate Deguid of the FT.

This week on the Taking Stock Podcast: Mandy speaks to freelance journalist, Josefina Salomon about the election of Javier Milei, Argentina’s new far-right president; Over the last few days Everton football club was hit by a 10-point deduction after an independent commission’s ruling, Mandy is joined by Martin Lipton, Chief Sports Reporter at The Sun to explore the implications for the club and for the Premier League as a whole; and OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman has announced his return to OpenAI just days after he was fired by the board, tech journalist Chris Stokel-Walker joins Mandy with the details.

David Cameron was catapulted back into British politics this week; what does it say about Rishi Sunak/s leadership struggles and what now for the embattled Tory Party? This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston talks to Sir John Curtice about the state of the British Government. Ireland is struggling to cut emissions to say the least. But what can be done? David Mc Gee from PwC and Muireann Lynch from the ESRI share their views. And ‘Buying Silence; How Oligarchs, Corporations and Plutocrats use the law to gag their critics’ the author of a new book on the subject David Hooper chats to Mandy about the growing trend of lawsuits designed to censor.

Trump on Trial; this week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston talks to Joe Miller of the Financial Times to hear what it was like in court in NYC this week. Things sound like they are ‘Maxed-out’ at Dublin Airport and likely to stymie airlines’ growth in 2024; Mandy looks behind the facts and figures with Ellie Donnelly of the Business Post Plus, the ‘WeWork’ story; Mandy looks at what it says about the cult of the CEO and about office culture in 2023 when she chats to Elliot Brown Co-author of ‘The Cult of We’.

This week on Taking Stock Mandy Johnston asks are we really trying to get away from Fossil Fuels? With news of a Mega Oil deal in the US Mandy asks what does it tell us about the transition to green energy when she talks to Energy Editor at the Financial Times Jamie Smyth. As comic legend John Cleese takes up a role with GB News and Boris Johnson set to become a presenter soon, we look at the people and finance behind the controversial opinion-led station when Mandy talks to Professor of Communications at the University of Westminster Steven Barnett.   And finally ‘DEINFLUENCER’ made it to the dictionary this week so Mandy takes a look at the  tricks of the trade that make you and me buy stuff you never really wanted and never mind needed when she talks to journalist Brianna Parkins.