Funding the Future

Why is electricity a rip-off?

The UK pays the highest electricity prices in Europe — and it doesn't have to. In this video, I explain the electricity pricing scam at the heart of the UK energy crisis and why the government refuses to fix it.
Here's how it works. Electricity is bought from multiple sources — wind, solar, nuclear, hydro, and gas. The cheapest is purchased first, and gas-fired electricity comes last. But the regulator charges every consumer the price of that most expensive gas-generated electricity, even though less than a third of UK power comes from gas most of the time. The rest comes from renewable energy and nuclear at guaranteed, lower prices. You're paying gas prices for wind and solar power — and that is a rip-off.
This system is based on a flawed microeconomic theory that assumes all electricity producers are identical and that the marginal — most expensive — supplier should set the price for everyone. But there is no competitive market in electricity. The electricity system doesn't resemble the assumptions of the model it's priced on. The whole thing is rigged in favour of energy companies, and it is driving the cost of living crisis for households and businesses across the country.
The fix is straightforward: charge consumers the average cost of generating electricity, not the maximum. That single change could cut energy bills by 20 to 25 percent — with no net cost to the government. Yet no politician will act, because 45 years of neoliberal thinking have convinced them that markets must set the price, even when no real market exists.
Meanwhile, public trust in the energy system is falling. Trust in the green transition is falling. And UK electricity costs continue to punish households while energy companies profit from a pricing model that serves no one but them.
If you want to understand why your energy bills are so high and what could actually be done about it, this is the video. Like, subscribe, and share it with anyone struggling with their electricity bill.

They miscalculated: we'll pay

The Iran war is not just a military conflict — it is the biggest economic disaster most of us will ever see. Two weeks in, the closure of the Straits of Hormuz has already triggered a global economic crisis that will hit every country on earth.Twenty percent of the world's oil flows through the Straits of Hormuz. So does one-third of all raw materials for fertiliser production — urea, sulfuric acid, and phosphates. With that trade route now shut, oil prices are heading towards $150 a barrel or more, and the fertiliser needed for April planting simply cannot get through. The result? Potential crop failure and famine by autumn.This is the economic impact of the Iran war that nobody in Washington or Tel Aviv anticipated. Trump and Netanyahu assumed they could impose regime change from the air — but Iran fought back with the one weapon that matters: control of the world's most critical trade chokepoint.The consequences are already cascading. Dubai airport has closed. Insurance markets for shipping and aviation have frozen. Gulf states like Kuwait and Iraq face imminent food and water shortages. Global inflation is accelerating. Industrial supply chains — including for AI chips — are breaking down. Balance of trade is collapsing for oil-dependent economies worldwide.And Iran has named its price: the removal of all US air bases in the Gulf and $500 billion in compensation. Most countries are refusing to join the US, telling Washington to clean up its own mess.There is no good outcome here now. Even if Trump and Netanyahu were removed tomorrow, the damage is done. This is what happens when two men start an illegal war to avoid going to prison.In this video we cover:- Why the Straits of Hormuz closure is an unprecedented global economic crisis- How oil prices could exceed $150 a barrel and what that means for every economy- The fertiliser crisis that could cause worldwide famine by autumn- Why Iran's strategy has outmanoeuvred the US and Israel- The cascading collapse of trade, insurance, and industrial supply chains- Iran's demands and why no country wants to help America

It's all change with YouTube

YouTube's algorithm is changing — and it's hitting educational channels hard. In this video, we explain what's happening, why our views are dropping despite two years of daily content, and what we're going to do about it.
This channel has grown to 345,000 subscribers and over 45 million views by doing one thing: making political economy accessible. Explaining ideas that matter. Challenging orthodox economic thinking. Giving people the ammunition to understand how the economy really works.
But YouTube now penalises repetition — even though repetition is fundamental to education. The algorithm demands novelty, and that's a problem when your job is to explain complex ideas clearly, consistently, and in depth.
Last year this channel had over 30 million views. This year, we expect closer to 20 million — not because the quality has dropped, but because the rules have changed.
So we're adapting. We're taking a short break to rethink how we present videos — new styles, new visuals, new thumbnails, more graphics and overlays — without losing the substance that makes this channel what it is.
We also want to hear from you. There's a poll linked below — tell us what you value about this channel, what you'd change, and what you want to see next. Your feedback will shape what comes next.
And save the date: June 27th, Leeds. A live event is coming — more details soon.
In this video we cover:- How YouTube's algorithm change is affecting educational channels- Why views are dropping despite consistent daily content- The problem with YouTube demanding novelty in education- Our plan to adapt without losing substance- How you can help shape what this channel becomes next
 

10% of GDP is fiction

Everyone is told that economic growth is the key to prosperity.
But what if a significant part of GDP, the number politicians obsess about, is based on a transaction that never actually happens?
Around 10% of UK GDP is made up of something called “imputed rent.” This is the imaginary rent homeowners are assumed to pay themselves for living in their own homes.
No money changes hands.
No market transaction takes place.
But the figure still appears in national income statistics.
In this video, I explain:
why imputed rent exists in national accounts
why around £275 billion of UK GDP is based on this assumption
why GDP ignores huge amounts of real value creation such as childcare, care work and volunteering, and
why building economic policy around GDP growth is deeply misleading.
If GDP counts invented transactions but ignores real work that keeps society functioning, we need to ask a serious question:
Why do we treat GDP growth as the ultimate measure of economic success?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

If we have knights, we can have money

Most people in the UK still believe in the power of royalty — and the power of the honours system. We accept that a knighthood is created from nothing with a tap of the King’s sword. Yet many refuse to accept that the government creates money in exactly the same way: by tapping a few keys on a keyboard. In this video, I explain why knighthoods and money share the same foundations: state authority, public trust, and responsible stewardship. Money is not limited. Knighthoods are not limited. Both can be over-issued. Both can be under-issued. And both are destroyed when they’re no longer needed. If you believe in the power to create honours, you already believe in the power to create money — even if you’ve been told otherwise.

The Laffer lie

Arthur Laffer’s “curve” is one of the most destructive ideas in modern economics. Sketched on a napkin in the 1970s, it claimed that cutting tax rates could increase government revenue. It became gospel for Reagan, Thatcher and every neoliberal government since. But it was wrong. In this video, I explain why Laffer misunderstood tax, ignored inequality, and helped unleash tax competition that undermined democracy. I debated Laffer in person — and I’ll show you why his logic collapses when tested against modern money and real economies and the idea that fair taxation builds strong societies, whilst low taxation builds fragile ones.

Money doesn't vanish

Every time stock markets drop, headlines say that billions have been lost. But where does that money actually go? If you want to understand crashes, confidence, and the baked bean market (trust me), this one’s for you.

Why is our economy fragile?

War does not just test armed services. It tests economies.
Right now, the UK is discovering how fragile its economic model has become. Decades of de-industrialisation, reliance on imports, financialisation and extreme inequality have left the country dangerously exposed to global shocks.
When supply chains break, when energy prices rise, or when geopolitical tensions escalate, the consequences hit the UK economy very quickly.
In this video, I explain why Britain’s economic fragility is not an accident. It is the result of policy choices made over the last forty years.
I also explain why a sovereign government has far more capacity to respond to crises than politicians often admit, and what Britain could do to rebuild economic resilience.
Because the real question now is simple: will we redesign the economy for resilience, or continue with a model that collapses when shocks arrive?
 

I am tired of war

War dominates the headlines again, but behind the geopolitics lies something much simpler: human exhaustion.
People are tired of conflict, tired of anger, tired of lives lost and hope destroyed. The cost of war is not just measured in military terms. It is measured in grief, fear, forced migration and the destruction of human well-being.
In this short reflection, I ask a simple question: why do we keep accepting war as inevitable?
And why is hope so often the first casualty?
This video is about the duty of care we owe to every human being, regardless of nationality, religion, race or politics.
Because if hope disappears, everything else follows.

What should Rachel Reeves do now?

War in the Middle East is already pushing oil prices higher, and that means inflation pressure in the UK will rise again.
But this is not normal inflation. It is not caused by excessive demand in the UK economy. It is an external supply shock.
So the real question is simple: will the government protect households, or leave them to absorb the shock?
In this video, I explain why raising interest rates will not solve an oil shock, and why the government should instead:
Cut VAT
Cut fuel duty
Stabilise long-term interest rates
Protect household incomes
If ministers talk about economic defence in wartime, then protecting society must come first.