Merryn talks to John Mills, founder of consumer goods distributor JML, chair of Vote Leave and one of the Labour Party's biggest donors. His latest book – "Why the West is Failing" – argues that a weak pound is needed to help revive UK manufacturing.

In her final MoneyWeek Podcast, Merryn talks to James Ferguson, founder of the MacroStrategy Partnership, about why high inflation and rising interest rates will have a very unpleasant impact on our portfolios. You’re unlikely to make any money this year – so just try not to lose any.

In this week’s show, Merryn is joined by James Ferguson, founder of Macro Strategy Partners; Russell Napier, economic historian, author and keeper of the Library of Mistakes; comedian Simon Evans; and Heather McGregor, executive dean of Edinburgh Business School, writer for the FT and author of several books.

This week we join Merryn and guests at her Edinburgh Festival show at Panmure House, the last home of Adam Smith, where they discuss the relevance of Smith’s work to today’s politics and economics – taking in many a tangent along the way. Guests include John Stepek, formerly MoneyWeek’s executive editor; financial historian Edward Chancellor; comedian Simon Evans; and Alex Chartres, investment director at Ruffer.

As John Stepek leaves MoneyWeek after 17 years, he and Merryn look back on what’s changed in that time. From consensus politics to populism; financial crashes and the failure of independent central banking; plus the one tax that the incoming prime minister should introduce.

Merryn talks to James de Uphaugh of the Edinburgh Investment Trust about why a “change in perception” of energy, mining, defence and bank stocks means the UK market could be well-placed to outperform.

Merryn talks to author Edward Chancellor about interest – AKA “the price of anxiety” – and why it, like gravity, is the force that holds everything in place. Plus, the best place for investors to find value now.

Merryn talks to fund managers Peter Spiller and Christopher Mills about the bear market, company valuations and inflation; why wages will have to rise at the expense of company earnings; plus the one asset they’d each buy and hold for ten years.

Merryn and John talk about he need for higher wages and lower house prices, and why the fact that this is the least dramatic bear market they’ve ever seen could mean it has much longer to go yet. Plus, a bitcoin success story and why things could be looking up for the young.

Merryn talks to Dylan Grice of Calderwood Capital about how central bankers are the problem, not the solution; how bitcoin can counter the increasing “weaponisation of money”; and why, if you want to preserve your capital, you should copy the cockroach.

Merryn talks to Liz Ann of Charles Schwab about how today’s raging inflation and bear market came about, what to do, and why it’s not like the 1970s stagflation, or the the 2007-2008 crash.

Merryn talks to James Ferguson of the MacroStrategy Partnership about central-banker induced inflation, the threat of a thoroughly unpleasant recession, and how the young should benefit from falling house prices and rising wages.

Merryn talks to Russell Napier about Edinburgh’s Library of Mistakes, the age of debt and financial repression, plus why he has never invested in China and what he’d buy now.

Merryn talks to Barry Norris of Argonaut capital about the parallels between now and the 1970s; the transition to “green” energy; and the one sector where “it’s going to be difficult not to make a lot of money”.