#101 - Guy Opperman - The Real Reason Our Towns Are Dying

Former Conservative MP Guy Opperman joins me to discuss rebuilding Britain from the ground up. We explore local banking, Bitcoin’s potential role in pensions, infrastructure challenges, and how community action can revitalise struggling towns.

Drawing on his 14 years in Parliament and time as Pensions Minister, Guy explains why grassroots civic leadership and decentralisation are key to fixing Britain’s broken economy. We also discuss the failures of centralised politics, the importance of community banks, and how financial innovation – including Bitcoin – could help restore savings, trust, and economic resilience.

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TIMESTAMPS:
(0:00) – Introduction  
(2:58) – Labour's empty promises & voter regret  
(8:36) – What’s really broken in local government  
(13:01) – Why good people avoid politics  
(18:03) – Are we living in managed decline?  
(23:58) – Why the UK can’t build anything  
(28:43) – If you want to change the world… look in the mirror  
(35:56) – 14 years in office  
(37:54) – The real fixes to local government  
(40:34) – Building a community bank from scratch  
(44:07) – Solving poverty through savings  
(48:36) – Teaching kids about money in schools  
(52:28) – Why big banks abandoned the working class  
(1:00:26) – Crime, capital and community  
(1:02:44) – Is there a role for Bitcoin in pensions?  
(1:07:34) – MPs can do more than just make laws  
(1:11:40) – Creating a civic wave  
(1:13:52) – Regulation vs common sense in local action  
(1:17:24) – Building local pride  
(1:21:04) – Can Bitcoin solve pensions in broken nations?  
(1:29:27) – Final thoughts: build something that lasts

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FILMED BY CURTIS TAYLOR
https://www.curttaylor.co.uk/
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EDITED BY CONOR MCCORMACK

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