Our topic in this McKay Interview is Tax and Taxation. We discuss the following points: We go back to the very beginning and talk about the origins of Tax, and what Tax was used for -The turbulent history of public consent to pay taxes -The difference between Avoidance and Evasion; the politics of Taxation -The Swiss way of Taxation -Supra-national organizations like the OECD trying to muscle in on levying tax -AI, robot and the future of Taxation ..read more

He is "at home" on 3 continents, having been born in  Madagascar and lived many years in Africa. He studied in the USA, and has his home in Switzerland. Stories of his driving experiences to the ends of the Earth, the vehicle he has chosen, the people he has met, and above all his personal motivation, make fascinating listening! In this episode we discuss: -A sense of the scale of his planned voyage so that I can understand the true dimensions of what he has set out to do.  In which direction did he start to drive? How did he decide? And how long it will take him?  -Wh ..read more

Twice President of the Swiss Confederation, and thirteen years a Federal Councillor, Adolf Ogi, one of Switzerland's most admired and popular leaders in modern times shares his personal reflections and some of his guiding principles with me. In this episode we discuss: -The importance of good leadership, and clear and repeated communication to persuade and understand people. -One particular experience when he was invited to address European Union heads of states, in which he explains Switzerland to them! -The United Nations, Kofi Annan, Sport and Peace played an important part in his career as ..read more

My wide-ranging interview with Dr Hughes takes place in the year of the 100th anniversary of the International School of Geneva - ISG (1924-2024). In this episode we discuss: -His career journey to one of the top jobs in international education. -How the ISG/Ecolint started and why. -What he and his colleagues are teaching their young charges. -His views on the place of the school, the teacher and the family in the "socialization" of children and young people today. -The contribution of the ISG/Ecolint to "international" Geneva over the past 100 years ..read more

Professor Julian Lindley-French is Chairman of the Alphen Group in the Netherlands and an expert analyst focussing on security and defence strategy and policy. In this episode we discuss: -Is the world is a safer place than in 2014 when I first interviewed him. -Whether the West is still strong. Also, I put it to him that, perhaps, the West played its good hand badly after the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. -The ongoing conflict in Gaza -The terrible but largely unreported conflict in Africa's Sahel. -The continued tension across the Straight of Taiwan ..read more

Dr Nadia Sikorsky, a Russian/Swiss dual national, is Co-founder and Editor of NashaGazeta.ch, the first Russian-language online newspaper in Switzerland. In this episode we discuss: -Given what she writes about, whether it is safe for her to visit Russia -What mistakes the West made in dealing with the Russia post-Gorbachev -What it will take for matters to improve for the Russian people ..read more

Just over a year since our last radio conversation, I ask General Hodges -For his assessment of the progress of the war in Ukraine against Russia's illegal invasion -How long he thinks the war will continue -What the West needs to do to support Ukraine better -The interplay between politics and warfare, especially from the perspective of the USA in a Presidential Election year ..read more

ID Quantique has been a Geneva success story for the past 20 years in the area of quantum and cybersecurity. We talk about current developments and where the future may take us in this exciting area. In this episode we discuss: -What is the big picture regarding developments in quantum? -What are the dangers? -What, if anything, should we fear about the direction we are travelling ..read more

This is the second part of my radio conversation with Bru Pearce, started at Eastertime 2023. We discuss in greater detail how to repair the badly damaged biosphere. Restore it to life again. And who pays! It is a complex topic. In this episode we discuss: -How to repair the badly damaged biosphere -Who will pay for it ..read more

Insights into the evolution of the Geneva Observatory and its long history; what use Astronomy serves; and Geneva's contribution to the science of Astronomy in the larger frame of research worldwide. In this episode we discuss: -The significant advances in Astronomy during his career. -In a world of bewildering acronyms, what do XRIM, GAIA and EUCLID mean? -I ask Professor Pepe if it is difficult to attract young people to study Astronomy ..read more