Will the West ever be able to produce stuff again?

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What's next after decades of relentless globalisation? It's top of the mind for you - the Stuff Matters listeners - and most Western politicians. In this Q&A episode, Ed has a go at sketching out a path forward for the West.

Plus, a listener picks a bone with one of the arguments in our car seats episode. Are we just trying to pack more and more people into extremely dense cities to fuel economic growth like "battery chickens"?

The Stuff Matters series producer is Jake Otajovic. The production team includes assistant producer Valeria Rocca, specialist producer Aoife Yourell, and video producer Charlie Bell. Our bonus episodes are produced by Soila Apparicio. The editor is Philly Beaumont, and the commissioning editor is Paul Stanworth. Sound design and mixing by Luke Hatten. Original music for the series composed by Klong and Ed Conway.

(c) Sky News 2026: Will the West ever be able to produce stuff again?