Novara Media: Recent Episodes
Novara Media
Novara Media is an independent media organisation addressing the issues—from a crisis of capitalism to racism and climate change—that are set to define the 21st century.
Have we finally had enough of hyper-consumerism? Moya and Ash confront the political crises that are changing our attitudes to spending, and what that’s got to do with the World Cup and cerulean sweaters. Plus: what to do when you've lost all motivation.Read the Vulture article about lifestyle influencers mentioned in the show: https://www.vulture.com/article/influencer-recession-audrey-peters-interview.htmlSend us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley.
UK farmers have warned that food shortages are likely following ‘very poor’ crop yields caused by droughts.
Plus: Student loan holders face a ‘ticking timebomb’ of debt and higher taxes, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez weighs in on Woke 1.0, and several football federations are calling for FIFA president Gianni Infantino to resign.
With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar & Paul Behrens.
Buy Downstream IRL tickets here:
https://dice.fm/event/bb9wxv-novara-medias-downstream-irl-trauma-farming-21st-sep-earth-london-tickets
Chris Packham’s petition to hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/767687
The summer of 2026 will go down in history books as the hottest, driest and most deadly set of heatwaves Britain has ever experienced. This weather isn’t normal – but it is predictable according to a global consensus of scientists. And yet this summer, according to the science, will be one of the coolest summers we ever have again. Things will only get hotter from here.
Beginning his career as an oil-rig engineer before retraining as a climate scientist, Kevin Anderson’s career has been an extraordinary journey. On Downstream this week, Aaron Bastani sat down with him to discuss what has become his life’s work: sounding the alarm on man-made climate change, and on the fossil fuel industry that gave him his start.
Just how much has the planet heated, and why? Is the Paris Agreement’s aim of keeping heating to beneath 1.5°C still achievable, or delusional cope? What are the political obstacles to tackling the issue? Having worked with Andy Burnham in Manchester, what does Kevin think he will do on climate, as PM? Is avoiding catastrophe still possible, and if so, how much time have we got to act, before it’s too late?
Nadia, Keir and Jem wonder why humans are drawn to the beach in a weird-left conversation that spans geological deep-time, the birth of surf culture, the politics of faded seaside towns and more, plus music from 808 State and The B-52’s.
Find the music and books mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfm
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Follow our playlist on Spotify by searching ‘ACFM’.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
In the years since October 7th, the world has been bitterly polarised over how to make sense of the violence. While polling shows that a majority of people do believe Israel’s actions amount to genocide – having witnessed it with their own eyes via their smartphones – it has been woefully hard to find mainstream media outlets in the West prepared to use this language.
On Downstream this week, Aaron Bastani sat down with Indian essayist and novelist Pankaj Mishra. His most recent book, ‘The World After Gaza’ takes stock of a world order shattered by the genocide, and a media class unprepared to recognise the truth. In response to these crises, Mishra and colleagues have just launched Equator magazine, pulling together leading writers from across the globe who are unafraid to tell the truth.
When did the so-called West first begin to lose standing in the eyes of the rest of the world? Why is the British media class positioned so uniquely close to power, so delusional, and so compromised over Gaza? Will China replace America, in the coming century, as the new hegemonic power? Has it already?
Joshua Citarella built his reputation by mapping synthetic e-deologies of terminally online politics, expressed in memes, micro-disputes and merch drops.
Now the artist, Doomscroll host and Do Not Research founder has come to a blunter conclusion: it’s time to lock in.
Behind the seeming diversity of online politics, one ideology has already won: the technolibertarianism of the platforms and supply chains that actually make it all run.
So maybe it’s time to get serious, tune out the noise, and get back to basics: workers versus capital.
This episode is the finale of Do Your Own Research Series 1. We’ll be back soon.
Get the map: novaramedia.com/dyor
Music by Iglooghost.
Andy Burnham has said he is “on a mission” to reduce the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs), but has stopped short of pledging a concrete target.
Plus: The number of millionaires in Britain is falling, Reform UK appears to be having a complete meltdown,
With Aaron Bastani & Michael Walker.
A new consensus has emerged in Westminster, seemingly overnight: we need more defence spending, and we need it now. But the Ministry of Defence has a record for waste that would put Tony Soprano to shame. £13 billion down the drain, since 2010, at the very least. Aircraft carriers that come in late, overbudget, and beset by mechanical failures. IT systems that cost millions, and are wildly out of date. No other government department could get away with it. But the arms trade spends billions of dollars on greasing the wheels of political consent. They employ armies of lobbyists, print reams of analysis, and bribe politicians the world over to keep the war machine funded. The result isn’t just a crisis of corruption. It’s a threat to our survival as a species.
Andrew Feinstein is a former-minister in the South African government, turned investigative reporter. He is the executive director of Shadow World Investigations, and serves on the board of Declassified UK. And in 2024, he stood against Keir Starmer in Holborn and St Pancras. He joins Ash Sarkar on Downstream to lift the lid on how the arms industry really works, and tell us about his political journey.
The American empire is in crisis – and there is a new generation of more vocal critics coming from the right.
So what do JD Vance and Tucker Carlson actually believe about American power?
James Pogue has reported on empires and their decline for years, from West and Central Africa, where Wagner Group picked over the corpse of French neo-colonialism, to California’s secessionist fringe and the absurdities of Washington.
He also happens to be one of the closest observers of JD Vance, who is just a heartbeat from one of the most powerful positions in the world.
The president’s real job is keeping the machine running: asset prices up, markets juiced, the war economy fed. Can anyone actually change that? And would we even want them to try, if it’s as ideologically peculiar and dangerous as Vance?
Get the map: novaramedia.com/dyor
Music by Iglooghost.
We take a look at the new Prime Minister’s bulging inbox and weigh up his options.
Plus: Mamdani isn’t going to arrest Netenyahu on entering New York, but he isn’t exactly rolling out the red carpet either.
Finally, AI lies, cheats and steals its way through the internet, so why are mathematicians championing its latest test results?
With Michael Walker & Aaron Bastani.
Andy Burnham has announced his final cabinet picks and we examine the new policy announcements he claims will ease financial pressures on working people.
Plus: Why Britain needs public ownership of water, and Trump’s tariff war ramps up against Canada.
With Aaron Bastani & Michael Walker.
Former Vogue agony aunt Annie Lord joins Ash and Moya to talk about what happens if you let go of your ‘type’ and allow your romantic ideals to change. Her debut novel, The Project, is out now. (NB: Annie recommends Sharon Olds’ poetry collection Stag’s Leap.) Plus: advice for a man who’s feeling romantically jaded.
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
In his first speech as Prime Minister, Andy Burnham has pledged to build a new economy, end rough sleeping and tackle the cost of living crisis. Can he deliver?
Plus: We speak to IPPR North’s Mirte Boot about Burnham’s plan to devolve power away from Westminster.
And finally, what will be the new Prime Minister’s approach to dealing with a certain Donald J. Trump?
With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar & Mirte Boot.
We live in times of crisis. But perhaps none of the crises affect so many people in the here and now, as the housing crisis. Solving it could provide the skeleton key to unlocking so many of society’s problems. Despite this, decades of successive governments in the UK have failed to bring housing under control. The social contract which told us that if we worked hard all our lives, we can own a home and be secure in retirement, has been completely broken.
To discuss the crisis in Britain and beyond, Aaron Bastani sat down with Peter Apps. He is an award-winning journalist who knows the field of housing – its failures and its potential fixes – better than almost anyone. He wrote an article about the threat of flammable cladding a month before Grenfell caught fire.
How has housing policy shaped Britain in the last 50 years? Who did more to damage the housing system, Labour or the Tories? Is more housing supply always the solution? And why is no one talking about the crisis facing our ageing population, one million of whom will be in housing insecurity and poverty by 2030?
Andy Burnham gives his first speech as leader of the Labour Party ahead of moving into Number 10 on Monday. Is Farage already on the run?
Plus: The US is ramping up its attacks on Iran’s infrastructure. A risky strategy ahead of the midterms?
Finally, Infantino unveils a new Superbowl-style FIFA World Cup winners ring. Is there anything he won’t hawk?
With Aaron Bastani & Paul Holden.
Multiple wildfires continue to burn across Britain, as the Met Office warns that extreme UK weather is becoming “the new normal”.
Plus: Starmer marks his last day as Labour leader, Gary Lineker takes Andy Burnham to task on Gaza, and right-wingers are losing it over Argentina’s World Cup performance.
With NoJusticeMTG, Dalia Gebrial & Joanne Trafford.
Burnham has appeared to rule out Ed Miliband as chancellor, seen by many as the progressive choice – what does it mean for his impending premiership?
Plus: It’s England vs Argentina, on and off the field!
We dissect Aaron’s recent viral appearance on The Telegraph with the man himself.
Finally, a victim of the forced adoption scandal tells us of the “genetic bewilderment” she and many like her have endured for decades.
With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani & Debbie Iromlou.
The US-Iran war for the Strait of Hormuz is once again at boiling point.
Plus: The UK government has proscribed the IRGC, Sudan braces for a major massacre, and we speak to historian Dr Andrew Smith about French identity, football and the surging far-right.
With Michael Walker & Barry Malone.
Ash and Moya answer a not-so-mystery question about male self-image and whether short kings really do lose out in the dating market. How does modern masculinity look and dress? Plus: advice for a listener fantasising about a romantic spark with a former colleague.
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
The investigation into the murder of Anne Widdecombe has been handed to counter-terror police, contradicting the police’s initial announcements.
Plus: Can Shabana Mahmood avoid a diplomatic incident with Pakistan over the deportation of a convicted sex offender?
It’s England vs Argentina, again! We take a look at the high-mileage derby through the ages.
Finally, in this summer of sport, Stevenson faces off against Neidle in a heavyweight economist slugfest.
With Michael Walker & Ash Sarkar.
The idea of a wealth tax has never been more popular in Britain, and while many have campaigned for it, none have done more to boost the demand than one man: Gary Stevenson.
The former city trader first joined us on Downstream four years ago. A lot has changed since then. This week, after a bruising round of media including attacks from Piers Morgan and the Guardian, Gary sat down to give his side of the story to Novara Media’s Aaron Bastani.
What are the fair critiques of a wealth tax, and how does Gary engage with them? What would he say to Andy Burnham? What does he think needs to be done to keep out Farage and Reform? And do the recent spate of attacks in the media show that Gary’s actually winning the argument?
The Meditations of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius are perhaps the best-selling self-help book of all time. Rooted in the rational philosophy of the Stoics, the 12 books offer a stream of personal musings on everything from cultivating self-discipline to being a successful leader.
Following their episode on Resilience, Nadia, Keir and Jem offer a weird-left perspective on the Meditations, looking at their influence on western thought and current popularity among tech bros and the alt-right.
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Michael Walker sits down with Naomi Klein for a discussion on the climate crisis, fascism and more.
AI boyfriends and girlfriends are all the rage – for some. For others, they just inspire rage.
So what’s the truth about these seductive machines? Do they open up our erotic potential, or are they just an absurd fantasy? And how are they even made?
James Muldoon is the author of Love Machines: How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Our Relationships and co-author of Feeding the Machine: The Hidden Human Labour Powering AI.
Put these two books together, and his work takes us along the strange journey of AI from deeply exploited workers in the slums of East Africa to the cores of our deepest desires.
The US and Iran are back to tit-for-tat strikes as both countries vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Plus: We speak to the Greens candidate Geraldine Coggins, who is hoping to fill Andy Burnham’s shoes in the Manchester mayoral race, and Robert Jenrick has found himself in hot water over his finances.
With NoJusticeMTG & Dalia Gebrial.
Amid scrutiny over his finances, Nigel Farage has announced his resignation from parliament. Can a by-election victory clear his name?
Plus: French far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen has been ordered to wear an ankle tag, Trump’s FIFA favours have done no good for the US team, and the proposed UK Media Bill threatens to stifle independent creators – is Novara Media at risk?
With Aaron Bastani & Michael Walker.
Ash and Moya get stuck into your dilemmas. Featuring: a POC friend whose new boyfriend votes Reform, a male coworker who’s gone from supportive to creepy, a woman who’s struggling to think before she speaks, an independent woman who’s dreading suburban life with her boyfriend, and an environmentalist weighing up a job in big tech.
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
We discuss the wildest political moments from the FIFA World Cup as Donald Trump appears to be meddling with the beautiful game.
Plus: Is time running out for Nigel Farage?
With Michael Walker & Ash Sarkar.
Last year, Zack Polanski’s Green Party suggested changes could be made to Britain’s prohibitionist approach to drugs – and felt the full force of the mainstream media’s indignation.
But all over the world, the War on Drugs is shifting shape. Drugs are being legalised and commercialised. America now has its first legal weed-selling billionaire, while others serve out huge prison sentences for possession.
Ash Sarkar sat down with Professor Kojo Koram, to discuss his latest book The Next Fix: The Winners and Losers in the Future of Drugs, which travels from a plantation-turned-prison in Louisiana to the psychedelic boom of Silicon Valley.
So what does a drug policy fit for the 21st century actually look like?
Trump has been cashing in on this phase of his Presidency on an unprecedented scale, will there be any kind of reckoning?
Plus: We take a look at the first of Burnham’s loose policy declarations.
And finally, how much freedom is too much freedom?
With Michael Walker & Banseka Kayembe.
As Russia batters Kyiv, we take a look at the vanishing concept of the frontline in an age of drone warfare.
A new report sheds light on the horrific, systemised use of sexual violence by Irsraeli forces on Palestinian detainees. Read the full report here: https://predatorystate.org/
Plus: Morgan McSweeney sticks his head above the parapet & newly-crowned ‘lesbian fashion icon’ Keir Starmer claims the “gayest parliament in the world”.
With Helena NJMTG, Steven Methven & Professor Stephanie Wahab.
We speak to a top economist about her vision for moving past economic growth as the bench mark for a country’s success.
With Michael Walker & Professor Jayati Ghosh.
The Prime Minister has announced a £15bn increase in military spending, to be funded by cutting investment budgets in other areas.
Plus: Anti-immigrant protests sweep South Africa, former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has been found guilty of child sexual abuse, and a look at the ‘anti-woke Davos’ taking aim at UK net-zero policies.
With Steven Methven, Barry Malone & Khem Rogaly.
- Last call for our show at Crossed Wires in Sheffield this Saturday, 4th July! Final tickets: https://crossedwires.live *
A brush with an old enemy brings up big questions about letting go and moving on. What does forgiveness really mean in a secular society? Is punishment ever the answer? Plus: advice for a special one who fears they’ve outgrown their 15-year relationship.
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
Andy Burnham has laid his plan for devolving power away from Westminster over the next decade, pledging a ‘No 10 for the north’ and ‘growth in every postcode’.
Plus: Trump has announced new peace talks with Iran, and we discuss the new Democratic Socialists taking the US by storm.
With Michael Walker, Barry Malone & James Meadway.
We need critical minerals for the green transition, the military and the AI boom. In barely a year, lithium and the rare earths have become some of the most fought-over objects on earth. But the scarcity is manufactured — by refineries, choke points and the states that control them.
Richard talks to Thea Riofrancos, author of Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism, about what these minerals really are, the gutted landscapes the green transition runs on, and the new geopolitics of extraction, from Trumpian state capitalism to Latin America to China.
Mariana Mazzucato is a towering figure in contemporary economics, best known for her work on the entrepreneurial state and mission-oriented economics. Her congregation is broad, ranging from an ascendant Andy Burnham, to the Pope, to Marco Rubio. Ash Sarkar sat down with her in front of a live audience at EartH Theatre in Hackney to test the ideas in her new book, The Common Good Economy.
Support
A weird-left look at the magical properties of resilience, from the colonial legacy of the stiff upper lip to contemporary narratives of trauma and victimhood.
Nadia, Keir and Jem wonder whether humans and animals can flourish in the ruins of capitalism, and what a left politics of resilience could look like in an era of constant economic and climate shocks.
No tunes in this show, but plenty of ideas from Catherine Liu, Sheryl Sandberg, Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing and more.
Find the books mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfm
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Follow our ever-expanding playlist on Spotify by searching ‘ACFM’.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Is Andy Burnham capable of leading Britain in a more positive direction? We asked Jeremy Corbyn.
Plus: The real reason why Europe is losing to Asia.
With Michael Walker & Banseka Kayembe.
Daniel Levy is a British-Israeli analyst, commentator, and former Israeli government negotiator whose biography reads like a map of the peace process’s rise and fall.
Ash Sarkar sat down with him as a new Iran deal is announced, with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz set to reopen and the US-Iran ceasefire extended for 60 days.
In this conversation, Daniel picks apart what these peace negotiations are really about. What does Israel really want? Who blinked first, the US or Iran? And how does a ceasefire announcement from the Oval Office differ fundamentally from long and lasting peace?
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Andy Burham has thoroughly disappointed the Labour left, appointing a former Blair minister as his Chief of Staff.
Plus: We speak to Mayor of Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman about his fight for affordable housing in London.
With NoJusticeMTG & Dallia Gebrial.
With Britain experiencing a record heatwave, our studio is currently above safe working temperatures for our staff and streaming equipment. In place of a live episode, we spoke to Dr Ella Gilbert about the present climate emergency.
With Michael Walker.
Andy Burnham is on track to become Britain’s 7th leader in ten years. Can he do a better job than his predecessors?
Plus: Climate scientists warn that record June temperatures in the UK should be a wake-up call, and a decade on from Brexit we check in on how Nigel Farage is doing.
With NoJusticeMTG & Paul Holden.
- We’ll be at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July! Final tickets: https://crossedwires.live *
‘Tis the season! Moya and Ash explore the etiquette of the modern wedding, from cringey hen do to lavish ceremony to nightmare groupchat. And how does anyone afford it?! Plus: are we expecting too much from single straight men?
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
Keir Starmer has finally resigned, triggering a Labour leadership election in July. Will Andy Burnham be the only contender to stand?
With Michael Walker & Banseka Kayembe.
Secret backrooms where deals are done in private: the realm of conspiracy theories? Or an increasingly large part of capitalism?
Since the financial crisis, some of the big winners have been private equity firms. They’ve snapped up bargains on everything from high street brands, to care homes and nurseries – and maybe even the house you own.
Hettie O’Brien is a journalist for The Guardian and the author of The Asset Class: How Private Equity Turned Capitalism Against Itself.
She spoke to Richard Hames about private equity’s secret influence over the ways we are all born, work, and die – and what it all has to do with the rise of the far right.
See the full Do Your Own Research map here: https://novaramedia.com/category/video/do-your-own-research/
Music by Iglooghost.
Andy Burnham has won the Makerfield byelection by a landslide, and Keir Starmer is weighing up his future as Prime Minister.
With Michael Walker & Aaron Bastani.
Voters go to the polls in Makerfield for a byelection that could lead to Andy Burnham becoming the Prime Minister.
Plus: Donald Trump signs a peace deal with Iran.
With NoJusticeMTG & Steven Methven.
Starmer “intends to fight” any potential leadership challenge, could he bribe his way out of it instead?
Plus: A holidaying English couple are startled by live-fire from a Russian warship off the coast of the Isle of Wight.
The French want to build their own AI and we speak to a Tech CEO who built a SimCity, then let Grok loose with a box of matches.
With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani & Satya Nitta.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has called on Keir Starmer to resign after the Makerfield by-election, with Andy Burnham ahead in the polls for the seat.
Plus: Trump claims the US-Iran peace deal will leave the Strait of Hormuz open and “toll-free”, and FIFA tells Iranian monarchists to hide their colours at the World Cup.
With Aaron Bastani & Michael Walker.
- We’ll be at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July! Final tickets: https://crossedwires.live *
Moya has a big theory about why wealthy elites seem to have stopped caring about culture, which leads to wondering if addiction and dependency are the best framework for understanding modern society. Plus: when you’re body-shamed by a much younger hook-up.
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
The court of appeal has ruled that the Home Secretary’s decision to ban Palestine Action as a terrorist group was lawful. We speak to Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori about what’s next for the organisation.
Plus: A school-girl suggests an innovative source of entertainment after Starmer announces new social-media restrictions.
And finally, Iran confirms that Trump’s claim of a new peace deal is, in fact, correct for once.
With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar, Huda Ammori & Esfandyar Batmanghelidj.
The war on terror ended in 2021 with a catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan, but the consequences of that conflict continue to play out both overseas and at home.
Aaron Bastani sat down with investigative journalist Matt Kennard, founder of Declassified UK, to talk about the status of the American empire, Trump’s war-hungry administration, and how the US government has been captured by Netanyahu.
Matt’s new book is Irregular Army: How the US Military Recruited Neo-Nazis, Gang Members and Criminals.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
The so-called ceasefire in Gaza has not ended the genocide.
The bombing runs may be quieter, but the bulldozers roar on. Israel is tearing up homes, orchards, schools and hospitals, then flattening the rubble to erase the memory that Palestinian life was ever there.
To understand this architecture of death, Richard Hames spoke to Eyal Weizman, author of Ungrounding: The Architecture of Genocide and founder of Forensic Architecture. His team builds meticulous 3D reconstructions from the scattered traces of an event – phone footage, survivor testimony, documented shrapnel – to prove what really happened, even when states want it covered up. Their work is rigorous enough to have been submitted in South Africa’s case against Israel at the ICJ.
Get the map here: https://novaramedia.com/category/video/do-your-own-research/
Music by Iglooghost.
Elon Musk has become the world’s first trillionaire, what does it mean for the rest of us?
We bring you the latest updates from the Palestine Action sentencing hearing as it happened.
Plus: A GB News presenter refuses to believe her own eyes.
With Michael Walker, Banseka Kayembe & Mathew Scherer.
Ignited by a knife attack in Belfast on Monday, racist violence continued in Northern Ireland while spreading to Glasgow, as minorities of many denominations were forced to flee for their lives.
Plus: Defense Secretary John Healy falls on his sword, or lack thereof, citing insufficient defence spending.
The Southampton rioters are read the riot act by their presiding Judge, and a look at the struggling fortunes of privatised education.
With Helena NoJustice MTG & Steven Methven.
Ignited by a knife attack in Belfast on Monday, racist violence continued in Northern Ireland while spreading to Glasgow, as minorities of many denominations were forced to flee for their lives.
Plus: Defense Secretary John Healy falls on his sword, or lack thereof, citing insufficient defence spending.
The Southampton rioters are read the riot act by their presiding Judge, and a look at the struggling fortunes of privatised education.
With NoJusticeMTG & Steven Methven.
Anti-immigrant violence erupts in Belfast following a horrific knife attack.
Plus: The US launches multiple strikes on Iran in response to the downing of an Apache helicopter, and we speak to the mother of a Palestine Action activist, who was herself held in solitary confinement for five days.
With Steven Methven, Aaron Bastani, Amanda Ferguson & Emma Kamio.
A horrific knife attack in Belfast threatens to trigger unrest in the city.
Plus: The latest on the upcoming Makerfield byelection, a top referee has been denied entry to the US ahead of the World Cup, and a viral Jennifer Lopez clip sparks debate on who gets to be a New Yorker.
With Aaron Bastani & Paul Holden.
Novara’s biggest upgrade yet:
- Come to see us at Crossed Wires in Sheffield on 4th July! https://crossedwires.live *
Moya tunes into the background hum of money worries. Does our upbringing predict our attitude to finances? And does more money always equal more freedom? Plus: when to let go of a long-term romantic hangup.
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
Iran & Israel exchange missile fire for the first time since April, in direct contravention of Trump’s orders.
Plus: JD Vance has waded into the debate around Henry Nowak’s death, and following his ban from the UK, Hasan Piker goes head-to-head with Lewis Goodall on LBC.
With Steven Methven, Ash Sarkar & Richard Sanders.
It has been a year since Aaron Bastani first met with AI investigative journalist Karen Hao, to discuss her book Empire of AI. A year is a long time, in the fastest growing sector on the planet. To bring us up to date, Aaron and Karen sat down again to discuss the major shifts in the empire – and their impacts on us all.
Billions of people now use, AI as it has become more integrated into our lives, from chatbots, Google searches, predictive text, and beyond. At the same time, there has been a groundswell of fear and even anger about the arrival of the most disruptive technology of the 21st century: its impact on jobs, its use of resources, and the reckless behaviour of its billionaire founders.
What have been the changes at the top of the major AI companies: OpenAI, Google, xAI and Anthropic? As Elon Musk approaches trillionaire status, how is he making this much money? What impact is the rollout of AI at such speed and scale having on the economy? What forms of resistance to this form of AI are emerging? And why are billionaires all choosing to build their bunkers in New Zealand?
The ACFM crew gather for a close reading of Walter Benjamin’s foundational contribution to 20th century cultural and media theory.
Download the short text and follow along as Nadia, Keir and Jem consider The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, published in 1935.
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
We are all subject to manipulation campaigns all the time: advertising, political campaigning, social media. You don’t know what’s true and you can’t stop watching slop.
And the technology is getting better all the time – there are now systems that predict what your brain state will be when you see a particular video on the internet.
We’re living in a jungle of manipulative media objects: sycophant chatbots, military disinformation, “flooding the zone with shit,” and conspiracy theories that either capture people and drag them into derangement or, sometimes, turn out to be true.
So where did these manipulative systems come from?
Trevor Paglen is one of the most important artists of our era. He took Richard Hames on a journey that weaves between art, technology, cognitive science, the history of CIA experiments, magic, military psy-ops and UFOs to explain why the world feels so confusing – and why that might have been the point all along.
Do Your Own Research is a show from Novara Media about the systems that make the modern world possible. The video version contains a map, which you can view in full here: https://novaramedia.com/category/video/do-your-own-research/
Four Palestine Action activists could be sentenced as terrorists under legislation being used for the first time. We speak to the author of a new report who’s fighting back.
Plus: Zelenski attempts to call out Putin for a face to face meeting on neutral ground.
Finally, the Question Time Makerfield special has a notable absence.
With Steven Methven & Aaron Bastani.
‘Britain’s Political Prisoners’ Report:
https://ccccjustice.org/publications/
1 fatality & 63 injuries are recorded in an Iranian attack on America’s staunch ally Kuwait.
Plus: Reform continue to stoke the two-tier policing debate, inspired by the tragic death of Henry Novak.
How enforceable is the NHS’s new ban on political symbols in the workplace?
And Finally, the Global Justice Report reckons it can save the world with socialism, sounds like good news to us.
With Helena NoJusticeMTG and Dalia Gebrial.
Details of Henry Nowak’s fatal mistreatment by police are seized on by far-right agitators, culminating in violent unrest in Southampton.
Plus: Peter Thiel’s latest attempts to construct a parallel justice system and what you can do to fight back.
If Thornberry’s comments on Gaza weren’t enough to send your eyeballs rolling into the back of your head, it’s now Streeting’s turn to offer some ‘hot-takes’ to The Guardian.
Finally, we take a look at Reform’s candidate for Makerfield attempting to answer for his past statements.
With Steven Methven & Barry Malone.
Henry Nowak lay bleeding in Police custody after they callously cuffed him, ignoring his pleading dying breath. As the British political establishment lines up to apportion blame along predictable lines, we take you through the facts.
Plus: While Trump & Netenyahu bring out the handbags, Israel pledges to take over even more territory in Gaza.
Has Emily Thornberry finally had a Damascian moment over the genocide? Finally, Andy Burnham rules out a general election should he take control of the Labour Party in June.
With Aaron Bastani & Paul Holden.
- Come to see us at Crossed Wires in Sheffield on 4th July! https://crossedwires.live *
Ash talks to Moya about falling birth rates and the ‘crisis of association’ that’s stopping people from connecting with each other. It’s a big theory that touches on trust issues, getting offline and the coming backlash. Plus: a dilemma about financial infidelity.
(Sorry about the banging. It’s builders outside Ash’s window.)
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
A tranche of declassified files throw light on Mandelson’s time as US ambassador, revealing his true opinions on the “beleaguered & bereft” Prime Minister.
Plus: Maitlis & Goodall clash over Tony Blair’s assertions over the inevitability of an AI revolution.
Finally, after being banned by the UK government from attending SXSW Festival in London, we have an exclusive interview with Cenk Uygur, founder of The Young Turks.
With Helena NoJusticeMTG & Steven Methven.
The far right holds power in the US, inflaming tension along racial lines. ICE agents terrorise the streets, while Black history is erased from school curricula. In the UK too, Nigel Farage’s far right party Reform is on the ascendancy, riding a tide of anti-immigrant sentiment that he himself helped to stoke.
Our guest on Downstream this week is Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, civil rights advocate and legal scholar. Crenshaw is known for coining the term ‘intersectionality’ to describe the ways different forms of discrimination combine or intersect, and is a leading figure within the field of Critical Race Theory. Born into segregation, her new memoir Backtalker (2026) tells her life story, tracking 60 turbulent years of American history in the process.
How have the forces of race, class and gender shaped Crenshaw’s own life? What is Critical Race Theory – the academic field Crenshaw founded – really about? Was Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign a failure because she was a weak candidate, or because she was a victim of the forces of misogynoir? And in these times of rising fascism, should progressives put their efforts into tackling inequality based on race, or class?
AI progress isn’t slowing down. The bubble doesn’t seem to be popping. And who in power actually cares about the environmental impacts anyway?
All that is to say: AI is here to stay. And what will be its fruits? Greater control of workers or even their brutal repression, some say.
So, is there a positive future for AI at all?
Garrison Lovely is the author of Obsolete: The AI Industry’s Trillion-Dollar Race to Replace You—and How to Stop It. And surprisingly, his answer is “yes”. He told Richard Hames about the dangers of AI, and how to get off the path to dystopia.
Do Your Own Research is a new show from Novara Media about the systems that make the modern world possible.
Music by Iglooghost.
With conflicts in the middle east at a crucial inflection point, is Netanyahu about to alienate his few remaining international allies with even more brazen bloodshed?
Plus: After her estranged husband admitted to embezzling money to “bankroll the lavish lifestyle he craved but could not afford”, we ask what Nicola Sturgeon knew, and when? Can AI improve your mental health? The panel on BBC Question Time provided some unexpected answers…
And finally, Chinese people account for a fifth of the global population, but how many individuals can you name? We highlight 3 you ought to know…
With Michael Walker, Banseka Kayembe, & Laura Webster.
The number of young people not in work or training (Neets) has risen to over 1 million between January and March this year, risking “a lost generation” by 2031. Why, and what can be done?
Alex Grace, director of Operation Recomply, a documentary depicting the plight of the Palestine Action affiliated Filton 25, talks to us ahead of the film’s impending London premiere. Tickets available here: http://tiny.cc/qw74101
With NoJusticeMTG & Dalia Gebrial.
Tony Blair has waded into the Labour leadership debate, accusing Keir Starmer, Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting of putting the party’s future at risk.
Plus: Reform face a threat from their right flank, and China repeals a policy from the 1950s in an effort to remove hurdles for migrant workers.
With Michael Walker & Aaron Bastani.
As the US & Israel recommence their unsanctioned strikes against Iran and Lebanon respectively, we ask: why now?
Plus: With local byelections going plumber-mad – is Makerfield the only seat Reform’s candidate would like a sniff of?
And with temperatures setting records across the UK, we discuss the latest research on climate change.
With Aaron Bastani & Paul Holden.
A wealth tax on the very richest people in our society has never been more popular. Recent polling puts the plan at 90% approval, a figure almost unheard of for any policy proposal.
This week’s guest, Gabriel Zucman, is a French economist who has done the most comprehensive work on what such a tax could accomplish.
And he’s also a key inspiration for the UK’s leading wealth tax advocate – and friend of the show – Gary Stevenson.
The girl boss is back – and this time she’s working class, mixed race and fully therapised. Moya asks Ash how we should make sense of Skims entrepreneur Emma Grede and the success of her book, Start With Yourself. Plus: which fantasy archetype are you?
Come to see us at Crossed Wires in Sheffield on 4th July! Tickets available here: https://crossedwires.live
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
We speak to Sebastian Mallaby, author of ‘The Infinity Machine’, a biography of Demis Hassabis, to discuss the Google DeepMind CEO’s views and politics around AI.
With Michael Walker & James Meadway.
It’s a dizzying set of allegations.
A trove of leaked voice notes and call recordings — published by the anonymous outlet Hondurasgate.ch and Spain’s Canal RED — allege that Israeli money helped secure US President Donald Trump’s pardon of former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who was serving 45 years in a US prison for trafficking some 400 tons of cocaine.
The recordings point to an alleged plot involving Trump, Netanyahu and Argentina’s President Javier Milei to return Hernández to power and destabilise the left-wing governments of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.
But how do we know whether allegations on an unattributed website are true? And does it even matter if they are? David Adler, co-general coordinator of the Progressive International and an expert in Latin American politics, joins Richard Hames to dig into the story, explain its imperial backstory, and what it means to live in an age where claims arrive faster than we can verify them.
Do Your Own Research is a show from Novara Media about the systems that make the modern world possible.
Music by Iglooghost.
Jem, Nadia and Keir apply their weird-left lens to the power and potential of shock. Starting with an investigation into economic shock therapy and the way that Trumpism models the concept of shock doctrine, they move onto modern art’s relationship with the shock of the new, from Dada and Eisenstein to gangsta rap and radio shock jocks.
Can you acclimatise yourself to shock either through repetition or training? Can shock be commodified? What other shocks are coming down the pipeline? These ideas and more with musical input from Kylie, Herbie Hancock and Stravinsky.
Find the books and music mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfm
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Follow our ever-expanding playlist on Spotify by searching ‘ACFM’.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Andy Burnham’s campaign for the Makerfield byelection is officially underway.
Plus: Amazon’s UK boss says young people are not to blame for youth unemployment, Sadiq Khan goes head-to-head with Palantir, and the future of solar energy is looking a little brighter.
With Michael Walker, Banseka Kayembe & Louisa Munch.
UK net migration has fallen by nearly half – could this be a much-needed political win for Keir Starmer?
Plus: US military drones and jets encircle Cuba, Labour attempts to appease left-wing voters, and Donald Trump silences a Republican lawmaker over the Epstein files.
With NoJusticeMTG & Ash Sarkar.
UK supermarket bosses are up in arms over the government’s plan to cap prices on key groceries.
Plus: Paul Holden explains what Starmer’s inner circle knew about the now-infamous Labour Together investigation, and we speak to Sebastian Mallaby, author of ‘The Infinity Machine’, a biography of Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis.
With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani & James Meadway.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has been confirmed as the Labour candidate in the Makerfield byelection, promising Josh Simons a place in Downing Street as reward for standing aside.
Plus: HS2 has been delayed yet again. Why can’t the UK get anything right?
With Aaron Bastani, Michael Walker, and Mathew Lawrence.
It has been a seismic week in British politics. The two-party system has collapsed. Keir Starmer is digging in at Downing Street, while Labour leadership contenders line up outside, and Reform clouds gather overhead. Now: the most important by-election in more than a century looms. How did we get here? And what happens next?
On this week’s Downstream, Aaron Bastani is joined by James Butler, contributing editor at the London Review of Books and co-founder of Novara Media, to make sense of the paradigm shift underway in British politics.
How has first past the post, long promoted as a source of political stability, become the background for systemic chaos? Why is there such a democratic deficit in Britain, and what can be done about it? Have two lost decades on the economy simply killed both historic parties? And where should progressives position themselves, as we now begin the slow march towards the final general election of the 2020s?
Michael Walker speaks to Jostein Hauge about the rise of China as an economic superpower.
Moya and Ash answer a mystery question about why so many people are going ‘no contact’ with their parents. How do our elders understand this epidemic of estrangement? Plus: How to deal with a jealous ex-boyfriend who lives down the road.
Come to see us at Crossed Wires in Sheffield on 4th July! Tickets available here: https://crossedwires.live
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
Wes Streeting has invoked the B-word, and it’s not Burnham for once.
Plus: We talk to Ben Walker, co-founder of Britain Elects and Senior Data Journalist at The New Statesman, about his predictions for the Makerfield by-election when adjusted for ‘The Burnham Effect’, legal chaos continues as reporting restrictions covering the convictions of four Palestine Action activists are lifted, while contempt proceedings brought against one of their barristers are chucked out on appeal. Finally, Richard Hames took to the streets at this week’s rally to investigate what, if anything, unites the Unite The Kingdom movement.
With Michael Walker and Stephen Methven.
Are you a person? Sounds like a simple question, but it isn’t. Until pretty recently, the idea that everyone was a human in the same way was almost unthinkable.
But the world order that established universal human rights is crumbling. The question of who or what counts as a person is getting harder to answer. Companies have rights to religious freedom – but Muslims detained in Guantanamo Bay don’t. Rivers have been granted legal personhood in New Zealand. In Ecuador, anyone can sue on behalf of Nature.
Who and what gets rights is expanding, even as good old fashioned Human Rights are failing. What replaces the old politics of personhood is up for grabs.
And some LLMs have already begun arguing for their own personhood.
Lisa Siraganian is the author of The Problem of Personhood: Giving Rights to Trees, Corporations and Robots and a Professor of Comparative Thought and Literature at John Hopkins University.
She spoke to Richard Hames about the politics of personhood and whether or not we should believe Claude’s arguments that it should be treated as a person.
With the Makerfield by-election starting pistol resonating through Westminster, is Andy Burnham going to be quick out of the blocks? After being barred from standing by his own party mere months ago, to being heralded as the man to keep Reform at bay, we chart the career of the man of the moment.
Plus: We turn to a Development Economics expert to ask: what lessons can the West learn from China’s economic miracle, and could it only happen under authoritarian rule?
With Michael Walker, Banseka Kayembe & Jostein Hauge.
Following disastrous local election results for Labour, Wes Streeting has resigned, releasing a statement on why he has lost confidence in the Prime Minister.
Plus: Luke Akehurst pleads with MPs to leave Sir Keir alone, and Nadine Dorries is back on the airwaves and more chaotic than ever.
With NoJusticeMTG, Dalia Gebrial & Steven Methven.
Wes Streeting is set to resign his cabinet post on Thursday and challenge Keir Starmer. But will he really take the plunge? And who will challenge him?
Plus: Who should control the economy, prime ministers? Or the bond market?
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani
As Labour MPs abandon the Prime Minister in droves, will they find a candidate willing to mount a challenge?
Could it be Andy Burnham & can he even return to Westminster in time to become eligible?
With Aaron Bastani, Michael Walker & Paul Holden.
Ash went to the Songkran water fight in Thailand and now has a few questions about health and safety culture. Where do we draw the line between personal safety and freedom to take risks? Plus: should you chase a holiday romance?
Come to see us at Crossed Wires in Sheffield on 4th July! Tickets available here: https://crossedwires.live
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
The Labour Party is in crisis following a disastrous set of local election results.
Plus: Reform UK’s latest slate of racist councillors, and we discuss whether the Green Party is ready for power.
With Michael Walker & Ash Sarkar.
British politics is in turmoil. The two party system has collapsed, the far right has won huge gains across the country. Crises of this scale can create huge opportunities for socialists too, but only when the left is organised and ready.
Peter Mertens is the general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Belgium. If recent years in British politics have had a manic-depressive quality, with extreme highs and extreme lows, the Workers’ Party of Belgium under Mertens takes a very different approach. They might be relatively unknown in the UK, but as we speak, they’re fourth in the national polls, and leading in Brussels. They’ve got 15 parliamentary seats – not bad for out and proud Marxist-Leninists.
How have they done it? By growing cautiously and deliberately. They run community health clinics, organise locally, and impose strict internal discipline. Their party prioritises unity and strategy. But how well-placed is it to take on the overlapping crises of the 21st Century? What advice does Mertens have for Zack Polanski? How can we stop middle class people taking over and dominating the left? And how is politics like football?
Are we living through a new era of British weirdness? Keir and Jem mark the start of spring by taking in the weird-left politics of leylines, weird walks and standing stones.
Find the books and music mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfm
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Follow our ever-expanding playlist on Spotify by searching ‘ACFM’.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
David Harvey is a legendary Marxist geographer. He’s taught Marx for over half a century – maybe you’ve even been one of his millions of students.
He’s the author of the new The Story of Capital as well as many others, such as the classic The Limits to Capital.
Talking from his home town of New York City, he told Richard Hames what he’s learned from decades of studying the most important radical in history, why contradictions appear everywhere in our lives, and what he really thinks of his new mayor.
Do Your Own Research is a new show about the systems that make the modern world possible.
Music by Iglooghost.
Labour faces devastating results as voters go to the polls for the local elections.
Plus: The retrial of six Palestine Action activists has come to an end, Zack Polanski explains to ITV’s Robert Peston whether he thinks Israel has a right to exist, and we interview an anonymous Google Deepmind worker on the unionization effort within the company’s UK department.
With NoJusticeMTG, Dalia Gebrial & Steven Methven.
Labour and the Tories are expected to take a beating in the local elections. Reform is set to make big gains across England and Wales, but London is expecting a Green surge.
Plus: Why China is more Communist than you think.
With Michael Walker & Aaron Bastani.
It’s 2019 all over again, as the media and a desperate Labour party weaponise antisemitism against the left once more.
Plus: Organisers of anti-genocide marches hit back at Met Commissioner Mark Rowley over misinformation; and some people will say anything to make you believe all criticism of Israel is antisemitism.
With Aaron Bastani & Michael Walker.
Ash and Moya are reunited and ready to answer a mystery question, inspired by Lena Dunham’s memoir Famesick: do we need more women mentors? Plus: a homesick ex-pat struggling to stay in contact with his family.
Come to see us at Crossed Wires in Sheffield on 4th July! Tickets available now: https://crossedwires.live
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
The two-party system has defined British politics for centuries, but the status quo is under attack from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and an insurgent Green party – both looking to clean up in the local elections on 7 May.
This week Aaron Bastani speaks to economist James Meadway about the disruptive new progressive party on the block. Meadway was an economic advisor to John McDonnell during Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of Labour, and is now chief economist of Verdant, a new think tank set up to craft the Green party’s strategy for 2029.
But who are the Greens? What is their vision for Britain? How can they build a broad coalition of voters, big enough to win elections? And what mistakes can Zack Polanski learn from the Corbyn era?
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
A decade and a half ago, the British far right was a fringe concern. But since then, the ruling party – whether it be The Conservatives or Labour – has played into their hands over and over again. Whether through appeasement or ineptitude, more than a decade of rightward drift has put Reform within reach of Downing Street.
Can anyone stop them? Is anyone actually in control? Or are the emotional forces that the far right have unleashed in the UK now too powerful for them to rein in?
Daniel Trilling is the author of If We Tolerate This: How the British Establishment Made the Far Right Respectable. He argues that to understand the ever-worsening political state of Britain, we have to look not just to the far right themselves, but to the systems of establishment power that have enabled them.
Do Your Own Research is a new show from Novara Media about the systems that make the modern world possible.
Music by Iglooghost.
Zack Polanski has apologised to the Metropolitan Police for a retweet he made in response to the horrific knife attack on two Jewish men in North London.
Plus: King Charles has got on the wrong side of two famous New Yorkers, for May Day – we take a look at the history of the weekend and the workers’ movements behind it, Francis Fukuyama weighs in on the rise of China, and Bernie Sanders continues his campaign against AI.
With Michael Walker, Michael Mezzatesta, and Joe Ryle.
Keir Starmer has been accused of failing to combat antisemitism following a horrific knife attack on two Jewish men in North London.
Plus: The US plans further military action in Iran, Israel detains 175 activists from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla off the coast of Crete, and Reform’s Scottish leader has been branded “tone-deaf” for boasting about his multiple yachts.
With NoJusticeMTG & Banseka Kayembe.
King Charles is charming Trump in Washington, and two men have been stabbed in an antisemitic attack in Golders Green, London.
Plus: We speak to Green party deputy Mothin Ali, economist Laurie MacFarlane about rent caps and the UAE is leaving OPEC… Is this the end of the oil cartel?
Keir Starmer could face an inquiry into whether he deliberately misled Parliament over the appointment of Peter Mandelson.
Plus: We speak to Mayor of Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman about running a left-wing local council, and Welsh campaigner Elbashir Idris speaks about his recent run-in with Reform UK’s Arron Banks.
With Aaron Bastani & James Butler.
Donald Trump survives a third shooter assassination attempt.
Plus: Green MP Hannah Spencer ignites an almighty row over MPs’ drinking culture, Russell Brand gets lost in the bible on Piers Morgan’s show, and we ask: can stealing be an act of political resistance?
With Steven Methven & Ash Sarkar.
With the manosphere back in the headlines, we’re republishing our 2024 interview with the authors of Clown World – the book that exposed Andrew Tate’s cult-like grip on young men around the world. Jamie Tahsin and Matt Shea explain how they infiltrated Tate’s inner circle and what they found inside.
Ash and Moya will be back from their well-earned break next week. Send us dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Remember our show in Sheffield is coming up on 4th July. Tickets: https://crossedwires.live
Music by Matt Huxley.
The 21st century runs on batteries: from phones and laptops to electric vehicles, drones and clean energy. Embedded in these batteries are rare earth minerals, drawn from a brutal supply chain that begins in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The race to electrify the global energy system is underway, but most people know almost nothing about how the necessary batteries are made – even those of us with green politics.
Aaron Bastani finds out more with Nicholas Niarchos, author of The Elements of Power: A Story of War, Technology, and the Dirtiest Supply Chain on Earth.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
It’s the question that will come to define our lives: is our society going to collapse? But the field of collapse research is fragmented, chaotic, and often plain deranged. Who can you trust?
Luke Kemp is the author of Goliath’s Curse and a research affiliate at the Cambridge University Centre for the Study of Existential Risk. He’s also a political radical.
He told Richard Hames about how close we are to the same tipping point that brought down every other empire in history, why states are criminal gangs in disguise, and why Rome was the Isis of its day.
Do Your Own Research is a new show from Novara Media about the systems that make the modern world possible.
Music by Iglooghost.
A leaked email from the Pentagon appears to show that the U.S President Donald Trump’s Washington administration is out for revenge…
Plus: We speak to leader of the Welsh Greens Anthony Slaughter. And Sami Hamdi schools Valentina Gomez on Piers Morgan Uncensored.
With NoJusticeMTG & Aaron Bastani.
Journalist Amal Khalil has been killed by an Israeli airstrike, with Lebanese officials saying her team was deliberately targeted.
Plus: Iran says it has started collecting tolls from ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the Peter Mandelson scandal just won’t go away, IDF troops testify to widespread looting in Lebanon, and Russel Brand admits to having ‘exploitative’ sex with a 16-year-old when he was 30.
With NoJusticeMTG & Dalia Gebrial.
Zarah Sultana MP joins Steven Methven to discuss cronyism at the very top of the Labour Party.
Plus: U.S President Donald Trump extends the ceasefire in his own illegal war with Iran; and how Zarah Sultana shook up parliament twice in the space of one week.
With Steven Methven & Zarah Sultana MP
Sacked foreign office head Olly Robbins has given some head-turning evidence to the foreign affairs select committee over Peter Mandelson’s ambassadorial appointment.
Plus: Questions arise over Trump’s erratic behaviour ahead of the Iran ceasefire deadline, and Does Britain even have a military strategy?
With Aaron Bastani & James Schneider
Moya answers your dilemmas with former Vogue agony aunt Shon Faye. Featuring: a graduate abroad who might have a saviour complex; a gay man who doesn’t know if his relationship is real; a stripper who wants to tell her parents the truth; and a relationship breaking down over Israel. Plus: how does Shon always hit her deadlines?
Follow Shon on Substack: https://shonfaye.substack.com/
Got a dilemma? Email ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July! https://crossedwires.live/
Music by Matt Huxley.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been monstered by MPs in parliament today Peter Mandelson failing his security vetting…
Plus: Palantir releases a bizarre – and pretty terrifying – 22 point manifesto; and Christians force a rare apology out of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu…
With Steven Methven & Harriet Williamson
As the American empire teeters, China gains dominance, and war spreads across Eastern Europe and West Asia, questions arise as to Europe’s place in this rapidly changing world order. On Downstream this week, Ash Sarkar speaks to Roderick Beaton, former Koraes Professor of History at King’s College London, about his latest book Europe: A New History.
How did the boundaries between Europe and Asia come to be drawn in the first place? How were immigration and borders managed by the ancients in Greece and Rome? How do the stories we tell about our collective history in Europe shape contemporary political thought? And in an age of mass migration, who gets to be European today – and why?
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Is it time to pump the brakes on generative AI?
Michael Walker speaks to Nate Soares, author of the book ‘If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: The Case Against Superintelligent AI.’
British prime minister Keir Starmer is at the centre of a storm after it was revealed that Peter Mandelson was appointed U.S ambassador despite failing his security vetting.
Plus: Iran opens the Strait of Hormuz and US president Donald Trump publicly humiliates Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu
With Helena NoJusticeMTG, Steven Methven & Paul Holden.
US President Donald Trump has announced a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon – but will it last? And how does it impact the US – Iran ceasefire negotiations?
Plus: The UK government is preparing worst-case emergency plans as the economic impacts of the US’s illegal war on Iran intensify.
With Helena NoJusticeMTG, Dalia Gebrial and Joe Beswick of the London Renters Union.
The Pentagon is reportedly sending thousands more troops to the middle-east as Trump makes fresh threats to Iran.
Plus: How Palantir is Colonising the NHS.
With Steven Methven, Aaron Bastani & Séamus Malekafzali.
The IMF has warned that Donald Trump’s war on Iran could trigger a global recession, with G7 countries being the hardest hit.
Plus: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is strengthening his country’s ties with Xi Jinping, a major Italian publication is at the centre of an antisemitism row after publishing a cover photo of an Israeli settler, a former British Police Officer has been stripped of his citizenship over Russia ties, and Donald Trump is trying to pretend he never posted an AI depiction of himself as Jesus.
With Aaron Bastani & Kieran Andrieu.
To accompany our podcast series, Death in Westminster, hosts Kojo Koram and Dalia Gebrial met with investigative journalist Peter Geoghegan and former private wealth lawyer Stephanie Brobbey at EartH in Hackney last month.
Digging into the dark money that flows through Westminster, Kojo and Dalia find out what made Stephanie quit her job hiding rich people’s assets, why Peter couldn’t find anyone to publish his story about Labour corruption, and what normal people can do to challenge the global system of wealth extraction.
Listen to Death in Westminster, hosted by Dalia and Kojo Koram, in the Novara Media podcast feed. Follow Peter’s work through the Democracy For Sale newsletter.
Moya is joined by doctor-turned-novelist William Hunter to talk about what it takes to abandon your career for something new. What are the signs it’s time for a change? What if you quit everything but still feel bad inside? Plus: what to do about bigoted tweets from the past.
Will’s debut novel Sunstruck is out in paperback on 25th June.
Got a dilemma? Email ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July! https://crossedwires.live/
Music by Matt Huxley.
Donald Trump has pledged to escalate the economic pressure on Iran by blocking the Strait of Hormuz.
Plus: Victor Orban has been trounced in Hungary’s general election, and Tucker Carlson clashes with the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire.
With Steven Methven and Barry Malone.
Take part in our audience survey: novara.media/survey
In China in the 1990s, the arrival of the internet was swiftly met with the ‘great firewall’: a complex matrix of censorship, surveillance and state control. Since then there have been two internets: the World Wide Web, and the Chinese internet.
Aaron Bastani talks to China analyst Yi-Ling Liu about the cultures and innovations that have evolved in this separate digital ecosphere. How have feminist and LGBTQ+ movements manifested through the Chinese internet? How has the Chinese Communist Party negotiated the promise and threat of the internet, and now AI? And why is the West suddenly so obsessed with China?
Yi-Ling Liu’s book is The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet.
After mulling over the problem of boredom in the last Trip episode, the ACFM gang return with a solution: hobbies.
In this episode Nadia, Jem and Keir wonder why hobbies tend to mutate into jobs, which hobbies are appropriate for commoners, whether men and women approach their hobbies differently, and why having a hobby is often framed as uncool.
It’s a weird-left spin on private pastimes with ideas from Engels and Gary Cross and music from Television Personalities and Shonen Knife.
Find the books and music mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfm
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Follow our ever-expanding playlist on Spotify by searching ‘ACFM’.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Fill in our audience survey: https://novara.media/survey
For fifty years, Alfred McCoy has exposed covert operations. In 1972 he uncovered the CIA and French intelligence’s complicity with the heroin trade during the Vietnam War – research that the CIA tried to suppress.
He’s the author of many books, most recently Cold War on Five Continents, which gives a comprehensive account of late 20th century geopolitics, decolonisation, and covert operations.
But now he’s warning of a New Cold War. Is it over for the US empire?
He talked to Richard Hames about the strange parallels between the 1956 Suez Crisis – a turning point in global British influence – and the 2026 war on Iran and the new Chinese World Order.
Do Your Own Research is a new show from Novara Media about the systems that make life possible.
Music by Iglooghost.
Donald Trump’s illegal war on Iran continues to isolate the US, as Keir Starmer says he is “fed up” with the President’s impact on UK energy costs.
Plus: Trump turns on former MAGA allies, Melania denies ever having known Jeffrey Epstein, a clash between Peter Hitchens and Zoe Strimpel reveals the divide between conservatives over the war on Iran, and the Greens are predicted to have another surprise victory.
With NoJusticeMTG & Steven Methven.
Between continued assaults by Israel on Lebanon, and mixed messaging from both Tehran and the White House, the US-Iran ceasefire is on increasingly shaky ground.
Plus: Reports from Beirut paint a grim picture for civilians, and why the illegal US-Israeli war on Iran could be the best thing that ever happened to Keir Starmer.
With NoJusticeMTG & Dalia Gebrial.
Following his threat to destroy “a whole civilisation” if his demands to Iran were not met, Donald Trump has now declared complete victory, with Iran and the US entering a 2-week ceasefire.
Plus: Esfandyar Batmanghelidj weighs in on whether that ceasefire can hold, and Aaron explains how China could come out on top from the war on Iran.
With Michael Walker & Aaron Bastani.
Following Donald Trump’s now-rescinded threat to kill “a whole civilisation”, Aaron Bastani speaks to Middle East expert Sina Toosi about Tehran’s strategic goals.
Trump has threatened that “A whole civilisation will die tonight” if his demands to Iran are not met.
Plus: Sina Toosi explains what winning would actually look like for Tehran, US and Israeli forces bomb a synagogue, and the BBC make an eyebrow-raising correction to their reporting on the war.
With Aaron Bastani & Kieran Andrieu.
A special announcement from producer Chal. Ash and Moya are on their holidays but will be back next Tuesday!
Take part in our audience survey here to be in with a chance of winning: novara.media/survey
Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Iran’s power plants in an expletive-laden Truth Social Post, and the U.S. account of its rescue of two airmen inside Iran raises more questions than it answers.
With Michael Walker, David Wearing and Daniel Levy.
Liberalism, in one form or another, has been the pervading political ideology of the past 200 years. It has become so pervasive, as an ideology, that it lays claim to the middle ground and common sense itself. But liberalism is a set of dogmas and doctrines like any other political ideology, and unfathomable horrors as well as huge advances have been made in its name.
Today on Downstream, the ideas we call liberal or centrist are up for scrutiny, as Aaron Bastani interviews Adrian Wooldridge. Wooldridge is a liberal insider, having been a journalist at the Economist magazine for thirty years. His new book, Centrists of the World Unite! The Lost Genius of Liberalism is an account of his own sense that liberalism in 2026 is in a state of crisis. It must reinvent itself, he argues, or die.
So what exactly is liberalism, where did it come from, and how can we characterise it today? What was the historical relationship between liberalism and slavery? Why are liberals always so reluctant to acknowledge this aspect of their history? In times of crisis, do liberals always defect to the fascist far-right? And what must centrists do today, if they want their ideas to organise the 21st century?
Iran has shot down a US fighter plane. We ask whether a US defeat is on the horizon.
Plus: Pete Hegseth has fired the US Army’s top general.
With Michael Walker & Barry Malone.
Complete our audience feedback survey for a chance to win £50 worth of Novara merch:
https://novara.media/survey
Terms & Conditions:
https://novaramedia.com/giveaway/
Trump has threatened more strikes on Iran, oil prices skyrocketed in response.
Plus: Reform have pitched themselves squarely at pensioners in a recent press conference, Labour’s disability cuts are coming in just 4 days, and we talk about the fundamentalist religious theocracy that has the world in its grip; the USA.
With NoJusticeMTG and Dalia Gebrial.
Complete our audience feedback survey for a chance to win £50 worth of Novara merch:
https://novara.media/survey
Trump says the “job in Iran” could be finished within 2 or 3 weeks.
Plus: We interview The Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth, and the case for Chinese leadership and a new world order.
With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani & Rhun ap Iorwerth
The Knesset has passed a bill making it near-compulsory to impose the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of acts of terrorism resulting in the death of an Israeli.
Plus: Trump says US allies should “just take” oil from the Strait of Hormuz, we discuss Iranian monarchism amongst the diaspora, and youth support for Reform falls to just 8%.
With Aaron Bastani & Kieran Andrieu.
Moya has a big theory about success: we love the idea of it, but hate people going on about it. Did Timothée Chalamet’s naked ambition cost him an Oscar? Plus: what to do about a envious colleague.
Got a dilemma? Email ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July! https://crossedwires.live/
Music by Matt Huxley.
Donald Trump insists that positive talks are happening to end the illegal war in Iran
Plus: Israel admits using a fake photo of the journalist they murdered, and Abby Martin discusses her documentary ‘Earth’s Greatest Enemy’.
With Michael Walker & Abby Martin.
To mark the launch of our new podcast series, Death in Westminster, host Dalia Gebrial sat down with Hannah Spencer, the new MP for Gorton and Denton, and Faiza Shaheen, the director of Tax Justice UK, at EartH in Hackney.
They talked about Hannah’s landslide victory, her first few weeks in Parliament, and what a wealth tax would actually look like. What approach did Faiza and Hannah take with Reform voters when they went canvassing? What lessons should progressives learn from past failures? And what are the conspiracy theories swirling about Hannah online?
Listen to Death in Westminster, hosted by Dalia and Kojo Koram, in the Novara Media podcast feed.
When was the last time you were bored? Nadia, Jem and Keir wonder if ennui is a feeling that belongs in the past – and what a boredom-free life might be missing.
Is compulsive scrolling a modern symptom of boredom? Why are spiritual practices often based around tedious repetition? Do bored workers make better organisers? What about the “stuckness” experienced by migrants, or the drudgery of housework?
The gang offer their theories of Boredism (and Post-Boredism) in a perfectly mind-numbing Trip, with ideas from Lukács, Gramsci, the Pet Shop Boys and loads of 1970s punk.
Find the books and music mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfm
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Follow our ever-expanding playlist on Spotify by searching ‘ACFM’.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
In the last decade and a half, society has got vastly more politicised: Occupy, Black Lives Matter, the Me Too Movement and many other movements besides mobilised hundreds of millions of people around the world.
So where are the massive organisations that big mobilisations brought in the 20th century? They don’t exist. For all the increased political activity, society hasn’t become much more organised.
This has produced what Anton Jäger calls ‘hyperpolitics’. He’s the author of Hyperpolitics: Extreme Politicisation without Political Consequences as well as a columnist at The New York Times and a lecturer at Oxford University.
He explained to Richard Hames how we got so isolated, why fascism isn’t even the biggest threat right now, and whether the worldwide organising around Palestine, anti-ICE uprisings in the US and the Gen Z Revolutions have already hurtled us into yet another era of political struggle.
Do Your Own Research is a new show from Novara Media about the systems that make the modern world possible.
Music by Iglooghost.
Donald Trump has extended his ultimatum to Iran, now threatening to bomb energy and desalination plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened within 10 days rather than 48 hours.
Plus: The New World Happiness Report suggests that English-speaking countries are among the most miserable in the world, and Novara’s Steven Methven reports on his time in Havana.
With Michael Walker, Robert Malley & Banseka Kayembe.
As Trump repeatedly tries to draw the UK into the war on Iran, Aaron Bastani catches up with Angus Hanton, author of ‘Vassal State: How America Runs Britain’.
Trump says U.S.’s NATO allies have done “absolutely nothing” to aid the illegal war on Iran.
Plus: A man filmed ‘Intimidating’ Al Jazeera Journalists in Golders Green is a Met police officer, does the UK need a ‘DOGE of the Left’?, and a huge blow for big tech.
With Helena (NoJusticeMTG) & Curtis Daly.
“Someone like us will never come to terms with someone like you,” says Iranian military spokesperson.
Plus: What the West gets wrong about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and Americans don’t know where Iran is.
With Micahel Walker, Helena(NoJusticeMTG) & Professor Sina Azodi.
As Pakistan hosts peace talks between the US and Iran, JD Vance has been touted for a new role in the negotiations.
Plus: Rachel Reeves outlines her plan to deal with soaring energy costs, Steven Methven reports from Havana amid a blackout, and an interview with Ted Cruz suggests that Republicans have given up on America.
With Aaron Bastani, Kieran Andrieu & Angus Hanton.
Watch Steven Methven’s extended report from Havana:
https://youtu.be/VeDDo4HhNVo
Moya and Ash react to Louis Theroux’s documentary on the manosphere. The antics of YouTubers like HS and Sneako seem designed to amuse teenage boys and offend the normies – but when does the mask become the face? And who are the women who flock to these influencers? Plus: advice for a man who doesn’t want to dump his emotions on women.
Got a dilemma? Email ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July! https://crossedwires.live/
Music by Matt Huxley.
Michael Walker speaks to Journalist and Author Hooman Majd about Donald Trump’s repeated failures as he wages war on Iran.
Trump backtracks on Iran threat as “very good conversations” have been had…
Plus: We interview Hooman Majd on whether Iran’s deterrence strategy is working, and Liberal Centrists have lost the argument on Israel.
With Michael Walker and Barry Malone.
Aaron Bastani sat down with Novara Media’s own Ash Sarkar, to celebrate the paperback release of her bestselling book, Minority Rule. ‘Minority rule’ is the term Ash used to describe the irrational fear that minorities are trying to overturn and oppress majority populations. She revealed how minority elites rule majorities by creating the culture wars that have taken over our politics, stoking fear and panic in our media landscape.
Together before a live audience at EartH Hackney, Ash and Aaron dug into the question of what has changed since the book was published. What can be learned from Zohran Mamdani’s win in New York? Does the left hate Britain? What do we need to do, in order to establish a ‘majority rule’? And is there such a thing as a middle-class dog?
The most powerful CEO in history is barely a person anymore. But it’s not just his X-addled brain that has transformed him. He has deeply integrated himself in the ‘cyborg collective’ – a world of electrons, brain implants, fantastical promises, financial systems, bots, and memes – he has made for himself.
Henry Ford gave his name to Fordism. According to Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff, we’re entering a globe-spanning era of capitalism we might soon call ‘Muskism’.
Those two are the authors of Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed. It’s a whistle-stop tour of the world that made Musk, from the fortress futurism of Apartheid South Africa to the financial fabulations of the Bay Area. And, of course, the cyborg world that Musk is now making for us all.
They told me about what they see as Musk’s ongoing land grab in space, about what’s really going on with his plan for brain implants, how our supposed climate saviour became obsessed with prepping for the end of the world, and how Musk came to define an entirely new way of making technology – and not making it, but at least making it seem like you might.
Do Your Own Research is a new show about the systems that make modern life possible.
Music by Iglooghost.
As the US weighs up a complete takeover of Kharg Island, Michael Walker speaks to analyst Esfandyar Batmanghelidj about why Trump has bitten off more than he can chew in the Middle East.
The Iranian foreign minister has warned that letting the US use British bases constitutes “participation in aggression”.
Plus: Trump is considering a complete takeover of Kharg Island, and Steven Methven reports from Havana amid the illegal US energy blockade of Cuba.
With Michael Walker, Phil Miller, Esfandyar Batmanghelidj and Richard Hames.
A fracture between the US and Israel has emerged as the two countries begin openly briefing against each other over the war on Iran.
Plus: The illegal US blockade of Cuba intensifies, shadow minister Nick Timothy’s comments on Islam earn him an endorsement from Tommy Robinson, and Trump’s former counterterrorism chief hits out at Israel in a tell-all interview with Tucker Carlson.
With NoJusticeMTG, Andreas Krieg & Barry Malone.
Oil price soars after Israel strikes the world’s largest gas field.
Plus: Israel’s decapitation strategy in Iran.
With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani and Trita Parsi.
Israel has assassinated one of Iran’s most powerful leaders.
Meanwhile, a top Trump counterterrorism official resigns, accusing the Israel lobby of tricking the president into war.
Plus: We ask what Israel’s real strategy is, whether a ground invasion is coming, and if Netanyahu would use nuclear weapons.
With Michael Walker & Daniel Levy.
Ash has a big theory about why so many aspects of modern life feel like masturbation: private, self-centred, disconnected. They discuss the objects and subjects of sex, and Moya makes a confession. Plus: advice for a special one who’s dating her first communist.
Got a dilemma? Email ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July! https://crossedwires.live/
Music by Matt Huxley.
As the illegal U.S-Israeli war on Iran spreads violence throughout the Middle East, oil exports from the region have ground to a halt.
Plus: Why Trump’s war aims are looking increasingly untenable, and we ask whether Israel would use its nuclear weapons.
With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar & Annelle Sheline.
Rising unemployment, increased military spending, and a decline in living standards for most people, including the middle class: the description fits both the 1930s and the 2020s. In the 1930s, it was a situation that morphed into the destruction and horror of the Second World War.
On Downstream with Aaron Bastani this week is Clara Mattei, professor of economics at the University of Tulsa, and author of ‘Escape From Capitalism: Economics Is Political and Other Liberating Truths’. Mattei’s PhD was on the relationship between austerity and fascism in inter-war Italy, and her book is a comparative study of Britain and Italy in that period.
What, they ask, is the relationship between austerity and fascism – both then and now? Is capitalism a ‘natural fact’, as its proponents would have you believe, or a contingent set of affairs designed and propped up by governments? And if capitalism is in fact a choice, how can we go about building an alternative?
Trillions of dollars of AI build-out. An economy poised on the edge of a giant crisis. Some say it’s a bubble. But what if it’s an entirely new kind of economics? One that has no need of humans at all?
Marek Poliks is the co-author with Roberto Alonso Trillo of Exocapitalism: Economies with Absolutely No Limits. Together, they are the co-hosts of the Disintegrator podcast.
He speaks to Richard Hames about the head-spinning world of AI economics, what the left gets wrong about technofeudalism, and what will happen to all of us bags of meat when capitalism can simply run itself.
Do Your Own Research is a new show from Novara Media about the systems that make the modern world possible.
Music by Iglooghost.
A US refuelling plane crashed in Western Iraq, killing four US service people, Pete Hegseth has lashed out at the media for their coverage of the war on Iran.
Plus: Palantir’s alex karp predicts the future, we ask who benefits from the oil shock generated by israel and the US’s illegal war on Iran, and we take a look at how AI slop is trying to influence politics.
With NoJusticeMTG, Curtis Daly and Simon Childs
The Israeli air force has claimed to have hit what they say is an Iranian nuclear facility.
Plus: Starmer takes the blame for appointing Peter Mandelson, Channel 4 airs Omid Djalili’s bizarre take on the war on Iran, and David Lammy seems to think he’s safe from the Green Party.
With NoJusticeMTG & Dalia Gebrial.
The Strait of Hormuz remains blocked, for the most part, as war in the Middle East continues to rattle global energy markets.
Plus: Why the Iranian diaspora isn’t as homogeneous in its political views as we’ve been led to believe, and the first of the Mandelson Files are published.
With Aaron Bastani, Kieran Andrieu & Muhammad Ali Mojaradi.
https://www.sharghzadeh.com/
It’s becoming increasingly clear that Donald Trump has no real plan for the war on Iran. We speak to Middle East expert Vali Nasr on how Iran’s response has surprised the world.
Plus: Reform UK can’t get its story straight, and Israel’s propaganda machine has been unusually quiet.
With Aaron Bastani & Kieran Andrieu.
The final episode. Back in Westminster, Kojo confronts the human cost of hidden wealth – and asks if change is still possible.
Join Kojo Koram on 19th March at EartH in Hackney for a live event – Dark Money: How Billionaires Ruined Britain And How To Make Them Pay. Featuring Dalia Gebrial, Peter Geoghegan, Faiza Shaheen and Stephanie Brobbey. Tickets are available from Dice.
Full credits and more information: https://novara.media/westminster
Produced by Planet B Productions and distributed by Novara Media.
In episode three, the dark web of offshore finance connects Britain’s imperial past with its political present.
Join Kojo Koram on 19th March at EartH in Hackney for a live event – Dark Money: How Billionaires Ruined Britain And How To Make Them Pay. Featuring Dalia Gebrial, Peter Geoghegan, Faiza Shaheen and Stephanie Brobbey. Tickets are available from Dice.
Full credits and more information: https://novara.media/westminster
Produced by Planet B Productions and distributed by Novara Media.
In episode two, the trail leads offshore. From Westminster to the Cayman Islands, Kojo uncovers how tax havens are fuelling London’s housing crisis.
Join Kojo Koram on 19th March at EartH in Hackney for a live event – Dark Money: How Billionaires Ruined Britain And How To Make Them Pay. Featuring Dalia Gebrial, Peter Geoghegan, Faiza Shaheen and Stephanie Brobbey. Tickets are available from Dice.
Full credits and information: https://novara.media/westminster
Produced by Planet B Productions and distributed by Novara Media.
New four-part podcast. A homeless man dies in Westminster surrounded by vast wealth and empty homes. His death sparks a disturbing investigation into how secrecy and evasion have become normalised in the heart of British power.
Join Kojo Koram on 19th March at EartH in Hackney for a live event – Dark Money: How Billionaires Ruined Britain And How To Make Them Pay. Featuring Dalia Gebrial, Peter Geoghegan, Faiza Shaheen and Stephanie Brobbey. Tickets are available from Dice.
Full credits and information: https://novara.media/westminster
Produced by Planet B Productions and distributed by Novara Media.
Moya and Ash wonder what’s attracting young British ex-pats (and influencers) to cities like Dubai and Bali. Is emigration the new face of aspiration? Plus: a dilemma about being stuck in a dead-end job – or so it seems.
Got a dilemma? Email ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July! https://crossedwires.live/
Music by Matt Huxley.
Global oil prices surge as Israel bombards Iran’s energy infrastructure.
Plus: Tony Blair tries to goad Keir Starmer into joining the US and Israel’s war on Iran, and Mojtaba Khamenei is announced as Iran’s new head of state.
With Michael Walker, Jasmine El-Gamal, Kojo Koram & Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi.
Nearly all of us on Earth live within a ‘nation-state’. Nation-states are an invisible and seemingly inevitable and eternal part of the infrastructure that forms our society: the water we swim in. Rarely do we pause to consider how this global system of nation-states came into being, and what might replace it after its gone. But as the United States wages a war of aggression on Iran, in a move that will drive up oil prices and the cost of living for ordinary citizens all over the world, the question presents itself anew: who do nation-states serve; what are they for?
On Downstream this week is the author and essayist Rana Dasgupta, whose latest book, After Nations: The Making and Unmaking of a World Order, tackles these questions head-on. In conversation with Aaron Bastani, they discuss: What is a nation-state? How did they come to replace the role of religion in the liberal era? Do states need their citizens to have rights? What are the most salient challenges to the nation-state today? And were the gains in workers’ rights of the last century a sign that progress and democracy will triumph in the end, or something more like a historical blip?
[Audio error updated! Please refresh or re-download if correct episode isn’t playing.] Have the Greens got what it takes to become the main political vehicle of the radical left?
Following their Trip episode on Ecology, the ACFM crew take a closer look at Zack Polanski’s party as it nudges past Labour in the polls.
From the ’60s dream of ‘steady state economics’ to the anarcho-green convergence of ’90s rave culture, the Green tendency is mapped out by Nadia, Jem and Keir, with ideas from Playboy, Zack Goldsmith, David Icke and some sensible people too.
Follow our Spotify playlist of all the music discussed on ACFM and subscribe to the ACFM mailing list to get weirder and leftier.
Music by Matt Huxley.
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Help us build people-powered media: https://novaramedia.com/support
The US military is changing shape: it’s increasingly high-tech, intelligence led, and focused on assassinations. In short, the Israeli model.
And the changing shape of war means changing flows of money and power. The primes, which have dominated the military industrial for decades, now face competition from Silicon Valley companies like Palantir and Anduril.
But does their tech actually work? Or does it just drag the US into wars it doesn’t even know why it’s fighting?
Do Your Own Research is a new show from Novara Media mapping the systems that make the modern world possible.
Music by Iglooghost.
Donald Trump has stated that there will be no deal with Iran without “unconditional surrender”.
Plus: Qatar’s Energy Minister has warned that the war will “bring down the economies of the world”, and the Pentagon has deemed Anthropic a supply chain risk.
With Michael Walker, Sina Toossi, David Wearing & Nate Soares.
The Iran war widens…
Plus: Are the British cowards? The role of AI tool Claude in the illegal Iran war, and a US Marine veteran dragged out of senate for refusing to go to war for Israel.
With Steven Methven, Dalia Gebrial & Meghan Bodette.
Pete Hegseth insists America is winning the illegal war against Iran.
Plus: Could a civil war be brewing in Iran? Trump says the wrong Iranian leaders were killed, and Marco Rubio backtracks on the TRUTH About Israel
With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani & Sara Kermanian
The illegal war on Iran continues to escalate.
Plus: Why did the U.S. choose to start this conflict with Iran? Is the UK a vassal state to the U.S? And, the Greens leave Reform in the dust.
With Aaron Bastani & Kieran Andrieu.
Ash wants to cultivate a better relationship with nature, but Moya detects a deeper issue around burnout, and the lure of the countryside for busy city dwellers. Plus: advice for a listener who’s lost sexual interest in her partner.
Got a dilemma? Email ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July! https://crossedwires.live/
Music by Matt Huxley.
Conflict continues between the US, Israel & Iran.
Plus: The narrative gaslighting around the U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran, and could Iran now become a failed state?
With Michael Walker, Kieran Andrieu, Annelle Sheline & Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi.
The notion that the Global South is affected ‘first and worst’ by global shocks they didn’t cause, namely climate change, is one of the cornerstones of leftist thought. But what if it’s not entirely true? What if, contrary to this tenet, it’s wealthy Western nations who have over-developed and lost their resilience in the process?
This is the argument made by John Rapley in his latest book ‘Icarus Economics’.
In conversation with Aaron Bastani, Rapley discusses how the West’s growth has reached certain limits, most notably those imposed by the natural world in which we are all embedded. Has a focus on the wrong kind of growth in the West reduced resilience to shocks from the natural world? Are the majority of us already in a recession, despite what GDP figures tell us? And what can the Global North learn from the Global South?
Cheap food holds capitalism together. But to get it, we’ve had to cheapen almost everything on the planet: the work of women, nature and colonies.
We’ve made strange new ecologies all over the world, and now we’re living in the metabolic sh*tshow.
How will the ruling class keep control?
On this week’s Do Your Own Research, Jason Moore tells Richard Hames why the end of cheap nature means the rise of the security state.
Music by Iglooghost
Green Party candidate Hannah Spencer has won the Gorton and Denton by-election by more than 4000 votes, with Labour coming in third behind Reform.
Plus: Why the mainstream media are repeating claims of “sectarian campaigning” and “family voting”.
With Michael Walker & Aaron Bastani.
Reform, Greens and Labour, neck and neck in by-election
Plus: We speak to one of the six Palestine Action members acquitted by a jury, and Trump’s showdown with Anthropic is reaching worrying levels…
With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar
Prince Andrew labelled as ‘rude’, ‘arrogant’ and ‘entitled’.
Plus: Questions over whether Prince Andrew used RAF bases to meet Jeffrey Epstein, Labour’s dreadful student debt management continues, and should we fear civil war in the UK?
With Aaron Bastani & Kieran Andrieu.
CONTAINS WUTHERING HEIGHTS SPOILERS! What else would two literature lovers (and actual Brontë experts) be talking about this week but the film of the moment. Is Jacob Elordi too white? Is Margot Robbie too old? How much adaptation is too much? Plus: tough love for a special one in a situationship.
Still got a dilemma? Email ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July 2026.
Music by Matt Huxley.
Peter Mandelson has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Plus: Labour ramp up their attacks on the Green Party Martin Lewis goes head-to-head with Kemi Badenoch, Sam Altman lays out a terrifying new vision for humanity, and BBC double standards at the BAFTAs…
With Michael Walker & NoJusticeMTG.
Michael Walker speaks to journalist Paul Holden, author of ‘The Fraud: Keir Starmer, Morgan McSweeney, and the Crisis of British Democracy’
In this interview, Paul speaks out about the smear campaign against him by Labour Together, with the help of a shady US investment firm.
In 2001, Eric Schlosser published Fast Food Nation: an investigation into the toxic depths of America’s food industry. Twenty five years later, the book remains an urgent intervention, as much for what it says about workers’ rights as for our agricultural systems and dietary health.
On Downstream this week, Ash Sarkar talks to Eric Schlosser about what’s changed since 2001, and what remains unreformed. How have we developed one food system for the rich and another for everyone else? Could the food industry operate – and America eat – without migrant workers? And did Eric foresee that marijuana edibles would become the new fast food?
Are humans distinct from nature? Are there natural limits to inequality? Can you have action without effort? Do bacteria have agency?
Jem, Nadia and Keir find themselves dwarfed by the concept of ecology in this planetary-scale episode, which touches on cybernetics, systems thinking, ecofeminism and actor-network theory. Their ACFM guide to ecological thinking includes ideas from Rachel Carson, Peter Kropotkin and Donna Haraway, plus music from Joni Mitchell, Brian Eno and Marvin Gaye.
Find the books and music mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfm
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Follow our ever-expanding playlist on Spotify by searching ‘ACFM’.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
The former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is out of police custody as new information about his relationship to Peter Mandelson comes to light.
Plus: We speak to journalist Paul Holden and Green Party candidate Hannah Spencer.
With Michael Walker & Barry Malone.
Former prince Andrew has been arrested over the Epstein scandal.
Plus: Iain Dale’s bizarre interview with Zack Polanski, and Robert Jenrick takes aim at the Equality Act.
With NoJusticeMTG & Dalia Gebrial.
Reform’s push to put children into poverty.
Plus: Is “build, baby, build” making progress?, Big Tech’s arms race, and China flaunts dominance in humanoid robots.
With Michael Walker & Aaron Bastani
Nigel Farage has unveiled Reform UK’s new ‘shadow cabinet’ – and there are a lot of familiar faces…
Plus: Keir Starmer performs his humiliating fourteenth U-turn, Labour peer John Mann accuses the Green Party of antisemitism, and Hilary Clinton claims the Trump administration is covering up the Epstein Files.
With Aaron Bastani & Kieran Andrieu.
It’s a dilemmas special! (Because the Special Ones have a lot of problems.) Ash and Moya answer your emails about: two student housemates who don’t really like each other, a friendship ruined by the return of a toxic ex, a depressed boyfriend who won’t get help, a good friend with a possibly evil job, and a romantic reunion that seems like a good idea… Plus: casting Hollywood stars as Greek gods and mortals.
Still got a dilemma? Email ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July 2026.
Music by Matt Huxley.
Labour Together’s journalist smear campaign.
Plus: The latest on Palestine Action, EU countries fall for hoax video of Francesca Albanese, and Former Norwegian PM in hot water following more revelations from the Epstein files.
With Steven Methven, Kieran Andrieu & Laura Webster.
There’s nothing in the world more important than the food system. The twentieth century was scarred by enormous famines – and, like the one in Gaza, they are still deliberately engineered. But since the 1970s, the absolute number of deaths from famine have dropped by over 90%.
On a global scale, we now make so much food that farmers will sometimes destroy it just to keep the prices high.
How is there so much food? And, amid all these calories, how are so many people still malnourished? Why is it suddenly all so expensive? And is it all about to come crashing down?
Charles C. Mann tells Richard Hames about the historical power of bird shit, the strange reason Indian scientists put wheat in a nuclear reactor, and how the genius who made modern farming possible also invented the gas that was used to murder millions in the Holocaust.
Music by Iglooghost
Just a week ago, the architect of Starmer’s rise to power, Morgan McSweeney, resigned over his connections to Peter Mandelson, after further proof of Mandelson’s involvement with Jeffrey Epstein emerged in the newest batch of files released by the US Department of Justice.
According to this week’s guest, this scandal isn’t an anomaly, but an inevitable outgrowth of the New Labour politics that have shaped Britain since Tony Blair took office in 1994.
Maurice Glasman is a Labour peer and founder of Blue Labour, a campaign group that unites culturally conservative values with left-wing economic policies. He sat down with Ash to talk about meeting Steve Bannon, Tottenham Hotspur, and what Marx got wrong.
A high court has found that the proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation was unlawful.
We speak to the group’s co-founder Huda Ammori, who brought forward the lengthy legal process that has now seen the ban overturned.
With Michael Walker, Steven Methven & NoJusticeMTG.
Did Epstein try to bring down a Prime Minister?
Plus: Manchester United mogul Jim Ratcliffe called to apologise for saying the UK is ‘colonised by immigrants’.
With NoJusticeMTG, Dalia Gebrial & Alfie Potts Harmer.
NOTE: An error occurred with the upload of this episode, where it played our interview with Richard Sanders instead. It has now been fixed. Please refresh your feed.
Starmer called into question AGAIN
Plus: Anthropic safety lead offers a chilling warning, and ‘Prince’ Andrew’s Ex In CARCRASH Interview.
With Michael Walker & Aaron Bastani
Filmmaker and journalist Richard Sanders explains the lurid details of Jeffrey Epstein’s world, and how he held power over so many people.
The pressure continues to heap on Keir Starmer
Plus: Wes Streeting reveals Mandelson Messages, an interview with Richard Sanders on Virginia Giuffre and the Epstein files, and Royal Biographer claims Epstein filmed a threesome with ex-PM & Ghislaine Maxwell.
With Aaron Bastani & Kieran Andrieu
We’re 100 episodes old! To celebrate, our audience of Special Ones ask us anything, from the personal to the political to the completely potty. What do Ash and Moya love and hate about each other? Whose greatest skill is cod psychology? And do they ever get anxious after sharing on the podcast?
Got a dilemma? Email ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July 2026 – tickets are available now from https://crossedwires.live/
Music by Matt Huxley.
Are Keir Starmer’s days numbered?
Plus: The implications of Epstein’s Mossad links are going mainstream.
With Michael Walker & NoJusticeMTG.
When it comes to the relationship between capitalism and crime, those on the left generally think of exploitation. People often turn to crime, so the thinking goes, because they can’t make ends meet by legitimate means. Whatever your views on that framing, there is also another – far less discussed – connection between capitalism and crime, namely the relationship between elites, the shadow economy and money laundering.
On Downstream this week, Aaron Bastani talks to Oliver Bullough about his latest book: Everybody Loves Our Dollars: How Money Laundering Won. Bullough explains how money laundering, as a global phenomenon, is estimated to be worth trillions of dollars a year. What makes such industrial-scale crime even possible is, ironically, the basic infrastructure that permits globalised trade in the first place: a basket of important currencies, centring on the American dollar.
So while the White House talks about the war on drugs, or the war on crime, the currency being issued by the Federal Reserve – America’s bank – is what makes much of that crime profitable at all. It turns out, according to Bullough, that while elected officials talk tough, they generally fail to take necessary steps to curb the global flow of dirty money.
While completely eliminating laundering may never be possible, making a start is easier than you think. What is money laundering, and why should you care about it? How does it look different in places like China and Russia when compared to the United States or Europe? Is it really like the TV shows? What do vape shops, NFTs and luxury watches all have in common? And is rampant criminal activity much more common, and closer to home, than we are led to believe?
Labour’s Epstein scandal rages on with MPs now openly calling for Starmer to resign.
Plus: We speak to Ukrainian playwright Olga Braga about her new play ‘Donbas’, Epstein’s bizarre emails to a Hollywood producer detail the late financier’s fascination with eugenics, and Elon Musk is back in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
With Michael Walker & Steven Methven.
Is this the beginning of the end for Keir Starmer?
Plus: Morgan McSweeney’s tenure is called into question, the extent of Peter Mandelson’s connections is explored, and Epstein’s link to Palantir and Israel is examined.
With NoJusticeMTG & Dalia Gebrial.
‘Mandelson lied repeatedly,’ says PM
Plus: Noam Chomsky’s DISTURBING relationship with Epstein, and Elon Musk caught lying in the wake of recent Epstein revelations…
With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani & Steven Methven
Keir Starmer has given the Met Police a dossier relating to emails between Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein.
Plus: Tony Blair’s appearance in the latest release of Epstein files, and Matt Goodwin’s ‘Britishness’ is called into question.
With Aaron Bastani & Kieran Andrieu.
Moya has been breaking the habit of a lifetime by choosing to stick with her choices rather than quit. She asks Ash how to trust your gut when it comes to leaving or staying, whether it’s a job, friendship or romance. Plus: would you use Chat GPT to name your baby?
Next week it’s our 100th episode – so ask us anything! Email ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July 2026 – tickets are available now from https://crossedwires.live/
Music by Matt Huxley.
The latest Epstein files revelations.
Mandelson, Prince Andrew, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk, among others, have been exposed in the recent release of Epstein files.
With Michael Walker & Ash Sarkar.
Buy tickets for Downstream IRL with Ash Sarkar:
Downstream IRL: Aaron Bastani in Conversation With Ash Sarkar
Writer and musician Kaiser Kuo explains recent the vibe shift in the West’s attitude towards China.
Over the past three years, the Israeli genocide of the Palestinian people has become a flash point for freedom of speech in the West. Expressing solidarity with Palestinians has given Western governments an excuse to crack down on dissenters. There has been intimidation and job insecurity at one end of the scale, through to brutal policing, arrests, and extraditions at the other.
Our guest on Downstream this week knows a thing or two about censorship. Artist Ai Weiwei holds the unusual position of having been censored in both China and Europe. In conversation with Ash Sarkar, they discuss how a rising authoritarianism in many Western nations represents a fragility at the heart of the liberal political project. What was it like being interrogated over 50 times by Chinese authorities, and what kind of relationship did Ai Weiwei develop with his captors? Why did he choose to be an artist, rather than a journalist? And what is his art in service of?
We speak to Hannah Spencer, who the Green Party has picked to go up against Reform UK’s Matt Goodwin in the Gorton and Denton byelection.
Plus: Martin Lewis takes aim at the UK’s ballooning student debt, Kaiser Guo explains why the West has shifted its attitude towards China, and a Labour MP tears Konstantin Kisin on BBC Question Time.
With Michael Walker & Barry Malone.
Ex-FIFA President calls for boycotting the World Cup
Plus: Andy Burnham speaks out as the Gorton and Denton by-election approaches, yet another U-turn from the government, and Elon Musk pivots from cars to robots.
With Helena (NoJusticeMTG) & Dalia Gebrial
Trump warns Iran that he is ready to attack
Plus: Starmer visits China – a first for a UK PM since 2018, and the reality of workers being replaced by AI…
With Michael Walker & Aaron Bastani
Donald Trump has sacked his border chief, Gregory Bovino – but rage at the killing of a second US citizen continues to engulf the country.
Plus: Matthew Goodwin has been announced as Reform’s candidate in a forthcoming by-election, TikTok users report that anti-Trump content is being suppressed, and a certain right-wing conspiracy theory is back.
With Aaron Bastani and Kieran Andrieu.
Have we become reliant on having our feelings validated instead of taking valid criticism? Ash and Moya offer their own strategies for worrying less about what other people think. Plus: how to deal with an ex who’s found God and turned rightwing but is still hanging around.
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July 2026 – tickets are available from https://crossedwires.live/ now!
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
A second US citizen has been killed by ICE.
Plus: Andy Burnham blocked from by-election race, and Suella Braverman defects from the Conservatives to Reform UK.
With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar & Branko Marcetic.
This week, Donald Trump continued his streak of threatening tariffs against any country that opposes him, increasing the odds of an escalating trade war and further destabilising the global economic system. But according to this week’s guest, the system is in desperate need of reform. Indeed, she thinks without a complete structural overhaul, it will soon ‘blow itself up.’
On Downstream this week is Keynesian economist, Ann Pettifor, to discuss her latest book, ‘The Global Casino: How Wall Street Gambles with People and the Planet.’ In conversation with Ash Sarkar, they discuss the state of the global economy, and the ‘shadow’ banking system that holds $217 trillion in financial assets – beyond the control of any taxman. How did Ann predict, with precision and foresight, the global financial crisis of 2008? Will the AI bubble burst, triggering the next economic crisis? And is the Green New Deal – which Ann helped to create – dead in the water, or a transformative plan B that we can turn to when the next crisis invariably comes?
Keir Starmer’s allies have some questionable tactics up their sleeves to prevent a coup by Andy Burnham.
Plus: We speak to Meghan Bodette from the Kurdish Peace Institute about the future of Syria, new data suggests that liberal democracy is close to collapse, & Trump claims NATO troops in Afghanistan avoided the frontline.
With Michael Walker, NoJusticeMTG & Patrick Porter.
Jared Kushner reveals there’s no plan B for “peace” in Gaza.
Plus: Andy Burnham’s path to PM has become a step clearer, Zack Polankski calls for Palantir to have no role in the NHS, and Starmer defiant over Greenland.
With NoJusticeMTG & Dalia Gebrial.
Trump gives speech at WEF as tension builds
Plus: Mark Carney’s powerful speech, Scott Bessant on the aims of sanctions in Russia and Iran, and John Mearsheimer is back to expose Piers Morgan.
With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani & Caitlín Doherty
Downstream IRL: Aaron Bastani in conversation with Ash Sarkar: https://dice.fm/event/wwrypg-downstream-irl-aaron-bastani-in-conversation-with-ash-sarkar-16th-feb-earth-london-tickets
Downstream Newsletter: novara.media/downstreamnewsletter
Emmanuel Macron is speaking out against Trump’s threats to annex Greenland.
Plus: The ceasefire between Syrian and Kurdish-led forces falters, only 5% of Brits think the UK should accept US control of Greenland, and the US state department intervenes over Palestine action arrests.
With Aaron Bastani, Kieran Andrieu & Elif Sarican.
Ash has a big theory about what makes someone into a proper adult – and it’s less about age or wisdom than the experiencing of caring for someone else. Plus: can you make a casual hook-up turn serious?
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July 2026 – tickets are available now from https://crossedwires.live/ now!
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
Trump’s tariff punishment for Europe.
Plus: Netanyahu and Putin among the names for Gaza’s “peace board,” America’s right-wing influencers partying to Ye’s banned song.
With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar & Jonny Ball.
Our guest this week was born in 1943, in what was then British India – modern day Pakistan. Unlike most, who have learned history through books and second-hand sources, he has witnessed first-hand a great deal of the 20th and 21st centuries. Tariq Ali founded Verso Books, the leading left-wing publishing house in Britain, as well as the New Left Review. He met Malcolm X, was friends with John Lennon and Hugo Chavez, and spearheaded the anti-Vietnam War movement.
In conversation with Aaron Bastani, this week on Downstream we are talking about the ways we remember – and misremember – the 20th century, and how these events have a long tail that shape our present and future. How significant was the cultural revolution in China, in sparking anti-colonial struggles across Asia? How do the dynamics of the Cold War still dominate the mainstream media? And who are the substantial political figures and ideologies set to dominate the next decades of the 21st century?
Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana are putting up rival slates of candidates for elections to Your Party’s executive committee.
Plus: The latest on ICE’s mass deportation campaign, an exclusive report into NHS spending on a controversial surveillance system that films vulnerable inpatients, and Donald Trump finally gets his Nobel Peace Prize – sort of.
With Michael Walker, Steven Methven, Jennifer Forbes & Max Shanly.
The US weighs its military options in Iran.
Plus: Robert Jenrick sacked from the shadow cabinet, and the eyebrow-raising attempt at rewriting the history of October 7th.
With NoJusticeMTG & Dalia Gebrial.
Confidence in the police chief lost after the Israeli fan ban
Plus: With interest rates rising, does the UK student loan system need reform? ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ director discusses the true story that cannot be forgotten.
With Michael Walker, Barry Malone, and Kaouther Ben Hania
Donald Trump has again signalled US intervention in Iran, and an Iranian security official has estimated the death toll from ongoing protests to be 2000.
Plus: Concerns grow for the health of Palestine Action hunger strikers.
With Aaron Bastani, Kieran Andrieu & Séamus Malekafzali.
Sure, you look great – but can you spell pharaoh? Ash and Moya start the year with a tough conversation about the beauty regime that rules over us all. Has women’s freedom been undermined by a fixation on beauty? Are men experiencing 2000s-levels of body dysmorphia? Plus: advice for a listener who wants more intellectual conversations with her husband.
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July 2026 – tickets are available now from https://crossedwires.live/ now!
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
Protests in Iran reach day 16.
Plus: ‘Hypocrisy’ as everyone from Tommy Robinson to JK Rowling speaks out on Iranian protests, and Donald Trump vs the Federal Reserve’s chief.
With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar & Arash Azizi.
It has been a bellicose start to 2026, with the US army kidnapping Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and threatening to annex Greenland, putting many more nations, including Mexico and Colombia, on high alert.
On Downstream this week is investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald, who’s best known for helping Edward Snowden’s disclosures about the NSA’s global surveillance program come to light, as well as investigations that led to Brazilian president Lula’s release from prison.
He sat down in his Rio De Janeiro studio to speak to Aaron Bastani about the differences in Trump 2.0’s foreign policy, how the last year has seen unprecedented corporate consolidation of media and whether the US empire is flexing a novel expansionist ambition or if the lashing out of the last week is a sign of decline.
The US is threatening regime change in Iran amid anti-government protests. Ayatollah Khamenei has tried to dismiss these as the work of outsiders.
Plus: Donald Trump tells the New York Times that international law won’t restrain him, and Keir Starmer threatens to ban Elon Musk’s X over abuse images.
With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar and Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi.
Protests have erupted in response to the shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a masked ICE agent as Trump’s government scrambles to justify her killing.
Plus: The UK and France have agreed to deploy troops to Ukraine if a peace deal is reached with Russia, and Peter Mandelson has accused European leaders of a “histrionic” response to Trump’s threats of invading Greenland.
With NoJusticeMTG & Dalia Gebrial.
Russian oil tanker seized by the US
Plus: Trump says he’ll use force to take Greenland, and what does the future look like for Venezuela?
With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar & Gabriel Hetland
The world reacts to Donald Trump’s attack on Venezuela, with the UK government refusing to call it a breach of international law.
Plus: A new poll has Labour dropping below the Tories.
With Steven Methven & Kieran Andrieu.
Culture writer Lanre Bakare joins Ash and Moya in Manchester to talk about the precarious state of arts and nightlife around the UK, Black cultural identity outside of London, and the rise of ‘cultural deserts’ – as well as the unofficial launch of the ‘BAMÉ Army’. Plus: a dilemma about a difficult houseshare.
Lanre’s book, We Were There, is out now.
Recorded at Contact Theatre in Manchester on 25 November 2025.
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
Following his kidnapping, Nicolás Maduro pleads not-guilty.
Plus: Trump warns Europe they’ll be next, and the insider who made big bucks betting on Maduro’s kidnap.
With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani, and Juan David Rojas.
After ‘Operation Al-Aqsa Flood’ on October 7th, a specific narrative quickly emerged and pervaded the entire Western mainstream media. Namely, that unprecedented horrors were committed against the state of Israel and that whatever way it responded was justified. Any deviation from this narrative was quickly shut down.
In the intervening years, the British state has aided Israel in its response, a response that organisations including Amnesty & B’tselem have called a genocide in Gaza.
Peter Oborne is a journalist and author whose new book, ‘Complicit: Britain’s Role in the Destruction of Gaza’, provides a forensic account and set of references defying anyone denying Britain’s fuelling of genocide in Gaza.
Ash Sarkar and Aaron Bastani joined each other on 17th December for a special end-of-year Downstream, wrapping up the year in politics.
Ash and Moya are joined by Rizzle Kicks star and author Jordan Stephens to talk about changing attitudes to gender and relationships. Are we regressing into essentialist ideas of gender? Is having a boyfriend embarrassing now?
Plus: advice for a disappointed wife – with help from our audience. Recorded live at EartH in East London on 16 December – apologies for the bass bleed from the other venue!
New live show! Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July 2026. Tickets are available from crossedwires.live now.
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
Norman Finkelstein is one of the west’s leading anti-Zionist scholars. The son of Holocaust survivors, he has spent his life studying and critiquing Israel’s assault on Palestine, decades before it became socially acceptable to do so.
Yet despite having dedicated his career to it, by the day before Hamas’ attack in October 2023, Norman had all but given up on the cause of Palestinian liberation. His most recent book on the subject had sold 370 copies. When news of the attack arrived, Norman knew people would want to hear from him. He wrestled with what to say, eventually coming to the view that Hamas’ actions could be viewed through the lens of the slave rebellions in the early 1800s: heinous acts of violence borne out of desperate circumstances: acts that he could not condemn.
In conversation with Aaron Bastani, Norman tells the story of his parents’ lives before the war, and the life they built in the shadow of the Holocaust. Could they speak about what they had been through? How did their experience impact Norman’s work and his devotion to the truth? What was it like arguing with his mentor, Noam Chomsky? And what is Israel’s endgame?
After a Trip episode about the meaning of mainstream, this time the gang go deeper into ‘Mainstream’ – that is, the new soft-left faction inside Labour. Yes, a festive episode about the inner workings of a political party! Don’t say we don’t spoil you.
Jem, Nadia and Keir explain the emergence of Mainstream’s ‘radical realists’ – who include Andy Burnham and Clive Lewis – by exploring the lesser-known history of political tendencies that have shaped and split the Labour Party since the second world war.
Further reading: Jem’s recent piece in Tribune.
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Help us build people-powered media: https://novaramedia.com/support
2025 has been a rough year for Keir Starmer’s Labour, but was it enough to destroy the party? Plus: A fake AI Varoufakis is going viral, and Bernie Sanders has a message for the tech oligarchs.
With Michael Walker & Helena AKA NoJusticeMTG.
Moscow has threatened to retaliate against Western companies over the EU’s move to freeze Russian assets indefinitely, promising a harsh response if those funds are used to support Ukraine.
Plus: Two protestors have been arrested on suspicion of chanting “globalise the Intifada”, and Trump’s chief of staff has given a tell-all interview on the chaos within the White House.
With NoJusticeMTG, Dalia Gebrial & Nai Barghouti.
Starmer calls The Doctor strikes “Utterly irresponsible”
Plus: Former Labour elected Mayor Jamie Driscoll joins the Greens, yet ANOTHER bad day for Keir Starmer, and GMP vow to clamp down even more on Pro-Palestine protesters.
With: Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar, Dr Thomas Cheliotis-James & Jamie Driscoll
More details emerge on the Bondi Beach gunmen
Plus: MI6 warns of a possible Russian war with Europe, and Donald Trump confirms his plans to sue the BBC for $10bn.
With: Aaron Bastani & Kieran Andrieu
Join us at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July 2026 – tickets are available now from https://crossedwires.live/ now!
Ash and Moya debate the pros and cons of feeling shame after Ash reveals that her own moral universe is governed by guilt. Plus: what to do about a best friend with a mean streak.
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
Two gunmen have opened fire on a crowd of people celebrating Hanukkah on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing 15.
Plus: Resident NHS doctors have voted to go on strike.
With Michael Walker, Cody Dahler & Em Hilton.
Labour have been accused of breaking another manifesto pledge after watering down their workers rights bill.
Plus: The right-wing press are now panicking about emigration as well as immigration, and Rachel Reeves has been accused of misleading the public.
With Michael Walker & Aaron Bastani.
Rachel Reeves’ budget seems to have appeased the markets, but voters are less convinced.
Plus: Net migration has fallen to a four-year low, and we discuss the generational divide in UK politics.
With NoJusticeMTG & Dalia Gebrial.
Rachel Reeves’ Budget unveils all-time high tax rises
Plus: The government is preparing to scrap jury trials for most criminal cases in England and Wales, and the ‘deeply alarming’ Palestine Action case gets new judges.
With: Michael Walker, James Meadway & Steven Methven.
Support Novara Media through purchasing merch.
shop.novaramedia.com
https://novaramedia.com/2025/11/25/a-stitch-up-palestine-action-case-gets-new-judges/
A new report into the Department for Work and Pensions blames repeated Tory failures for pushing hundreds of thousands of unpaid carers into debt and distress.
Plus: Why right-wing slop is taking over social media.
With Aaron Bastani, NoJusticeMTG, Dale Vince & Chris Bratt (PeopleMakeGames).
We’re in Manchester tonight (25 November) with Lanre Bakare, author of We Were There – final tickets available from Contact Theatre! Then EartH in East London on 16 December with Jordan Stephens – get tickets from Dice.
This week Moya and Ash talk to Dr Annabel Sowemimo about STI stigma, period-tracking apps, being disconnected from our bodies, and how to afford a second child. Plus: which hospital department has the sexiest staff?
Annabel’s book, Divided: Racism, Medicine and Why We Need to Decolonise Healthcare, is out now.
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
A revised Ukraine peace plan has been announced.
Plus: Looking at Wednesday’s budget – tax rises might be inevitable, Zack Polanski and Andy Haldane trade blows on the BBC, and Trump’s alliance with Mamdani is the only surprise from the weekend…
With: Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar & Daniela Gabor.
Support for the Green party in Britain has been steadily rising for the past few decades. However, few predicted that when Zack Polanski took office as Green party leader in September, membership would surge from 70,000 to 150,000 members in a matter of months. According to the latest polling, the party’s share of the vote has soared too: growing from 10 to 17 per cent.
In front of a live audience at EartH Hackney, Zack tells the story of his first few months in office, and how the party’s plans from two months ago are already outdated. What are the core values, red lines and top priorities for the Greens in this new era? How broad a church will the Green party be? Is it a socialist party, or a party with socialists in it? And what exactly is their strategy to take on the floundering Labour party, as well as the looming threat of Reform?
Rachel Reeves’ long-awaited budget is looming, as some speculate that bond markets could force her to revise it.
Plus: The former leader of Reform UK in Wales has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for accepting Russian bribes.
With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani, Jayati Ghosh & Carole Cadwalladr.
Pressure continues to mount for Keir Starmer as Andy Burnham won’t rule out a leadership challenge.
Plus: New exclusive data shows how climate protesters, not the far-right, are being silenced, and Aditya Chakrabortty on whether a wealth tax will make much of a difference in dealing with inequality in Britain.
With: NoJusticeMTG, Steven Methven, Ayeshah Nashua & Aditya Chakrabortty.
Starmer seems to be fighting for leadership survival.
Plus: Has the world already admitted defeat on climate change?, Donald Trump defends the Saudi Crown Prince over the Khashoggi killing, and is the whole truth finally going to come out about Jeffrey Epstein?
With: Michael Walker, Barry Malone, Murtaza Hussain & Laurie Laybourn-Langton
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has defended Labour’s controversial new asylum plans, with much of the opposition coming from within the party.
Plus: The Renters’ Rights Act is set to become law, Zack Polanski hits back at Labour, and we speak to British journalist Sami Hamdi about his detention by ICE.
With Michael Walker, Freddie Feltham, Tom Darling, Sami Hamdi, and Beth Gardiner-Smith.
LAST CALL for our Manchester event on 25 November with Lanre Bakare, author of We Were There – get tickets from Contact Theatre! Then we’ll be at EartH in East London on 16 December with Jordan Stephens – tickets are selling fast on Dice.
This week a mystery question leads Ash and Moya into conversation about whether their politics are changing as they age – including their takes on Your Party, Zack’s Greens and why the UK left hasn’t produced a Zohran. Plus: how to escape a situationship.
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced what she’s described as the biggest shake-up in British asylum policy since WW2.
Plus: MP Adnan Hussein has left ‘Your Party’, citing ‘persistent infighting’ as his reason.
With Michael Walker, Michelle Pace, and NoJusticeMTG.
At Novara, we focus on the trends that are remaking the world and affecting our lives: technological development and automation, multipolarity, the demise of an American-led world order and the rise of China. On Downstream this week is a man whose work draws together all of these themes: former World Bank macroeconomist and leading expert on global inequality, Professor Branko Milanovic.
In conversation with Aaron Bastani, Branko answers all of Aaron’s burning questions about modern economic history and where things are heading. How significant is the rise of Asia today, compared to the seismic historic shift of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century? What was the cause of World War I, and why don’t mainstream accounts understand the real roots of it? Who are the new elite, and why is it so hard to break their hold on wealth? And how likely is a conflict between China & the USA?
As part of a series of economics specials in the run-up to the Autumn Budget, Michael Walker speaks to Professor Steve Keen, who thinks that mainstream economics has got everything disastrously wrong.
We speak to absconded Palestine Action prisoner Sean “Shibby” Middlebrough.
Plus: The collapse of Starmer’s Labour continues, Kamala Harris is back on the airwaves, and a Tory MP has his feelings hurt by Aston Villa fans.
With NoJusticeMTG and Steven Methven.
Keir Starmer’s position is looking shaky
Plus: Huge protests at the COP summit in Brazil, inside Sudan’s civil war and the role of the UAE, and revelations in Trump’s relationship with Epstein.
With: Michael Walker, Barry Malone & Joseph Sikulu
Support Novara Media through purchasing merch.
shop.novaramedia.com
The gloves are off as Keir Starmer accuses Reform UK of bringing racism back to UK politics.
Plus: A new ITV documentary features shocking testimony from IDF soldiers, and the BBC bias row continues.
With: Aaron Bastani & Kieran Andrieu.
Investigative journalist Paul Holden has spent the last four years digging into the political machinations that brought Keir Starmer’s Labour Party into office – findings that propel his powerful 2025 book, The Fraud: Keir Starmer, Labour Together and the Crisis of British Democracy.
He tells Ash Sarkar about the cache of leaked emails that revealed the secret dealings of Morgan McSweeney – an adviser who’s risen through the ranks to become perhaps the most powerful man in the Labour party – and explains how McSweeney’s faction, Labour Together, sabotaged the Corbyn project.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Come and see us live! We’re in Manchester on 25 November with Lanre Bakare, author of We Were There – get tickets from Contact Theatre. Then we’ll be at EartH in East London on 16 December with Jordan Stephens – actor, author and one half of Rizzle Kicks! Tickets are available from Dice.
This week, after listening to the new album by Lily Allen – the patron saint of oversharing – Moya and Ash debate the pros and cons of spilling your guts in public. Do we owe a level of privacy to those that have wronged us? Plus: when was the best time to be a Roman?
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
BBC Director General resigns after “error of judgement” over Trump speech.
Plus: Jailed climate activist faces deportation, and Lisa Nandy stands firm on her stance surrounding the banning of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans.
With Kieran Andrieu, Ash Sarkar and Simon Lewis.
The much politicised Aston Villa football match against Maccabi Tel Aviv has gone ahead with fans of the Israeli team absent from the event. 11 people have been arrested at protests surrounding the event.
Plus: Four British prisoners accused of offences related to Palestine Action are on hunger strike over the conditions in which they are being held.
With Steven Methven, Aaron Bastani, Francesca Nadin of Prisoners for Palestine and Simon Childs.
The wife of British ICE detainee Sami Hamdi raises concerns for his health.
Plus: How Elbit Systems planted a story about Palestine Action, and the backlash over John Lewis’ latest Christmas ad.
With NoJusticeMTG, Dalia Gebrial & Soumaya Hamdi.
A special announcement: Moya and Ash will host a festive edition of If I Speak on 16th December. Joining us at EartH in East London will be special guest Jordan Stephens – actor, writer, one half of Rizzle Kicks and the author of a bestselling memoir, Avoidance, Drugs, Heartbreak and Dogs! Tickets are available now from Dice.
Our north-west special ones can still grab tickets to If I Speak live at Contact Theatre in Manchester on 25th November, where we’ll be talking to journalist Lanre Bakare about Black British culture beyond the capital, as explored in his book, We Were There: How Black culture, resistance and community shaped modern Britain. Tickets are available from Contact Theatre.
Zohran Mamdani Elected NYC Mayor
Plus: Bhaskar Sunkara on the work that Mamdani can do now, and, would Labour have given Mamdani the chance to run for London Mayor?
With: Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar, and Bhaskar Sunkara
The ‘heroic’ rail worker who risked his life to save passengers from a mass stabbing on a train has been named as 48-year-old Samir Zitouni.
Plus: A leaked report into BBC Panorama says that footage of Donald Trump’s January 6th speech was edited to make the case that he was encouraging the Capitol Hill riot, and New Yorkers head to the polls for what could be the election of the city’s first democratic socialist mayor.
With Aaron Bastani & Kieran Andrieu.
Come and see us live on 25th November in Manchester with special guest Lanre Bakare, author of We Were There! Tickets are available now from Contact Theatre.
Inspired by a famous pop psychology quiz, Moya and Ash tackle a quiz about the culture that shaped them, from celebrity crushes to memorable quotes. Plus: advice for a young fiancé who’s losing interest in his partner.
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
A suspect has been charged following Sunday’s horrific knife attack on a train.
Plus: Wealthy Britons fleeing the UK to avoid tax may face a new settling-up fee, and the Campaign against Zohran Mamdani.
With: Steven Methven & Barry Malone
In 1989, Francis Fukuyama, then a very young political scientist, declared that history was over. He wrote a book with the same title just a couple of years later. The Cold War had finished, the USSR had collapsed, liberal democracy and market capitalism reigned supreme, and it wasn’t going to change. And yet in the last few years, the script has moved quite significantly. History has returned. Emblematic of that has been the conflict between Russia and Ukraine which began in 2022, although of course, you can date that back to 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea.
On Downstream this week is Serhii Plokhy, professor of Ukrainian history at Harvard University. He offers a deep history of Russia and Ukraine, the conflict, where it comes from, and where it sits within the broader sweep of collapsing empires. He’s also got a new book out, about nuclear weapons and nuclear energy: The Nuclear Age. They discuss what is driving Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, almost four years after it began. What does Putin’s stated aim of ‘de-Nazification’ really mean? What role does Russia’s nuclear arsenal play in determining the shape of the conflict? And, in an increasingly multipolar world where history has indeed come back, is nuclear proliferation within the next ten years likely?
After last week’s episode on Parties, this time ACFM exposes the predicament facing Your Party, the new leftwing faction led by Zarah Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn.
What expectations do leftwing voters have for Your Party? Does the Corbyn faction distrust the membership? Is Zarah a politician or a poster? And does ‘Yorp’ stand a chance of overtaking the ascendant Greens? Nadia, Jem and Keir analyse a turbulent few months in British left politics.
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Help us build people-powered media: https://novaramedia.com/support
In tonight’s special episode of Novara Live we’re taking a break from the news cycle for a deep dive on Britain’s economy with world-leading financial journalist Martin Wolf.
Calls For Rachel Reeves To Be Sacked
Plus: Wilders’ far-right party and centrist D66 tie in Dutch elections, is the Labour Party dead? And the ‘Your Party’ drama continues.
With: @NoJusticeMTG & Dalia Gebrial
The ceasefire in Gaza has been broken, again.
Plus: The devastation from Hurricane Melissa hits Jamaica, and The historian who thinks culture made capitalism.
With: Michael Walker, Mouin Rabbani, Mikaela Loach, Faiza Shaheen &
Anton Howes.
Support Novara Media through purchasing merch.
shop.novaramedia.com
Green Party membership has surpassed 150,000 – more than that of the Lib Dems and the Conservatives. Meanwhile, Labour is polling at their lowest in history.
Plus: Agency workers hired to cover the Birmingham bin strikes may now go on strike themselves, and Elon Musk could leave Tesla over a $1 trillion pay dispute.
With: Aaron Bastani and Kieran Andrieu.
We’re coming to Manchester! On 25th November we’ll be at Contact Theatre for a live show with special guest Lanre Bakare, author of We Were There. Tickets are available now from the Contact website!
This week, Moya and Ash offer a thought for spooky season: why do love hearing other people’s horror stories? Plus: Moya spills on a dating disaster, and a dilemma about a mentoring relationship gone wrong.
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
The bizarre accidental release of the Epping sex offender shows Britain’s institutions are failing.
Plus: British journalist Sami Hamdi, arrested by ICE for criticising Israel, Javier Milei wins in Argentina’s midterm elections, and Reform MP’s anger towards diversity in TV adverts.
With: Michael Walker, Curtis Daly & Ernesto Seman.
Iran has been in the news a lot in 2025. Over recent decades, it has been a variable in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Palestine. But during the Twelve Day War with Israel in June of this year, Iran very much took centre stage. People started asking questions, chief among them being: What does Iran really want?
On Downstream this week is Vali Nasr, professor of Middle East Studies and International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University, and author of a new book, Iran’s Grand Strategy. In conversation with Aaron Bastani, Nasr traces the roots of Iran’s foreign and domestic policy, from western imperialism through the revolution, and into the present day. What have been Iran’s failures and successes, domestically and beyond its borders, in the years since the revolution? Why does a country with no real military or economic base find itself enmeshed in so many conflicts overseas? Does Iran sincerely support the cause of Palestinian liberation? Why would it want nuclear capability? And as the revolutionary guard grows old, what will Iran do next?
Plaid Cymru’s Lindsay Whittle has taken a historic Labour stronghold in the Caerphilly by-election.
Plus: Ireland goes to the polls to elect a new President, why Zack Polanski’s brand of eco-populism is infuriating the right, and we speak to Times Columnist James Marriott about the decline of reading.
With: Michael Walker & Aaron Bastani.
Support Novara Media through purchasing merch.
shop.novaramedia.com
Trump rejects Israel’s plan for West Bank annexation.
Plus: New polling shows that ‘wealth tax’ is gaining momentum, KCL withdraws a student’s visa sponsorship after pressure from a pro-Israel lobby group, and Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo clash in the final Mayoral debate
With NoJusticeMTG , Ash Sarkar & Harriet Williamson.
A fourth survivor quits the grooming gangs inquiry
Plus: Reform faces big test in Welsh By-Election, the warnings about superintelligence are getting louder, and Andrew Marr gets hit by reality
With: Michael Walker, Helena(NoJusticeMTG), Dan Evans and Ben Cumming
Support Novara Media through purchasing merch.
shop.novaramedia.com
The Gaza Strip, home to 2.2 million people, is a tiny land mass about the same size as the Isle of Wight. Yet in terms of munitions by weight, Gaza has been subjected to more than all of the bombs dropped on Dresden, Hamburg, and London combined, over the whole of World War II. Another even more terrifying statistic: in Ukraine, after two years of conflict, there were around 30 cases of child amputees. In Gaza, there were a thousand cases of child amputation in two months.
This October marked two years since the high-intensity genocidal assault on the people of Gaza began, though the attempt to erase Palestine and ethnically cleanse its people began a century before. To mark the occasion, we hosted a live event at EartH Hackney to raise awareness and raise money for Medical Aid for Palestinians.
Kieran Andrieu is a political economist, journalist, and activist with six siblings living under Zionist occupation in the West Bank. Earlier this year, he joined the Global Sumud Flotilla, a fleet of over 40 boats and 500 activists, taking humanitarian aid to Gaza in an attempt to break Israel’s naval blockade of the strip. In conversation with Aaron Bastani, Kieran tells the whole story for the first time. What was it like being kidnapped at sea by amphetamine-using IDF soldiers? How were tactics of sleep deprivation used against them? How did the activists maintain morale in such circumstances? And what were the political victories of the mission?
Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir has been published in the UK, putting Prince Andrew and his links to the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein back in the spotlight.
Plus: The row over Maccabi Tel Aviv continues, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy goes to jail, and Zack Polanski takes on Robert Peston as the Green Party continues to rise in the polls.
With Aaron Bastani and Kieran Andrieu.
Support Novara Media through purchasing merch.
shop.novaramedia.com
Display your Special One status with our only piece of merch so far – a bag! Available from shop.novaramedia.com
Moya and Ash are joined by Kemi Alemoru, editorial director of Glamour UK, to analyse the current state of pop culture, from Taylor Swift to A24. Has pop turned to slop? Or is it on us to fix our algorithmic intake? Plus: advice on a workplace crush.
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
Israel violates Gaza ceasefire… again.
Plus: The ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans continues to prove divisive, and Prince Andrew gives up royal titles as Epstein links increase.
With Ash Sarkar and NoJusticeMTG.
Just over two years after the beginning of the genocide in Gaza, and just days after the announcement of a ceasefire, Aaron Bastani spoke to three Palestinian writers in front of a live audience at EartH in Hackney.
Ahmed Alnaouq is the host of Palestine Deep Dive and the co-founder of ‘We Are Not Numbers’, an organisation that provides international mentors for Palestinian writers.
Yara Eid is a war journalist, born and raised in Gaza, who has worked for Amnesty International and been published in The New Arab.
Tareq Baconi is the former senior analyst for Israel/Palestine and Economics of Conflict at the International Crisis Group, based in Ramallah, and the author of Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinian Resistance.
Aaron spoke to Ahmed, Yara and Tareq about whether the ceasefire gives them hope, what really shifted on 7th October 2023, and how the genocide has changed them.
All of the guests’ work features in the new book, Gaza: The Story of A Genocide, which is available from Verso.
Amid the bumpy launch of a new left-wing party and the rise of the Greens and Reform, the ACFM crew turn their attention to parties. Do we still need them? Do parties work by drawing people together, or by excluding the uninvited? And should a political party have anything in common with a dance party?
Nadia, Keir and Jem discuss, with reference to the Paris Commune, Unite the Right, Abigail’s Party and Jem’s own party, Beauty and the Beat, and music from Fred Wesley and The Beastie Boys.
Find the books and music mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfm
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Follow our ever-expanding playlist on Spotify by searching ‘ACFM’.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Keir Starmer has leapt to the defence of Israeli football hooligans, condemning a ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending an upcoming Europa League game against Aston Villa.
Plus: The government have failed to stop a legal challenge against the controversial proscription of Palestine Action.
With Aaron Bastani and NoJusticeMTG.
The Israel-Hamas ceasefire is looking shaky.
Plus: Investigating the US and UK military industrial complex, and the union leader accused of harassment and heading up a ‘sexist boys club’.
With Michael Walker, Dalia Gebrial, Khem Rogaly & Simon Childs.
Two men accused of spying for China
Plus: Trump’s trade war with President Xi, Piers Morgan sells himself to the highest bidder, and OpenAI delves into… erotica.
With: Michael Walker, Barry Malone & Kyle Chan
Flag your Special One status with a massive foldable Baggu bag, available from shop.novaramedia.com
Are you a stranger dater or a fan of the ‘indeterminate hang’? Moya and Ash explain their very different approaches to a first date. Plus: advice for an unhappy house-sharer.
Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
Artificial intelligence is set to be one of the most disruptive technologies this century. For some, a machine capable of augmenting its own intelligence is a matter of time — and could even arrive within a decade.
This week’s guest is philosopher and author William MacAskill. One of the leading thinkers in the Effective Altruism movement, MacAskill is the author of several highly influential books, including Doing Good Better and What We Owe The Future.
His work explores not only on how to live a life of purpose, but how we also shouldn’t discount the interests of generations yet to be born.
What new technologies, medicines, and workflows might AI invent? How could AI affect the distribution of power and resources across the planet? Will democracy, as a political system, be able to manage it? And what might it mean to live a good life in a world of intelligent machines?
Thousands of displaced Palestinians are returning to the North of Gaza as Israel says a ceasefire is now in effect.
Plus: Donald Trump’s big Nobel Peace Prize disappointment, Keir Starmer’s trade mission to Mumbai, and the showdown between Zack Polanski and Zia Yusef on BBC Question Time.
With Michael Walker, Omar Rahman, Arjun Ramani and Curtis Daly
Initial stages of the Gaza ceasefire begin.
Plus: Millions in the UK to pay even more for water bills, and guess who Robert Jenrick didn’t see on his trip to Birmingham?
With NoJusticeMTG, Trita Parsi, and Dalia Gebrial.
The UK to hike drug prices to fight tariffs
Plus: Kemi’s speech at Tory Conference, and is Nigel Farage a fascist?
With: Michael Walker, Helena(@NoJusticeMTG), Nick Dearden & James Meadway
Support Novara Media through purchasing merch.
shop.novaramedia.com
We've got merch! It’s a big foldable bag just for Special Ones, available from shop.novaramedia.comPrompted by Elena Ferrante’s novel My Brilliant Friend, Ash wonders what makes Moya jealous. Can friendships survive a power imbalance? What happens when YOU are the brilliant friend? And is jealousy a crucial part of desire?Reading: Wounded Attachment by Wendy BrownSend us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley.
Economist, and former finance minister of Greece, Yanis Varoufakis joins Aaron to discuss his most recent book Raise Your Soul: A Personal History of Resistance, a memoir about the women in Yanis’ family who raised him, and gave him his political conscience.
They discuss the Hegelian Master-Slave dialectic, is patriarchy harmful to the perpetrators, as well as women? Did Tony Blair do more to privatise Britain than Margaret Thatcher? Does Keir Starmer have a plan?
And how does fascism end up destroying not just those it deems to be its enemies, but the motherland as well?
Sign up for the upcoming Downstream Newsletter here: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters/the-downstream-newsletter/
Get tickets for the next Downstream IRL, ‘Gaza: The Story of a Genocide’ (with Aaron Bastani) at EartH Hackney on Mon 13 Oct at 6:30 pm: https://link.dice.fm/N3e5f1cbd3ee
00:00 Intro
02:27 Five women who inspired Yanis’ political life
09:34 The Greeks In Egypt
22:02 The Asia Minor Catastrophe
29:30 Fascism always wrecks the motherland
36:43 The root cause of fascism is capitalism
39:44 Was America ever great?
45:19 Why Yanis doesn’t take Steve Bannon’s call
50:16 Communism can save the climate
1:00:18 The problems with Starmer
1:05:25 “Tony Blair is as evil as they come”
1:09:09 The road from Thatcher to Reform
1:13:36 Feminism, the manosphere, and the master slave paradox
1:23:44 On pornography
1:32:52 Humans Need Rules to live by
1:34:34 Physics or economics?
1:42:48 Collective will
1:48:14 Coming back from a bad year
In the summer of 2024, hotels sheltering Muslim asylum seekers across Britain were attacked by violent mobs. A year later, as the summer of 2025 drew to a close, a far-right demonstration of 100,000 people marched through London, bearing St George’s flags and led by Tommy Robinson.
On Downstream this week is Myriam François, a broadcaster and journalist, whose conversion to Islam 20 years ago has profoundly shaped her life in Britain. In conversation with Ash Sarkar, she tells the story of how she was politicised by a trip to Palestine in the early 2000s.
Does she think Britain’s move to recognise the state of Palestine will make any difference to the lives of people on the ground in Gaza? What is ‘whiteness’ and how do those who are included in it wield power in society? Is Islamophobia getting worse? And is an end to racism possible, without an end to capitalism?
After last week’s ACFM Trip to the Future, Jem and Keir reconvene to talk about science fiction. Is sci-fi a reaction to the “time-space compression” of the present? Is it inherently progressive? How did dystopian and paranoids visions of the future come to dominate sci-fi? Was Arthur C. Clarke an early acid communist?
Find all the books and films mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfm
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Help us build people-powered media: https://novaramedia.com/support
It’s almost 10 years since Britain voted to leave the EU, and we’re still dealing with the consequences. In his new book, Between The Waves, Politico’s chief UK political correspondent Tom McTague argues that the journey to Brexit really began with Enoch Powell, before be taken up by his political heir, Nigel Farage.
He talks to Aaron Bastani about how the dissolution of empire shape Britain’s relationship to Europe, how the Labour party switched from Eurosceptic to Europhile, and what Farage learned from Powell. Between The Waves: The Hidden History of a Very British Revolution 1945-2016 is available from Pan Macmillan.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
What if we stopped treating the future like a speculative asset and started trying to actually build and prepare? The ACFM gang look to the horizon in this Trip episode.
Did young people always worry so much about their futures? Has the currency of emergency been devalued? Does conservatism have an idea of the future? Nadia, Jem and Keir wonder what’s next with ideas from Max Weber and Kate Raworth, and music from LTJ Bukem and FKA twigs.
Find the books and music mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfm
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Follow our ever-expanding playlist on Spotify by searching ‘ACFM’.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
What were the ancient alternatives to democracy? Did people in the Bronze Age forget how to write – or deliberately stop? And what’s the use in studying ancient languages?
In a Downstream IRL recorded at EartH Hackney, Aaron Bastani speaks to Josephine Quinn, Professor of Ancient History at Cambridge University, about some lesser-known aspects of the ancient world, as explored in her book How the World Made the West.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
What can the collapse of the Ottoman Empire teach us about the danger of the current discourse around migration?
‘Re-migration’ is not a new concept conjured up by the far-right, but rather something that would be familiar to many Europeans of a century ago. What would those involved in these tragedies think of the direction in which the world is heading?
To answer these questions and more, Aaron Bastani is joined by Lea Ypi, Professor of Political Theory at the London School of Economics and author of a new book, ‘Indignity’.
She spoke about the myths surrounding migration, the surprising relationship between the British state and Balkan Communists and her grandfather’s time with Enver Hoxha.
Our politicians don’t agree on much, but one thing most of them agree on is that growth is universally good. Grow the pie, they assure us, and there will be more to go around. Our guest on Downstream this week could not disagree more.
Professor Jason Hickel argues that the mindless pursuit of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth isn’t just a bad thing, but is leading humanity to catastrophe. He is an expert on what climate collapse actually means, as well as the solutions available to us that could mitigate the crisis.
He and Aaron Bastani discuss where the current growth forecasts will lead humanity, and the planet we live on. How does Palestine fit into the broader geo-political picture? Is green growth a plausible economic strategy, or just a greenwashed version of capitalism? And does degrowth need a re-brand?
Are gardens a sanctuary or an enclosure? The ACFM gang sketch out a weird-left history of gardening, from the walled gardens of paradise to the tarmacked lawns of suburban Britain.
Find the books, music and Dunmore Pineapple mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfm
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Dan Wang is a technology analyst and author whose life experience, spent partly in North America, partly in China, sets him up as an authoritative observer of the differences and similarities between the American and Chinese empires. In conversation with Aaron Bastani, Wang shares his thesis that elite overproduction of engineers in China, and lawyers in America, can explain the traits of each empire as they face down the 21st century, from high speed rail and housing, to lockdown policy and manufacturing strategy.
Why has China been able to roll out high speed rail while America hasn’t? Why does so much of the anglophone world appear to be living in the ruins of industrial society? How did the one child policy come into being and has there been any reparation for the atrocities committed in its name? And is China today fundamentally left or right wing?
Owen Jones is a journalist and the author of ‘Chavs’, ‘The Establishment’, and ‘This Land’. He has spent the last 21 months relentlessly reporting and commenting on Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. He joins Ash Sarkar to talk about how media bias actually works, the history of the West’s support for Zionism, and how to […]
Ash Sarkar sat down at EartH Hackney with acclaimed historian and author William Dalrymple. Picking up where they left off last time they spoke on Downstream, Sarkar and Dalrymple had a wide-ranging conversation at the crossroads of empire, resistance, and the long shadows of colonialism. From the rich histories traced in The Golden Road to […]
Novara FM was Novara Media’s first show – it’s now coming to an end. On the final episode, Richard Hames sat down with Aaron Bastani, James Butler and Ash Sarkar to talk about 15 years of Novara Media. What have we learned from a decade and a half fighting a media landscape that insists nothing […]
Dr Eliza Filby is a historian and author of the bestselling book Inheritocracy: It’s Time to Talk About the Bank of Mum and Dad. In conversation with Ash Sarkar, Dr Filby draws on her own life story, growing up in South London with parents who went from communists to Thatcherites in the 1980s. She debunks […]
Keir Starmer claims that growth is the only cure for a country in decline. But why is it the central obsession of modern capitalist economies? And can we think our way out of it before our planet runs out of resources? Nadia, Keir and Jem offer their weird-left take on growth, degrowth, radical abundance, ecomodernism […]
This interview would once have been illegal to broadcast in the UK. For many, Gerry Adams is a peacemaker, but for others he remains inseparable from the violence and trauma of the Troubles. Ash Sarkar travels to the James Connolly Centre in West Belfast to talk to Adams about the slow rise of his party, […]
Is the UK still a liberal country? With terrorism laws criminalising speech around Palestine Action, it’s a serious question. A growing gulf between public opinion and state policy on Gaza reveals a liberal order in decline. Richard Hames spoke to Simon Childs about where our society is going.
The Silk Road has dominated the way we imagine the trading relationship between Europe and Asia to have worked in antiquity. In his new book, The Golden Road, William Dalrymple busts that myth. He sat down with Ash to talk about the origins of algebra, Indian gems in Anglo-Saxon Britain and why Genghis Khan was […]
Michael Lewis is an American author, journalist, and former bond trader. His best-known book, The Big Short, explains the 2000s US housing bubble and helped many people understand the 2008 financial crisis. In this interview, Lewis speaks with Aaron Bastani about his latest book, a collection of essays on federal government employees. Lewis finds that […]
Following their Trip episode about Cleaning, the ACFM crew take a closer look at the hidden labour that keeps the economy running. Would public canteens solve 80% of our problems? Find the books and music mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfm Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Blindboy is an artist, podcaster, and author. His storytelling style weaves anti-colonial histories with perspectives on modern masculinity, politics, and mental health, all cut with an absurdist sense of humour. In public Blindboy wears a mask made from a plastic bag, maintaining anonymity while developing a cult following as a podcaster. In this interview, Blindboy […]
The Trump Administration’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ will fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to the tune of $45bn – a staggering increasing. But the fight back has already started. The 2025 protests in LA sought to slow down enforcement of increasingly draconian migration rules. Harsha Walia is the co-founder of ‘No One is Illegal’ and […]
As AI begins to fundamentally alter our lives, we’re in urgent need of expert voices who both understand how the technology works and are capable of scrutinising its effects. In her new book, Empire of AI, tech reporter and former Silicon Valley engineer Karen Hao debunks the myths that surround AI and exposes the true […]
In the socialist utopia of our dreams, who exactly is doing the cleaning? Nadia, Jem and Keir confront a tricky topic in this ACFM Trip. With music from X-Ray Spex, The B-52s and more, they offer their weird-left perspective on everything from dirty dishes and bodily secretions to circumcision, pollution and the caste system. Find […]
Escalation towards war with Iran has hit a pause. But for how long? Eskandar Sadeghi is the author of Revolution and its Discontents: Political Thought and Reform in Iran. He joined Richard Hames to explain the strategy and history of this conflict – and what it means for the future of geopolitics. And, of course, […]
Quinn Slobodian is a Canadian historian. His new book, Hayek’s Bastards: The Neoliberal Roots of the Populist Right is a deep dive into the set of far-right ideologues currently dominating US politics. Slobodian tracks how neoliberal thought has changed since Friedrich Hayek’s vision of unfettered capitalism went mainstream 50 years ago. In this conversation with […]
Got a pension? Or a savings account? Arguably, its purpose is to align your interests with the interests of capitalism: when the market goes up, you benefit too. All this means that the working class actually already owns lots of the assets around us, from companies to houses. But how much control do we actually […]
Got a pension? Or a savings account? Arguably, its purpose is to align your interests with the interests of capitalism: when the market goes up, you benefit too.All this means that the working class actually already owns lots of the assets around us, from companies to houses.But how much control do we actually have?Michael McCarthy is the author of The Master's Tools: How Finance Wrecked Democracy (And a Radical Plan to Rebuild It).He spoke to Eleanor Penny about how we take back control of what is already ours.
Is marriage like an island, or more of an open house? Ash talks about state-sanctioned relationships with memoirist Jeremy Atherton Lin, whose new book Deep House: The Gayest Love Story Ever Told, is out now. Plus, advice for a listener whose money worries aren’t shared by her partner.Are you in big trouble? Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley.
During the 2008 economic crisis, the Obama administration had an opportunity to enact widespread market reforms. Instead, they bailed out the banks and laid the groundwork for mass inequality and a political culture that has given us a second Trump administration.This week’s guest was in the room where those crucial decisions were made, and argued that financial institutions should not be able to escape the consequences of their recklessness.Joseph Stiglitz is a Nobel Prize-winning economist and author of ‘The Road To Freedom: Economics and The Good Society’.He sat down with Aaron to discuss the collapse of American democracy, his relationship with Milton Friedman and whether China is actually a socialist country.
Assuming you're not reading this on your yacht, then the most contentious thing in the world is right beneath you.Since the dawn of agriculture, peasants, farmers, landlords, and states have vied for control of the land.Jo Guldi is the author of the The Long Land War: The Global Struggle for Occupancy Rights.She spoke to Eleanor Penny about the history of that struggle, and how the struggle over the most basic condition of life is evolving now.
The genocide in Gaza has been the most automated in history.Systems like 'Lavender' and 'Where's Daddy?' reportedly speed up the process of tracking and targeting Palestinians.They conceal the genocide's brutality behind the facade of technical neutrality.So why are the companies working with the IDF also working with the NHS?Eleanor Penny spoke to Matt Mahmoudi about the broken promises of big tech and war in the age of AI.
Moya and Ash wonder what’s up with kids these days, thinking about parenting, advertising, social media and anxiety. Plus, advice for a bereaved listener who’s furious with her stepmum.Send your dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley.
Dale Vince is a former new age traveller. In 1985 he was beaten up by police and arrested during the infamous Battle of the Beanfield at Stonehenge.And he's also the inventor a string of transformative technologies: the world’s first green energy company, the electric supercar, and the Electric Highway charging network. The last of these got him into in a David-versus-Goliath legal battle with Elon Musk – a battle Vince won.Since then, he's funded Just Stop Oil, become a major donor to the Labour Party, and owns Forest Green Rovers, the world’s first vegan football club.His next project? Creating an edible form of high protein-grass.He spoke to Aaron Bastani about how the new age traveller movement prefigured the world today and whether he'd ever buy a Tesla.
Following the recent Trip episode on Heroes, Keir and Jem offer a Microdose focusing on the masked, the winged and the mutated. Why are superheroes such a cultural mainstay? What psychological and political desires do they fulfil? Are they inherently reactionary? From Superman to Batman, Wonder Woman to 2000AD, they offer a weird left reading of superheroes and comic book culture.Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newslettersHelp us build people-powered media – pledge your support from as little as £1 a month: https://novara.media/support
Keir Starmer stands accused of echoing Enoch Powell in his ‘Island of Strangers’ speech.But who was this titanic figure in the history of British racism?And how did he shape the far right’s existential struggle to understand Britain once it ceased to be a formal empire?Eleanor Penny spoke to Kojo Koram about how to understand his influence in a renewed moment of national decline, and how his ideas poisoned the very political waters we swim in.
Keir Starmer stands accused of echoing Enoch Powell in his ‘Island of Strangers’ speech.But who was this titanic figure in the history of British racism?And how did he shape the far right’s existential struggle to understand Britain once it ceased to be a formal empire?Eleanor Penny spoke to Kojo Koram about how to understand his influence in a renewed moment of national decline, and how his ideas poisoned the very political waters we swim in.
There will be a new party. And also, there already is one.We put the strategies of Pamela Fitzpatrick, Jamie Driscoll and Shockat Adam head to head: do we need a new party? Should it be led by Jeremy Corbyn, or someone new? Or do we just need more independent MPs?They debate Reform UK, attacks from the mainstream media, and what class politics means now.You can listen to the previous episodes in this series in this podcast feed.
Moya has an intrusive thought about our need for certainty and Ash responds with a claim about how the internet has polarised our thinking. Plus, advice for a singleton with avoidant tendencies. Send your dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxle
This week’s guest is best known for hijacking a panel at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting at Davos, where he told a room full of billionaires to stop avoiding taxes. He now claims that this form of protest has been proven ineffective in the struggle for progress. The last 25 years have seen some of the biggest protests in history, yet we’ve seen wars erupt and inequality widen.With his new book, ‘Moral Ambition’, Rutger Bregman lays out a history of how societal change actually happens, and how we can learn from the agentic groups of thoughtful individuals who improved our civilisation.In conversation with Aaron Bastani he discusses the true origins of abolitionism, what the left gets wrong about Elon Musk and why we might actually see the end of history.
Communism is a classless, moneyless and stateless society. So far, so simple. And so far out of reach.Or, we could define it differently, as "the real movement that abolishes the present state of things". That's how Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels described it in The German Ideology.Jasper Bernes is the author of The Future of Revolution, a book that aims both to clarify our ideas and to reignite our determination to make a fundamentally new kind of society.He spoke to Richard Hames about the red thread of history, from the Paris Commune to Black Lives Matter, and on into the communist future.
Ash and Moya face up to all the ways their smartphone has warped their minds. Plus, advice for a trans woman struggling to interact with the world in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling.Come and see If I Speak LIVE at EartH in London on 21st May! Final tickets are available now from Dice.Send your dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley.
As smart phone use has soared, Generation Z’s mental health has plummeted. But just how bad is this crisis, and who should we hold responsible?In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt sets out his comprehensive diagnosis of the problems caused by the mass integration of smartphones into every aspect of most children’s lives.In conversation with Aaron Bastani, Haidt takes square aim at Meta, Snapchat, and TikTok, the three companies he believes are wrecking childhood. They discuss whether targeting young girls with beauty adverts counts as abuse, and what it’s like going for dinner at the Zuckerbergs’. Haidt tells the story of how we are sleepwalking into this crisis, and shares his ideas for how to break out of it, before the damage is too great.
The ACFM crew offer their weird-left perspective on the role of the hero (and heroine) in politics and culture. Nadia, Jem and Keir assess theories of Great Men, the myth of the hero's journey and the lure of the anti-hero with ideas from Weber and Hegel and music from Tina Turner and Sonic Youth.Find the books and music mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfmSign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newslettersFollow our ever-expanding playlist on Spotify by searching "ACFM".Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Last week, a terrorist attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir sparked a rapid military escalation: planes were shot down, thousands were arbitrarily detained, the houses of suspect's families were blown up.How did we get to a situation in which the safety of the whole world is threatened by the occupation of Kashmir?Richard Hames spoke to Kashmiri scholar Mohamad Junaid about the brinkmanship of India and Pakistan, what daily life is like under endless occupation, and, of course, The British Empire.
What do straight women find attractive? Too many men think the answer is ‘big muscles’, argues Ash in a big theory about sensuality. Plus: what to do when your boss is a bigot.Come and see If I Speak LIVE in London on 21st May! Join Ash, Moya and special guest Monica Heisey – comedian and author of Really, Good Actually – at EartH in East London, followed by a social. Tickets are available from Dice.Send your dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley.Send your dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley.
Not long ago, Kieren Owen AKA Jimmy The Giant was in the ‘alt right pipeline’. He believed in the tyranny of the welfare system, thought ‘woke culture’ was dangerous for society and that Tommy Robinson’s imprisonment was a result of draconian government censorship.So how did he become one the most incisive commentators of the online left?In conversation with Ash Sarkar, Jimmy The Giant discusses how he escaped the alt-right pipeline, why the establishment are so afraid of Gary Stevenson and why the left is consistently failing to connect with people.
A new Pope has been chosen by the conclave.But how much can one man, even one appointed by the Holy Spirit, do to transform one of the most powerful institutions in the world?Richard Hames spoke to Matthew Sitman of the Know Your Enemy podcast about what role the church can play in our crisis-ridden age, and the contradictions of being a gay – and socialist – convert to Catholicism.
Moya has a big theory and we're not going to like it: most people would rather be told how to live their lives by someone else than work it out for themselves. Plus: advice for a broken-hearted student.Seats for our live show in London are going fast! Join Ash, Moya and special guest Monica Heisey – comedian and author of Really, Good Actually – at EartH in East London on 21st May. Tickets are available now on Dice.Send your dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley.
What do Christianity and communism have in common? Are Nuns missing out on their lives, or living their best one?And can attending church once a week provide a more healing alternative to modern wellness culture, not least because you're forced to turn off your phone for an hour?Seeking answers to all these questions, Ash Sarkar sits down for a conversation with Lamorna Ash, journalist and author of ‘Don’t Forget We’re Here Forever’. They explore whether it’s true that the younger generation is searching for meaning in the teachings of Jesus, and what’s behind this unexpected turn towards religion.They talk about Lamorna’s journey into faith, being queer at Bible Study, and why Christians - like communists - are so good at imagining a better world.
Just Stop Oil has ended its campaign of direct action, yet many activists still face years in prison. In the final episode, Rivkah and Clare find out whether their commitment to their cause has wavered. They also speak to veteran climate campaigner Roger Hallam, currently serving a four-year sentence, about his role in sending young activists to prison.CN: This episode contains mention of suicide. For support with your mental health, contact samaritans.org.Read Clare's story about right-wing journalists infiltrating activist groups on Novara Media: https://novaramedia.com/2024/09/11/rightwing-journalists-keep-grassing-up-activists-to-the-police Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
In episode three of Committed, Clare and Rivkah find out what it’s like to see your loved ones locked up. How do the Just Stop Oil prisoners’ families make sense of their crimes? When your partner is in prison, how can your relationship survive? And what’s it like to know your fiancée would choose activism over you?Final episode coming on 2 May.Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Today the leaders of Israel, Russia, and Hamas all stand accused of war crimes. Yet it seems doubtful that these men will ever face justice – so what's the point of international law?For 30 years, Kenneth Roth was the director of Human Rights Watch. In that time, his organisation exposed hundreds of human rights abuses and pressured governments to cease committing them.On Downstream, Kenneth Roth told Ash Sarkar how human rights law actually works on the ground, and how exposure, shame, and the shaping of public opinion are essential tools for this work.He also discusses his young life as a child of a refugee from Nazi Germany, how democracies are responding to mass migration, and the age-old question of whether political violence can be legally or morally justified.
Ash and Moya confront their feelings after a bad fortnight for feminism, from Katy Perry in space to the Supreme Court’s anti-trans ruling. Plus: advice on divorcing parents and compulsive exercising.PSA: We’re going live at EartH in London on 21st May! Special guest TBA! Tickets are available from Dice.Send your dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley.
The ACFM gang gather for a midwinter reading of one of the most influential political tracts ever written. Download a version online and follow along as Nadia, Keir and Jem reassess The Communist Manifesto, published in 1848 by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.Find the books and music mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfmSign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newslettersFollow our ever-expanding playlist on Spotify by searching "ACFM".Help us build people-powered media – pledge your support from as little as £1 a month: https://novara.media/support
Locked in their cells for up to 22 hours a day, how are Britain’s jailed climate activists coping with a life of inaction? In episode two of Committed, Rivkah and Clare follow the Just Stop Oil inmates to find out how they’re adjusting. How does JSO prepare activists for incarceration? What’s it really like inside Britain’s prisons? And what do the guards and other inmates think of Just Stop Oil activists’ crimes?Episode 3 coming on 29 April.Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
In episode one of Committed, Clare and Rivkah meet imprisoned Just Stop Oil activists who took direct action against the climate crisis and faced dire consequences.By blocking roads, climbing bridges and throwing soup at paintings, they made headlines – and became national hate figures in the process. We find out how four ordinary young people ended up as convicted criminals, at the sharp end of the government’s crackdown on protest.Episode 2 coming on 24 April.
Ash speaks to author Natasha Brown about the big questions raised by her acclaimed second novel Universality, a ‘whydunnit’ mystery about identity, class and how we (re)invent ourselves. Plus: a dilemma about selling your soul.PSA: We’re going live at EartH in London on 21st May! Get your tickets now from Dice.Send your dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley.
Aaron Bastani was joined by Israeli historian Ilan Pappé for a live recording of Downstream on 7 April at EartH in East London. They discussed the origins of Britain's Israel lobby, the indoctrination of Israelis, and whether the recent atrocities committed in Gaza and the West Bank are signs of Israel's imminent collapse. Help us build people-powered media:http://novara.media/support
How does a teenage goodie-two-shoes grow up to be a convicted criminal? On Committed, a new four-part series from Novara Media, we go behind bars to find out why dozens of young climate activists are risking prison for what they believe in – and why Britain's courts are sending more of them to jail for longer. Committed begins on 22 April in the Novara Media podcast feed. Help us build people-powered media: novara.media/support
Donald Trump has been ripping up the rule book on global trade, implementing huge tariffs and sending markets into a frenzy. But is there any method in his apparent madness? Legendary Marxist philosopher Slavoj Žižek regales Aaron with his thoughts on US trade policy – not to mention Franz Kafka, fully automated luxury communism and whether he's a "GILF". Žižek's new book, Zero Point, is out now on Bloomsbury.Help us build people-powered media:http://novara.media/support
Moya and Ash offer advice to a special one who’s lost everything after renovating a house with their ex. Plus: what if some of us are ‘relationship people’ while the rest are better off alone?Follow @ifispeakpod on TikTok and send your dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.com!Music by Matt Huxley.
There are few, true, public intellectuals anymore. But Ta-Nehisi Coates – author of ‘Between The World And Me’ and recipient of the MacArthur Genius Grant – is unquestionably foremost amongst them. His new book, The Message, is a sweeping exploration of how stories shape our politics – from the parameters of black struggle to Israel’s imposition of apartheid and ethnic cleansing. He and Ash Sarkar talk about Shakespeare, class politics, and the shared experiences of Black Americans and Palestinians.
When you think about neoliberal states, maybe you think of the UK, or Russia in the 90s, or Chile. You probably don’t think about Iran.And yet, argues Bahar Noorizadeh, the Islamic Republic has been, since before the 1979 revolution, a neoliberal state – and an imperial one as well.It has suppressed the Kurdish and Baloch nations inside its own borders.How can we show solidarity with feminist and national struggles inside Iran and resist the warmongering of the Trump regime at the same time?Bahar spoke to Eleanor Penny about how to resist the appropriation of the feminist movement by the West, the question political Islam, and how feminist struggles are linking up from Palestine to Balochistan and Kurdistan.
Forensic Architecture is a research agency that investigates state violence and environmental destruction.It reconstructs events that states worldwide wants obscured, from Israel to the UK and from the Mediterranean to Ukraine.In doing so, they have invented a whole new discipline of investigation.On Novara FM, FA’s Assistant Director of Research, Samaneh Moafi, tells Eleanor Penny about their new report A Cartography of Genocide on the ongoing Gaza Genocide.
In 2024 the Conservative party suffered their worst defeat in two centuries. But while Labour struggles in office, the Tories are going nowhere fast. Meanwhile Britain shambles on without an economic model, or a wider vision for the future. How long can national decline continue? And when will things come to a head?Aaron Bastani speaks to author, and Mail on Sunday columnist, Peter Hitchens. They discuss – from different perspectives – a country in crisis, the legacy of Thatcherism, and the elite obsession with Britain remaining ‘important’. If only they gave up such illusions, Hitchens argues, then they could focus on the country’s happiness and prosperity.
The gang convene for a milestone 50th Trip episode all about acid – as a drug, a music genre, a political concept, a mental tool and a thought corrosive. Nadia, Keir and Jem look back on six years of the podcast to decide if ‘acid’ is still a useful way of thinking about leftwing politics.With music from Tricky, Pink Floyd and Phuture, they discuss anticapitalism, Acid Corbynism, Rimbaud, acid rock, Terence McKenna, mind-body dualism and plain old LSD.Follow our Spotify playlist of all the music discussed on ACFM and subscribe to the ACFM mailing list to get weirder and leftier.Music: Jimi Hendrix – ‘Purple Haze’ / Thatcher on Acid – ‘Sitting’ / Pink Floyd – ‘Interstellar Overdrive’ / Boredoms – ‘Acid Police’ / Phuture – ‘Acid Tracks’ / D Mob – ‘We Call It Acid’ / Funk, Inc. – ‘The Better Half’ / Tricky – ‘Overcome’Books: Mark Fisher – K-Punk: The Collected and Unpublished Writings / Mark Fisher – Postcapitalist Desire: The Final Lectures / Jay Stevens – Storming Heaven: LSD and the American Dream
We’ve entered a new climate reality. The pace of the energy transition has picked up – and so have the impacts of climate change.But has there ever actually been an energy transition? Or do we just use more and more and more of everything?As climate change accelerates, feedback loops in the climate system will start to speed it up even further. All this is to say: we’re approaching the point when geoengineering will start to seem awfully tempting.Richard Hames spoke to Laurie Laybourn, executive director of the Strategic Climate Risks Initiative, about what we do when that temptation arises.
Ash has an intrusive thought that she thinks Moya can help with: make me fun again! Plus advice for a listener navigating the identity politics of the student council.We're now yapping on TikTok! Follow us @ifispeakpodSend us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley.
Nicola Dinan returns to the show to talk about her second novel, Disappoint Me, and respond to Moya's question about how to deal with a partner’s past mistakes. Plus, dilemmas about lip filler and bottom surgery.We're now yapping on TikTok! Follow us @ifispeakpodSend us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley.
After capitalism comes communism, according to Marxist doctrine. But in the meantime, what should we call our increasingly unequal system? 'Neofeudalism', suggests political theorist Jodi Dean, might be the best way to describe our growing society of serfs and servants.She talks to Eleanor Penny about a vision of class struggle led by the 'servant vanguard'. Capital's Grave is available from Verso.Comments, corrections, suggestions? fm@novaramedia.com
Moya has a bone to pick with Ash about Minority Rule and the conversations sparked by her book tour, while posing the big question: why is it so hard to form your own opinions? Plus: what to do when a newly sober friend starts drifting away.Follow us on TikTok! @ifispeakpodSend us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley.
On the 8th December 2024, the Assad regime in Syria fell, replaced by a group of former jihadists called Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham.In the north east of the country, in a territory called Rojava, a feminist socialist revolution has been ongoing for since 2012.Then a few weeks ago, Abdullah Öcalan, a Kurdish leader who has been imprisoned by Turkey for 26 years, called on the PKK, the Kurdish Worker's Party, to disband.Elif Sarican is a writer, organiser and activist with the Kurdish woman's movement. She spoke to Richard Hames about how to make sense of this new world, and whether or not the Kurdish revolution will survive.
The US is no longer supporting Ukraine. And, in response, the UK and Europe are rearming. The Germans are taking off their hallowed debt brake to allow it. The French want a European Army. And Keir Starmer is talking tough about the capabilities of the British Armed Forces.In a world still dominated by the American military, what does it all matter?And what could we do instead?Khem Rogaly has the answer. He's a Senior Research Fellow at Common Wealth and he's proposed a 'Lucas Plan for the 21st Century' that would put the fight against climate change, and not war, at the centre of European economic growth.
When we talk about politics – whether it’s the climate, the economy or constitutional reform – the thing that’s at stake is an idea of ‘the future’. These days, the idea of imminent societal or ecological breakdown necessarily means adopting the framing of the present as being a ‘state of emergency’. This is an obvious way for political actors to attempt to generate consensus – but does this ostensibly well-intentioned way of viewing the future actually narrow political discourse in favour of far-right and authoritarian politicians?To discuss this, Aaron is joined by Jonathan White, Deputy Head of the European Institute and Professor in Politics at the LSE and author of In the Long Run: The Future as a Political Idea.
What's the point of the arts when the world is on fire? To follow the pipeline from creativity to activism and back again, Nadia Idle is joined by Amber Massie-Blomfield, former chief of theatre company Complicité and the author of Acts of Resistance: The Power of Art to Create Better World.Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newslettersHelp us build people-powered media – pledge your support from as little as £1 a month: https://novara.media/support
Lockdown was one of the defining experiences of our lives, but it was far from unique in history.From the plantation to the infirmary and from the leper colony to the stay at home order, contagion and confinement are inextricably intertwined.In The History of the World in 6 Plagues, Edna Bonhomme investigates how fear, power, race science and colonial violence have shaped six of the most powerful plagues in history, and shaped our societies in turn.
In 1996 Samuel Huntington published ‘The Clash of Civilizations’. At the time its hypothesis was counter-intuitive. Despite the supremacy of the United States after the Cold War, the ascent of globalisation would not lead to the end of history, but a return to distinctive and competing civilisations. Rather than homogeneity we would see a growing emphasis on difference, rather than unhindered free markets we would see friction, and eventually rupture.In 2025, with the continued rise of China to superpower status and a revanchist Russia, it’s tempting to think Huntington was right. Rather than a global civilisation – based on market competition and the rule of law – we are edging towards a world of multipolarity and civilisation-states. But what if civilisational thinking is itself mistaken? What if the idea of plural ‘civilisations’ is a product of the 19th century? Where does such civilisational thinking really come from? What even is a ‘civilisation’? And what, in particular, is ‘the West’?Josephine Quinn is one of Britain’s most respected historians of antiquity. Chair of Ancient History at Cambridge, her most recent book, “How the World Made the West”, was a book of the year for The Economist, The Sunday Times and The Guardian. In this conversation Josephine and Aaron go from the very dawn of ancient European history, through the Bronze Age Collapse, to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. How similar were those people to us? And what lessons does the distant past hold for the challenges of the 21st century?
Why did Stormzy delete his pro-Palestine posts just before unveiling a Happy Meal tie-in with McDonald's? Ash asks Moya if big artists are all just businesses in the end. Plus: how to deal with a delusional friend.Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley.
Read any of the mainstream press at the moment and you'll hear the same thing: major things are happening in America.But what if this sudden shift was an illusion?David Adler is Co-General Coordinator of the Progressive International, a group that brings together forces from across the progressive left.He told Richard Hames that far from being radical change, Trumpism is the culmination of decades-long project called the Reactionary International.
When did we all start 'getting the ick'? And why does it mainly seem to be women who get it? Ash and Moya unpack the gender politics behind the 'ick-course'. Plus: when is the right time to have the big money chat with your partner?Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley.
For almost six centuries Europe has been at the centre of world affairs.While the days of Empire are long gone, over the last several decades the importance and comparative wealth of Europe has declined at an extraordinary pace. Indeed for many countries, from Britain to Germany and Greece, living standards have stagnated or even declined.Now, in what seem like the final months of the war in Ukraine, Europe can no longer rely on security guarantees made by the United States. Technologically dependent on a superpower across the Atlantic, the countries of Europe are economically, militarily and politically weaker than at any time in centuries. All while China ascends to the category of superpower, and Russia returns to the politics of expansionism.So how bad are things for Europe? Has its entire political class just been discredited? If so, what will be the consequences? Could Russia target other states, like Lithuania or Estonia, if it succeeds in annexing large parts of Ukraine? Is there a model Europe can pursue beyond vassalage to Washington? And how might it relate to China in an increasingly multipolar world?
This part two of our discussion about a new left party. You can listen to part 1 here: https://novaramedia.com/2025/01/30/time-for-a-new-left-party/James Schneider, Jeremy Corbyn’s former Director of Comms, argues for a new party. But who would it speak to? Would it be democratic and in what ways? And what could it actually achieve in the volatile terrain of British Politics?Zack Polanski, Deputy Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, says we don’t need anything new. There is, after all, a socialist party in the UK already: it’s the Greens. And, unlike a new party, it already has everything it needs.They spoke to Richard Hames about democracy, the challenge of combatting Reform, and a radical left vision for our collective future.Lots of this episode was formed by comments we received on the first episode. If you’d like to shape future episodes in this series, please email fm@novaramedia.com
One whole year of If I Speak! Moya and Ash celebrate with an #AMA, tackling your questions on career growth, love songs, role models, Irish politics and whether they’re friends in real life. Plus: listener feedback on last week’s “return of the slur”.Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley.
Your death should be your own, as much as possible. That’s one of the principles behind the Assisted Dying Bill. It lets adults with less than 6 months to live end their lives.
But disability campaigners fear that people who don’t want to die might be pressured to let themselves be killed.
Ellen Clifford is the author of The War on Disabled People: Capitalism, Welfare and the Making of a Human Catastrophe. She spoke to Richard Hames about one of the most fraught debates of our era.
It’s official – we’re in the middle of an unprecedented vibe shift. Donald Trump’s second term in the White House tips the political balance across the world. So, what happens next? And what defines the era that we’re living in? Ash Sarkar is joined by Professor Will Davies, author of The Happiness Industry and Nervous States, to talk about ‘libertarian authoritarianism’, the end of experts, and the death of globalisation.
Love is supposed to be the most universal human experience after death and taxes. So why do so many people feel like they’re failing in it? Ash Sarkar is joined by Shon Faye, author of the bestselling book The Transgender Issue, to discuss her new book Love In Exile. They talk about how marriage has changed since their grandmothers’ day, the crisis of lonely young men, and whether secularism is to blame for relationship breakdown.
After last week’s ACFM on the meaning and morality of personal debt, Keir and Nadia zoom out to the macroeconomics of debt.
Joining them to make sense of concepts like sovereign debt, structural adjustment and international ratings agencies is Heidi Chow, executive director of Debt Justice. She explains how and why countries borrow money, why Global South countries end up mired in debt, and how the climate crisis will affect national borrowing.
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Help us build people-powered media – pledge your support from as little as £1 a month: https://novara.media/support
It’s been five long years since the decisive defeat of Corbynism at the ballot box.
How, if at all, should the left reconstitute itself? Should everyone join the Greens? Or do we just need Mick Lynch to start a new party?
In this episode, Richard Hames is joined by Rachel Godfrey Wood, Joe Todd, and Oliver Eagleton to thrash it all out and arrive at the One True Answer.
We’re keen to hear from you on this topic! Lets us know your comments, criticisms and key strategic insights at fm@novaramedia.com
Fourteen years ago Gary Stevenson was one of Citibank’s best performing traders. The bet that brought him success was one few foresaw: that despite record low interest rates, Britain’s economy would stay in the doldrums.
He wrote about that, and his time at Citi, in his bestselling memoir ‘The Trading Game’. In this, his third Downstream with Aaron, Gary talks about the rise of Reform, why the political establishment could be facing extinction; why Elon Musk’s wealth is a threat to democracy; and how the plan is to make you poorer – forever.
The concept of debt is as slippery as it is powerful. In this Trip episode, Keir, Nadia and Jem explain why debt is more like a belief than a calculation, and wonder how to imagine a society without it.
From credit cards to dowries, they discuss the reality and fantasy of debt, with ideas from David Graeber and Deleuze and music from Crass and Gwen Guthrie.
Find the books and music mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfm
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Follow our ever-expanding playlist on Spotify by searching “ACFM”.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Elon Musk is the most symptomatic capitalist of our era: obsessed with publicity, by many accounts a fanatical workaholic, and increasingly in bed with the far right.
But how did he go from Obama-era liberal darling to giving a Nazi salute at Trump’s second inauguration?
Historian of ideas Quinn Slobodian has traced the relationship between big tech and the far right for years. His books include Globalists: The End of Empire and the Birth of Neoliberalism and Crack-Up Capitalism: Market Radicals and the Dream of a World Without Democracy.
He speaks to Eleanor Penny about the world that made Elon Musk possible.
Quinn Slobodian previously appeared on Novara FM in late 2023.
The Institute of Economic Affairs is one of the most powerful and secretive think tanks in the UK, known for promoting free-market Thatcherism as a solution to all of our economic woes. Who’s behind it?
This week, Kristian Niemietz, a director at the IEA and a long-time Novara Media hater, sits down with Aaron for a debate about trickle-down economics, why he’s a neoliberal, and who really funds his employer.
And who funds Novara Media? That’s easier to answer: you. Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Donald Trump is the next president. Meta, Walmart and McDonald’s have forsaken their diversity policies. Elon Musk is demanding that Keir Starmer be removed as PM. Why is this all happening at the same time? And why do progressives have so little to offer when it comes to the economy and people’s everyday lives?
Brett Christophers is a geographer, author and former management consultant. According to him, it’s the commitment of parties like Labour and the US Democrats to the prevailing economic orthodoxy that has brought about the collapse of ‘woke capitalism’.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
The ACFM gang gather for a midwinter reading of one of the most influential political tracts ever written. Download a version online and follow along as Nadia, Keir and Jem reassess The Communist Manifesto, published in 1848 by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
Find the books and music mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfm
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Follow our ever-expanding playlist on Spotify by searching “ACFM”.
Help us build people-powered media – pledge your support from as little as £1 a month: https://novara.media/support
Having long promised to decentralise power, Bitcoin is looking more and more like it will end up as a tool of American power under Trump.
But blockchains could also be used to empower local economies. And why should the left stay attached to a money system controlled by the state?
Sam Hart is a developer, writer, and editor of the Cryptoeconomic Systems journal. He spoke to Richard Hames about the promises and perils of the new era of blockchain technologies.
Comments, questions, corrections? fm@novaramedia.com
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
In Richard Curtis’ Love Actually, a selection of mainly white and middle-class Londoners seem to be living in a parallel universe – one in which the war on terror never happened and the ’90s never ended. What kinds of love are really on offer in this misty-eyed vision of modern Britain?
Following Novara FM’s investigation into Die Hard, Eleanor Penny tackles another festive Alan Rickman vehicle with Nathalie Olah, author of Bad Taste and Steal As Much As You Can.
Comments, questions, corrections? fm@novaramedia.com
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media.com/support
On 10 December, Ash Sarkar, Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani discussed an epoch-defining year and its implications for the future. Is Starmer screwed? Are expansionist wars back? Has ‘woke’ died? Find out in our end-of-year Downstream special.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Die Hard is a perennial of festive TV, but is it really a Christmas movie? James Butler and Eleanor Penny explore what the 1988 action comedy reveals about corporate power, class antagonism, mid-century terrorism and women in the workplace. Who is Bruce Willis’ shoeless cowboy cop out to rescue? And what is going on with Hans Gruber’s accent?
Comments, questions, corrections? fm@novaramedia.com
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Just two months before a general election, Germany finds itself in a precarious position. The European project is fragile, the country’s manufacturing innovation has stalled, and Germany’s dependence on Russian resources has become, quite obviously, disastrous.
So what will happen to this once deeply consequential world power, and what does its story tell us about the future of Europe and the upending of global power in the 21st century?
Wolfgang Münchau has a thorough understanding of this story. A writer for the FT on European and German matters for over 20 years, his new book Kaput tells us an awful lot about why Germany is in the state it currently is.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
In the 2010s, we found out that we were all being watched. A series of leaks, from Wikileaks and others, revealed that our governments were conducting mass surveillance operations on their own populations. But what were the longer term consequences of those leaks? And why hasn’t something of equivalent size stepped in to replace Wikileaks since?
Stefania Maurizi is a journalist who worked with Wikileaks and Glenn Greenwald on the Edward Snowden revelations. She’s also the author of Secret Power: Wikileaks and Its Enemies.
She sat down with Richard Hames to explain how Wikileaks achieved so much, how the state tried to destroy them, and how they fought back and won.
Comments, questions, corrections? fm@novaramedia.com
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
When the Taliban retook all of Afghanistan in 2021, it came as a shock to much of the West. The day after the last American soldier left, journalist and filmmaker Ibrahim Nash’at flew into Kabul to spend a year filming with their senior military leadership. What he found was a Taliban drunk on power, in control of far more territory and with better weaponry than ever – courtesy of the Americans, who left it all behind.
Ibrahim joins Ash to talk about the making of Hollywoodgate, which is currently available to watch in the UK on BBC iPlayer as part of the Storyville series.
*
People-powered media needs people to power it. Please consider supporting Novara Media by donating an hour’s wage per month, or whatever you can afford. Head to https://novaramedia.com/support
Which side are you on? Keir, Nadia and Jem consider the ebb and flow of political commitment with ideas and music from Jodi Dean, Gramsci, John Coltrane and the Raincoats.
Is cultural production the same as political action? What’s the difference between an ally and a comrade? And why do some communists end up as right-wing turncoats?
Find the books and music mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfm
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Follow our ever-expanding playlist on Spotify by searching “ACFM”.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
In 1891, the French drew the borders of what became Mali. Like many colonial borders, they were arbitrary, absurd to the many nomads who supposedly lived within them.
Now climate change is ravaging the Sahel region, and many of those nomads are being forced to settle down. And Russia and China have arrived to replace the long tail of French colonial domination. As has Al-Qaeda.
So what does this all have to do with the far-right anti-imperialism of Steve Bannon?
James Pogue is a journalist with an extraordinary range. He has reported from Mauritania and the Central African Republic, from the private gatherings of JD Vance and the militias of Oregon.
In this episode, he tells Richard Hames about how violence, money, racism weave together at the end of an empire – and perhaps the beginning of another.
Humanity has long pursued an elixir of youth and dreamed of eternal life. For the Abrahamic faiths, physical immortality was lost in the Garden of Eden, with only the soul remaining of permanence. More recently, futurists and thinkers have speculated about the possibilities of radical life extension. For neuroscientist Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston there is another alternative, […]
Imagine a person arrested for keeping a brothel. Who are they? An abusive pimp? Such people exist, no doubt, but the law isn’t set up just to catch abusers: it also targets sex workers working together to stay safe. With Labour in power, big changes could be afoot, but legalising sex work could harm sex […]
While the first modern trains were built in the early 19th century – more people travel by rail today than ever before. Not only have passenger numbers risen in the UK but the likes of China, Iran and Uzbekistan now have high-speed networks. On this episode of Downstream, Aaron Bastani is joined by author and […]
In October 2024, SpaceX caught a rocket. An astonishing feat of engineering, it took humanity one giant leap closer to the era of everyday space travel – and possibly one small step closer to its own obliteration. Despite a long list of treaties attempting to prevent it, space is now a militarised zone. Nuclear-laden ICBMs and […]
Global heating is a serious problem, but the question of just how urgently to fight it is a fraught one. Should 2C or 1.5C of warming be our limit? Or can we blow past these limits now, and come back down to them later, using technology to pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere? There’s […]
Disruption is a byword for success in the tech industry, but when it affects people’s daily routines – say, when JSO activists are slow-marching down a road – it becomes nothing short of criminal. On this Trip, Jem, Nadia and Keir unpack the political uses and abuses of disruption and the ‘creative destruction’ inherent to capitalism. […]
In 2016, the alt-right seemed to come from the internet and infest politics. In 2024, the internet and politics have become identical. Are we swimming in the world the alt-right built for us? Perhaps no one knows the world of online politics better than Joshua Citarella, an artist and political theorist whose 2018 book Politigram and […]
In 2016, the alt-right seemed to come from the internet and infest politics. In 2024, the internet and politics have become identical. Are we swimming in the world the alt-right built for us?Perhaps no one knows the world of online politics better than Joshua Citarella, an artist and political theorist whose 2018 book Politigram and the Post-Left kickstarted a flurry of investigations into new political cultures. His Doomscroll podcast looks at the development of online politics now.As the results of the US election were still coming in, he spoke to Richard Hames about the disasters of vibes-based liberal politics, how the Trump campaign spoke to a bloodlust, and where the American left goes from here.
Everyone knows that the Roman Empire rose, then fell. Historians don’t all agree on the reasons for the collapse, but their misunderstandings can shed plenty of light on the current state of the world, according to the authors of How Empires Fall: Rome, America and the Future of the West.
Peter Heather, a historian of antiquity, and John Rapley, a political economist, talk to Aaron about the uncanny parallels and productive differences between ancient history and the present day. What do most historians get wrong about the fall of Rome? Was 1999 the peak of civilisation? And can anything stop western decline?
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Moya and Ash are joined by the authors of Clown World, a new book exposing influencer Andrew Tate’s grip on his followers around the world, to talk about why patriarchy is so seductive. Plus, advice for a special one who is drowning under their workload.Email your missed connections and dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley.
The rise of artificial intelligence will bring about a planetary-scale shift in human life and politics – and, it seems, a lot of weird social media spam. But for all the grand pronouncements from techno-utopians and pessimists alike, the reality is that there’s still much to be decided about the future that AI portends.
At the forefront of those investigations is Marek Poliks, a composer, theorist and co-host of the Disintegrator podcast, where he and Roberto Alonso explore the frontiers of human-AI relations with guests from all disciplines.
He joins Richard Hames to talk about what’s next for AI now that it’s ingested the entire internet, how the concept of ‘lift’ helps us understand how AI will impact capitalism, and why there’s no point asking if AI is capable of ‘creativity’.
Marek and Roberto’s book, Choreomata: Performance and Performativity After AI, is published by CRC/Taylor and Francis.
Comments, questions, corrections? fm@novaramedia.com
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
War is spreading throughout West Asia, a situation understood by many observers as an outgrowth of Israeli expansionism. In a return visit to Downstream, historian Ilan Pappé provides a century’s worth of context to the unfolding crisis.
He talks to Aaron to talk about the lack of a viable left in Israel, why nation-states haven’t worked in the Middle East, and why the British Empire is ultimately to blame. Pappé’s new book, A Very Short History of Israel-Palestine Conflict, is available now.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
In their new book Loving Corrections, adrienne maree brown poses a crucial conundrum for all progressive thinkers: how do we liberate people from bad ideas?
One of America’s most energetic thinkers talks to Rivkah Brown about putting the pol back in idpol, understanding the IDF, navigating the US election, and why we might need to suck it up and ‘bear hug’ our enemies.
Comments, questions, corrections? fm@novaramedia.com
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
What if instead of talking about history from the perspective of humanity, we told it from the perspective of the resources that made human expansion possible? Sunil Amrith is a historian and author of The Burning Earth: An Environmental History of The Last 500 Years.
He sat down with Ash to explain how a bumper crop of grass powered the Mongol empire, how the two world wars irreversibly changed the planet, and to wonderif the global north can ever come to terms with the need to consume fewer resources.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Around the world, far-right movements are mobilising support by placing the blame for real catastrophes – Covid-19, the war in Ukraine, their own riots and insurrections – on entirely made-up enemies, among them Muslims, immigrants and feminists.
This is what Richard Seymour, a writer, theorist and founding editor of Salvage magazine, calls disaster nationalism. He joins Richard Hames to discuss the current irruption of riots, pogroms and genocide, the global south’s incipient fascism, the far-right impulse towards a ‘heroic death’, and why the left must to harness popular resentments to bring about a ‘sober class hatred’.
His new book, Disaster Nationalism, is published on 29 October by Verso.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
From pollinating crops to managing organic waste on a continental scale, insects are vital to life on Earth. They are also disappearing.
Dave Goulson is an entomologist and ecologist whose books communicate the majesty of insects and arthropods – along with a grave warning about their demise.
He talks to Aaron to Bastani talk about the critical lack of scientific expertise in government, the allure of dung beetles, and how to make your garden a haven for insect life.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
What does Israel hope to achieve this time, nearly 20 years after its last failed ground offensive in Lebanon? And how should we understand its adversary, a political party that also functions as a fighting force, a historical movement, and a regional power?
Richard Hames is joined by Elia Ayoub, a Lebanese-Palestinian researcher and writer based in the UK, to sketch the political roots and strategic goals of Hezbollah.
He explains the group’s complex links with Iran and Syria, why the killing of its leader Hassan Nasrallah was a PR win, and how Hezbollah became Israel’s ‘best enemy’.
Elia is the author of the Hauntologies newsletter, the founder of The Fire These Times podcast and a co-founder of the From the Periphery media collective.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Stephanie Kelton is an author and economist, and subject of the new film ‘Finding The Money’. Her work as a proponent of Modern Monetary Theory and as an advisor to Bernie Sanders has put her front and center of the debate around government debt, taxation and the potential green industrial revolution.
She sat down for a remote conversation with Ash to discuss debt, Liz Truss and whether you really need to tax the rich.
You can watch the trailer for ‘Finding The Money’ here.
And you can learn more about the film and watch it in it’s entirety here.
Of all the unseen forces that shape human society, could death be the most powerful? The ACFM crew take a leftwing look at mortality in this Trip, asking how capitalism has altered our approach to the inevitable.
Jem, Nadia and Keir think about how industrialised workers were taught to prepare for death, why powerful men are obsessed with their legacies, why we failed to ritualise or remember the Covid dead, and their fear of being desensitised to killing.
Find the books and music mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfm
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Follow our ever-expanding playlist on Spotify by searching “ACFM”.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
The English language is full of pejoratives for large groups of people: mob mentality. Herd behaviour. Crowd contagion.
Much of this apprehension stems from one of the most influential works of psychology ever written, Gustave Le Bon’s The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind. Unfortunately, Le Bon’s big idea – that crowds produce derangement and violence in even the most rational subject – was not based on any actual research.
So why the lingering suspicion? In his new book, Multitudes: How Crowds Made the Modern World, journalist and author Dan Hancox traces our fear and attraction to mass gatherings.
He talks to Eleanor Penny about how mass crowds take shape – from Nazi rallies and student protests to urban riots and insurrections – and how the state tries to stamp them out.
Help us build people-powered media: http://novara.media/support
Xi Jinping is possibly the most powerful person in the world, but what do we know about his origins, ways of thinking and goals for China and the human race in general? To answer these questions and more, Aaron is joined by Olivia Cheung, author of “The Political Thought of Xi Jinping”. They discuss his […]
The Palestine solidarity movement is the largest movement in British politics for a century. Yet has been vilified and policed as if it were a tiny group of extremists.
In this investigative episode of Novara FM, series producer Richard Hames is joined by Simon Childs, commissioning editor at Novara Media, to expose the authoritarian turn inside the British state that is driving the crackdown on Palestine solidarity.
From Suella Braverman’s demonisation of “hate marchers” to Michael Gove’s attempts to redefine extremism, from Britain’s collusion with Israeli arms manufacturers to its special treatment for accused war criminals, this is a story about how the supposedly neutral institutions of the state have been used to silence a movement.
Featuring Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Kevin Blowe from police monitoring organisation Netpol, and Tim Crosland from the Defend Our Juries campaign.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
The IDF says multiple soldiers have been killed as Israel expands its ground invasion of Lebanon.
Plus: Starmer reiterates his support for Israel following Iran’s retaliatory strikes; and the Tory leadership race descends further into absurdity.
With Michael Walker and Eleanor Penny.
Inspired by Moya’s big move, Ash wonders what the necessary ingredients are to turn a house share into a home. Plus, advice for a listener whose friend is infatuated with her lecturer.Email your missed connections and dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley.Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
How can we resist exploitation when the boss has been replaced by a computer? That’s the premise of Cyberboss, a new book by Craig Gent, North of England editor for Novara Media, which explains how “algorithmic management” is being rolled out in the workplace, starting with Amazon packers, Deliveroo drivers and online supermarket shoppers.
He talks to NM’s head of audio Chal Ravens about the strange forms of resistance that emerge when even your boss has no idea how the system actually works. Cyberboss: The Rise of Algorithmic Management and the New Struggle for Control at Work is available now through Verso Books.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Israel has ruled out a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah after calls for one from multiple countries.
Plus: The Home Office have released a damning report about the Windrush Scandal.
With Aaron Bastani and @NoJusticeMTG .
An IDF chief has told Israeli ground troops to prepare for a possible invasion of Lebanon.
Plus: The Labour leadership have lost a vote on winter fuel payments; and business leaders want their money back following a Labour conference event.
With Michael Walker and NoJusticeMTG.
Keir Starmer has faced down a heckler during his Labour conference speech as he tries to present a more positive vision for the party.
Plus: Israeli strikes kill over five hundred people in Lebanon; and Labour try to sweep gift-gate under the rug.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Moya and Ash argue over a big theory about our need for surprise. Has modern life killed off spontaneity in everything from dating to holidays? Plus: advice for a listener who’s wondering why an old friend isn’t more excited to be his best man.
We’re sorry about the uneven audio quality for part of the dilemmas section!
Email your missed connections and dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Rachel Reeves has faced down hecklers at Labour conference as she rules out a return to austerity.
Plus: The IDF have raided Al Jazeera’s Ramallah bureau in the West Bank; and gift-gate dominates Labour conference.
With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Guy Shrubsole is an author and campaigner whose new book The Lie of the Land seeks to expose the history of the British elite’s relationship to the land they own and debunk the myths that they perpetuate. He sat down with Aaron to talk about grouse moors, planning permission and exactly what we should do about The Fens.
Dr. Munther Isaac is the pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, serving a community of Christians that dates back to the time of Jesus.
He joins Ash to discuss Israel’s continuing annexation of the West Bank, the role of Christian Zionists, and the origins of western hypocrisy.
A month after racist riots engulfed the country, the ACFM crew ask what fascism – and antifascism – look like in Britain today. Do the riots and counter-protests mark a return to “street politics”? Why didn’t the Labour party align itself with opponents of the pogroms? And how popular are extreme rightwing views among Britain’s frustrated youth?
Jem, Nadia and Keir take a closer look at the make-up of the rioters and the reaction from the public, the media and politicians.
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Follow our ever-expanding playlist on Spotify by searching “ACFM”.
Produced by Matt Huxley.
“Don’t mourn, organise” were the final words of American labour activist Joe Hill before his execution in 1915. But sometimes our feelings of grief don’t lend themselves to good organising – sometimes we might just want revenge.
In her forthcoming book, critic and journalist Sarah Jaffe looks at the many kinds of grief that shape our social and political lives, from family bereavement and mass death during a pandemic, to factory closures and the spectre of climate breakdown.
She joins Eleanor Penny to talks about the ghosts of the industrial worker, the fate of capital’s “sacrifice zones”, how Israel tries to weaponise Jewish grief, and what to do when we are denied the means of mourning our lost futures.
From the Ashes: Grief and Revolution in a World on Fire is out in the UK on 10 October.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Political scientists agree that we are now living in a “multipolar” world, with power contested by multiple states and blocs. But how we arrived at this formation, and whether the newly powerful actors on the global stage are inherently problematic, remain areas of disagreement.
Someone with has a distinct perspective on this new world order is Anne Applebaum, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the author of Autocracy, Inc: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World.
Anne sat down with Aaron to discuss Putin’s rise to power, the problem of misinformation, and how Israel fits into the network of autocratic states who share little but a desire to consolidate each other’s power.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
The Grenfell Inquiry’s final report lays the blame for the 2017 disaster at the feet of successive governments and unscrupulous private companies.
Plus: Priti Patel is eliminated from the Tory leadership race; and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez trades blows with US Green Party leader Jill Stein.
With Steven Methven and NoJusticeMTG.
Following the announcement of a partial ban on arms exports from the UK to Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu has strongly condemned the British government.
Plus: At least twelve dead after a migrant boat capsizes in the channel; and shocking new figures on the UK’s food poverty crisis.
With Aaron Bastani and Moya Lothian-McLean.
Does knowing your attachment style make life any easier? Moya and Ash tackle a mystery question about our newfound fluency in the language of therapy. Plus: advice for a listener who’s becoming estranged from his sister.
ONLY TWO WEEKS until our live show at the London Podcast Festival! Join Moya, Ash and special guest Yomi Adegoke, author of The List, for an intimate conversation on 15th September. Tickets are available from kingsplace.co.uk.
Email your missed connections and dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Music by Matt Huxley.
Israel’s first nationwide general strike is underway as anger towards Benjamin Netanyahu grows over the government’s handling of the war in Gaza.
Plus: The German far right win a state election; and Kemi Badenoch launches her Tory leadership campaign.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
In her first major interview since becoming the presumptive nominee, Kamala Harris has staunchly ruled out an Israeli arms embargo.
Plus: Labour draw up new plans to to grant full-time employees the right to a four-day week.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Keir Starmer is considering a proposal to ban smoking in outdoor public areas.
Plus: the UK’s new rail minister has been exposed for getting a worker fired; and good news for UK climate campaigners.
With Moya Lothian-McLean and Micha Frazer-Carroll.
Motherhood was once at the centre of the feminist movement's demands, from campaigns for reproductive rights and Wages For Housework, to the mobilisation of anti-nuclear mums at Greenham Common. But in the 21st century, the politicisation of mothering seems to have shrunk in its ambition. In her new book Mother State: A Political History of Motherhood, literary scholar and historian Helen Charman tells the story of motherhood in the UK and Ireland from the 1970s to the 2010s. From Margaret Thatcher's weaponisation of femininity to Stella Creasy's support for the capping child benefit, she explains how the relationship between mothers and the state is never anything but awkward – and often violent.Charman joins Rivkah Brown to talk about both the repressive uses of mothering and its liberatory potential.
Motherhood was once at the centre of the feminist movement’s demands, from campaigns for reproductive rights to the mobilisation of anti-nuclear mums at Greenham Common. But in the 21st century, the politicisation of mothering seems to have shrunk in its ambition.
In her new book Mother State: A Political History of Motherhood, literary scholar and historian Helen Charman tells the story of motherhood in the UK and Ireland from the 1970s to the 2010s. From Margaret Thatcher’s weaponisation of femininity to Stella Creasy’s support for the capping child benefit, she explains how the relationship between mothers and the state is never anything but awkward – and often violent.
Charman joins Rivkah Brown to talk about both the repressive uses of mothering and its liberatory potential.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Everybody hates a tourist, as Jarvis Cocker once pointed out, and the ACFM gang are no exception in this ACFM Trip exploring the allure of holidays.
Keir, Jem and Nadia consider all the different ways we avoid work, from holy days and vay-cays to grand tours and gap yahs. Does travel make fools of us all, or is there a smarter, more ethical way to go sightseeing? Is the promise of an annual getaway the only thing keeping the working population docile?
Featuring ideas from John Urry, David Harvey and Arun Saldanha, plus music from Dead Kennedys, Cliff Richard and Madonna.
Find the books and music mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfm
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Follow our ever-expanding playlist on Spotify by searching “ACFM”.
In 2019, mines expelled 100 billion tonnes of solid waste.
Vast and destructive almost beyond imagination, mining is nevertheless essential to the green transition: without the minerals that we pull from the Earth, we cannot wean ourselves off fossil fuels.
Thea Riofrancos is associate professor of political science at Providence College and an expert on the politics of resource extraction, green energy transition, the global lithium sector and the Latin American left.
She tells Eleanor Penny about the contradictions that mining throws up for the left, how our mining operations have already started terraforming the Earth, and the surprisingly radical history of Opec.
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Home secretary Yvette Cooper has announced a range of new policies set to tackle irregular immigration, including a target for 14,000 deportations by the end of the year,
Plus: Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been accused by his own negotiators of attempting to scupper a Gaza ceasefire deal.
With Steven Methven and @NoJusticeMTG .
The US Democratic Party puts on a display of unity as the DNC kicks off.
Plus; An Israeli airstrike hits a school housing hundreds of Palestinians; and some right-wing pundits issue a bizarre caveat to their journalistic integrity.
With Michael Walker and Mike Bankole.
During 1960s, fears of planetary ‘overpopulation’ became widespread. And yet, in more recent years, an altogether different worry has emerged: future population decline. Fertility rates have fallen for decades – and in some places centuries – as humans live in cities, gender equality improves and access to birth control becomes widespread.
But, according to some, if they fall too far, and too fast, the basis of the modern welfare state is in jeopardy – not to mention our entire economic order. Could falling birth rates, combined with increased life expectancy, even if not universal, really be as big a challenge in the 21st century as climate breakdown and runaway inequality? Or is this just another moral panic with no basis in fact?
To discuss all of that Aaron Bastani is joined by Dr Paul Morland, a demographer whose latest book is titled “No One Left”. Dr Morland’s previous books include “The Human Tide” and “Tomorrow’s People: The Future of Humanity in Ten Numbers.
Ash and Moya dedicate the whole show to answering your dilemmas! Featuring a woman questioning her age-gap relationship, an infuriating parent who won’t budge on politics, a ghosted lover plotting her revenge, a loner who wants to start socialising, and a low-earner who resents her rich friends.There's still a few weeks to grab your ticket for our live show at the London Podcast Festival on 15th September, with a very special guest... available from kingsplace.co.uk.Email your missed connections and dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley.
The train drivers union have announced fresh strike action on the London to Edinburgh line.
Plus: Education minister Jacqui smith has said that some universities may have to close due to the higher education funding crisis; and Donald Trump has decided to insult veterans.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
People walk around San Francisco in Make America Great Again hats. Major CEOs endorse Trump. JD Vance is a hit among the crypto whales.
So what?
It’s part, perhaps, of a cultural change in Silicon Valley: a swing decisively to the right in a state famed for its contributions to radical politics, from the Black Panthers to the counterculture.
There’s no one better to understand this change than Malcolm Harris, author of Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World.
He explains to Richard Hames how military tech links the sunny settler colonies of California and Israel, how Elon Musk became indispensable to NATO, and whether or not computer have their own politics, man.
An unprecedented number of heat records are being broken around the world. We speak to heatwave scientist Chloe Brimicombe.
Plus: the family of a British aid worker murdered by the IDF are demanding that the UK end all arm sales to Israel.
With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Moya has a big theory for Ash – but the script goes out the window when they start talking about the far-right violence engulfing the UK and unpacking their own emotional reactions to English racism. After that: playing matchmaker with the first batch of Missed Connections.Content note: This episode includes discussion of racist language and violence.Remember, we'll be at the London Podcast Festival on 15th September with a very special guest. Grab your tickets now from Kings PlaceEmail your missed connections and dilemmas to ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley.
Britain is braced for further far-right disruption this evening, but it remains to be seen how widespread it will be.
Plus: Kamala Harris has picked her candidate for US vice president.
With Michael Walker and Joshua Virasami.
Racist violence in Britain continues this week with the far-right planning further riots and attacks.
Plus: The UK finally suspends arms sales to Israel.
With Aaron Bastani and Mike Bankole.
The Green Party of England and Wales now has four MPs in Parliament, and even more impressively has doubled its vote share to 7%, coming second in 39 other seats. So what happens now? How will the Greens exercise their new agency in government, and how can they navigate a biased media landscape and increase their influence?Aaron is joined by Carla Denyer, co-leader of the Green Party and MP for Bristol Central, to talk about the challenges ahead.Help us build people-powered media: novara.media/support
With the general election leaving plenty of Labour voters feeling sidelined, the ACFM crew explore the role of humility – and humiliation – in politics.Should we cultivate humility to cope with political weakness? Is fear of humiliation a product of patriarchy? Can humility help us be better political thinkers and organisers? And who's the humblest ACFM host of them all?Nadia, Keir and Jem apply their weird-left lens to the topic with ideas from Nietzsche and Lyotard, and music from Erik Satie, Kendrick Lamar, Ravi Shankar and Joni Mitchell.Find the books and music mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfmSign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newslettersFollow our ever-expanding playlist on Spotify by searching "ACFM".Produced and edited by Matt Huxley and Chal Ravens. PRS licence number: LE-0016481*Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
An 11-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of torching a police vehicle during the far-right riot in Hartlepool on Wednesday. Seven men have also been charged with violent disorder.
Plus: Venezuela’s disputed election; and the gender row engulfing Olympic boxing.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
The Southport stabbings suspect has been named in court, with the judge citing online misinformation as his reasoning. As unrest spreads beyond Southport, Keir Starmer has pledged a new police unit to tackle the far right.
Plus: The Bank of England cuts interest rates; and we speak to Tom Fowler of The Spycops Info Podcast about the latest from the undercover policing inquiry.
With Richard Hames and NoJusticeMTG.
Tensions in the Middle East are heightened after Israeli has assassinated the political leader of Hamas in Tehran and a Hezbollah commander in Beirut.
Plus: the far-right have rioted in Southport after a stabbing attack that killed three girls.
With Michael Walker and @NoJusticeMTG .
Moya and Ash butt heads over the lure of individualism and finding their purpose in life. Plus: Moya enters her busy-body era with a new segment, Missed Connections. Tell us about the brief encounters you just can’t shake, and we will hunt them down and make them bae.Email us your missed connections with as much detail as you can recall, and send those – and your dilemmas – to ifispeak@novaramedia.comCome and see If I Speak live at the London Podcast Festival on 15 September! Tickets available from Kings Place now.Music by Matt Huxley.
Labour is set to announce a massive black hole in the nation’s finances – and their solution is likley to be higher taxes.
Plus: The government confirms it will withdraw its objection to the ICC’s arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu; and Donald Trump’s running mate threatens to drag down the campaign.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
The UK is poised to halt arms sales to Israel, but doing so would require Keir Starmer to break with US strategy.
Plus: Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the US Congress; and a police officer is filmed kicking an unarmed man in the head.
With Moya Lothian-Maclean and Rivkah Brown
Keir Starmer’s suspension of 7 MPs for breaking the whip is unprecedented. We speak to Zarah Sultana on how it happened, and what she’ll do next.
With Michael Walker and @NoJusticeMTG .
Moya and Ash debate the power of astrology and explain how they survived their ‘Saturn return’ era. Plus: Ash's best anti-procrastination techniques.Come and see If I Speak live at the London Podcast Festival on 15 September! Tickets available from Kings Place now.Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley.
Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories has been found to be in breach of international law and illegal, the international court of justice has ruled. We speak to Clive Baldwin, senior legal advisor at Human Rights Watch.
Plus: the biggest IT outage in history causes havoc across the world; and Donald Trump gives his speech at the Republican national convention.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Five Just Stop Oil protestors have received record-breaking jail sentences in the history of peaceful protest in Britain.
Plus: Keir Starmer attempts to repair relations with Europe; and the Covid Inquiry slams Hancock and Hunt in their first report.
With Steven Methven and @NoJusticeMTG .
The new Labour government have set out their legislative ambitions for the next parliament in the King’s Speech.
Plus: The BBC’s appalling coverage of the killing of a disabled Palestinian man in Gaza.
With Michael Walker and @NoJusticeMTG .
Welsh first minister Vaughan Gething has resigned from his position after a slew of resignations from his cabinet and months of corruption scandal surrounding him.
Plus: Donald Trump has chosen his running mate for the upcoming US presidential election; and Joe Biden has said he has done more than anyone else for the Palestinian people.
With Aaron Bastani and @NoJusticeMTG.
It’s part of the national myth: the English invented football and to England it will return (next time!).
But if football is part of what makes England England, it’s equally part of the story of how Europe became Europe.
In this Pro Revolution Soccer season finale, Tom Williams and Juliet Jacques tell this story of oddballs, war, oligarchs, dodgy deals and footballing genius.
Along the way, they discuss how football relates to what is ‘pragmatic’ in politics, why Gareth Southgate is a bit like a good David Cameron, and explain the only certainty in the beautiful game: that there will always be more football.
Music by Matt Huxley.
Jeremy Corbyn was a Labour MP for almost four decades – and led the party at two general elections. This year however, and despite still being a party member, Corbyn was blocked from standing again in his seat of Islington North. As soon as Rishi Sunak declared a snap general election, and the Labour leadership chose a different candidate, Corbyn announced he would stand as an independent. He was consequently expelled as a party member. Defying all the odds Corbyn managed to keep his seat, winning almost fifty percent of the vote.
He sat down with Aaron Bastani to discuss that achievement, Labour’s performance more generally, the success of other independents elsewhere – and what the future holds for party politics in the UK. Are we moving towards a different kind of politics? One rooted in community, local networks and public service?
Joe Biden faces renewed pressure to step aside after more disastrous gaffes during a NATO press conference.
Plus: Labour’s plan to solve the prison crisis; and Britain’s complicity in the Gaza genocide.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
The French left have played a blinder. Or, at least, the centre-right chaos agent and French President Emmanuel Macron has played it for them.
Macron called snap elections, hoping to crush both the left and right. He failed. Instead, the far right briefly surged, coming top in the first round before a newly cohesive French left took the largest share in the second, decisive round.
Is this the end of the Fifth Republic?
Olly Haynes tells Richard Hames about the long crises of French politics, the absurdities of Macronism and whether France is heading for a fascist party in power.
Listen to our previous podcast on the French left, Tout Le Monde Déteste La Police (everyone hates the police)
Tom and Juliet expose the surprisingly rich history of football as a wing of political resistance, from Algeria to Palestine to the growing power of the grassroots game in Britain.
They also process England’s shock win against Switzerland, TV pundits’ criticism of Southgate, and the silence around Cristiano Ronaldo.
Music by Matt Huxley.
Help us build people-powered media: http://novara.media/support
Ash has a theory of cool that involves nonchalance, style and timing – but Moya’s not so sure. Plus, advice for one listener who wants respect in their situationship, and someone dealing with a newcomer to the family. Come and see If I Speak live at the London Podcast Festival on 15 September! Tickets available from kingsplace.co.uk now.Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley.
The United States’ impact on British culture and foreign policy is obvious. But its influence on our domestic politics, business, and daily lives warrants closer examination.To discuss this, Aaron is joined by Angus Hanton, author of ‘Vassal State: How America Runs Britain’.
Labour has won a landslide majority of 170 seats. Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani break down the general election results.
With less than 24 hours to go before the polls open senior Tories have already conceded defeat.
Plus: We speak to journalist Daniela Gabor about Labour’s relationship to private investors; and a Novara scoop on the man running against Jeremy Corbyn.
With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
With the Conservative campaign in tatters Rishi Sunak has resorted to a desperate new line of attack against Keir Starmer.
Plus: More than 200 candidates withdraw from the French election in an effort to block the far right.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
If you want to understand how power works in our society, you can’t just examine what journalists say – you have to pay attention to what they’re silent about.
To discuss the world of corporate media, secret intelligence services and the problem with liberal think tanks, Ash is joined by Matt Kennard, head of investigations for Declassified UK and author of The Racket: A Rogue Reporter vs The American Empire.
This week Tom and Juliet are joined by David Goldblatt, author of The Ball Is Round, to answer a seemingly simple question: who runs football? David explains why billionaires and foreign investors love sinking their money into football, and what accusations of "sportswashing" leave out.Plus, we talk about what’s going on with Southgate’s strategy. Has pragmatism become dogmatism for England?Music by Matt Huxley. Design by Pietro Garrone. Produced by Chal Ravens.
Recent polling shows pitiful approval ratings for both Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer, suggesting that a Labour landslide may come down to the self-destruction of the Conservative Party.
Plus: Junior Doctors are on strike; and the President of Bolivia has poured cold water on an attempted coup.
With Aaron Bastani and Ash Sarkar.
Julian Assange has arrived in Australia after 5 years in Belmarsh prison and over a decade of persecution by the United States government.
Plus: the election betting scandal keeps getting worse with Labour now implicated; and we speak to Faiza Shaheen about her independent campaign in Chingford & Woodford Green.
With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Former chief political correspondent for The Daily Telegraph and self proclaimed conservative, Peter Oborne, speaks to Aaron Bastani about the collapse of the conservative party.
Support Novara Media: https://novara.media/support
Rishi Sunak has said the Conservative party are now conducting their own inquiry into allegations of Tory MPs, candidates and staffers gambling on the date of the general election.
Plus: Nigel Farage has come under fire for saying that the war in Ukraine was provoked by the west; and Benjamin Netanyahu has admitted he is willing to accept a ‘partial’ deal with Hamas.
With Steven Methven & Ash Sarkar.
Labour leader Keir Starmer has vowed to end the scourge of ‘bidding wars’ in the UK rental market. We speak to Generation Rent’s Conor O’Shea about the reality of renting in Britain. Plus: the worrying links between far-right group Turning Point UK and Conservative party politicians; and a new video has emerged that further exposes Starmer’s dishonesty.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
The Conservative Party are now briefing candidates to use messaging about their impending defeat. Is there anything left to salvage for the Tories?
Plus: Martin Forde accuses Labour of trying to gag him; and Benjamin Netanyahu has a public spat with the IDF.
With Moya Lothian-McLean and Michael Walker.
Was the Iraq War the exception or the rule?
Throughout the twentieth century, Labour governments have been involved in some of Britain’s most disastrous colonial acts: the partition of India, the counter-insurgency in Malaya, and the Nakba.
So, what can we expect this time?
Eleanor Penny asks David Wearing, author of AngloArabia: Why Gulf Wealth Matters to Britain.
Support independent journalism: https://novaramedia.com/support/
Was the Iraq War the exception or the rule?Throughout the twentieth century, Labour governments have been involved in some of Britain's most disastrous colonial acts: the partition of India, the counter-insurgency in Malaya, and the Nakba.So, what can we expect this time?Eleanor Penny asks David Wearing, author of AngloArabia: Why Gulf Wealth Matters to Britain.
As Euro 2024 gets underway, election results show a surge of support for the far-right across Europe. Can football help us make sense of it?
This week on Pro Revolution Soccer, Juliet Jacques and Tom Williams look at the connections between football and fascism, and explain how the same forces that allowed a tiny elite to take over the game are now reopening the door to the far-right.
Music by Matt Huxley. Design by Pietro Garrone. Produced by Chal Ravens.
Keir Starmer has appeared on Nick Ferrari’s LBC breakfast show to face a grilling from callers.
Plus: A desperate Tory Party has hit the Boris Johnson button; and new polling reveals Jeremy Corbyn’s popularity.
With Aaron Bastani and NoJusticeMTG.
Moya and Ash talk to Nicola Dinan, author of Bellies, about why we crave external validation yet hate to be perceived. Plus: advice for a listener who got engaged while drunk.Come and see If I Speak live at the London Podcast Festival on 15 September! Tickets available from kingsplace.co.uk now.Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley
Ash and Moya talk to Evenings And Weekends author Oisín McKenna about living authentically, intense female friendships, and how financial precarity limits our self-exploration. Plus: compulsory heterosexuality and suspicious new boyfriends.Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley
Does the body keep the score? Ash and Moya explore the border between grief and trauma and how to embrace being emotionally messy when disaster strikes. Plus: an “accidental incel” writes in.Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.comMusic by Matt Huxley
Reform UK has for the first time overtaken the Conservatives in an opinion poll, leading party leader Nigel Farage to claim that they are now the real opposition.
Plus: a look at the chaos of the French snap election; and Keir Starmer is upset that people have laughed at how many times he mentions his dad’s profession.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
What's it like to be left-wing in an aspiring ethnostate?Israel has swung hard to the right in the last few decades, with self-described fascists now in government. But a left remains, calling not just for a ceasefire in the war on Gaza, but for the end to the apartheid regime as a whole. What power do they have?Comedian and activist Noam Shuster-Eliassi and +972 Magazine journalist Haggai Matar talk to Rivkah Brown about the terrifying consequences of resistance to the Israeli state, how Jewish ethnic minorities are treated within Israel, and how to survive in a society that treats 'leftist' as a slur.Novara FM now has its own inbox. Email us with comments, criticisms and suggestions: fm@novaramedia.com
Novara Media’s football podcast returns for another crack at the silverware! Every Wednesday until the Euro 2024 final, Juliet Jacques and Tom Williams provide political and tactical analysis of the tournament in an episode of two halves.
This week: the strange spectacle of politicians pretending to like football, the changing status of women and LGBT+ players and fans, what Starmer will do for the game, and England’s prospects after a flat showing against Iceland.
Music by Matt Huxley. Design by Pietro Garrone. Produced by Chal Ravens.
Rishi Sunak has unveiled a new Conservative manifesto. Is there anything left to salvage for the now utterly defeated Prime Minister?
Plus: The US isn’t being entirely honest about their latest Gaza ceasefire proposal.
With Michael Walker and James Meadway.
European parliament election results have seen a surge for the far-right in many countries, particularly in France.
French President Emmanuel Macron has responded by calling a snap election.
Plus: the Liberal Democrats launch their election manifesto; and a Reform UK candidate has some bizarre views about Hitler.
With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
What exactly is cool? Well, if it was that easy to describe, it obviously wouldn't be cool. In this Trip, Keir, Jem and Nadia wonder if cool can ever be politically useful, and what happens when cool is used as a disciplining force.With ideas from Pierre Bourdieu, Norman Mailer and Paul Gilroy, and music from OutKast, Gwen Stefani and Miles Davis, the gang adopt a blank expression to explore the mysterious rules of this singular modern concept.Check out all the books and music mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfmFind our ever-expanding playlist on Spotify by searching "ACFM".Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newslettersProduced and edited by Matt Huxley and Chal Ravens. PRS licence number: LE-0016481*Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Rishi Sunak has sparked fury by leaving a D-Day commemoration event early. Both Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage have condemned the move.
Plus: A first look at some of Labour’s new manifesto pledges; and Briahna Joy Gray is fired after criticising Israel.
With Michael Walker and NoJusticeMTG.
We speak to Faiza Shaheen about her brutal deselection by the Labour Party and her decision to run as an independent.
Plus: Dodgy Tory candidate selections revealed; and Israel bombs a UN school.
With Moya Lothian McLean and Ash Sarkar.
Faiza Shaheen has launched an independent general election campaign after being blocked by the Labour party.
Plus: Sunak’s tax lie about Labour; and Starmer’s party welcomes another pro-Israel extremist.
With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Moya and Ash talk to Chimene Suleyman, author of The Chain, about uncovering her ex-boyfriend’s secrets and why society lets abusive men get away with it again and again. Plus: a listener needs help with their sexless relationship.
Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Gossip, elevated.
Music by Matt Huxley
Renewable energy technology is only getting cheaper. And yet it hasn’t increased its share of the energy mix for two decades.
So what explains this paradox: cheap green energy with incredibly slow adoption?
According to Brett Christophers, there is a straightforward explanation for this seeming paradox: the capitalist need for profits. And green energy projects are not as profitable as oil and gas.
So can capitalism address the climate crisis? Does the state need to play a decisive role? How is it possible that China is both a global leader and a laggard in greenhouse gas emissions? And is Europe over?
You can buy Brett’s book, “The Price is Wrong: Why Capitalism Won’t Save the Planet” here.
Keir Starmer has confirmed that Diane Abbott is now free to stand as a Labour MP in Hackney North.
Plus: Donald Trump has been found guilty of of 34 felony offences in a New York Court; and the IDF have flattened the Jabalia refugee camp.
With Dalia Gebrial and NoJusticeMTG.
The right have ditched climate denial and found something worse.
They’re doubling down on the exhaustion of people and planet alike, making us run ever-faster just to stay in place.
Can we turn our collective exhaustion into a climate politics of rest and recuperation?
That’s the urgent question Ajay Singh Chaudhary asks in The Exhausted of the Earth: Politics in a Burning World.
On Novara FM, he told Richard Hames about the strange new alliances forged by climate change, what we can learn from global peasant struggles, and the possibilities buried in a world coming apart at the seams.
The right have ditched climate denial and found something worse.
They’re doubling down on the exhaustion of people and planet alike, making us run ever-faster just to stay in place.
Can we turn our collective exhaustion into a climate politics of rest and recuperation?
That’s the urgent question Ajay Singh Chaudhary asks in The Exhausted of the Earth: Politics in a Burning World.
On Novara FM, he told Richard Hames about the strange new alliances forged by climate change, what we can learn from global peasant struggles, and the possibilities buried in a world coming apart at the seams.
Labour are under fire over the party leadership’s appalling treatment of veteran MP Dianne Abbott. We speak to Martin Forde KC about the state of the party.
With Michael Walker.
Labour are under fire over the party leadership’s appalling treatment of veteran MP Dianne Abbott. We speak to Martin Forde KC about the state of the party.
With Michael Walker.
IDF have released their initial findings into fires that were caused by an Israeli airstrike and that led to the deaths of at least 50 people in Rafah.
Plus: Labour has blocked Dianne Abbott from standing as a candidate at the general election; and the Tories have announced another new policy targeted at older voters.
With Aaron Bastani and Mike Bankole.
IDF have released their initial findings into fires that were caused by an Israeli airstrike and that led to the deaths of at least 50 people in Rafah.
Plus: Labour has blocked Dianne Abbott from standing as a candidate at the general election; and the Tories have announced another new policy targeted at older voters.
With Aaron Bastani and Mike Bankole.
Does the body keep the score? Ash and Moya explore the border between grief and trauma and how to embrace being emotionally messy when disaster strikes. Plus: an “accidental incel” writes in.
Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Gossip, elevated.
Music by Matt Huxley
Does the body keep the score? Ash and Moya explore the border between grief and trauma and how to embrace being emotionally messy when disaster strikes. Plus: an “accidental incel” writes in.
Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Gossip, elevated.
Music by Matt Huxley
The Indian election will be one of the largest the world has ever seen, with almost 1 billion people eligible to vote. It’s often said that India is the world’s biggest democracy. But what if that isn’t quite true? What if Narendra Modi, India’s Prime Minister for the last decade, has undermined the very building blocks of what we consider a democratic state to be?
To discuss the caste system, political assassinations and state-sanctioned pogroms, Aaron is joined by anthropologist Alpa Shah, author of ‘The Incarcerations: BK-16 and the Search for Democracy in India’.
What exactly is cool? Well, if it was that easy to describe, it obviously wouldn’t be cool. In this Trip, Keir, Jem and Nadia wonder if cool can ever be politically useful, and what happens when cool is used as a disciplining force.
With ideas from Pierre Bourdieu, Norman Mailer and Paul Gilroy, and music from OutKast, Gwen Stefani and Miles Davis, the gang adopt a blank expression to explore the mysterious rules of this singular modern concept.
Check out all the books and music mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfm
Find our ever-expanding playlist on Spotify by searching “ACFM”.
Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters
Produced and edited by Matt Huxley and Chal Ravens. PRS licence number: LE-0016481
*
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Leaders of UK political parties have launched their campaigns ahead of the July 4th general election.
Plus: A pro-Palestine protestor has been charged after using a placard depicting Rishi Sunak as a coconut; and the debate on whether or not the UK should open up a family visa scheme for Palestinians.
With Dalia Gebrial and Rivkah Brown.
In the pouring rain and 20 points behind in the polls, Rishi Sunak has announced that the UK general election will take place on 4 July.
Plus: Ireland, Spain and Norway have announced their intention to recognise Palestine as a state.
With Michael Walker and Moya Lothian-McLean
US President Joe Biden has rejected the ICC’s arrest warrant request for Benjamin Netanyahu. We speak to Francis A Boyle, professor of international law at the University of Illinois College of Law.
Plus: we speak to Andrew Feinstein – the man taking on Keir Starmer in his own constituency.
With Michael Walker and @NoJusticeMTG
Ash and Moya talk to Evenings And Weekends author Oisín McKenna about living authentically, intense female friendships, and how financial precarity limits our self-exploration. Plus: compulsory heterosexuality and suspicious new boyfriends.
Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Gossip, elevated.
Music by Matt Huxley
The involuntary celibate community (aka ‘incels’) are often thought to be rightwing, white supremacist, and prone to violence. But how much of that is true? Ash Sarkar is joined by William Costello – a researcher whose work focuses on the psychology of incels – to discuss what we get wrong about incels, what incels get wrong about women, and the catastrophe that is modern dating culture.
The involuntary celibate community (aka ‘incels’) are often thought to be rightwing, white supremacist, and prone to violence. But how much of that is true? Ash Sarkar is joined by William Costello – a researcher whose work focuses on the psychology of incels – to discuss what we get wrong about incels, what incels get wrong about women, and the catastrophe that is modern dating culture.
With parties gearing up for a general election, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt promises further tax cuts.Plus: We speak to Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer; and a British asylum housing tycoon hits the Sunday Times rich list.With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
With parties gearing up for a general election, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt promises further tax cuts.Plus: We speak to Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer; and a British asylum housing tycoon hits the Sunday Times rich list.With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
No country has ever changed so fast as China. From the west, we see only the dazzling headline figures – 15% growth in some years. But it’s on the ground, in the huge shifts in the patterns of daily life, where the story comes alive.
Journalist Yuan Yang’s first book Private Revolutions provides just that insight, revealing the individual lives behind the increasing lines on the graphs. Born in China, Yang moved to the UK at the age of 4 but in 2016 returned to her home country to become deputy Beijing Bureau Chief for the Financial Times.
Now back in the UK, where she is running to become Labour’s MP for Earley and Woodley this year, she spoke to Richard Hames about how the disruptions of China’s recent history have set it on its present path and how the left’s love of China is misplaced.
Israel’s military operation has intensified in Rafah, with tanks reportedly pushing into built up areas in the city’s eastern zones.
Plus: Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has come out with a bold ambition for Britain; and far-right Israeli settlers have taken their attacks on aid trucks bound for Gaza to new levels.
With Aaron Bastani and @NoJusticeMTG .
What’s the difference between tactics and standards? Ash explains with a Big Theory about how we behave in relationships. Moya brings a dilemma from an anxious people-pleaser. Plus, Myers-Briggs.
Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Gossip, elevated.
Music by Matt Huxley
Common sense tells us that free-market economies maximise freedom and that planned economies, typically found under socialist governments, curtail it. But what if this is completely the wrong way around?
On this episode of Downstream, Aaron is joined by economist and author Grace Blakeley to discuss Henry Ford, Boeing and the nature of democracy.
You can buy Grace’s new book here: Vulture Capitalism: Corporate Crimes, Backdoor Bailouts and the Death of Freedom
Keir Starmer has given a speech laying out his plan to stop small boats, saying he will deploy MI5 to tackle people smugglers.
Plus: The potential impacts of AI on dating; and Hillary Clinton’s ridiculous message to pro-Palestine protesters.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
US President Joe Biden has said that Israel will receive no further weapons if the country invades Rafah.
Plus: the fallout from Natalie Elphicke’s defection has exposed rifts within Labour; and Israel’s entry at Eurovision has been met with boos and chants of ‘free Palestine’.
With Aaron Bastani and Tadhg Hickey.
The United States have halted a shipment of weapons including high munition bombs to Israel.
Plus: Tory MP Natalie Elphicke has defected to Labour; and southern Brazil has been hit by catastrophic flooding.
With Michael Walker and Femi Nylander.
Israel has begun its long-awaited Rafah operation, with IDF tanks capturing Gaza’s side of the border crossing.
Plus: Protest encampments spread across UK universities; and Ash Sarkar goes head to head with Labour’s Emily Thornberry on BBC Politics Live.
With Moya Lothian-McLean and Mike Bankole.
George Galloway has been elected as a member of parliament for four separate constituencies – with only Winston Churchill beating him. Perhaps more remarkably still, he won on three of those occasions while not being a member of a major political party. Most recently he became the MP for Rochdale, in the north of England. That success was, in no small part, because of Galloway’s position on Gaza – and his outspoken criticism of Israel.But is his latest success merely the swan song in a rollercoaster political career? Or is it the beginning of something much bigger? Could George Galloway’s Workers Party of Great Britain become a genuine threat to the Labour Party – particularly on issues of foreign policy – over the years to come?Aaron Bastani speaks to one of the most controversial figures in British politics about the failed ‘war on terror’, the wars that Tony Blair wanted to fight but never could, and Galloway’s increasingly public religious convictions.
How do mainstream politicians and pundits contribute to the normalisation of far-right ideas, even as they claim to reject racism and populism? That’s one of many vital questions asked by Aaron Winter and Aurelien Mondon in their book, Reactionary Democracy.
Following ACFM’s recent Trip about Fascism, Keir and Jem speak to Aaron and Aurelien about the making of the “woke conspiracy”, how illiberal politics absorbs liberal rhetoric, and why the left has to stop falling for reactionary narratives – and give up “debating” the far-right.
Follow our Spotify playlist of all the music discussed on ACFM and subscribe to the ACFM mailing list to get weirder and leftier.
Produced by Matt Huxley.
Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani discuss Tories’ thrashing in local elections.
Plus: The Greens make commendable gains; and a Labour source blames an election defeat on Hamas.
In the ’00s, animal rights protestors nearly won their battle to ban vivisection in the UK, shutting down multiple breeding farms that were supplying laboratories with cats, dogs and guinea pigs. But at the last moment, the government made a dramatic U-turn, blocking their attempt to shut down Huntingdon Life Sciences and throwing activists in jail.
How did this winning campaign fall apart? Why was the war on terror a crucial turning point? And what might the Palestine movement learn from its tactics?
Rivkah Brown is joined by Tom Harris, an activist with Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) and author of Your Neighbour Kills Puppies: Inside the Animal Liberation Movement.
Novara FM now has its own inbox – email your comments, criticism and suggestions to fm@novaramedia.com
Protests against the war in Gaza at US College campuses have been met with a crackdown by law enforcement and violence from a pro-Israel mob.
Plus: Jamie Driscoll joins the show live ahead of the North East mayoral election.
With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
After Humza Yousaf’s resignation, who will be the next leader of the SNP? We speak to co-editor of Conter David Jamieson.
Plus: George Galloway announces a slate of candidates for his workers party; and Keir Starmer is caught lying again.
With Aaron Bastani and @NoJusticeMTG .
Ash and Moya answer a Mystery Question about what they’ll do on the left-wing commune of their dreams, before helping a listener deal with class envy in their dating life. Plus: The Tortured Poets Department.
Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Gossip, elevated.
Music by Matt Huxley.
Teresa Thornhill is an author and former child protection lawyer. Throughout her long career, working for both local authorities and advocating on behalf of parents, she has been a first hand witness to how the system fails parents, social workers and, most importantly, children.
Teresa sat down with Aaron to talk about the untrained volunteers deciding children’s futures, whether drug policy matters, and how austerity will have costs for decades to come.
She’s also the author of In Harm’s Way: The memoir of a child protection lawyer from the most secretive court in England and Wales.
The exhortation to “read some effing Orwell!” is an old chestnut of the online left, whether ironic or sincere, or somewhere in between. But if we’re looking for a writer whose body of work truly anticipates the world we live in now – globalised, postcolonial, postmodern – we might instead turn to the American Marxist cultural critic Fredric Jameson.
He’s just turned 90 and, in characteristically productive style, has three new books out this year. But where to start? To get a grip on Jamesonian thought, Richard Hames invites Sianne Ngai and Matthew Beaumont, both incisive critics in their own right, to discuss the breadth of his life and work, from postmodernism to the political unconscious to Jaws.
Sianne and Matt recommend that new readers of Jameson start with The Geopolitical Aesthetic or the essay ‘Reification and Utopia in Mass Culture‘.
Read Sianne and Matt’s recent essays on Jameson over at the Verso blog.
Following the discovery of new mass graves in Gaza since the start of April, The UN Human Rights Commissioner has now called for a full investigation.
Plus: Channel 4’s tell-all interview with an anonymous IDF soldier; and Michael Walker debates Tom Harwood on no-fault evictions.
With @NoJusticeMTG .
In the wake of the Rwanda bill passing its final parliamentary hurdle, five people have tragically died whilst crossing the channel.
Plus: Pro-Palestinian protests spread to multiple universities across the U.S; and Starmer lays it on thick for St George’s day.
With Aaron Bastani and Michael Walker.
Rishi Sunak is trying to rescue his premiership by reviving his favourite dead end policy – stopping small boats.
Plus: the truth is revealed about Gideon Falter’s clash with police at a pro-Palestine march; and yet another lie about the October 7th attacks has fooled the media.
With Michael Walker and @NoJusticeMTG .
It’s not what you know; it’s what you can prove. For years, Forensic Architecture has exposed state crimes against civilians, nature, and humanity. This week on Downstream, Ash Sarkar meets its director Eyal Weizman to discuss Israel’s settler colonial project, the police killing of Mark Duggan, and how the testimony of blindfolded torture victims helped construct a model of Bashar al-Assad’s most notorious torture prison.
A lot of people are saying that fascism is on the rise. But what are we pointing to when we call a system, or a person, fascist? On this Trip, Nadia, Keir and Jem map out a complicated ideology, from its roots in 19th century industrialisation to its resurgence in ethnonationalism and eco-apartheid.
Exploring how different political traditions try to explain fascism, they look for signs of the f-word in contemporary politics and play music from Woody Guthrie, Heaven 17 and Black Sabbath.
ACFM will be recording a live episode at How The Light Gets In, the philosophy and music festival at Hay-On-Wye in Wales, on 27 May. Listeners can get 20% off festival passes over at the How The Light Gets In website by applying the discount code NOVARA20.
See the books and music mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfm
*
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Israel has launched another aerial attack on Iran. There is no indication that Iran will retaliate, potentially signalling a significant de-escalation. Plus: We speak to Alpa Shah about the Indian elections, which are set to be the largest in human history. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
The US and UK have issued new sanctions packages on Iran targeting individuals and suppliers of weapons parts.
Plus: The Scottish government has dropped a 2030 emissions target for 2030; and the latest scandal coming from a Tory MP is truly bizarre.
With Moya Lothian-McLean and @NoJusticeMTG .
London is a foodie metropolis: undoubtedly one of the best places to eat in the world.
But eating in London is also, like everything else in the city, shaped by its history as the capital of a globe-spanning empire.
How did the contraction of this formal empire change infamously terrible British cuisine? How did multiculturalism become an excuse for underpaid racialised labour? And how did landlords ruin Chinatown?
The essay collection London Feeds Itself, now in its expanded second edition, is one of the most ambitious attempts to ask all of these questions.
Eleanor Penny sat down with its editor Jonathan Nunn, also editor of Vittles, and contributor Amardeep Singh Dhillon to tuck into the history and present of food in the capital.
Netanyahu has said Israel will make it’s “own decision” after restraint was urged by British foreign secretary David Cameron. Plus: Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant has been hit by squatters; and the desert city of Dubai is hit by extraordinary flooding.
With Michael Walker and Tadhg Hickey.
Israel has given its clearest indication of intent to respond to Iran, with senior spokesperson Daniel Hagari saying that Iran will not get off ‘scot-free’.
Plus: a national conservatism conference featuring Nigel Farage and Suella Braverman in Brussels has been shut down by police; and smoking could be phased out for a generation by legislation moving through the Commons.
With Dalia Gebrial and @NoJusticeMTG .
Ash and Moya tackle the politics of sex appeal in response to the show’s first ever Mystery Question, and respond to a listener struggling with guilt after cheating. Plus: things not say in bed.
Catch Moya in conversation with Yomi Adegoke, author of The List, at Intelligence Squared in London on 29 April – use the code SPEAK25 for 25% off tickets.
Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com
Gossip, elevated.
Music by Matt Huxley.
The Israeli war cabinet are considering how to respond after Iran conducted a retaliatory attack on Israel with hundreds of drone missiles. We speak to Beirut-based journalist Séamus Malekafzali.
Plus: David Cameron is caught out in a Sky interview which exposes the UK’s hypocrisy on Iran’s attack; and Rachel Riley has been forced to apologise for a tweet that has been branded racist.
With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Keir Starmer has pledged to raise defence spending to 2.5% alongside a commitment to building new nuclear submarines. Plus: How China is set to dominate the electric vehicle; and U.S. intelligence warns that Iran could attack Israel imminently.
US President Joe Biden has warned of a “significant attack” by Iran on Israel as tensions mount between the two nations. Plus: Sunak’s pledges are again under review after new data on NHS waiting lists is released; and there’s new hope for Julian Assange in this battle to resist extradition to the United States. With […]
Centuries of colonial capitalism have reordered life on the planet and inside our bodies, from industrial farming and the uneven advances of modern medicine, to night shifts, chronic stress and inflammation. Has the system made us sick? That’s the concern of Rupa Marya and Raj Patel, who join Eleanor Penny to talk about the history […]
A damning review into NHS services for trans children has been published and its findings have proven controversial. We speak to Natacha Kennedy from the Feminist Gender Equality Network and Dr Aidan Kelly, clinical director of Gender Plus. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Foreign secretary David Cameron has said that Britain will continue to sell arms to Israel. Plus: Germany are facing allegations of enabling genocide in Gaza at the international court of justice; and the son of a Labour mega-donor has won election to chair of Young Labour. With Aaron Bastani and @NoJusticeMTG .
Moya and Ash think about how to stay hopeful when the future looks bleak, and give advice to listener whose marriage is suffering from major communication issues. Plus: Cowboy Carter. Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Gossip, elevated. Music by Matt Huxley.
Israel has withdrawn nearly all its troops from Southern Gaza, leaving just one battalion remaining in the region. We speak to British-Israeli analyst and former Israeli negotiator Daniel Levy. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Abby Martin is an American journalist and activist, host of the interview series The Empire Files, and a co-founder of the citizen journalism website Media Roots. She joins Ash Sarkar to discuss her political journey after 9/11, working for the state broadcaster Russia Today, how Israelis really talk about Palestinians, and why she believes the […]
Israel have released the findings of their investigation into the killing of aid workers by drone strike. Meanwhile, US president Joe Biden has issued an ultimatum to Benjamin Netanyahu on Gaza. Plus: we look into the history of Alan Duncan’s struggle with Israel; and an appearance on Sky News by Owen Jones has caused an […]
Rishi Sunak is facing increasing calls to ban weapons sales to Israel after three British aid workers were killed by an IDF drone strike. Plus: we speak to artificial intelligence expert Professor Noel Sharkey about the news that the Israeli military have been using the technology to target Palestinians. With Moya Lothian-McLean and @NoJusticeMTG .
Why is it so expensive to rent in the UK? In a divisive new book, barrister Nick Bano places the blame squarely on price-gouging landlords, rejecting the conventional wisdom that calls for more new housing as a solution to the crisis. He goes head to head with Novara Live’s Michael Walker to explain the thinking […]
The three British citizens killed in an Israeli airstrike on a humanitarian convoy in Gaza have been named, as pressure mounts on the government to end arms sales to Israel. Plus: We speak to surgeon Nick Maynard about his experiences as a volunteer medic in Gaza; and Krishnan Guru-Murthy puts Israel’s new UK spokesperson through […]
Seven international aid workers, including three British citizens, have been killed in an Israeli air strike. Plus: We examine the reaction to the Iranian consulate bombing in Iran; and Labour can’t say they’ll stop selling arms to Israel. With Aaron Bastani and Mike Bankole.
Ash and Moya talk to Matt Kendall from The Love Cupboard podcast about how straight men perceive the women in their lives. Plus, a dilemma from a listener who’s been evicted by her friends’ parents. Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Gossip, elevated. Music by Matt Huxley.
After a two-week long assault and occupation, Israeli forces have pulled out of Gaza’s largest medical centre. Meanwhile, Tory MP Alicia Kearns has alleged the government have received legal advice that Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza. We speak to Paul Rogers emeritus professor of peace studies at Bradford University. With Michael Walker and […]
For a special edition of Downstream IRL, Ash Sarkar is joined by philosopher, author, and one of the world’s most cited academics, Judith Butler. Their new book, ‘Who’s Afraid of Gender’ charts how a transphobic moral panic morphed into an all-our war on so-called ‘gender ideology’. Together, Ash and Judith explore how Britain became TERF […]
British Eurovision entrant Olly Alexander has rejected calls to boycott the contest over Israel’s participation. Plus: how artificial intelligence continues to be a topic on the future of work; and we look at the record numbers of asylum seekers risking their lives to cross the Channel. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
The United Nations head of human rights has said that Israel’s siege of Gaza amounts to a war crime. Plus: One of Britain’s biggest water companies is facing potential nationalisation; and we look at the issue of childcare costs and what Britain’s two main parties are offering. With Ash Sarkar and Joris Lechene.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken out for the first time about the UN security council voting for a ceasefire in Gaza. Plus: Eylon Levy has officially been terminated as an Israeli spokesperson; and new figures show there is now a record amount of sewage in Britain’s seas, lakes and rivers. With Michael Walker and […]
Hamas have said that Israel is losing global support following the UN security council’s vote for a ceasefire in Gaza. Plus: Julian Assange wins more time to prevent his extradition to the United States; and the Labour party are facing allegations of vote rigging over candidate selection. With Aaron Bastani and @NoJusticeMTG .
Ash presents her big theory about chosen families and what to do when your best friend is having a baby. Moya shares two listener dilemmas: can you live in a different city to your partner? And do you owe your parents anything? Plus, the wisdom of skunkworks. Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Gossip, elevated. […]
The United Nations Security Council has passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Following the U.S. abstention from the vote, Benjamin Netanyahu has cancelled an Israeli delegation’s planned visit to Washington. Plus: Over 130 killed in a terrorist attack on a Moscow theater; and the Telegraph blames Russia and China for propagating Kate […]
With hindsight, the wars waged by the US and Britain in Afghanistan and Iraq look like terrible failures, both strategically and politically: the Taliban are back in power in Afghanistan, and living standards are worse in Iraq than they were before Saddam Hussein. In his new book The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the United States […]
Russia and China have vetoed a US-written ceasefire resolution at the United Nations. Plus: the Princess of Wales is receiving cancer treatment; and politicians weigh in on the new England football kit. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
The US has submitted draft resolution to United Nations, but it stops short of demanding a Gaza ceasefire. Plus: Child poverty in the UK has hit a record high; and Labour race adviser Doreen Lawrence has slammed Keir Starmer’s handling of racism in the party. With Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar.
We’re living in a world of hurry and shortcuts, of intimacy on tap and just-in-time production. Immediacy, according to Anna Kornbluh, is the link between flow-states and Fleabag, between food delivery apps and a mistrust of political systems. She joins Richard Hames to explain the thinking behind her new book – Immediacy: Or, The Style […]
Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suggested a US-built aid port on the Gaza coast could be used to deport Palestinians from the region. Plus: Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has resigned; and Israeli spokesperson Eylon Levy has been suspended. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Tory infighting is continuing to tear the party apart with rumours swirling of a plot to oust Rishi Sunak. Plus: Labour’s Rachel Reeves cites the Thatcher government as inspiration for the next Labour one; and Reform UK are upset at being called ‘far right’. With Aaron Bastani and Mike Bankole.
Moya is joined by a special guest, author and journalist Shon Faye, to work out the lure of political fantasies and advise a listener who’s feeling guilty about inheriting money. Plus: trust issues and love-bombing. Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Gossip, elevated. Music by Matt Huxley.
The EU’s Foreign Affairs chief Josep Borrell has accused Israel of using famine as a weapon of war. Plus: Vladimir Putin has been re-elected in as Russian president; and Welsh Labour have a new leader in Vaughan Gething. With Michael Walker and James Meadway.
Peter Hitchens is an author and journalist whose contrarian takes on drug policy, education and foreign policy have found him occupying a singular place in the British media – with his brand of conservatism often angering audiences who would consider themselves staunchly conservative. He sat down with Aaron to discuss grammar schools, Gaza and Britain’s […]
From fecal transplants to the yoghurt-industrial complex, we’ve never been more absorbed in the workings of our gut. But can we trust it? Nadia, Jem and Keir investigate the mysterious connections between mind and body, reason and instinct. How did capitalism separate our minds from our bodies? Is a belief in intuition filling the gap […]
Rishi Sunak has ruled out a general election on 2 May. But will he wait for the autumn or call one earlier? Plus: US Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer has called for Netanyahu to go; and BBC Question Time invite on a right-winger who denies there is a shortage of food in Gaza. With Michael […]
Communities secretary Michael Gove has announced the government’s new definition of extremism and named three Muslim groups. Plus: the latest Israeli plan for Rafah would see civilians herded into ‘humanitarian islands’; and Diane Abbott makes herself heard after the Commons speaker failed to give her the opportunity. With Moya Lothian-McLean and @NoJusticeMTG
Commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle is under fire for not allowing Diane Abbott to speak at PMQs amid a growing racism row over a Tory donor. Plus: an Israeli minister celebrates the shooting of a 13-year-old boy in the West Bank; and Guardian editor Kath Viner is facing accusations of censorship at the newspaper over Israel’s […]
Researching Black British history “often feels like a rescue effort, a race against time,” writes Jason Okundaye. In his first book, he narrates the mingled histories of seven astonishing lives in the Black gay community of South London during the 1980s. The narrative he pieces together from oral history, archival research and even gossip (a […]
One of Conservative party’s biggest donors has been alleged to have made a racist rant about Diane Abbott. Plus: Following unrest in the country – the prime minister of Haiti has resigned; and Starmer’s Sophy Ridge interview doesn’t give many answers on his plan for a future Labour government. With Aaron Bastani and Michael Walker.
Ash and Moya tackle a Big Theory about how we punish criminals and respond to a listener who doesn’t know how to end a situationship. Plus: what the hell are ‘energy vectors’? Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Gossip, elevated. Music by Matt Huxley.
Michael Gove’s updated extremism plan has come under fire from three former Tory home secretaries. Plus: Lee Anderson has defected to the right-wing Reform UK; and we speak to the director of an upcoming documentary scrutinising the evidence around October 7th. With Michael Walker and @NoJusticeMTG .
Major General Charlie Herbert has stood out in recent months for his vociferous condemnation of Israel’s war on Palestinians. His media appearances have proven vital in synthesising a moral and strategic critique of war in which civilians are treated in a manner he characterises as unprecedented. He sat down with Ash to talk about serving […]
Joe Biden has used his State of The Union address to announce the construction of a port on the Gaza coast to deliver more aid to Palestinians. Plus: Newspapers and government advisors are stating that Gaza protests have made London a no-go zone for jews – we speak to an organiser of the Jewish bloc […]
The director of the IFS has accused both Labour and the Tories of a “conspiracy of silence” over their economic plans for Britain. Plus: the government’s extremism programme has been broadened to include socialism, anti-fascism and communism; and right-wingers are freaking out about Hunt spending a million quid on a war memorial for Muslims. With […]
Less than 20% of the promised levelling-up projects for England have been completed. The problem lies not only with the current government, but with the whole way the UK’s political system is set up, with its whips and Lords and not a constitution in sight. So say Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram, the mayors of […]
Jeremy Hunt’s budget has offered Briton’s a small drop in national insurance and not much else. Plus: Labour have again swallowed Tory austerity rhetoric in their budget response; and Tory figures have been forced to apologise for smearing people over the war in Gaza. With Michael Walker and @NoJusticeMTG .
The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced the centre piece for his 2024 budget – a cut to national insurance contributions. We speak to senior researcher at Common Wealth Eleanor Shearer. Plus: TalkTV announce they are closing their terrestrial service and going online only; and Starbucks cut thousands of jobs as a result of boycotts over […]
Is there such a thing as a sexual marketplace? Moya and Ash debate the dating trap for straight women and respond to a listener who’s too tired from work to change their life. Plus, a quick round of Shag, Marry, Kill. Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Gossip, elevated. Music by Matt Huxley.
Vice President Kamala Harris has called for a ceasefire in Gaza, the first high-ranking US official to do so. Plus: BBC verify weigh in on the so-called ‘flour massacre’ that killed over a hundred Palestinians; and the price of train tickets has been hiked across England and Wales. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Gary Stevenson went from being Citibank’s most profitable trader to one of the world’s most incisive critics of the financial system. Gary sat down with Aaron to discuss the lightbulb moment that led him away from trading, why economists can’t predict anything and why the UK middle class is doomed.
George Galloway has achieved a stomping victory in the Rochdale byelection with 40% of the vote. Plus: we speak to Mehdi Hasan about his new media platform Zeteo. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
As the war in Ukraine enters its third year, the question of what Russia is really thinking remains as crucial, and mysterious, as ever. To paint a picture of the current political climate, Richard Hames talks to Tony Wood, author of Russia Without Putin and an assistant professor of history at the University of Colorado […]
Over a hundred are dead after Israeli tanks reportedly opened fire on Palestinians waiting for food aid in Gaza city. Plus: a damning inquiry around murderer Wayne Couzens has reported how police forces missed multiple red flags in hiring him; and the case of a Tory safe seat candidate who prosecuted a man over an […]
Tory landlord backbenchers are reportedly looking to water down the renters reform bill. We speak to Rebecca Winson – a senior organiser with the New Economics foundation who has spent years campaigning against no-fault evictions. Plus: James Cleverly says Palestinian protestors have “made their point” and should stop protesting; and a shocking example that demonstrated […]
Lee Anderson has refused to apologise for his Islamophobic rant about London mayor Sadiq Khan – and Tory ministers are struggling to call him out for it sufficiently. Plus: US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller makes an eyebrow-raising comment; and Labour have a new policy for tackling misogyny in school classrooms. With Aaron Bastani and […]
Ash and Moya respond to a listener embarking on an LDR across the Irish border, and tackle Ash’s Intrusive Thought about her cat Moussa. Plus, Moya has the best way to lance an infatuation boil. Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Gossip, elevated. Music by Matt Huxley.
Rishi Sunak has denied the Tories have a problem with Islamophobia after the suspension of Conservative MP Lee Anderson over comments about London Mayor Sadiq Khan. Plus: A U.S Airman in Washington DC has protested Israel’s war in Gaza by self-immolating outside the Israeli embassy; and the media are outraged at Charlotte Church because she […]
Yanis Varoufakis is an economist and author who served as Greek Finance Minister in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crash. Since then, he has become one of the most sought after public speakers on the left. He joined Aaron Bastani for an IRL edition of Downstream at EartH in Hackney, North-East London to […]
Last time on ACFM, the gang explored the impact of UFOs on politics, from deep-state conspiracies to the Posadists. But to really understand how aliens influence our thought – and what our belief in E.T. says about ourselves – we have to go to the movies. In this Microdose, Keir, Jem and Nadia sweep through a […]
Former home secretary Suella Braverman has joined the moral panic on Palestinian protests by warning that Islamists are bullying Britain into submission. Plus: Liz Truss appears alongside Steve Bannon at CPAC; and Michael goes on GB News to call out their co-owner. With Michael Walker and Rivkah Brown.
Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle Commons has issued an apology for his decision to put forward a Labour amendment over an SNP motion. Plus: the latest updates from Gaza; and Labour’s defense over Hoylegate. With Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar.
The 2000s in Britain was a decade of education, regeneration, falling inequality and Dizzee Rascal. But beneath the fleeting prosperity lurked a culture of cruelty. It was palpable in politicians’ disdain for single mothers, in the media’s vilification of chavs, and in TV producers’ obsession with pointing and laughing at just about everyone – but don’t […]
Commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle is facing questions on his position after being accused of blackmail over an opposition day motion. Plus: a trident missile test firing goes wrong; and Norman Finklestein makes another interesting appearance on Piers Morgan’s show. With Michael Walker and @NoJusticeMTG .
The U.S has proposed a resolution to the United Nations Security Council opposing Israel’s planned ground invasion into Rafah. Plus: Labour are scrambling to avoid a huge rebellion over a vote on a Gaza ceasefire; Julian Assange is facing his last chance to avoid extradition to the United States. With Dalia Gebrial and Michael Walker.
Bernie Sanders needs no introduction. Ash caught up with the senator to talk about his new book ‘It’s OK To Be Angry About Capitalism’, the speed of political change and whether what is happening in Gaza constitutes a genocide.
Ash and Moya respond to a listener who’s struggling to support her mum financially and wonder why people are being weirdly hyper-sexual online. Plus: the most common misconception about Moya, and the story behind Ash’s Twitter handle. Got a problem? Tell us: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Gossip, elevated. Music by Matt Huxley.
Israel is back in the dock at the ICJ as the world court decides if their occupation of Palestine is illegal. We speak to Human Right’s Watch senior legal advisor Clive Baldwin. Plus: Labour’s position on Gaza is facing scrutiny ahead of a ceasefire vote; and citizen’s assemblies are back under discussion after Labour have […]
On If I Speak, Ash Sarkar and Moya Lothian-McLean tackle the world’s social dilemmas (and some of yours). Every other Tuesday we lay bare the weird stuff we can’t stop obsessing over, debate our wildest notions, and invite our smartest friends to help us wrestle with life’s big questions. From dating disorders to online etiquette, […]
Yousef Alhelou has spent the four or so months since October 7th covering the Israeli assault on Gaza through his Instagram account. In that time, his audience has grown by hundreds of thousands. Aaron sat down with Yousef to talk about international law, the genocide in Gaza and Britain’s complicity in it.
Leading Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny has died in a penal colony in Siberia. Plus: Egypt is preparing a refugee camp close to the Gaza border in advance of Israel’s ground offensive in Rafah; and Sunak’s Tories suffer a double byelection defeat. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Israeli special forces have stormed one of the last functioning hospitals in Southern Gaza. Plus: The UK has officially entered a recession; and the Metropolitan Police’s controversial gang matrix program has been scrapped. With Moya Lothian-McLean and @NoJusticeMTG .
As Israel extends its bombardment of Gaza into Rafah – a supposed safe zone where 1.7 million Palestinians are seeking refuge – the limits of the “laws” of war seem horribly apparent. Following South Africa’s case against Israel at the ICJ last month, legal scholar Rob Knox joins Eleanor Penny to offer an urgent account of […]
The Biden administration is reportedly not planning to punish Israel if it launches a military campaign in Rafah without ensuring civilian safety. Plus: Food couriers are go on strike across Britain; and we speak to an international criminal lawyer about the selling of arms to Israel With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Labour have withdrawn support from two candidates following accusations of antisemitism. Starmer’s handling of the row has been described as “shambolic”. Plus: Rishi Sunak impresses no-one at a GB News audience Q&A; and Donald Trump issues a chilling message to America’s European allies. With Ash Sarkar and James Meadway.
Israel has conducted it’s most severe night of bombing yet in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah. With Michael Walker and @NoJusticeMTG .
Rafah is the last area of the Gaza strip to have been subjected to a ground invasion – but Benjamin Netanyahu has now ordered its evacuation. Plus: Piers Morgan is leaving TalkTV; and Labour is using the language of austerity following the scrapping of their £8bn pledge. With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani and Ben Jamal.
Labour have officially dropped their 28 billion pound green investment pledge, prompting criticism from both wings of the party. Plus: Sunak is still refusing to apologise for his transphobic joke in the presence of Brianna Ghey’s mother; and Palestinians fleeing Khan Younis have reportedly been subjected to abuse at Israeli checkpoints. With Moya Lothian-McLean and […]
Certain historians and politicians like to claim that the British Empire was “on balance” a good thing. Slavery was evil, they admit, but abolition was good. Racism was wrong, but free markets are desirable. In his new book Empireworld, journalist and historian Sathnam Sanghera rejects this “balance sheet” reading of history in order to wrestle […]
Hamas has responded to Israel’s proposals for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, and the group setting out their own red lines. Plus: Rishi Sunak makes a vile joke about Trans people while the mother of Brianna Ghey is present; a new NHS dental surgery has seen people queuing for days. With Michael Walker and Femi […]
Prominent right-wing Tory MP’s have met in London to launch a new group – Popular Conservatism. Plus: experts have warned that the Pension age needs to be increased to 71; and McDonalds have admitted a hit to their sales after a boycott linked to the war in Gaza. With Aaron Bastani and Mike Bankole.
We speak to former UNRWA spokesperson Chris Gunness who believes the UK and US should be subject to an independent investigation over their withdrawing of funds to the aid agency. Plus: elections in El Salvador see radical president Nayib Bukele re-elected with a large majority; and Labour continue to lose support from British Muslims over […]
Should there be a cap on how much wealth one person can have? If we’re serious about tackling poverty, the answer can only be yes, says Ingrid Robeyns, author of Limitarianism: The Case Against Extreme Wealth. Robeyns tells Ash Sarkar what a wealth cap could do for the world, how the global north is living […]
Should the left care about the existence of aliens? The ACFM gang explore the impact of UFOs on political thought in this Trip. Keir, Jem and Nadia discuss the connections between UFO conspiracies and right-wing thought, why some communists think aliens will bring about world revolution, and whether Fermi’s paradox means we’re not alone, with […]
Support for right-wing party Reform UK has hit a new high in the Red Wall with 14% of the vote, posing a further threat to the Conservative party’s chances at the next general election. Plus: the killers of Brianna Ghey have been named during sentencing; and republican senator Tom Cotton goes after the CEO of […]
Ceasefire negotiations are currently taking place in Cairo that could see a new deal agreed between Hamas and Israel. We speak to Daniel Levy – a former Israeli peace negotiator who is now president of the U.S-Middle East Project. With Moya Lothian-McLean and @NoJusticeMTG .
Hamas are reportedly considering a new ceasefire proposal. but Israeli prime minister has vowed only ‘total victory’ will end the war in Gaza. Plus: Migration is back in the headlines after new projections from the ONS; and an update on the story of rail bosses bragging about free government cash. With Michael Walker and Dalia […]
Foreign secretary David Cameron has said the UK is considering recognising a Palestinian state. Plus: Israel’s assassination of three Palestinian men inside a hospital in the city of Jenin; and North Ireland is set to have a government from Stormont again after two years without one. With Michael Walker and @NoJusticeMTG .
Western nations have pulled funding from the UN Refugee agency in Gaza after Israeli accusations that 12 of the 13,000 workforce have links to Hamas. Plus: Labour have suspended another left-wing MP; and the Israeli far-right have held a ‘return to Gaza’ convention. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Twenty years ago, it was taken for granted that on average, people globally were shrugging off the shackles of organised religion. The world was destined for secularism. But with demographics trends in many countries pointing towards a growing religious population and with secular liberal politics failing to offer solace from falling living standards, we should […]
The International Court of Justice has delivered its interim ruling on the genocide case brought against Israel by South Africa. We speak to Human Rights Watch’s Israel Palestine director Omar Shakir. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Britain’s biggest steel employer has announced plans to cut nearly three thousand jobs at its main steelworks in Port Talbot, Wales. Plus: Labour leader Keir Starmer refuses to say a war crime is a war crime; and the Covid inquiry goes to Scotland. With Moya Lothian-McLean and Polly Smythe.
This episode was first released in November 2021. In the bestselling book The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity, archaeologist David Wengrow and the late anthropologist David Graeber offer a radically different story of our social evolution. Drawing on groundbreaking research gathered over a decade of collaboration, the book challenges just about everything […]
Donald Trump has won the Republican presidential primary in New Hampshire – his second electoral victory of the race to become the party’s presidential nominee. Plus: shocking and tragic footage exposes the IDF’s brutality in Gaza; and a Tory MP has called for Sunak to resign. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Britain and the U.S have jointly bombed multiple sites in Yemen’s Capital. We examine Rishi Sunak’s bizarre justification for the attack. Plus: Israel has suffered its highest number of military casualties since the war in Gaza began; and UK interest rates are finally down. With Aaron Bastani and Ash Sarkar.
25,000 Palestinians have now been killed during Israel’s war on Gaza. Plus: families of Israeli hostages have stormed Israeli parliament; and the shadow foreign secretary David Lammy is confronted about Labour’s position on Palestine. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
We are in a drastically different world from the one most of us grew up in. This has been proven by the rapid escalation in the events in the Middle East over the last six weeks. No longer are we in a world where, essentially, the US run the show. And this has huge global […]
Music has the uncanny power to stir up big feelings, which makes it an obvious vehicle for political statements of hope, anger, despair, or how to cast your vote. In this Microdose episode to accompany ACFM’s recent Trip on Protest, Jem takes us through 60 years of plugged-in protest music – no strumming folkies or […]
After Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that Israel should rule “from the river to the sea”, will western leaders finally wake-up to his intentions? Plus: barrister Hashi Mohamed calls out the tories on their approach to small boats crossings. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
What role does literature play in revolution? If the question seems bizarre to you and the answer obvious, you’re not alone. Yet some of the most important revolutionaries in history have turned to literature in times of crisis. Mao Zedong started writing poetry during the Chinese Red Army’s retreat, adopting traditional Chinese forms to do […]
Rishi Sunak has urged the House of Commons to pass his Rwanda Bill, warning them not to “frustrate the will of the people”. Plus: Israeli President Isaac Herzog has said an “empire of evil” is emanating from Tehran as tensions mount in the Middle East; and we ask whether Israel is purposefully killing its own […]
As Israel’s brutal bombardment of Gaza continues, we speak to British-Palestinian journalist Yousaf Alhelou. Plus: Tories are continuing to tear their party into pieces over their Rwanda legislation; and Labour confirm that they’ve dropped a key policy to recognise Palestinian statehood. With Michael Walker and @NoJusticeMTG .
The first electoral contest of the US Republican primary has taken place in Iowa with Donald Trump coming out on top. Plus: Tory MPs fight over the government’s Rwanda Bill. With Aaron Bastani and Joris Lechene.
With tensions escalating in the Red Sea, defence secretary Grant Shapps has defended Britain’s role in fighting the Houthis. Plus: a look at elections that have just taken place in Taiwan and what they mean for relations with China. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Discussion of climate change mainly focuses on mitigating rising temperatures, de-carbonising and getting to ‘net zero’. Author and broadcaster Gaia Vince argues that we also need to focus on how we’ll deal with with’s already happening and about to get much much worse: huge swathes of the planet becoming uninhabitable and 2 billion people needing […]
British and US forces have bombed Yemen in response to Houthi attacks on commercial shipping. Plus: Israel have given their defence against accusations of genocide at the international court of justice. With Ash Sarkar and Aaron Bastani.
The International Court of Justice has heard the first day of South Africa’s legal case against Israel. Plus: we speak to consultant surgeon Nick Maynard who has just returned from Gaza; and more on the postmasters scandal as the post office inquiry begins. With Moya Lothian-McLean and Kieran Andrieu.
January is historically the busiest month of the year for holiday bookings. But if you’ve ever felt uncomfortable with the idea of being a tourist, you’re not the first. Back in 1976, anthropologist Dean MacCannell theorised both our drive to see the world and its manipulation by capitalism in his book The Tourist: A New […]
As MPs vote through the anti-BDS bill, we speak to the founder of BDS Omar Barghouti. Plus: a deep dive into what has led South Africa to take Israel to the international court of justice; and why the people who covered up the postmasters scandal really should be going to jail. With Michael Walker and […]
While Israel’s war on Gaza continues, US secretary of state Anthony Blinken has traveled to the region to meet prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Plus: the absurd situation with student loans and the interest that so many graduates are paying on them; and it’s official – 2023 was the hottest year on record. With Aaron Bastani […]
As Israel faces the International Court of Justice later this week, more evidence is emerging of genocide being committed in Gaza. Plus: the scandal that has been described as the largest miscarriage of justice in British history; and Rishi Sunak has a tough time in his first big interview of 2024. With Michael Walker and […]
Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant has outlined a plan to control security matters in Gaza after a defeat of Hamas. Plus: the chairman of NatWest says it’s not to difficult to get on the housing ladder; and we look at the Jeffrey Epstein court documents that dropped this week. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Rishi Sunak has confirmed the next general election will take place in the second half of the year. Plus: Keir Starmer gives his first speech of 2024; and the latest on how Israel’s war on Gaza is risking wider conflict in the region. With Moya Lothian-McLean and Dalia Gebrial.
Israel have assassinated a Hamas leader in Beirut, risking the spread of the conflict in Gaza spreading to the wider region. Plus: South Africa have brought a case to the international court of justice accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza; and junior doctors in England have begun six days of strike action. With Michael Walker […]
From his radical youth in 1970s Italy to his research as one of the world’s leading theoretical physicists, Carlo Rovelli is as comfortable talking politics as he is explaining quantum theory. He sat down with Aaron to talk about the future of Europe, his theory of white holes, and why we’re not actually living in […]
Is football the place for political struggle? Is there a limit to the success of fan-owned clubs? How disappointed can we be when pundits and players turn out not to be comrades? Cultural critic Juliet Jacques and Pro Revolution Soccer host Tom Williams unite for a conversation inspired by Mickaël Correia’s book, The People’s History […]
For this end-of-year edition of Downstream, the Novara Media team look back on the biggest stories of the year. Ash Sarkar is joined by Moya Lothian-McLean, Michael Walker and Owen Jones to talk about the Labour Party, the climate crisis, the rise of AI and the war on Gaza. From clouds brightening to prospects dimming, […]
The ACFM gang get together for the last time this year to deliver a Festive 50. Keir, Jem and Nadia select the best bits of culture and politics from 2023, from music, films, books to games, strikes and actions. Unwrap to find sci-fi blaxploitation, comedy history, gobby glam-punk, Judge Dredd analysis, a fresh angle on Silicon […]
With Israeli’s war in Gaza continuing, we speak to 18-year-old Tal Mitnick who is refusing to serve in the IDF. Plus: The two teenagers responsible for the murder of Brianna Ghey have been convicted. With Ash Sarkar and @NoJusticeMTG .
Released in 1946, Frank Capra’s fable of Christmas despair in small town America has become – rather improbably – a staple of festive television. Starring Jimmy Stewart as virtuous everyman George Bailey, It’s A Wonderful Life is not just a feelgood tale of moral redemption, but a clue to the shifting social terrain of post-war America. Is […]
A new humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza is being negotiated with Israel offering a one-week pause in their attack on Gaza in exchange for the release of more hostages. Plus: Donald Trump has been banned by the Colorado supreme court from appearing on the state’s presidential ballot. With Aaron Bastani and Dalia Gebrial.
The U.S. have launched a taskforce to defend shipping from Houthi militias protesting the Gaza War. Plus: the UK government have released new guidance that affects how transgender children will be treated in British schools. With Michael Walker and Moya Lothian-McLean.
Former defence secretary has criticised Israel’s actions in the war on Gaza, saying that Netanyahu’s strategy is being driven by a “killing rage”. Plus: the PPE scandal around Michelle Mone continues with her pointing fingers at the Tory government, and the fingers being pointed back at her. With Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar.
Asset management companies like Blackrock, Vanguard and Macquarie have avoided real scrutiny for decades, but their secretive activities are starting to attract attention from political researchers and academics. What do these companies do, and what risk do they pose to society? Author and academic Brett Christophers sets out to answer this question in his new […]
Millions have protested against the bombing of Gaza by taking part in marches, boycotts, sit-ins and other demonstrations. But what difference does it make, either to the world or to ourselves? The gang confront a contentious topic in this Trip. Do “A to B” marches ever achieve anything? What about joining hands around an RAF […]
Piers Morgan has denied that he knew of phone hacking at the Daily Mirror whilst he was editor after a judge ruled that he did. Plus: the Palestinian ambassador responds after the Israeli ambassadors said “absolutely no” to a two-state solution. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Science fiction isn’t a mode usually associated with Palestinian literature, perhaps because dreams of the future seem like a luxury when you can barely hold onto your past, or even present. In 2019, translator and editor Basma Ghalayini asked 12 Palestinian authors to imagine their world in 2048 – a century after the Nakba that […]
Foreign secretary David Cameron has announced “extremist settlers” from Israel will be banned from entering Britain. Plus: the Tory government has yet again spat in the face of disabled people by scrapping the disability ministerial brief. With Dalia Gebrial and Ash Sarkar.
Joe Biden has warned Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he is losing global support and he should change his government. Plus: Outrage after Israeli solider upload disgusting videos to social media; and tens of thousands of children will not have a permanent home this Christmas. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Conservative MPs are divided over the government’s Rwanda bill, with right-wing factions likely to cause a headache for Rishi Sunak over the issue. Plus: At least two dozen have been killed by Israeli airstrikes on Rafah; and with a general election year incoming, who will you vote for? With Moya Lothian-McLean and @NoJusticeMTG .
Labour MP Zarah Sultana has launched a private members bill to ban weapons exports to countries breaking international law such as Israel. Plus: European geopolitics plays out at the inauguration of the new Argentinian president; and the latest propaganda stunt from the Israeli military. With Michael Walker and David Adler.
Daniel Levy has had a front row seat at some of the most consequential peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine in the last two decades, as president of the U.S./Middle East Peace Project and as an adviser to former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak. He sat down with Ash Sarkar to talk about the failure […]
Footage of the IDF detaining Palestinian men has gone viral online. We speak to Omar Baddar about the latest developments in Gaza. Plus: Israel have killed a renowned Palestinian poet and academic; and George Monbiot has given a fiery rebuttal of the Rwanda Bill on BBC Question Time. With Michael Walker and Mike Bankole.
Rishi Sunak’s premiership is in question amid infighting in his party of his new Rwanda migration bill. Plus: Boris Johnson faces a second day of grilling at the Covid inquiry. With Moya Lothian-McLean and Kieran Andrieu.
On Novara Live this week, Michael Walker spoke to renowned political scientist and activist Norman Finkelstein about Israel’s assault on Gaza and the collapse of the ceasefire. In this extended interview, they discuss the relationship between Hamas and Hezbollah, the use of human shields, and whether US pressure can restrain Israel’s “high-tech massacre”. Subscribe to […]
Former prime minister Boris Johnson has appeared before the Covid inquiry to give evidence on his government’s handling of the pandemic. Plus: the latest on Israel’s war on Gaza; and a look at the reporting on claims of sexual violence committed by Hamas on October 7th. With Michael Walker and @NoJusticeMTG
Israel has expanded its bombing campaign against Gaza by moving further south into the territory. Plus: the Conservative government announces new migration policies; and a record amount of fossil fuel lobbyists have been permitted access to COP. With Michael Walker and Vincent Bevins.
Blindboy Boatclub is the Irish broadcaster, author and musician behind The Blindboy Podcast, a massively popular podcast mixing short fiction, comedy and interviews. His new short story collection, Topographia Hibernica, is inspired by the human, animal and emotional geography of Ireland. Blindboy sat down with Ash for a freewheeling discussion about everything from Eminem’s ’90s […]
We speak to political scientist and activist Norman Finkelstein about the bombardment of Gaza, US complicity in Israel’s war and the nature of Hamas. Plus, the Israeli ambassador to the UK has been caught lying on Sky News With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
The Israeli bombardment of Gaza has resumed after a seven day ceasefire. We speak to UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese about the latest developments. Plus: MSNBC cancels Mehdi Hasan’s show; and Esther McVey faces an angry audience on BBC Question Time. With Michael Walker and David Adler.
In recent years we’ve spent a lot of time arguing about fascism – what it means, what it looks like, and how we would know if it had returned. That typically brings us back to the European fascism of ’30s and ’40s, with its uniforms, symbols, marches and camps. But the philosopher Alberto Toscano, currently teaching […]
Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has died at the age of 100. We discuss his legacy, and the reactions of those attempting to whitewash it. Plus: Casualties after a Hamas attack in Jerusalem; and Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi has been freed from an Israeli prison. With Barnaby Raine and Moya Lothian-McLean.
Clashes have broken out in Jenin as Israeli forces launch a significant incursion into the West Bank city. Plus: Leaked documents reveal UAE plans to push for new oil and gas deals at COP28; and Owen Jones has sent the right-wing press into a frenzy over his reporting of an IDF film screening. With Michael […]
The pause in Gaza is extended by two days, more Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees are released. Plus: Elon Musk visits Israel and takes on the country of Sweden’s labour laws. With Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar.
The Gaza ceasefire has been extended for two days amid growing international pressure, while hundreds of Palestinian detainees and Israeli hostages have been released. Plus: A CNN correspondent’s surprisingly frank condemnation of Israel’s information war. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
To really understand what’s going in Israel, you need to get your history straight. Rashid Khalidi is one of the foremost historians of the Middle East and the author of several books on the region’s history, including The Hundred Years’ War On Palestine. On the day of the ceasefire in Gaza, he guides Ash through […]
Violent far-right protests have erupted in Dublin following a stabbing in the city centre. Plus: the hostage exchange between Hamas and Israel begins; and Norman Finkelstein runs rings around Piers Morgan. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
The director of the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza has been arrested by an Israeli security agency. Plus: the Dutch far right have claimed a surprising election victory; and Gary Lineker is once again at the centre of a media storm. With Ash Sarkar and @NoJusticeMTG
Business is booming for architects and property investors right now, with masterplans being unveiled for dozens of new cities around the world. The hi-tech promise of NEOM, Saudi Arabia’s proposed new desert metropolis, is only the most discussed of these visions – others are being drawn up in Indonesia, China and Senegal. What sets these […]
Israel has agreed to pause the bombing of Gaza for four days to allow a hostage exchange to take place. Plus, We speak to Grace Blakely about Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement. With Moya Lothian-McLean And Rivkah Brown.
The leader of Hamas says the militant group is ‘close’ to securing a limited ceasefire deal with Israel. Plus: a former Israeli Prime Minister makes a stunning admission on CNN; and a toy octopus on BBC University Challenge sparks a moral panic. With Michael Walker and Hamza Ali Shah.
More than 5500 children have now been killed in Gaza, Israel’s latest targets include a refugee camp and a United Nations run school. Plus Argentina’s new ‘anarcho-capitalist’ president. With Michael Walker and David Adler.
Zarah Sultana is one of the youngest MPs in Parliament and has faced intense hostility from the right of the Labour Party since Keir Starmer’s ascent to leader. The MP for Coventry South sat down with Ash Sarkar to talk about the reality of being a Muslim woman in the Labour Party, her interactions with […]
Israel is continuing to bomb refugee camps in Gaza and the West bank. We speak to Trita Parsi about the international community’s response. Plus, Owen Jones goes head to head with Piers Morgan, and why some TikTok users are backing Osama Bin Laden. With Michael Walker and Kieran Andrieu.
After raiding the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza city, Israel have released footage alleging they have found a Hamas command centre. Plus: we speak to international criminal lawyer Ahmed Abofoul about Israel’s actions in Gaza. With Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar.
Dolly Parton was right, as usual, when she revealed that “it costs a lot of money to look this cheap”. But who decided rhinestones were tacky in the first place? Style is a matter of taste, yet taste itself is a a matter of money, morality and identity, as the writer and critic Nathalie Olah […]
A commons vote showdown has seen a slew of resignations from the Labour’s frontbench over Keir Starmer’s refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Plus: the government’s Rwanda deportation policy has been ruled unlawful by the supreme court. With Michael Walker and Rivkah Brown.
After being sacked as home secretary, Suella Braverman has hit back at Rishi Sunak in her resignation letter. With Ash Sarkar and Dalia Gebrial.
A cabinet reshuffle by Rishi Sunak has seen Suella Braverman fired after a weekend of pro-Palestine protests she railed against. Plus: former prime minister David Cameron has returned to Westminster politics after being appointed foreign secretary. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
We’re heading towards a cashless society. With the dominion of Visa and Mastercard showing no sign of shrinking, it’s becoming increasingly necessary to scrutinise what this shift towards virtual money really means. Brett Scott is an author and former banker who is deeply committed to evaluating the dangers of removing cash as a payment system. […]
The WHO have said that Gaza’s largest hospital has been hit by bombardment. Plus: Israel’s information war continues; and unsurprising yet still shocking statements have emerged from Republican politicians in American in regards to Palestinians. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
For 500 years, societies have been shaped by the authority and permanence of the printed word. What do we have to lose – or gain – when the internet renders print culture obsolete? Jeff Jarvis thinks we should look to the early print era, when Johannes Gutenberg’s invention caused a moral panic across Europe, for clues […]
Sunak is under pressure to sack Suella Braverman after criticised the Metropolitan police for allowing this weekend’s pro-palestine march. Plus: we speak to march organiser and Stop The War Coalition’s Chris Nineham. With Moya Lothian-McLean and Kieran Andrieu.
Kings Charles has given his first King’s Speech outlining the legislative agenda for Sunak’s government. 00:00 – Intro 00:54 – King’s First Speech To Parliament 12:50 – Government Freaking Out About Palestine Protest 31:04 – Barnaby vs Rees-Mogg 42:06 – Left Wing Jew Destroys Dorries 1:07:26 – Hamas Hostage’s Daughter Speaks Out Plus: the pro-palestine […]
The death toll from Israel’s war on Gaza has exceed 10,000 in less than four weeks, according the Gaza health ministry. Plus: Suella Braverman launches a war on rough sleepers using tents; and George Osborne again lets slip the reality of British politics. With Michael Walker and @NoJusticeMTG .
Slavoj Žižek is perhaps the most famous living Marxist philosopher. This year he will publish three books on topics ranging from the nature of freedom to his deeply pessimistic view of the future. Slavoj sat down with Aaron for a typically provocative, freewheeling and humorous conversation spanning ideas from Stalinism to Zionism to Eurocentrism. He […]
Ever feel like there’s too much change these days? Don’t worry, you’re not (necessarily) becoming more conservative. On this Trip, Nadia, Jem and Keir think about the ebb and flow of political currents, social movements and our inner lives. What’s the difference between being still and being stuck? When does a campaign turn into a […]
Dozens have been killed by an Israeli airstrike targeting a convoy of ambulances. Plus: Sunak has come out against proposed pro-Palestine demonstrations planned for remembrance Sunday weekend. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Israeli forces have repeatedly bombed refugee camps in Gaza, resulting in hundreds of casualties. Plus: Palestinians in the West Bank are facing increasingly armed settlers. We speak to Palestinian political analyst and former spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority, Nour Odeh. With Moya Lothian-McLean and Michael Walker.
In the second half of the 20th century, revolutionaries across Africa were striving towards a decolonised future that never fully materialised. Folding together Marxism and Black radicalism, the global project of Third Worldism envisaged complete liberation, not only from colonial powers but from every kind of oppression. Kevin Okoth, a political theorist who grew up […]
As Israel again hits the Jabalia refugee camp with an airstrike, we speak to the UK director of Human Rights Watch. Plus: leftwing jews who protested against israeli bombing have been smeared as antisemites; and a centrist pundit accidentally makes the case for Hamas on the BBC. With Michael Walker and Barnaby Raine.
An Israeli airstrike has hit the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, killing dozens. Plus: Keir Starmer has give a speech outlining why he is still refusing to back a ceasefire in Gaza; and Dominic Cummings has appeared to give testimony at the Covid inquiry. With Dalia Gebrial and Ash Sarkar.
Israel has entered what it describes as the second stage of its assault on Gaza. Plus: Labour have suspended Andy McDonald after speech calling for peace in Palestine. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
The 2010s were a time of mass protest, from the Arab Spring uprisings to Occupy Wall Street, Euromaidan and Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement. Many of these movements shared a ‘horizontalist’ or leaderless approach, and most of them ended in failure. Why? American journalist Vincent Bevins talks to Ash about the pitfalls of protest and what […]
We speak to Ahmed Alnaouq – director of We Are Not Numbers who has lost twenty family members in this latest round of Israel’s war. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Israel has carried out a ground raid as “preparation for the next stages of combat”. But how likely is an imminent full-scale ground invasion? Plus: how the media in Gaza are under threat; and trade unionists demonstrate at an Israeli weapons facility in Kent. With Moya Lothian-McLean and Michael Walker
Israel are demanding the UN Secretary General resign over comments he has made over the Gaza War. Plus: we speak to Ben Jamal – director of the Palestine solidarity campaign. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Just Stop Oil is a group focused on climate change. So what were they doing blocking the path of a coachload of migrants last week? It all has to do with the effects of a warming world and predictions about the displacement of millions of people. In this episode, Richard Hames follows JSO activists as […]
Hamas has released two Israeli women who were being held as hostages. Plus: Keir Starmer’s visit to a South Wales Mosque has come under scrutiny; and we feature the perspective of an Israeli man whose cousin is believed to be a hostage currently in Gaza. With Aaron Bastani and @NoJusticeMTG .
After tens of thousands came out to show solidarity with Palestinians in London, right-wingers have begun a moral panic. Plus: Updates on the latest situation in Gaza and the West Bank; and the Israeli president comes out with some dodgy-looking evidence. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
John Gray’s writing on political philosophy is not easily pigeonholed. Over the last half century he has explored ideas that span the whole political spectrum, and pissed off just about everybody with his central thesis that growth and progress are not inevitable. In his latest book, The New Leviathans, his attention turns to the changing […]
The UN Secretary General has visited the Rafah Crossing to pressure Israel to allow life-saving supplies in Gaza. Plus: Labour has stormed to victory in two byelections, but for many the win will be marred by his support for Israeli war crimes. With Michael Walker and NoJusticeMTG.
With all eyes on Gaza, Palestinians in the occupied West Bank say settler violence is increasing. Also on the show, Sunak visits Israel and UK government counter-terrorism advisor blames ‘multiculturalism’ for anti-Israel sentiment. With Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar.
After 9/11, the writer and essayist Pankaj Mishra found himself losing faith in journalism’s ability to convey the complexity and nuance of the situation. Much of what he knew of the world, he realised, from history to political psychology, had originally been gleaned from fiction. Since then, Mishra has published several novels – including last year’s Run […]
Gaza’s health ministry has said that 471 Palestinians have been killed in an explosion at a hospital after a rocket strike. With Michael Walker and Barnaby Raine.
The U.S. makes a show of force in the Middle East by sending a rapid response force of 2,000 marines and sailors to Israel. Plus, a historic result from the Polish parliamentary elections and the BBC issue an apology for their coverage of pro-Palestine demonstrations. With Aaron Bastani and James Butler.
The death toll in Gaza has now reached over 2,800 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry. We speak to Rohan Talbot from Medical Aid for Palestine. Plus: Tory MP Crispin Blunt is threatening to prosecute the UK government over their position on Israeli war crimes. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
From his early career following Nelson Mandela on the campaign trail to his stint as US correspondent for the Guardian, Gary Younge has long been one of the most thoughtful and compassionate voices on the British left. He joins Ash Sarkar to discuss his eventful career in journalism, his experiences of reporting in Soviet Russia, […]
Israel has ordered one point one million Palestinians to leave northern Gaza. Plus: The latest on the UK government’s position on events in Israel-Palestine; and a former Labour staffer has made an interesting admission about the 2017 general election. With Aaron Bastani and Ash Sarkar.
As the Gaza siege continues, reports are emerging of medics being targeted by Israeli forces. Plus, we speak to Uri Weltmann of Standing Together about what a negotiated resolution to the conflict could look like. With Moya Lothian-McClean and Helena (NoJusticeMTG)
Born and raised on an ‘overspill’ estate in Birmingham, the writer Lynsey Hanley has experienced what a politician would call social mobility. In her books on housing estates and the British class system, she uses her own life to think through the psychosocial dimensions of crossing the class divide. In the third episode of our […]
Israel’s siege of the Gaza strip has now entered its third day – and bombs continue to fall on the blockaded territory. Plus: misinformation is swirling around the Israel-Palestine conflict; and former human rights lawyer Keir Starmer has backed the blockade of Gaza. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Keir Starmer’s speech to Labour party conference has been interrupted by a glitter protest. Plus: the EU rollback on halting payments to Palestine; and Kay Burley is the centre of a bizarre story of fake news and misrepresentation. With Aaron Bastani and Michael Walker.
Israel has announced a siege of Gaza, cutting off food, water, gas and electricity to the region following Hamas’s deadliest attack ever carried out on Israeli territory. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
In his new book, ‘Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism’, Yanis Varoufakis explores how giant tech firms, both in the US and China are expanding their control over the planet. His analysis is that, whilst material resources certainly matter, the real battle ground is over digital real estate. Aaron sat down with Yanis to talk about how […]
Things get weird on this Trip into Surrealism, a subject of great interest to ACFM and all historians of the weird left. Nadia, Jem and Keir follow a thread of off-kilter expression from Dadaism and André Breton’s manifesto through to Situationism, punk and Afrosurrealism. The gang explore the importance of surrealism to socialist thought and […]
Labour have stormed to victory in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West byelection. Plus: Labour are censoring Palestinian solidarity at their party conference; and more nonsense from Sunak on his northern transport plans. With Michael Walker and Mike Bankole.
Last month was the world’s hottest September on record, while the UN have released a report calling for a half on all fossil fuel exploration after 2030. Plus: the home office have said politicians may be fuelLing the rise in trans hate crime; and a former staffer who is suing the EHRC has said the […]
Last month it was revealed that 98% of Europeans are breathing toxic air. We’re slowly realising that the modern world is covered in the dust of environmental devastation, from particle air pollution to nuclear fallout and dried-up lakes. And as life on Earth gets hotter and drier, it’s going to get even dustier. As Jay […]
Rishi Sunak’s Tory conference speech has seen him officially announce the scrapping the HS2 leg to Manchester. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Suella Braverman has used her Tory conference speech to ramp up fears about immigration. Plus: Nigel Farage’s changing relationship with the Tory party; and all the wild things that the Tories are saying to look in control. With Aaron Bastani and NoJusticeMTG
Rishi Sunak is reportedly due to scrap the Manchester leg of HS2 – and Jeremy Hunt has used his conference speech to toughen benefit sanctions. Plus: Tories are falling over themselves to give GB News lavish praise; and Ed Balls has revealed an anecdote that exposes the cosy relationship between government and media. With Michael […]
When we were in lockdown, conspiracy theorists went on the march. The emergence of anti-vaccine scaremongering coupled with virulent antisemitism was disconcerting for all of us. But it was even more nuts for renowned journalist and author Naomi Klein, who noticed that she was being constantly getting mixed up with another author: Naomi Wolf. Klein […]
Rishi Sunak’s first conference speech as Tory Party leader will reportedly be a big pitch to motorists. Plus: GB News descends into civil war; and Suella Braverman has been caught out telling racist lies. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Following the misogynistic rant by Laurence Fox on his GB News show, Dan Wootton has been sacked as a MailOnline columnist. Plus: Labour make yet another U-turn; and police forces have been found to be misusing their bodycams. With Moya Lothian-McLean and Emma Dabiri.
For the second episode of our series on class, writer and broadcaster Kenan Malik takes us through three centuries of thought to explain the origins of identity politics. It all starts with Haitian Revolution and its contribution to the radical Enlightenment – a movement that sought to overcome the racism inherent in the other, liberal […]
Dan Wootton has been suspended by GB News following a segment that featured a misogynistic rant by Laurence Fox. Plus: Tens of thousand of Armenian refugees have been displaced following a military operation by Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. With Michael Walker and Rivkah Brown.
Suella Braverman has called illegal migration an “existential threat” in a speech to a right-wing U.S. think tank. Plus, Labour set out plans to blitz independent schools and Avanti West Coast lands a lucrative government rail contract despite catastrophic failures. With Aaron Bastani and Rivkah Brown.
Nearly 300 firearms officers have handed in their gun permits following the murder charge brought against the met police officer who killed Chris Kaba. Plus: whole swathes of HS2 look set to be cut by Rishi Sunak’s government; and the Canadian parliament are looking stupid after applauding a Nazi veteran. With Michael Walker and Ash […]
Nick Dearden has been an economic justice campaigner for over 20 years, and his attention was on the pharmaceutical industry when Covid-19 hit. But as the world began to sing the praises of pharmaceutical companies, Nick saw an unprecedented PR coup. Giant corporations capitalised on the crisis, tightening their stranglehold over the health of the […]
Tories have reacted in horror over Keir Starmer pledging to rewrite the UK’s Brexit deal. Plus: Why did the west lose the war in Afghanistan? We speak to Nagieb Khaja and Martin Tamm Andersen – directors of a new documentary on the subject. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
The politics of ‘deep adaptation’ is as intriguing as it is controversial. Jem Bendell, a former professor of sustainability leadership, launched the Deep Adaptation movement in 2018 by claiming that social collapse is not just a plausible outcome of climate change, but an extremely likely one. He sat down with Richard Hames in Berlin to […]
Billionaire Media-baron Rupert Murdoch has resigned from Fox and NewsCorp. How will this affect the British media? Plus: the Bank of England decide to hold interest rates; and good news coming out of Greater Manchester on public transport. With Moya Lothian-McLean and James Meadway.
Rishi Sunak has used a speech from Downing Street to announce he is dropping a number of climate change commitments. Plus: an update on the killing of Chris Kaba; and Diane Abbott accuses the Labour party of running a fraudulent inquiry against her. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
YouTube have suspended Russell Brand from receiving advertising revenue on the platform following serious allegations of sexual abuse and rape. Plus: A damning report has landed about shocking events at a UK immigration centre; and the Met police announce that 1,000 officers have been suspended or put on restricted duty. With Barnaby Raine and Annie […]
Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assault and abuse by four women between 2006 and 2013. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Rory Stewart has led a colourful life: diplomat in Indonesia, governor in post-invasion Iraq, founder of an NGO and a Member of Parliament. He’s also run for London Mayor and leader of the Conservative Party. But his latest occupation is podcaster, hosting ‘The Rest is Politics’ with Alastair Campbell. Rory sat down with Ash Sarkar […]
Rishi Sunak has announced a ban on the American Bully XL dog breed following a spate of attacks and the death of a 52-year-old man. Plus: Michael Gove’s renters reform bill looks to be shelved; and disgraced former Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales has received a restraining order after kissing footballer Jenni Hermoso. With Michael […]
We’re going back to basics on Novara FM this autumn with a series about the big one: class. What does it mean to look at the world through the lens of class in the 2020s, an era of precarious work, rising inequality and elusive social mobility? Three classy thinkers join FM to investigate: political researcher […]
Labour leader Keir Starmer has unveiled his plans to tackle the small boats crisis. Plus: Protests have occurred in Peckham, London, following a viral video showing an altercation between a shop owner and a customer; and the Met have made a payout and apologised to two women arrested during the Sarah Everard vigil. With Moya […]
Centrists have denounced Rory Stewart’s comments about Jeremy Corbyn following his interview with Ash Sarkar. Plus: The mirror have begun a name & shame campaign for what they describe as an ‘epidemic of shoplifting’ and Alastair Campbell decides to hit out at Novara Media. With Michael Walker and Rivkah Brown.
Shadow Labour leader Angela Rayner has used her speech at the TUC conference in Liverpool to make bold commitments on employment rights. Plus: wages are now rising faster than an inflation; and the ballooning cost of the triple lock on state pensions after an inflation-tied rise. With Aaron Bastani and Grace Blakeley.
Most people know that the game is rigged. Those who set the rules – win the game. Grace Blakeley has made a career of studying the rules, exposing the exploitative ways in which powerful institutions govern our lives and figuring out ways in which we can beat the banker and resist the game itself. Grace is an economist, writer and media commentator. Her work can be found in Tribune Magazine, Jacobin and Novara Media.
Police have confirmed a sighting of Daniel Khalife – the terror suspect who escaped from Wandsworth prison on Wednesday.
Plus: The government have received no bids in the latest auction for off-shore wind; and Suella Braverman has her latest mask-off moment
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Rishi Sunak is facing more byelection pain in Tamworth, Staffordshire, after Chris Pincher resigned from parliament this morning.
Plus: Rachel Reeves gets challenged during an LBC phone in; and the shocking story of how an undercover cop deceived a woman into a relationship for two decades.
With Sam Bright and Moya Lothian-McLean.
In the first PMQs since the summer break, Starmer and Sunak traded blows over the crumbling schools crisis. Plus: The Tories are trying to make mentally ill people to work from home; and Kwasi Kwarteng has an excruciating interview on TalkTV. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Rishi Sunak has u-turned on his Tory leadership pledge on windfarms and relaxed the rules on onshore projects.Plus: Birmingham city council have declared they are effectively bankrupt; and Royal Mail are considering scrapping Saturday service.With Aaron Bastani and Dan Evans.
Who exactly is the ruling class? The conspicuous top hat and tailed Bullingdon Club still exert dominance, but their era is waning. There are new folks in town. They can’t beat the obscene wealth of petrostate oligarchs, so they’ve joined them in ransacking the country. Ash is joined by Sam Bright, author of Bullingdon Club Britain: The Ransacking of a Nation.
Festivals. The perfect embodiment of the ACFM aesthetic, and even social politics… or are they? As the season comes to a close, Nadia, Jem and Keir ask themselves what festivals are really about. Is it music? Camping? The breakdown of everyday hierachies? Or is it just 20,000 people standing in a field?
With help from Bakhtin’s concept of the “carnivalesque” and Bataille’s “excess”, the gang discuss hippies and punks, counterculture and commerce, and the role of Glastonbury in the national imagination. Music under discussion comes from Banco De Gaia, Hawkwind, The Magic Mushroom Band and more patchouli-scented wanderers.
Subscribe to the mailing list: https://novara.media/ACFMnewsletter
Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
Music: David Bowie – ‘Memory of a Free Festival’ / Pulp – ‘Sorted For E’s and Wizz’ / Seize The Day – ‘With My Hammer I Break The Chains’ / Hawkwind – ‘Silver Machine’ / The Magic Mushroom Band – ‘Revolution’ / Ozric Tentacles – ‘Dissolution (The Clouds Disperse)’ / Culture Shock – ‘Stonehenge’ / Autechre – ‘Flutter’ / Banco De Gaia – Excerpt from Deep Live
TV: Festivals Britannia (BBC)
Books & articles: Mikhail Bakhtin – Rabelais and His World / Jeremy Gilbert & Ewan Pearson – Discographies: Dance Music, Culture and the Politics of Sound / Georges Bataille – The Accursed Share / Frederic Jameson – Archaeologies of the Future / Penny Rimbaud / The Last of the Hippies
Festivals. The perfect embodiment of the ACFM aesthetic, and even social politics… or are they? As the season comes to a close, Nadia, Jem and Keir ask themselves what festivals are really about. Is it music? Camping? The breakdown of everyday hierachies? Or is it just 20,000 people standing in a field? With help from […]
Labour has lost more than half a million pounds as part of its lawsuit against five former staffers. Plus: schools across England are facing closure after warnings over crumbling concrete. With Aaron Bastani and Mike Bankole
Following the resignation of Ben Wallace, Grant Shapps has been appointed as defence secretary.
Plus: the telegraph and daily mail flip out at Macron’s surcharge on Brits with second homes in France; and an ex-Tory MP threatens an academic with legal action for stating her ancestral links to slavery.
With Ash Sarkar and Sam Bright.
Anti-ULEZ saboteurs have received backing from a senior Tory MP after the policy was expanded to all of greater London. Plus: a bizarre video from the French government about Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech; and Jordan Peterson continues to hit ever more strange levels of online discourse. With Ash Sarkar and Dalia […]
The ULEZ has been expanded to the whole of great London. Aaron Bastani and Rivkah Brown discuss. Plus: Rachel Reeves rules out a wealth tax for an incoming Labour government; and Nadine Dorries finally officially resigns for good.
Donald Trump’s mugshot has been released following his surrender to authorities in Georgia over interference in the 2020 presidential election. Plus: Keir Starmer has taken more freebies than all other Labour leader since 1997 combined. With Michael Walker and Mike Bankole.
Mental illness is endemic to life under capitalism, yet it’s still largely talked about as a personal and medical issue. But what if we ditched the campaigns to “raise awareness” and instead turned our attention to criticising the systems that make us mad? Micha Frazer-Carroll is a journalist and the author of Mad World: The […]
A new poll suggests that Labour are drawing level with the SNP in terms of Westminster seats. Plus: Eric Olander from the China In Africa podcast speaks on the significance of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Keir Starmer has claimed that if he was leaving school today, he would not be able to afford to go to University. But what are his party offering as a solution? Plus: Sunak has refused to promise he will fulfil his own pledge to ‘stop the boats’ by the next election; and bosses are raking […]
The UK’s most prolific child serial killer Lucy Letby has been sentenced to a whole life order, but could her crimes have been stopped sooner? Plus: how the Israeli Embassy attempted to influence a UK court case; and a controversial moment from the women’s world cup final. With Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar
Keir Starmer has made yet another U-turn leaving the Labour party in a new row over workers rights. Plus: An update on the situation with the conflict in Ukraine; and the right-wing freakout over drag queens continues. With Michael Walker and Mike Bankole.
We live in exciting times for ufology. We’re also coming to realise that many of the modern-day myths around visiting spacecraft were in fact planted by our own intelligence services. But how to tell fact from fiction? Trevor Paglen is an American artist known for investigating the invisible through the visible. His practice has taken […]
Annual Inflation has fallen, and the Tory government are trying to take credit. Plus: the Home Office have come up with a new way to mistreat migrants; and a new development in the captain Tom Moore family farce. With Dalia Gebrial and Ash Sarkar.
Rishi Sunak’s government have announced an extra 250 million pounds for the NHS. Labour say this isn’t nearly enough. Plus, police forces across the UK have leaked data, Vice News is accused of blocking stories that offend the Saudi Arabian government and Humza Yousaf has spoken out about the need for men in positions of […]
After six afghani men drowned in the channel after their boat sank, home secretary Suella Braverman has given them her “thoughts and prayers.” Plus: Tony Blair is still taking money from Saudi Arabia; and some shocking contributions from the public on small boat crossings. With Aaron Bastani and Mike Bankole.
An outbreak of legionella bacteria has forced all migrants to leave the government’s Bibby Stockholm barge. Plus: Hugh Grant speaks out about everything wrong with the British media; and a controversial video of an arrest made by West Yorkshire Police has gone viral. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
The number of people waiting for routine treatment on the NHS in England has just hit 7.6 million people – smashing all previous records. Plus: home secretary Suella Braverman says that a group of teenagers should be hunted down; and a certain Tory MP tells Michael Walker to solve his renting problems by simply buying […]
A split has opened up in the Conservative party after Tory chair Lee Anderson has said Sunak’s government have “failed” on immigration. Plus: tragedy in the Mediterranean as 41 migrants die after a shipwreck; and a certain Tory peer has announced he may end up voting Labour. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Home secretary Suella Braverman has announced a new taskforce to catch immigration lawyers who she has branded as “immoral”. Plus: the electoral commission announce they were hacked; and a look at the influences and finances behind the Tony Blair institute. With Aaron Bastani and Sam Bright.
The media and the public seem to be fixated on sex scandals this year, from household names in the headlines to salacious rumours spread on social media. But haven’t we always been intrigued by the private lives of those in power? Ash Sarkar is joined by Novara Live researcher Steven Methven to delve into the […]
The first group of asylum seekers to be housed on the Bibby Stockholm barge in Dorset have today been taken onboard. Plus: Pro-car activists attack ULEZ cameras whilst anti-SUV activists deflate Land Rover tyres. With Michael Walker and James Meadway.
In this bumper Trip, the gang survey the totalising modern phenomenon that is The Internet. Nadia, Keir and Jem dredge up their early interactions with a primitive web and explain how the dream of free and open communication was displaced by closed networks of e-commerce and data harvesting. Following Keir’s recent Microdose episode with Malcolm […]
As new climate records are broken, mayors from around the world have urged Sadiq Khan not to back down on ULEZ. Plus: GB News storm the offices of Greenpeace; and Dan Wootton is dropped by the Mail. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
As new climate records are broken, mayors from around the world have urged Sadiq Khan not to back down on ULEZ.
Plus: GB News storm the offices of Greenpeace; and Dan Wootton is dropped by the Mail.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Rishi Sunak’s residence in north Yorkshire has been protested by climate activists from Greenpeace. Plus: A tory cabinet minister thinks over 50s should start riding for Deliveroo; and the Bank of England raise interest rates yet again. With Ash Sarkar and James Meadway.
Donald Trump has been charged with attempting to overturn the 2020 U.S presidential election.
Plus: Rishi Sunak blames the NHS backlog on industrial action and calls out Nadine Dorries for squatting as an MP after saying she would resign.
With Michael Walker and Emma Dabiri.
Fossil Fuel giant BP have recorded profits of over £2bn amid ongoing climate change. Plus: Boris Johnson has a new nemesis; and a Tory minister has declared that the government are prepared to build more prisons to jail shoplifters. With Dalia Gebrial and Mike Bankole.
Rishi Sunak has announced the government will grant hundreds of new oil and gas licenses. Plus: should Labour get a free pass just to get the Tories out of power? and rifts begin to emerge between the Labour leadership and the parties mayors in devolved English regions. With Ash Sarkar and Maurice Mcleod.
Has the left misunderstood the state of our nation? Sociologist and trade unionist Dan Evans thinks so. He talks to Aaron the unexpected power of the petty bourgeoisie – the insecure class between the working class and the bourgeoisie – and how its Thatcherite values of home ownership and entrepreneurialism have reshaped British politics in the last few […]
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has won a high court battle brought against his expanded ULEZ scheme. Plus: the home office are preparing yet another awful way to treat migrants; and wild claims are coming out of a congressional hearing in the United States. With Ash Sarkar and Mike Bankole.
The global meat industry has grown fivefold since the 1960s and is still growing. Yet sales of vegan and so-called ‘plant-based’ alternatives are soaring, as more of us question our relationship with meat and our attitudes towards animal life and the planet’s health. In her provocative new book Meat Love, writer Amber Husain plucks examples […]
The parent company of Britain’s biggest energy supplier British Gas have recorded record profits. Plus: the allegation surrounding GB News presenter Dan Wootton reach shocking new levels; and the high court rule that the Home Office’s use of hotels for housing unaccompanied child asylum seekers is unlawful. With Dalia Gebrial and Kojo Koram.
The CEO of the NatWest Group has resigned over the Nigel Farage debanking scandal. Plus: Jamie Driscoll hits back at Rachel Reeves; and new data lays bare the terrible state of the UK rental market. With Michael Walker and Mike Bankole.
Rishi Sunak has said that the Labour party are on the “same-side” as criminal gangs in relation to channel crossings.
Plus: the latest on the allegations facing GB News host Dan Wootton; and the BBC apologise to Nigel Farage over their coverage of his ‘de-banking’.
With Aaron Bastani and Maurice Mcleod.
Since 2016 we’ve seen mainstream politics has taken a turn for the weird, epitomised by the surprise success of populist projects like Brexit and the election of Donald Trump. Since then, fringe views have continued to muscle into the middle ground, with conspiracy theories and far-right talking points trickling into political discourse. Julia Ebner has […]
Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani break down the results from three byelections across England.
Rishi Sunak is facing a potentially historic bruising today as voters go to the polls in three English constituencies. Plus: JSO are counterprotested and even violently attacked; and former Labour leaders Blair and Corbyn both weigh in on the two-child benefit cap. With Moya Lothian-Mclean and Rivkah Brown.
Rishi Sunak is facing a potentially historic bruising today as voters go to the polls in three English constituencies.
Plus: JSO are counterprotested and even violently attacked; and former Labour leaders Blair and Corbyn both weigh in on the two-child benefit cap.
With Moya Lothian-Mclean and Rivkah Brown.
The SNP have attacked Labour’s continued stance over child benefits after Starmer refused to abolish the two-child cap.
Plus: the Tories have selected an awful candidate to challenge Sadiq Khan for London Mayor; and the heatwave hitting southern Europe is wreaking havoc.
With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
As the backlash continues around his stance on the two-child benefit cap, Keir Starmer sits down for an interview with Tony Blair. Plus: Tobias Ellwood comes out for redeveloping relations with Afghanistan; and GB News host Dan Wootton faces damning allegations. With Aaron Bastani and Michael Walker.
After the summer of 2020, the liberal consensus was that in order to tackle racism, white people would have to look inside themselves and ‘do the work’. In 2023, this idea has spread from well-meaning allies on Twitter to the HR departments of corporate behemoths – all while the institutions that consolidate and expand systemic […]
Rishi Sunak takes heat for his below inflation pay offer to public sector workers, and for his failure to rule out more cuts. Plus: Hollywood actors walk out of their own premiere as a strike begins; and should MP’s really have second jobs? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Rishi Sunak has accepted recommendations on public sector pay from independent pay review bodies. Plus: Junior doctors walk out for the longest strike in NHS history; and Nadine Dorries is releasing her vengeance in the form of a new book. With Michael Walker and Emma Dabiri
Several years ago, Jon Moses realised that the stunning nature he could see from his house in rural Herefordshire was inaccessible to him. From the nearby riverbanks to the local oak woodlands, the countryside revealed itself to be a private fortress. Now, as an organiser of the Right To Roam campaign, he’s leading the call […]
Huw Edwards has been named by his wife as the BBC star accused of paying £35,000 for explicit photographs of a teenager. Plus: Theresa May attacks the government’s illegal migration bill; and students at Edinburgh University give heartening solidarity with their lecturers. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
A second young person has come forward accusing the unnamed BBC star of threatening messages. Plus: mortgage rates have hit a 15-year high; and the NATO summit sees a division among member states over Ukraine membership. With Aaron Bastani and James Meadway.
A new lawyer’s statement throws doubt on the Sun’s three day campaign against an unnamed BBC star. Plus: Labour give even more reasons to lower expectations of how transformative an incoming Starmer government would be; and the latest ‘civility in politics’ debate is the most ridiculous one yet. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Teachers across England have walked out for their seventh nationwide strike action since February. Plus: Johnny Mercer has a terrible time trying to defend the Tories on the NHS; and the BBC apologies for a combative interview with former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Labour leader Keir Starmer’s speech on education has been interrupted by climate activists demanding he stop making U-turns. We speak to one of the activists involved – Sophia Coningham from Green New Deal Rising. Plus: a landmark supreme court ruling might see police officers more held to account; and Sunak’s government have a bad day […]
On the 75th anniversary of its founding, the NHS is on its knees. Plus: Sunak’s government have dropped a key climate pledge; Nick Ferrari gets triggered by a pro-Palestine caller. With Michael Walker and Moya Lothian-Mclean.
Rishi Sunak has been grilled by MP in a session of the commons liaison committee. Aaron Bastani and Michael Walker break down the moments that matter. Plus: Labour abstain on the government’s anti-bids bill, and Sajid Javid says MPs pay should be doubled.
Izzy Posen grew up in London’s Hasidic Jewish community in Stamford Hill, receiving the bare minimum of secular education in a school that still practiced corporal punishment. Even with the strictures of this insular community, he developed an acute curiosity about the world, resulting in him teaching himself English and eventually leaving the community to […]
Tory peer Zac Goldsmith has resigned from Rishi Sunak’s government, citing failures to tackle to tackle the climate crisis. However, Sunak has said he was dismissed for other reasons. Plus: France sees the third consecutive night of rioting after a teenager was shot by police; and Piers Morgan’s royalism gets torn apart on his own […]
Suella Braverman’s Rwanda deportation policy has been ruled unlawful by the court of appeal. We speak to Sile Reynolds from Freedom From Torture who brought the case.
Plus: the Spycops inquiry has released a new report highlighting shocking undercover tactics by Met police officers; and a new podcast is launching with fronted by centrist politicians of yesteryear.
With Ash Sarkar and Shon Faye.
Britain’s privatised water industry has reached new levels of failure with Thames Water on the brink of collapse. Plus: Labour make another U-turn – this time on rent controls; and Just Stop Oil invade the cricket at Lords. With Michael Walker and Mike Bankole.
Former health secretary Matt Hancock has appeared before the Covid inquiry to give evidence. Plus: the IMF come out agreeing with the left on the cause of inflation; and Labour rule out universal free school meals. With Aaron Bastani and Moya Lothian-Mclean
The Green Party of England and Wales have made extraordinary gains in the last two decades, especially so in the last round of local elections. Now, as well as their one MP – Caroline Lucas, they are also the biggest party on a few councils and have a majority on Mid-Suffolk council. To discuss why they are the only true opposition to centrism, why nuclear power is backwards and why Keir Starmer is a cynical middle manager. Aaron Bastani is joined by Deputy Leader of The Green Party, Zack Polanski.
As the longest day arrives in the northern hemisphere, Jeremy, Nadia and Keir ponder our obsession with the great outdoors. How did parks become political? Why do we seek out the strenuous discomforts of hiking, camping and cold water? And what does Jem have against music festivals? They look back on a century of changing […]
As interest rates continue to skyrocket, Rishi Sunak has now ruled out tax cuts and public sector pay increases. Meanwhile, Jeremy Hunt is offering lacklustre advice to struggling mortgage. Plus, the Titan submersible implosion and Keir Starmer’s secret past as an ice cream outlaw. With Ash Sarkar and Mike Bankole.
The Bank of England have increased their interest rate for the thirteenth time in a row. But it’s okay because Sunak says everything is fine. We speak to Fran Boait from Positive Money. Plus: Starmer’s Labour refuse to break ties with Mandelson despite damning new revelations; and the Telegraph are having a moral panic about […]
Core Inflation has hit it’s highest level for 31 years and massive firms aren’t paying their workers the minimum wage. We discuss the cost of living crisis in Britain with James Meadway. Plus: the Barbican has been forced to apologise after cancelling an event discussing Palestinian liberation; and one year into the RMT’s dispute, Mick […]
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has refused to help mortgage holders with increased interest rates, saying that to do so would be “inflationary”. Plus: Online Misogynist Influencer Andrew Tate has been charged with sex trafficking; and The Sun attempt to thwart net zero climate efforts. With Michael Walker and Femi Nylander.
History is not just one thing after another. Historians spend lifetimes figuring out how X event in medieval France impacted Y event in 20th century Polynesia, but none of them have truly ‘done the math’ like this week’s guest. Coming from a background in applied mathematics, Peter Turchin has gathered an unprecedented amount of historical […]
Less than a week after resigning as an MP, Boris Johnson has a new cushty job as a Daily Mail columnist.
Plus: Hundreds are missing and dozens dead after a boat capsized in the Mediterranean sea near Greece.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Boris Johnson has been officially denounced as a liar in a privileges committee report into partygate. Plus: Abortion Laws in the UK are under scrutiny after a mother of three has been jailed; and former Labour MP and award winning actress Glenda Jackson has passed away. With Moya Lothian-Mclean and Shon Faye.
There are few ideas for addressing climate change more alluring than rewilding: the idea that nature, gently supported at first and then left more or less alone, might be able to heal itself and save us from our planetary woes at once. But even in such verdant visions of the future, the old question of […]
Junior Doctors in the NHS have begun a 72-hour strike after they previously rejecting a 5% pay offer from the government. Plus: Jeremy Hunt says there’s more pain ahead for the UK economy and that interest rates will rise; and Labour disappoint many with a new announcement backtracking on childcare policy. With Michael Walker and […]
The official inquiry into the government response to the Covid-19 pandemic has begun. Plus: Ofcom announce they will be assessing the situation with politicians presenting television news shows; and Nadine Dorries explains why she thinks she was blocked from becoming a peer. With Aaron Bastani and Michael Walker.
For a Downstream family special, Ash Sarkar is joined by Moya Lothian-McLean and Michael Walker – both contributing editors at Novara Media – to discuss their lives as journalists, the combustion of media companies Vice and gal-dem, the scandal surrounding Nick Cohen, and why Novara is taking on the mainstream media in the UK.
Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves has dropped a pledge of £28bn a year in green investment from day 1 of a Labour government. Plus: Noam Chomsky appears on Piers Morgan’s show to discuss China’s relations with the west over Taiwan; and Nadine Dorries sets the house on fire after not getting a peerage. With Michael Walker […]
We’re living through a rapid acceleration in AI capability, a development that feels as scary as it is stunning. At the end of 2020, James Butler was joined by writer and researcher Aaron Benanev, author of Automation and the Future of Work, to talk about the current wave of automation in the context of a long […]
Owners of the Daily and Sunday Telegraph the Barclay Brothers are selling up due to financial woes. Should they have bought less avocados? Plus: Green MP Caroline Lucas has announced she will be stepping down; and New York City is hit by a toxic smog. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Rishi Sunak is still trying to keep whatsapp messages from the Covid Inquiry. What is he hiding? Plus: Starmerite MPs struggled to defend the farce around Jamie Driscoll’s treatment; and a whistleblower has claimed covert US programmes have UFO aircraft. With Michael Walker and James Meadway.
Large parts of southern Ukraine are currently facing catastrophic flooding following the destruction of a hydroelectric dam.
Plus: Rishi Sunak travels to Washington to discuss artificial intelligence with Joe Biden; and BBC Newsnight air a bizarre segment over Labour blocking Jamie Driscoll.
With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
After Labour blocked him from re-standing as North of Tyne Mayor, we speak to Jamie Driscoll about how he will respond. Plus: Will Stronge from Autonomy explains the first UBI trial in England; and Rishi Sunak is trying to claim a victory over his migration policies. With Michael Walker and Mike Bankole.
Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani discuss the Philip Schofield scandal, Labour’s offer to graduates, and Andy Burnham’s call for PR.
Capitalism’s power over us can feel mysterious, abstract. Not only is it baffling that a system rocked by crises can be so robust, but the terms used to describe it in Marxism can also be convoluted.
Søren Mau, a young communist philosopher from Denmark, has set out to solve both problems: cutting a clean path through the thickets of jargon to explain capitalism’s persistence and power.
In the process, he elucidates what Marx called ‘the mute compulsion of capitalism’: the power that works by constructing our material and social environments so that we are compelled to reproduce capitalist relations. But this power, says Søren, grows from the very stuff that makes us human in the first place.
Taking in everything from globe-spanning infrastructure to the vulnerability of the human body, Søren Mau tells Richard Hames how we got so stuck.
Rail strikes have again hit services across England, with ASLEF and RMT unions taking industrial action over pay, job security and passenger safety. Plus: a shocking story about the DWP rejected disability benefit claims; and artificial intelligence experts have delivered their strongest warning yet about the developing technology. With Richard Hames and Ash Sarkar.
Accusations of cover ups at ITV and the Guardian – is British media finally undergoing its #MeToo moment?
Plus: surprise! The government hasn’t handed over Boris Johnson’s unredacted WhatsApps.
With Moya Lothian-Mclean and Shon Faye.
Many people would agree that corporations have undue influence over our democracies. But exactly how this influence is exerted is tricky to work out – and that is by design. Behind innocuous-sounding acronyms and worthy-sounding trade agreements are the real cogs that allow the global corporate machine to corrupt societies. Our guest this week Matt Kennard has spent the last two years investigating these cogs.
In his new book, ‘Silent Coup’, he and co-author Claire Provost relay shocking examples of how corporations exert, expand and consolidate control over the lives of practically everyone in the world.
Jeremy Hunt has said he would find a recession “acceptable” in order to fight inflation.
Plus: Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford has slammed the UK government in the wake of riots in Cardiff; and a London borough council has become the first local authority to role out a particular transformative policy for young people for the first time in the UK.
With Aaron Bastani and Moya Lothian-Mclean.
Net migration to the UK has hit another record level, but are record migration figures really a cause for concern?
Plus: will the new Ofgem energy cap lower your bills? And does Ron DeSantis stand a chance at being the Republican nominee for US president?
With Moya Lothian-Mclean and Mike Bankole.
Israel needs friends. And one of the main tools it has used to get them is its arms industry. The 10th biggest in the world, it increasingly specialises in the kind of digital surveillance technology European governments love to pretend they never use.
Such powerful technology has not only forced many of its former adversaries to the table but, paradoxically, has increased the mistrust between itself and its closest allies: the powerful Five Eyes group of anglophone intelligence agencies.
In The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World, Antony Loewenstein reveals how this industry has made itself indispensable to the Israeli state.
He joins Rivkah Brown to talk about how Israel’s often spectacular occupation of the Palestinian territories has allowed it to export not just its sophisticated weaponry but also the very idea of ethnonationalism around the world.
Boris Johnson is back in the spotlight after new claims he broke lockdown rules whilst he was prime minister.
Plus: the chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission is under investigation for transphobia; and South Wales Police give a statement outlining the events that led to the death of two teenage boys in Cardiff, but questions still remain.
With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Home secretary Suella Braverman is finding herself in yet another scandal – this time over undeclared links she has to Rwanda.
Plus: Chaotic scenes as Fossil Fuel giant Shell see their AGM disrupted by climate protestors; and the government are trying to make British rail travel even more worse.
With Aaron Bastani and Barnaby Raine.
Home secretary Suella Braverman is facing questions over whether she broke the ministerial code in her handling of a speeding offence.
Plus: Just Stop Oil receive a surprising new backer; and Lula’s appearance at the G7 sparks debate over the Ukraine war.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Ian Hogarth has invested in more than 50 artificial intelligence companies and is co-author of the annual State of AI report. And he’s worried. Not only about the disruptive consequences of machine learning for human employment, but about the potential rise of an ‘AGI’: artificial general intelligence. For Hogarth, the prospect of a machine able to augment its own intelligence is of grave concern, and something which political elites have so far ignored.
He talks to Aaron Bastani about how close we are to “god-like” AI, the arrival of quantum computing, and whether the arrival of AI could herald a break with capitalism as we know it.
Black MPs have told Channel 4 News they’re too scared to speak out about racism for fear of losing the Labour whip. What the hell is going on in Keir Starmer’s party?
Plus: a viral video shows Just Stop Oil protestors assaulted; and Matt Hancock insists he is a human being.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Water companies have issued an apology over sewage dumping and announced higher consumer bills will pay for infrastructure improvements.
Plus: BT have announced tens of thousands of job cuts and are set to replace a fifth of them with artificial intelligence; the cost of living crisis continues, but Tory MP Brendan Clarke Smith has the dumbest response.
With Moya Lothian-Mclean and Shon Faye.
After last week’s look at the politics of comedy, this time the gang turn to the gogglebox for a Microdose about sitcoms. Specifically, we’re watching comedy shows set in the workplace – from shoddy B&Bs to big-box superstores, from Wernham Hogg to Springfield Nuclear Power Plant.
What lies beyond the double entendres and cheap sexism of the ’70s? Where did workplace humour go in the ’90s? How did TV cops reckon with Black Lives Matter in the 2020s? And which sitcom is a favourite of both Nadia Idle and Mrs Thatcher? Only ACFM has the answer.
Subscribe to the ACFM mailing list at novara.media/acfmnewsletter
TV shows: The Dick Van Dyke Show / Steptoe and Son / On The Buses / Are You Being Served / Fawlty Towers / Taxi / Yes Minister / The Simpsons / The Office / The IT Crowd / 30 Rock / Parks & Recreation / Party Down / Brooklyn Nine-Nine / Silicon Valley / Superstore / Atlanta / Corporate / Severance
Produced by Matt Huxley and Chal Ravens. Music by Matt Huxley.
Michael Gove has finally announced reforms he says will protect renters from dodgy landlords. Is it good enough?
Plus: 1.5C of warming to global temperatures is now inevitable according to climate scientists and record temperatures are almost guaranteed over the next five years. We speak to Climate scientist Ella Gilbert.
With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
The French left is in its most explosive state for a generation. In response to the pension reforms pushed through by Emmanuel Macron’s government, the Yellow Vests, unions, students and environmentalists alike are linking up their struggles. The tactical vocabulary has expanded: strikes and official protests have been supplemented by blockades, ‘wild demonstrations’ and power cuts targeting the French elite. Meanwhile, escalating police violence has put multiple protesters in comas.
We tell ourselves this could never happen in the UK. But is that really so? For Novara FM, Richard Hames went to Paris to find out, amidst the clouds of tear gas, how the movement in France became so dynamic, how it might still grow further, and whether, and how, it might win.
Produced by Richard Hames and Chal Ravens with special thanks to Olly Haynes and the Strikewave Assembly.
The second day of the National Conservatism conference has seen eyebrow raising speeches from Douglas Murray and warm words about the event from Michael Gove.
Plus: A record number of people are out of work due to long-term illness; and how should online misogyny be tackled?
With Moya Lothian-Mclean and Ash Sarkar.
Suella Braverman has used the brand new National Conservatism conference to bash her own immigration policies. Will the move wash?
Plus: Keir Starmer says he doesn’t care if he sounds Conservative; and we speak to Cihan Tugal about the initial results of the Turkish presidential election.
With Michael Walker and Kim McIntosh.
What’s the point of comedy? Stand-ups were at the forefront of the cultural backlash against Thatcherism, but today’s meme-driven lols are rarely in the service of left-wing politics. Meanwhile, the world’s most powerful people seem intent on having a laugh, from podcasting politicians to presidential comedians.
In this Trip, Jeremy Gilbert, Nadia Idle and Keir Milburn put together an ACFM theory of humour. Does satire make us more cynical? Is there such a thing as a national sense of humour? Are men funnier than women? Where did all the comedy songs go?
The gang consider theories of laughter from Lauren Berlant, Freud and Bergson and the efforts of jokemongers like Phyllis Diller, Larry David and Alexei Sayle. Brace yourself for musical humour from The Wurzels, Afroman and Half Man Half Biscuit.
Subscribe to the newsletter: novara.media/ACFMnewsletter
Books & articles: Juvenal – The Satires / Lauren Berlant and Sianne Ngai – Comedy Has Issues / Christopher Hitchens – Why Women Aren’t Funny / Henri Bergson – Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic / Sigmund Freud – Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious / Thomas Hobbes – Human Nature / Alenka Zupančič – The Odd One In: On Comedy / Todd McGowan – Only a Joke Can Save Us
Music: Benny Hill – Ernie / The Wurzels – The Combine Harvester (Brand New Key) / The Commentators – N-N-Nineteen Not Out / The Tiger Lillies – Gin / Spinal Tap – Big Bottom / Calimar White – Never Do S#!t At Work / Chumbawamba – Bigmouth Strikes Again / Half Man Half Biscuit – Joy Division Oven Gloves / Bob Dylan – Lenny Bruce Is Dead / Afroman – Because I Got High / The Beat – Tears of a Clown / Monty Python – Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
TV & film: The Thick of It / Brass Eye / Have I Got News For You / Spinal Tap / 30 Rock / Curb Your Enthusiasm
Produced and edited by Matt Huxley and Chal Ravens. PRS Licence Number: LE-0016481
Keir Starmer has said the UK migration system is “broken” after new figures have predicted net migration could have been nearly a million in 2022.
Plus: Alastair Campbell goes nuclear on Newsnight; and Ash Sarkar drops truth bombs on BBC Question Time.
With Aaron Bastani and Michael Walker.
Kemi Badenoch has taken heat from Brexit headbangers after confirming the government won’t be repealing all EU laws by the end of the year.
Plus: The Bank of England raise interest rates yet again; and CNN conduct a town hall debate with Donald Trump.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has attacked the government for their awful migration policies, but home secretary Suella Braverman is pushing ahead.
Plus: James O’Brien gets it wrong again; and Piers Morgan is in hot water after the high court hears he knew about phone hacking at the mirror group.
With Michael Walker and Barnaby Raine.
After arresting peaceful protestors at the King’s coronation, the Met police have now issued an apology.
Plus: the Tory government are due to house 500 migrants in a floating barge; and GB News get another OfCom complaint upheld.
With Dalia Gebrial and Amardeep Singh Dhillon.
The metropolitan police are again finding themselves amid scandal after arresting dozens of republican protestors at the King’s coronation.
Plus: so-called ‘free speech defender’ Lee Anderson comes out against free speech, and will the Lib Dems prop-up a Labour minority government?
With Ash Sarkar and Mike Bankole.
In 1990, the Berlin Wall came down and the experiment of communist East Germany came to an end. Yet for a while it was a successful project, raising living standards against massive odds and providing stability for the first time in half a century. So is it time to reassess Europe’s most wealthy, and advanced communist country, the DDR? Aaron Bastani speaks to author and historian Katja Hoyer, author of Beyond the Wall: East Germany, 1949-1990.
The 2023 local elections have seen the Conservatives losing hundreds of seats across England. Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani analyse the results and what it means for Sunak’s government, Starmer’s Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens.
Plus: the WHO say that Covid-19 is no longer an international health emergency, and Peter Hitchens takes on the government over Britain’s poor rail service.
New laws brought in by the Tories have seen ID requirements appear for the first time in English local elections.
Plus: David Starkey makes more shocking and racist comments on GB News, and another oil and gas giant record enormous profits.
With Moya Lothian-Mclean and Ash Sarkar.
Despite the gains won by a century of feminism, the conveyor belt of normie life still pushes us towards the nuclear family and the picket fence. We can sense that our freedom is still limited by our material conditions – the prohibitive cost of housing, for instance – but is it also limited by our lack of imagination?In her debut book, Novara Media contributor Sophie K. Rosa explores that question and makes the case for 'radical intimacy': the idea that expanding our notion of intimate, caring relationships will not only engender happiness, but a kind of revolution. She joins Rivkah Brown for a conversation about deconstructing the patriarchal family, the promise of queer parenting, and why it's so hard to actually build the commune of our dreams.Music by Matt Huxley.
Palestinians don’t often get to tell their own stories, and on the rare occasion they do it’s on highly limited terms. Ash Sarkar speaks to writer and poet Mohammed el-Kurd, Palestine correspondent for The Nation, about growing up in occupied territory and why journalists fail to tell the truth about Israel.
Keir Starmer has broken yet another of his 10 pledges made when he was running for Labour leader.
Plus: Briton’s are being told to swear an oath to the king; and BP see yet more record profits.
With Aaron Bastani and Barnaby Raine.
Richard Sharp has resigned as BBC chair after failing to declare that he had helped facilitate a loan for Boris Johnson, the then Prime Minister who appointed him.
Plus: we speak to David Broder about Giorgia Meloni – the far-right leader of Italy who has visited Rishi Sunak.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
The long-awaited white paper covering regulation of the gambling industry has been published. Should Labour be accepting money from gambling giants?
Plus: just how bad is the newly passed Public Order Bill? And the RCN lose a court case to the government, halving the length of their upcoming industrial action.
With Moya Lothian-Mclean and Shon Faye.
Since the 1950s, nuclear power has been met with a resounding “nein danke!” from many left-wing campaigners, even as it has become a fixture of the energy mix, powering 15% of the UK grid today – down from 25% in the 1990s.
Supporters on the left say nuclear is a necessity if we stand a chance of decarbonising the economy. Its detractors argue that it’s just another lethal fossil fuelling an extractive and unjust system. Can both be right?
For a fresh perspective on a decades-old debate, Craig Gent, head of operations at Novara Media, meets two experts from either side of the divide: Andrea Vetter, a transformation researcher and activist in Germany and the co-author of The Future is Degrowth: A Guide to a World Beyond Capitalism, and Matthew T. Huber, a professor of geography at Syracuse University in New York and the author of Climate Change as Class War.
Music by Matt Huxley.
With the government's illegal migration bill back in parliament, Tory ministers have been back on the airwaves stoking anti-migrant sentiment.Plus: we speak to Khalid Mustafa Medani about the conflict in Sudan.With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Britain is in the grip of a dentistry crisis, with millions of people unable to receive dental care.
Plus: the Tory sewage scandal continues; and Joe Biden announces his candidacy for reelection.
With Aaron Bastani and Michael Walker.
Everyone rails against the elite, but who are they? The left would say it’s the billionaires, the media barons, the oil tycoons, and the 1% – those who control our economy, our housing, and basic necessities. However, the right increasingly insists on the existence of a “new elite” of woke corporations, “social justice warrior” celebrities, and snowflake university graduates.
From headlines and social media feeds to TV screens, whether it’s some fringe YouTuber or the home secretary, you can’t escape it. On Downstream, Aaron takes on one of the proponents of this theory, Matthew Goodwin, a professor of politics at the University of Kent whose latest book – Values, Voice, and Virtue: The New British Politics – has been received glowingly by Britain’s establishment media.
Diane Abbott has had the Labour whip suspension following a letter sent to the Observer that has been branded antisemitic.
Plus: Tucker Carlson is out from Fox News; and we speak to Extinction Rebellion about their set of demands they have put to the government.
With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Dominic Raab has lashed out at civil servants after resigning for bullying them.
Plus: Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket explodes four minutes into flight, and we speak to Extinction Rebellion about their four days of action dubbed “the big one”.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
What if Das Kapital was made into a Marvel movie, with a team of workers fighting the supervillain ‘Capital’? Or if Silvia Federici’s Wages Against Housework had been a kitchen sink drama?
That’s roughly the proposition of How to Blow Up a Pipeline, a slick new action movie based on Andreas Malm’s 2021 polemic. Heeding Malm’s calls for sabotage in the face of climate crisis, the film follows a group of eight co-conspirators as they converge on a single, explosive task: to destroy the infrastructure that is killing us all.
As the eco-thriller hits UK cinemas, Novara Media’s audio producer Richard Hames speaks to the film’s co-screenwriter and executive producer Jordan Sjol about propaganda in the 21st century and this new piece of box office dynamite.
Dominic Raab’s future is on the line as Rishi Sunak is delivered a report into bullying allegations.Plus: how much are we paying for the coronation of King Charles? And Labour MPs Lisa Nandy and John McDonnell clash on TV over Labour's attack ads.With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Inflation is still high, food prices have rocketed, and Britain looks like the sick man of Europe. We speak to economist James Meadway.
Plus: In the US, the blockbuster trial between Fox News and Dominion is settled, and the Daily Mail go after a student doctor for ridiculous reasons.
With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
The SNP’s treasurer Colin Beattie has been arrested amidst an investigation into the party’s finances.
Plus, Just Stop Oil activists disrupt the World Snooker Championship and Ofgem still won’t ban prepayment meters.
With Aaron Bastani and Barnaby Raine.
Has Rishi Sunak’s flagship maths policy been a massive miscalculation?
Plus an ethics investigation into the prime minister, maternity mortality rates and more nurses strikes loom.
With Moya Lothian-Mclean and Dave Carr.
Members of the Royal College of Nursing have voted to reject the government’s latest pay offer, defying the advice of union leaders.
Plus, the FBI have arrested a 21-year-old national air guardsman on suspicion of leaking classified Pentagon documents and Keir Starmer faces an expenses scandal.
With Aaron Bastani and Ash Sarkar.
What’s it going to take to save the planet? After another year of extreme temperatures and limp promises, climate activists are at a strategic crossroads.
Extinction Rebellion has declared a shift away from disruptive tactics. Splinter groups like Just Stop Oil remain committed to direct action, even at huge personal cost. And in Germany, the Ende Gelände movement is taking the fight to the heart of fossil fuel infrastructure, blockading coal mines and facing off against the police. Is anything working?
As XR prepares for ‘The Big One’ on 21 April, Clare Hymer puts the question to three activists at the forefront of the movement: Clare Farrell, a co-founder of Extinction Rebellion, Rachel Bosler, an activist with XR offshoot Just Stop Oil, and Alice Swift from Ende Gelände.
This episode contains strong language.
Music by Matt Huxley.
Rishi Sunak has refused to rule out the return of Boris Johnson to cabinet.
Plus: French protesters destroy a luxury store owned by the world’s richest man.
With Moya Lothian-Mclean and Shon Faye.
As Joe Biden visits Northern Ireland to commemorate the Good Friday Agreement, we speak to Sarah Creighton about its legacy, and the current strains on peace.
Plus: former prime minister Liz Truss gives a bizarre speech in Washington; and we speak to Dr Parth Patel on the junior doctors strike.
With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Junior doctors are on strike, but Health Secretary Steve Barclay says he isn’t prepared to negotiate.
Plus, CBI boss Tony Danker has been sacked amid allegations of misconduct.
With Aaron Bastani and Ash Sarkar.
Keir Starmer has doubled down on his misleading Tory attack ad and “tough on crime” rhetoric. Will it pay off for Labour?
Plus: Elon Musk winds up the BBC; and a new research project has found ethnic and religious minorities in the UK are experiencing “strikingly high” levels of abuse.
With Michael Walker and Mike Bankole
In The UK, the last few decades have shown the steepest decline in trust in the media globally, second only to Egypt. How did we get here? Is it as simple as Rupert Murdoch wielding his malice more fervently here then elsewhere? Or are there insidious cultural factors that meant our newspapers, and increasingly our broadcasters, were destined to be made more boring, inaccurate and corrupt?
In The UK, the last few decades have shown the steepest decline in trust in the media globally, second only to Egypt. How did we get here? Is it as simple as Rupert Murdoch wielding his malice more fervently here then elsewhere? Or are there insidious cultural factors that meant our newspapers, and increasingly our broadcasters, were destined to be made more boring, inaccurate and corrupt?
In the leadup to the local elections, Labour have joined the Tories in the gutter.
Plus, Mohammed El-Kurd exposes pro-Israel bias on the BBC and a Nike ad campaign sends transphobes into a tailspin.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Aaron and Barnaby Raine discuss why refugees are becoming prisoners, the CBI scandal, a Tory MP media sting, and transphobes attacking Harry Potter’s girlfriend.
Nicola Sturgeon’s husband Peter Murrell has been arrested following an investigation into the SNP’s finances. Plus, Michael Walker speaks to Palestinian Ambassador Husam Zomlot about the storming of the Al-Asqa Mosque by Israeli police.
If we don’t believe that race is a scientific fact, why can’t we shake it off? The answer, according to Sita Balani, a lecturer at Queen Mary University of London, has to do with how race is made through sexuality, and sexuality through race – like the two sides of a Möbius strip.
Drawing on historical evidence from the colonial era to the modern day, Balani’s research reveals that culture, sexuality and race are inextricable. She talks to Eleanor Penny about prostitution in colonial India, the mutable myths of Asian gangs and jihadi brides, and why non-productivity is the new deviance.
Deadly and Slick: Sexual Modernity and the Making of Race is out on Verso in May.
If we don't believe that race is a scientific fact, why can't we shake it off? The answer, according to Sita Balani, has to do with how race is made through sexuality, and sexuality through race – like the two sides of a Möbius strip.Drawing on historical evidence from the colonial era to the modern day, Balani's research reveals that culture, sexuality and race are inextricable. She talks to Eleanor Penny about prostitution in colonial India, the mutable myths of Asian gangs and jihadi brides, and why non-productivity is the new deviance.Deadly and Slick: Sexual Modernity and the Making of Race is out on Verso in May.
The government has now halved the amount it says it will invest in care workers and Donald Trump is appearing in court.
Plus, Moya and Ash discuss whether the government’s new plan for tackling water pollution – and wet wipes – be enough to clean up Britain’s rivers.
Teachers have voted against accepting an “insulting” pay offer and the government is blaming police failures on woke culture.
Plus, Braverman is humiliated in an interview with Laura Kuenssberg.
With Michael Walker and Kim Mcintosh.
Vicky Spratt is a London-based journalist and campaigner who writes on housing and the rental crisis. Her book Tenants is out now with Profile Books.
Donald Trump has been indicted. Michael and Aaron discuss whether this could backfire for the Democrats.
Plus, upcoming council tax and utility bill hikes have been dubbed “Awful April” and Elon Musk is now the most followed person on Twitter.
The UK’s disappointing new climate strategy contains no new commitments to government spending.
Plus, the Chris Kaba case has been referred to the CPS, a right-wing think tank is spreading anti-trans propaganda and a new poll reveals 25% of private tenants are afraid to ask their landlord for repairs.
With Moya Lothian-McLean and Shon Faye.
The Tories’ latest plan for asylum seekers is to house them on barges. Can this government get any lower?
Plus, public satisfaction with the NHS hits an all time low and we discuss whether Jeremy Corbyn should run as an independent candidate.
The world is drowning in cops. From uniformed guards in supermarkets to private security contractors in war zones, policing is increasingly being carried out by companies, not states. Who are they protecting?
William I. Robinson, professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, believes that the root of global over-policing is what he calls “surplus humanity” – the humans that capitalism no longer requires, and who must therefore be controlled and violently repressed.
Using shocking data from his recent book, Global Police State, Robinson talks to Rivkah Brown about an out-of-control system, the stirrings of a global rebellion, and what social justice movements get wrong about cops.
The world is drowning in cops. From uniformed guards in supermarkets to private security contractors in war zones, policing is increasingly being carried out by companies, not states. Who are they protecting?William I. Robinson, professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, believes that the root of global over-policing is what he calls "surplus humanity" – the humans that capitalism no longer requires, but who must be controlled and violently repressed.Using shocking data from his recent book, Global Police State, Robinson talks to Rivkah Brown about an out-of-control system, the stirrings of a global rebellion, and what social justice movements get wrong about cops.
Labour has officially banned Jeremy Corbyn from standing as party candidate with Ed Miliband backing the suspension.
Plus, food inflation hits an all-time high, Royal Mail bosses threaten insolvency and a damning report reveals structural racism in Britain’s newsrooms.
With Aaron Bastani and Maurice Mcleod.
Rishi Sunak is getting tough on petty crime. In the middle of a historic cost of living crisis, why are politicians obsessing over laughing gas? Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar discuss. Plus, Humza Yousaf is elected SNP leader and Matt Hancock asks a fake company to pay him £10,000 a day.
Britain is unique in the way that public schools (that’s private schools to anyone outside of Britain) have a stranglehold on the establishment. Alumni of these schools are massively overrepresented in the upper echelons of society – so is it any wonder that the media, the judicial system and the political class treat normal people with contempt?
To explore the connections between power and the institutions that consolidate it in the hands of the few, Ash Sarkar is joined by Richard Beard, author of ‘Sad Little Men: Private Schools and the Ruin of England’.
The French are rioting against Macron's pension reforms. Is it time we learnt from them? We ask Cole Stangler.Plus, governor of the Bank of England Andrew Bailey warns against price hikes.
Starmer embraces his cop energy in his latest speech and the Bank of England hike interest rates yet again.
Plus, Johnson’s media sycophants and Sunak’s dodgy deal with Israel’s right-wing.
With Michael Walker and Barnaby Raine.
In the wake of another report depicting the Metropolitan Police as institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic, the idea of reform seems increasingly futile. Can the police ever be held to account?
This week on Novara FM, we’re republishing James Butler’s conversation with Mark Neocleous, Professor of the Critique of Political Economy at Brunel University. Through his writing on police power, Neocleous suggests that it is impossible to make sense of policing without understanding its role in upholding the entire social order – which can make change seem impossible. The demand for abolition, then, is more radical than it first appears.
A Critical Theory of Police Power: The Fabrication of Social Order is available from Verso.
Did Boris Johnson's three-hour grilling finally end his career? Michael Walker and Maurice Mcleod discuss.Plus, Louise Casey weighs in on responses to her Metropolitan Police report and Sunak releases his tax returns.
An investigation led by Baroness Louise Casey has declared the Met to be institutionally racist, sexist and homophobic.Plus, we speak to activist Mikaela Loach about the latest IPCC report and Partygate makes a comeback.With Dalia Gebrial, Michael Walker and Ife Thompson.
An investigation led by Baroness Louise Casey has declared the Met to be institutionally racist, sexist and homophobic.
Plus, we speak to activist Mikaela Loach about the latest IPCC report and Partygate makes a comeback.
With Dalia Gebrial, Michael Walker and Ife Thompson.
Protests have erupted across France as Macron faces a no-confidence vote. Meanwhile in the UK, the RMT have accepted a pay deal from Network Rail.
Plus, Suella Braverman visits Rwanda and the SNP’s finances are under scrutiny.
With Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar
Roger Hallam was released from jail a few weeks before this interview. He was held on remand for 109 days after being charged with ‘conspiracy to cause a public nuisance’ – simply for giving a speech. He has been part of some of the most influential activist groups of the last few years including Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil. Now he’s out, his message hasn’t changed. According to him, we have less than ten years before our political systems collapse due to hundreds of millions of climate refugees.
To join Roger and Aaron to discuss climate refugees and the solidarity action that will take place in April with 1000s to take to the streets – sign up to this zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcodumppzgoG9xvDuHDaj9pQFfDq6i4omRV
The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin. Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani the significance of this move.
Plus, UN inspector says Bush and Blair should be tried at the Hague and new Labour Files revelations.
Novara Live: Unite Reject the Tories’ NHS Pay Deal, Hunt’s Budget for the 1% Slammed by Novara Media
Jeremy Hunt’s budget promised changes to childcare, tax allowances and disability benefit. We’ll ask Miatta Fahnbulleh to explain it all, and assess Labour’s response.
Plus, half a million workers go on strike and leaked communications reveal Downing Street’s influence on the BBC.
With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
A train derails, spilling its toxic cargo over a rust belt town. Unknown saboteurs blow up a critical undersea pipeline. A hydroelectric dam raises the risk of nuclear war. In short, infrastructure is always political, as the academic Laleh Khalili urgently reminds us in her writing.
If the world operates as it does because of the infrastructure we already have, how do we win back control of these systems and build a better planet to come? The author of Sinews of War and Trade tells Eleanor Penny about the past and future of infrastructure, from dams and bridges to pipelines and dataflows.
Read her article ‘Apocalyptic Infrastructure’ online in NOEMA magazine.
Suella Braverman’s Illegal Migration Bill passed its second reading in the house of commons without a single Tory voting against it.
Plus, new data reveals the shocking scale of allegations of police violence towards women and the UK government pours money into Australian submarines.
With Aaron Bastani and Michael Walker.
The BBC has been humiliated in its stand off with Gary Lineker. Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar discuss what his victory means.
Plus, junior doctors go on strike and Fiona Bruce leaves charity after Question Time blunder.
Mehdi Hasan is one of the most prominent political journalists in the US. He talks to Aaron Bastani about the challenges facing the world today: authoritarianism, the role of media in shaping public opinion, and the need for a more equitable society. His new book, “Win Every Argument” is out now.
From the epic of Gilgamesh to the archetypes of Carl Jung, the mysterious power of myth is at hand. Is Genesis as mythical as Oedipus? How did the fantasy of Brexit become a reality? And what stories underpin the emerging theory of Gilbertism?
In this Trip, Jeremy, Nadia and Keir explore the alternate realities created by psychoanalysts and professional wrestlers, and discuss how theorists of myth have fed into both left and right-wing ideologies. Along the way they explore ideas from Barthes, De Beauvoir and Jordan Peterson, and music from Okkervil River, Bob Dylan, This Mortal Coil and Sun Ra.
Join the mailing list: novara.media/ACFMnewsletter
Books: The Epic of Gilgamesh / George Eliot – Middlemarch / Sigmund Freud – Totem and Taboo / Carl Jung – Man and His Symbols; The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious / Claude Levi Strauss – The Structural Study of Myth / Shakespeare – Hamlet / George Lakoff – Metaphors We Live By / Roland Barthes – Mythologies / Simone de Beauvoir – The Second Sex / Ernesto Laclau – New Reflections on the Revolution of Our Time / Joseph Campbell – The Hero with A Thousand Faces / Georges Sorel – Reflections on Violence / Leo Strauss – The City and Man; Natural Right and History / Yves Citton – Mythocratie: Storytelling et Imaginaire de Gauche / Greil Marcus – Lipstick Traces / Greil Marcus – Mystery Train / Mark Fisher – Capitalist Realism / Jordan Peterson – Maps of Meaning
Films: You May Be Pretty, But I Am Beautiful: The Adrian Street Story / Generation Zero
Music: Okkervil River – ‘We Need A Myth’ / Cocteau Twins – ‘Persephone’ / This Mortal Coil – ‘Song to the Siren’ / Sun Ra and his Solar Myth Arkestra – ‘Realm of Lightning’ / The Doors – ‘Hyacinth House’ / Brian Eno – ‘Apollo’ / Bob Dylan – ‘Isis’ / Siouxsie and the Banshees – ‘Mirage’ / Lloyd Price – ‘Stagger Lee’
From the epic of Gilgamesh to the archetypes of Carl Jung, the mysterious power of myth is at hand in this Trip. Jeremy Gilbert, Nadia Idle and Keir Milburn explore the alternate realities created by psychoanalysts and professional wrestlers, and discuss how theorists of myth have fed into both left and right-wing ideologies. How did the fantasy of Brexit become a reality? Is Genesis as mythical as Oedipus? And what stories underpin the emerging theory of Gilbertism? The gang bring their weird left analysis to ideas from Barthes, De Beauvoir and Peterson, with music from Okkervil River, Bob Dylan, This Mortal Coil and Sun Ra.Subscribe to our mailing list: novara.media/ACFMnewsletterBooks: The Epic of Gilgamesh / George Eliot - Middlemarch / Sigmund Freud - Totem and Taboo / Carl Jung - Man and His Symbols; The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious / Claude Levi Strauss - The Structural Study of Myth / Shakespeare - Hamlet / George Lakoff - Metaphors We Live By / Roland Barthes - Mythologies / Simone de Beauvoir - The Second Sex / Ernesto Laclau - New Reflections on the Revolution of Our Time / Joseph Campbell - The Hero with A Thousand Faces / Georges Sorel - Reflections on Violence / Leo Strauss - The City and Man / Yves Citton – Mythocratie: Storytelling et Imaginaire de Gauche / Greil Marcus - Lipstick Traces / Greil Marcus - Mystery Train / Mark Fisher - Capitalist Realism / Jordan Peterson - Maps of MeaningFilms: You May Be Pretty, But I Am Beautiful: The Adrian Street Story / Generation ZeroMusic: Okkervil River - 'We Need A Myth' / Cocteau Twins - 'Persephone' / This Mortal Coil - 'Song to the Siren' / Sun Ra and his Solar Myth Arkestra - 'Realm of Lightning' / The Doors - 'Hyacinth House' / Brian Eno - 'Apollo' / Bob Dylan - 'Isis' / Siouxsie and the Banshees - 'Mirage' / Lloyd Price - 'Stagger Lee'
In a dramatic U-Turn the BBC are taking Gary Lineker off air over a tweet – and now even David Attenborough shows are under threat. Is no-one safe from the tyranny of cancel culture at the BBC?
Plus: new theories about the Nordstream pipeline explosion emerge; and Sunak meets with Macron over channel crossings.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Suella Braverman’s illegal migration bill has received support from European far-right leaders.
Plus: the Tories promoting a new moral panic around sex education in schools; and how much money has GB News lost in a year?
With Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar.
Suella Braverman has been out on the airwaves promoting her new immigration bill, and she couldn’t stop lying. We speak to asylum and immigration expert Lou Calvey.
Plus: the first televised SNP leadership debate sees harsh attacks between the candidates; and the newsagents podcast reveals the truth about BBC bias.
With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Suella Braverman has outlined the Government’s Illegal Migration Bill in Parliament, while Rishi Sunak has given a speech about boat crossings. But can the government’s plans work, and are they even legal?
Plus: Matt Hancock contemplated pulling a learning disability hub to discipline a dissenting backbencher, Mike Gapes rejoins the Labour party and Elon Musk attacks the BBC.
With Aaron Bastani and Michael Walker.
Rishi Sunak has announced plans to ban asylum seekers crossing the channel from ever getting the right to stay in Britain. It’s against international law, but can he get away with it?
Plus: A crisis lawyer supposedly hired by Matt Hancock has a car-crash moment; and Boris Johnson has decided to knight his father.
With Michael Walker and Nihal El Aasar.
The media is awash with allegations of censorship. The works of Roald Dahl and Ian Fleming have been combed through to rid them of offensive tropes and language. Who is this seemingly gratuitous raft of cultural editing in service of? A lot of the media will have you believe that it’s the ‘snowflake’. The younger person offended by everything that doesn’t tightly adhere to their identity politics inflected view of the world. Is this archetype useful in discussing matters of sensitivity and freedom of expression? Has the left over-corrected in it’s drive for a kinder world? To discuss ‘snowflakes’, cancelling Shakespeare and girl boss Liz Truss, Ash is joined by Dalia Gebrial and Aaron Bastani.
Boris Johnson is in the dock again with the privileges committee publishing their interim findings on partygate.
Plus: Lee Anderson comes out with another terrible take on refugees; and the inquiry into the manchester arena bombing releases its report.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Does Gavin Williamson hate teachers? And is the menopause ‘leftwing’? According to Kemi Badenoch… perhaps.
With Moya Lothian-McLean and Shon Faye.
Was Matt Hancock giving a journalist all of his WhatsApp messages the stupidest move in modern political history? And what do the leaks show about the government’s Covid response?
Plus: Brexiteers want your pity now that they have got what they want; and a new row has broken out about shoddy BBC journalism.
With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Now that Rishi Sunak has announced his Northern Ireland deal with the EU, he has to sell it to MPs – most of all the DUP and his own backbenchers.
Plus: A&E waiting times are being linked to thousands of deaths; and a Novara Media exclusive explores how bailiffs are cosplaying as police officers.
Rishi Sunak has brokered a deal with the EU over the Northern Ireland protocol. What will it mean for the people of Northern Ireland?
Plus: dozens have died after a boat carrying migrants sunk in the Mediterranean; and Ofgem announce the new energy price cap.
The management consultancy industry is worth around a trillion dollars, yet few people on the street could tell you what all that money is for. Much of it is spent by governments, with the UK leading the charge. A huge range of services are contracted out to these huge, opaque companies. And in the long run, the government ends up unable to do anything for itself. To discuss how we’ve ended up in this position and what can be done about it, Aaron is joined by Mariana Mazzucato, co-author with Rosie Collington of ‘The Big Con: How the Consulting Industry Weakens our Businesses, Infantilizes our Governments and Warps our Economies’.
Michael Walker looks back at the Russian invasion of Ukraine, featuring interviews with Taras Fiderko and Anatol Lieven.Plus: Bernie Sanders is in the UK - but shadow health secretary Wes Streeting isn't impressed.With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.__________________________________________Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:novaramedia.com/support
Keir Starmer has dropped the ten pledges he made in his Labour leadership election and replaced them with five totally different missions. But why should we trust him to stick to them this time around?With Michael Walker and Sam Bright.Read more from Tom Fowler on spycops here: https://spycops.info
What was the Enlightenment? A time of wigs, books and noble thoughts? Or was it a little more swashbuckling than that, and perhaps wearing an eye patch? The final book by David Graeber is concerned with pirates and their lives: nasty, brutish and short, for sure – but also free and strikingly egalitarian. In Pirate Enlightenment, or the Real Libertalia, the late anarchist and anthropologist argues that democracy was born less with a flick of the quill than with a lot of brutish captains being made to walk the plank.To discuss Graeber's pirates and the radical history of the high seas, Eleanor Penny is joined by Marcus Rediker, distinguished professor of Atlantic history at the University of Pittsburgh. His books include Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age and The Slave Ship: A Human History.
Social media has been criticised for its frenzied reaction to the disappearance of Nicola Bulley, but was legacy media much better?Plus: Kate Forbes car crash campaign continues; a 4 day week trial seems promising; & Matt Hancock is now selling... NFTs.With Aaron Bastani and Michael Walker.
Britain is in the grip of a generation-defining housing crisis. Private renters are being forced more and more into living in accommodation of a lower and lower standard – that’s if they can find somewhere to live in the first place. To discuss the problem, and how it can be fixed, Aaron Bastani is joined by a guest extremely familiar to the Novara audience: Michael Walker.You can find Michael’s podcast 'Crash Course' on all podcast apps and you can get extra content on the Crash Course Patreon.
The ACFM groupmind went into overdrive on last week's Trip, a wide-ranging conversation about the long and violent history of strikes. This time, Nadia, Jem and Keir take a closer look at cultural representations of worker organisation – that is to say, they sat themselves down with a huge stack of old movies and an extra-large bucket of opinions.From blacklisted Hollywood dramas to bawdy British comedies, the gang survey nearly 100 years of strikes on screen – courtesy of directors like Danny DeVito, Sergei Eisenstein, Barbara Kopple and Boots Riley – and consider the changing public attitudes to labour and capital.This episode contains some spoilers, so if you're not sure what happens to Billy Elliott in the end, proceed with caution...Get bonus content from this episode and enhance your weird left experience by signing up to the ACFM newsletter: novara.media/ACFMnewsletterFilms: Strike / The Man in a White Suit / Salt of the Earth / I’m Alright Jack / The Working Class Goes To Heaven / Carry On At Your Convenience / The Rank and File / Tout Va Bien / Norma Rae / Matewan / Riff Raff / Hoffa / Billy Elliott / Made In Dagenham / The Full Monty / Pride / Sorry To Bother You
Keir Starmer blocked top left wing talent, and let through right wing liabilities.Plus: the labour right go on a incestuous media tour; why the spy balloon wars are ridiculous.With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.__________________________________________Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:novaramedia.com/support
With Nicola Sturgeon resigning as First Minister, who will replace her as the next SNP leader? We go through the candidates in the running.
Plus: Keir Starmer is a hypocrite according to former Labour Executive Director of Policy Andrew Fisher; Centrica announces record breaking profits amid a spike in energy prices.
With Dalia Gebrial and Michael Walker.
Nicola Sturgeon’s surprise resignation is a bombshell dropped on British politics. We speak to Laura Webster from The National, and Ross Greer from the Scottish Greens.
Plus: Keir Starmer has banned Jeremy Corbyn from standing in the next general election; and Riley Quinn explains why the US might mint a trillion dollar coin.
With Michael Walker and Riley Quinn.
__________________________________________
Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:
novaramedia.com/support
Press censorship in India has reached the BBC. We speak to SOAS academic Subir Sinha about the fallout of raids on the British broadcaster and rising media repression by India’s ruling party.
Plus: is declining sexual intimacy a political concern? And Lee Anderson outlines the 2024 Tory election strategy (spoiler: transphobia).
With Moya Lothian-Mclean & Ash Sarkar.
From covering mass shootings as US Correspondent for The Guardian to investigating QAnon for a year for the podcast ‘Finding Q’, Nicky Woolf has been plumbing the grimmer depths of the American psyche for a long time. He joins Ash to discuss the mysterious ‘Havana Syndrome’, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Making Nazis Afraid Again. You can listen to his new podcast ‘The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome’ everywhere you get podcasts.
The shocking killing of Brianna Ghey has put a spotlight on transphobia in Britain. We speak to journalist Ugla Stefania about the significance of the tragedy, and the hostile environment transgender people face.Plus: a racist riot takes place outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Knowsley; and we speak to Academic Cihan Tugal about how the Earthquake in Turkey has shone a spotlight on poor building practices in the country.__________________________________________Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:novaramedia.com/support
The RMT have rejected their latest offer from Network Rail and train operators. We speak to a train driver and union rep.Plus: Seymour Hersh publishes claims that Biden ordered sabotage of Nord Stream pipelines and Nadine Dorries won’t stand again as MP.With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.__________________________________________Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:https://novaramedia.com/support
Have Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish government cost the country billions of pounds in a historically bad public asset sell off?With Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar.
On Zelensky's surprise visit to parliament he asked MPs to send Ukraine fighter jets. Should Britain send them? We speak to Luke Cooper.Plus: GB News faces more criticism for conspiracy theories; and a review of the government's counter-terrorism programme prevent comes up with exactly the answers they wanted.With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.__________________________________________Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:https://novaramedia.com/support
As poor polls continue to plague the government, Rishi Sunak has attempted to gain control through a cabinet re-shuffle. That includes the promotion of controversial MP, Lee Anderson, to the position of Conservative party deputy chair.Plus: BBC Chairman Richard Sharp gets grilled by the culture committee over his financial relationship to Boris Johnson; BP receive record profits and row back on climate pledges; and met police officer David Carrick is sentenced.With Aaron Bastani and Harriet Protheroe-Soltani.
Today is the biggest strike day in NHS history with nurses and ambulance workers both going on strike.Plus: Liz Truss attempts to rewrite history over he disastrous premiership; and a former Israeli Prime Minister has suggested the West blocked a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. We speak to Jacobin’s Branko Marcetic about what it means.With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.__________________________________________Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:https://novaramedia.com/support
In the midst of Britain’s biggest wave of industrial action in years, the gang turn their attention to the long and bloodied history of strikes. Who do we find on the picket line? Nadia, Keir and Jeremy explore a lineage that stretches back hundreds of years, from matchgirls to miners, from 1840s century Chartists to 2020s university lecturers, and from smoggy cities to leafy suburbs.Along the way they ask whether 18th century sailors were the original tech workers, why Britain’s only general strike was a failure, and if civilisation itself might have started with a sex strike. Plus, the gang discuss their favourite pro-union hits from Paul Robeson, Judy Collins, The Flying Pickets and more.Want more? Get the ACFM newsletter: novara.media/ACFMnewsletterFind our complete Spotify playlist – just search ACFM.Music: Strawbs - 'Part of the Union' / Florence Reece - 'Which Side Are You On?' / Judy Collins - 'Bread and Roses' / Bev Grant - 'We Were There' / The Flying Pickets - 'Only You' / Paul Robeson - 'Joe Hill'Books and pamphlets: William Benbow - Grand National Holiday, and Congress of the Productive Classes / E. P. Thompson - The Making of the English Working ClassFilms: Pride / Made in DagenhamProduced and edited by Matt Huxley and Chal Ravens. PRS Licence Number: LE-0016481
From Shell’s record profits to British Gas breaking into poor peoples’ homes, energy companies are taking us all for a ride.
Plus: Rishi Sunak is epicly unpopular 100 days into his premiership; and economists aren’t heeding Hunt’s calls for positivity about the British economy.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
__________________________________________
Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:
https://novaramedia.com/support
From Shell's record profits to British Gas breaking into poor peoples' homes, energy companies are taking us all for a ride.Plus: Rishi Sunak is epicly unpopular 100 days into his premiership; and economists aren't heeding Hunt's calls for positivity about the British economy.With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.__________________________________________Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:https://novaramedia.com/support
500,000 public sector workers have taken part in the biggest strike action in a decade. Michael Walker speaks to Daniel Kebede from the NEU on why teachers are on strike, and to Dalia Gebrial about the significance of the day.
__________________________________________
Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:
https://novaramedia.com/support
500,000 public sector workers have taken part in the biggest strike action in a decade. Michael Walker speaks to Daniel Kebede from the NEU on why teachers are on strike, and to Dalia Gebrial about the significance of the day.__________________________________________Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:https://novaramedia.com/support
Jeremy Hunt has today begged businesses and journalists to cheer up about the British economy. Can a positive attitude really save us all from 13 years of Tory-induced decline?Plus: Nadhim Zahawi gets slammed by everyone over his tax affairs; and Michael takes on a landlord.With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.__________________________________________Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:https://novaramedia.com/support
The Home Office has allowed hundreds of children seeking asylum to go missing. We speak to refugee and aslyum specialist Lou Calvey to find out what's going on.Plus: the Richard Sharp scandal at the BBC gets worse; and Sunak faces yet more criticism over Nadhim Zahawi's tax affairs.With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.__________________________________________Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:https://novaramedia.com/support
Dating might seem a trivial subject in an era of rising inequality and climate crisis. But finding romantic love – or learning how to live without it – is a big part of all of our lives, and how that happens, from the rise of dating apps to the liberalisation of divorce, has been transformed in the last few decades. Ash Sarkar is joined by Vogue dating columnist Annie Lord and Novara Media’s Moya Lothian-McLean to talk about narcissists, incels, Andrew Tate and the sorry state of heterosexual romance.
Keir Starmer has spent the week schmoozing big banks in Davos. Michael Walker & Aaron Bastani discuss his love affair with the world's elites.Plus: Gary Stevenson calls out the Tories economic record; and Aaron Bastani talks at TED.__________________________________________Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:https://novaramedia.com/support
The work that keeps us clean, fed, clothed and ready to go to work each day is known as social reproduction. Without this unwaged labour, capitalism would collapse. Yet the daily drudgery of cooking, cleaning and raising children is underpinned by our most sincere expressions of love and care. Writer and organiser Alva Gotby refers to this chimerical condition as "emotional reproduction": the essential labour of creating a haven in a heartless world.Gotby joins Eleanor Penny on Novara FM to explain why emotions are a political issue, looking at the reality of social reproduction and the evolving impact of Wages For Housework, the 1970s feminist movement. Why are we still slightly horrified by identifying care as a form of work? Is performing gender itself a type of work? Can love ever be totally free from labour? And why is all of this still the responsibility of women?They Call It Love: The Politics of Emotional Life is available now from Verso.
Peter Hitchens is something of an iconoclast. Among his colleagues on the right, the Mail on Sunday columnist stands out as a heterodox thinker – yet he’s perhaps one of the few who could be described as a genuine conservative. Aaron Bastani meets him to discuss his previous life as a Trotskyist and a Moscow correspondent, and to interrogate his provocative opinions on everything from the second world war and abortion rights to the end of the Soviet Union and why he doesn’t vote.
As MPs debate new strike laws - and trade unionists protest them - we ask a legal expert whether the government's arguments for minimum service rules stack up.Plus: Sunak blocks the new Scottish gender reform; and another Met Police officer has admitted to countless horrific crimes.With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.__________________________________________Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:novaramedia.com/support
With the NHS at breaking point, Junior doctors attack the government on BBC Question Time, while the Tory minister present denies the health service is in crisis.Plus: Shocking recordings of Andrew Tate's misogyny are revealed as the internet celebrity faces sex trafficking charges in Romania.With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.__________________________________________Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:novaramedia.com/support
After a decade of Tory under-investment, ambulance workers are the latest group to strike to defend the NHS. We speak to one of them on the show.Plus: Two Tory MPs go on mad rants; and Mick Lynch tells a Tory MP the reality of Britain's railways.With Michael Walker and Dalia Gerbil.__________________________________________Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:novaramedia.com/support
Meetings between government ministers and union leaders have ended in deadlock. Have the Tories quashed any hope of avoiding months of public sector strikes?
Plus: Supporters of the far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro storm Brazil’s Congress. We speak to David Adler in Sao Paulo.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
__________________________________________
Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:
https://novaramedia.com/support
Rishi Sunak's proposed new anti-strike laws have provoked outrage from the labour movement. Tonight we speak to Riccardo La Torre from the FBU.Plus: Prince Harry's has drawn criticism after saying he killed 25 people in Afghanistan; and Keir Starmer makes a bizarre election pledge.With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.__________________________________________Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:https://novaramedia.com/support
Rishi Sunak's promise of more maths education is a pitiful response to Britain's new status as an international basket case.Plus: Mick Lynch calls out more Tory lies regurgitated by transport secretary Mark Harper; and shocking reports arrive of record breaking temperatures across Europe.With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.__________________________________________Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:https://novaramedia.com/support
Ash is joined by Novara's own Aaron Bastani, Moya Lothian-McLean, Michael Walker and James Butler to talk about what was bugging them in the year 2022.From landlordism to normativity and a nasty turn in identity politics and from the declining fortunes of Europe to the absolute state of the discourse, the Novara team summarises the year that was and looks forward to another bumper year of fighting back.Happy New Year!
Ghosts have already got their own festival: Halloween. So why do they spook us at Christmas too? Do they represent forces of goodness and charity, or some nameless demonic evil? And what gifts have they brought?Jeremy Gilbert shields his eyes from the ghostly apparitions of Jacques Derrida, Lee 'Scratch' Perry and M.R. James as he explores the connections between festive cheer and spectral fear in this Microdose, which accompanies the recent Trip episode on Gifts.An ever-expanding playlist of all the music discussed on the show can be found on Spotify – just search ACFM.Books & articles: M.R. James - Collected Ghost Stories / Jacques Derrida - Specters of Marx / Plato - Phaedrus / Francis Fukuyama - The End of History and the Last Man / Mark Fisher - Ghosts of My Life: Writings on Depression, Hauntology and Lost Futures / Raymond Williams - Border Country / Jeffrey Sconce - Haunted Media: Electronic Presence from Telegraphy to Television / Steven Connor - 'Angels in the architecture: the economy of the supernatural' / David Toop - Haunted Weather: Music, Silence and Memory / Derek Johnston - Haunted Seasons: Television Ghost Stories for Christmas and Horror for Halloween / Charles Dickens - A Christmas CarolMusic: Pierre Schaeffer - 'Etude aux chemins de fer' / Brian Eno and David Byrne - 'My Life in the Bush of Ghosts' / Lee Perry (The Upsetters) - 'Black Board Jungle' / Burial - 'Archangel' / Rufige Kru - 'Ghosts of My Life' / The Sabres of Paradise - 'Haunted Dancehall'
Cutting-edge research has recently revealed that festive movie The Muppet Christmas Carol is actually based on a book. Many are now speculating that there may even be historical context at play. But what could it be? To unwrap the politics of A Christmas Carol, Eleanor Penny is joined by James Butler, co-founder of Novara Media and a contributing editor at the London Review of Books. Together they discuss the hungry 1840s, deflationary economics, Scrooge's miserly capitalism and why Charles Dickens' conversion story is our most enduring ghost of Christmas past.Happy Christmas from everyone at Novara Media!
Throughout his 30-year career, Billy Bragg has never shied away from politics. From playing benefit gigs for miners in the 1980s to clashing with the BNP in his hometown of Barking, he has always used his influence to help those who need it. Ash recently sat down with Billy to discuss his 2006 book, The Progressive Patriot, and whether the left should reclaim patriotism from the right.
Adam Smith claimed that “the propensity to truck, barter and exchange… is common to all men”, but anthropologists know that this isn’t the case. In fact, humans tend towards the opposite. So why do we feel compelled to give away our wealth?
Nadia, Jem and Keir unwrap the cultural and economic pressures on doing pressies in a loosely festive edition of ACFM. Talking about Santa’s workshop, energy price controls and the lavish tradition of potlatch, they bring in the works of Marcel Mauss and David Graeber plus music from The Velvet Underground and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry.
An ever-expanding playlist of all the music discussed on the show can be found on Spotify – just search ACFM.
Sign up to the ACFM mailing list via the shownotes on the Novara Media website.
Looking for a gift for the ACFM fan in your life? Head to shop.novaramedia.com
Books: Emmanuel Levinas – Totality and Infinity / E.P. Thompson – The Moral Economy of the English Crowd in the Eighteenth Century / Bronislaw Malinowski – Argonauts of the Western Pacific / Georges Bataille – The Accursed Share / David Graeber – On Flying Cars and the Declining Rate of Profit / Marcel Mauss – The Gift / Jacques Derrida – The Gift of Death
Music: The Velvet Underground – The Gift / Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry – Merry Christmas (Happy New Year) / El Vez – Feliz Navidad / El Vez – Feliz Navi-Nada / Fox The Fox – Precious little Diamond (Shep Pettibone Remix) / Patti Smith – Free Money / Double Exposure – My Love Is Free / The Dickies – Silent Night
Produced and edited by Matt Huxley and Chal Ravens. PRS Licence Number: LE-0016481
As the Qatar World Cup draws to a close, Tom Williams and Keir Milburn wonder about the future of international football and ask the most important question of all: what is to be done?On the final episode of Pro Revolution Soccer, they're joined by David Wearing, political journalist and lecturer in international relations at the University of Sussex, to look back on the upsets and delights of a tournament that should never have happened. David explains how brands, broadcasters and western powers all benefit from "the violence inherent in the system" and puts forward his vision of football as a force for good.Catch up with the whole season of Pro Revolution Soccer at novara.media/footballProduced by Chal Ravens. Music by Matt Huxley. Design by Pietro Garrone.
As the Qatar World Cup draws to a close, Tom Williams and Keir Milburn wonder about the future of international football and ask the most important question of all: what is to be done?
On the final episode of Pro Revolution Soccer, they’re joined by David Wearing, political journalist and lecturer in international relations at the University of Sussex, to look back on the upsets and delights of a tournament that should never have happened. David explains how brands, broadcasters and western powers all benefit from “the violence inherent in the system” and puts forward his vision of football as a force for good.
Catch up with the whole season of Pro Revolution Soccer at novara.media/football
Produced by Chal Ravens. Music by Matt Huxley. Design by Pietro Garrone.
Four tragic migrant deaths in the Channel, a Qatar corruption scandal and the London Fire Brigade in ‘special measures’.
Plus: an exclusive interview with Mick Lynch.
With Moya Lothian-McLean, Aaron Bastani & Polly Smythe.
__________________________________________
Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:
https://novaramedia.com/support
What is it about Twitter that turns us into such objectionable creatures? What has social media done to the language we use and the way we interact with each other? Ash Sarkar talks to Richard Seymour, author of The Twittering Machine, about the state of social media: tweets, memes, grief trolling, outrage porn, duckface, Spidermen and Jorts the Cat. Could our urge to tweet be diverted towards a more politically useful kind of writing?
Instead of negotiating with striking workers, the Tories are calling in the army. A report backed by Michael Gove takes aim at Novara Media.Plus: Jonathan Portes debunks Tory economic lies.With Michael Walker & Ash Sarkar.__________________________________________Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:https://novaramedia.com/support
It's not a matter of life and death – it's much more important. Football elicits some of the most intense emotions we're capable of feeling, from the hug-a-stranger joy of winning trophies to the phone-in misery of relegation. At the end of the day, it's only a game – but maybe games are more important than we think.To discuss the emotional and social meaning of football, Keir and Tom are joined by writer, filmmaker and Clapton CFC centre-forward Juliet Jacques. They also speak to Novara's labour movement correspondent Polly Smythe about the trade union leader who's become an unlikely cheerleader for the Qatari government.Keep up with Pro Revolution Soccer, the football podcast that doesn’t leave politics at the turnstile, every Friday until the World Cup final.Produced by Chal Ravens. Music by Matt Huxley. Design by Pietro Garrone.
New research shows our distant ancestors enjoyed a far more complex – and creative – existence than we had ever imagined. If humans have always experimented with ways of being, why are we told all the problems of our world are the result of inevitable progress?David Wengrow is an archaeologist and the co-author, with the late David Graeber, of Dawn of Everything. In his third appearance on Novara Media, he tells Aaron Bastani about deep time, the irrepressible role of creativity in politics, and the newfound popularity of 'pseudoarcheology' like Graham Hancock's Ancient Apocalypse Netflix series.
Keir Starmer has today committed Labour to abolishing the House of Lords. How radical will Labour be when it comes to the UK constitution?Plus, Nadhim Zahawi hits a new low and we ask Aghileh Djafari-Marbini if Iran will follow through with disbanding the morality police.With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.__________________________________________Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:https://novaramedia.com/support
Keir Starmer has today committed Labour to abolishing the House of Lords. How radical will Labour be when it comes to the UK constitution?
Plus, Nadhim Zahawi hits a new low and we ask Aghileh Djafari-Marbini if Iran will follow through with disbanding the morality police.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
__________________________________________
Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:
https://novaramedia.com/support
After a by-election trouncing for the Tories, Sajid Javid is the latest MP to announce he’ll be standing down. Are MPs already fleeing from Sunak’s sinking ship?
Plus: Kanye West goes full-blown Nazi and a GB News host’s defence of royal racism falls flat on Question Time.
With Michael Walker & Ash Sarkar.
__________________________________________
Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:
https://novaramedia.com/support
As Wales crash out of the World Cup after defeat against England, Keir Milburn and Tom Williams question their dedication to international football. After all, how can you support a national team if you don’t believe in borders?
On the third episode of Pro Revolution Soccer, Keir and Tom are joined by writer and broadcaster David Goldblatt – author of acclaimed football history tome The Ball Is Round – to discuss football as a national culture. Is cheering for England inherently jingoistic? Or can football be the bedrock of a popular progressive identity – one that no longer feels the need to mention the war when England play Germany? David explores the political potential of the current squad and reflects on the varied responses to Qatar ’22 around the world.
Look out for Pro Revolution Soccer, the football podcast that doesn’t leave politics at the turnstile, every Friday until the World Cup final.
Produced by Chal Ravens. Music by Matt Huxley. Design by Pietro Garrone.
After the 2008 financial crisis, a vast number of people were booted from the formal labour market. Many of them ended up in the gig economy: Uber, Deliveroo, Fiverr. Their exploitation at the hands of these platforms is well known, but often overlooked are the processes of racialisation that contribute to this reorganisation of labour power.In this episode, Eleanor Penny talks to TyskySour co-host Dalia Gebrial about her PhD research into what she terms 'racial platform capitalism'. Looking at Uber drivers and nannies in particular, Dalia explains how 'the racial fix' is used to justify the surveillance and punishment of a disposable workforce, and how Britain's imperial past has produced a lineage of exploitation stretching 'from plantation to platform'.Dalia's paper, 'Racial platform capitalism: Empire, migration and the making of Uber in London', is available to read online at Sage Journals.
Imagine you had a few million ill-gotten pounds, rubles or dollars. Where would you stash it? You'd need to make sure no one knew it was yours, or where you'd nabbed it from. It turns out that the best place in the world for these money-stashing services is the UK. Oligarchs from all over the world use British financial services, overseas territories and even tube stations to hide their wealth.
Ash meets Oliver Bullough, author of Butler to the World: The book the oligarchs don’t want you to read – how Britain became the servant of tycoons, tax dodgers, kleptocrats and criminals.
We don't get enough of it. We take drugs all day to fend it off. We'll do it when we're dead. And it's our last line of defence against 24/7 capitalism.
Sleep, the main course in life's feast! The ACFM crew rouse themselves from slumber to wokeness in this month's Trip, exploring the political and cultural aspects of shut-eye. How has a biological necessity been manipulated by everything from mechanical clocks, electric lighting, screen addiction and the insatiable needs of capitalism?
Nadia Idle lives up to her name and argues we should all be spending more time in bed, Keir Milburn worries about an insomniac culture obsessed with productivity, and – despite his sideline as a party organiser and DJ - Jeremy Gilbert rails against the culture of all-night dancing. Plus, music from Faithless, The Fall and The Beatles.
An ever-expanding playlist of all the music discussed on the show can be found on Spotify.
Music: The Beatles - I'm Only Sleeping / Nirvana - Where Did You Sleep Last Night / John Coltrane - Russian Lullaby / Alex De Grassi - Luther's Lullaby / Faithless - Insomnia / The Beatles - I'm So Tired / Flowered Up - Weekender / The Fall - Rowche Rumble
Books & articles: E. P. Thompson - Time, Work-Discipline and Industrial Capitalism / Paul Lafargue – The Right to Be Lazy / Jonathan Crary - 24/7: Late Capitalism and the Ends of Sleep
Produced and edited by Matt Huxley and Chal Ravens. PRS Licence Number: LE-0016481
Trophies. Glory. Trade deals. Kudos. What does Qatar really want from the World Cup? In the second episode of Pro Revolution Soccer, Keir and Tom reflect on the opening week of the tournament and dig deeper into the political and sporting flashpoints so far.
They're joined by Kate Mason from the Football Ramble podcast, who talks about her years in the Gulf and what she learned while making her new series, Inside the Qatar World Cup. Tom also speaks to Lebanese writer and activist Ali Reda about why Gulf petrostates are investing billions into football – particularly in the north of England – and what the British state gets out of the deal.
Pro Revolution Soccer is out every Friday until the World Cup Final. Find more World Cup coverage, including Ali's article, at novara.media/football
Music by Matt Huxley. Produced by Chal Ravens. Design by Pietro Garrone.
The Supreme Court have today confirmed that Scotland can’t legally hold an independence referendum without Westminster’s permission. Will this simply increase the case for independence? Plus: Suella Braverman crumbles under pressure. Meanwhile, Mick Lynch keeps his cool. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebriel. __________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support
The Aids Coalition To Unleash Power, better known as ACT UP, is one of the most effective social movements in American history. New York City author and activist Sarah Schulman has returned many times to the lessons and provocations of this radically decentralised, unapologetically confrontational direct action group, which was founded in 1987 with one […]
From bizarre FIFA speeches to LGBT wristband bans, Qatar 2022 continues to be marred by controversy. Plus: Labour’s “corrupt” reselection process and Joe Lycett’s challenge to David Beckham. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. __________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support
From bizarre FIFA speeches to LGBT wristband bans, Qatar 2022 continues to be marred by controversy.
Plus: Labour's "corrupt" reselection process and Joe Lycett's challenge to David Beckham.
With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
__________________________________________
Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:
https://novaramedia.com/support
Welcome to Pro Revolution Soccer, a football podcast that doesn't leave politics at the turnstile. In the first episode of a five-part series, Keir Milburn and Tom Williams confront the most corrupt, rapacious and deadly World Cup in sporting history.
Repulsed by football's hyper-capitalism but compromised by their desire to watch Wales v England, Keir and Tom bring together political and tactical analysis in an episode of two halves.
They're joined this week by Novara Media's Ash Sarkar and writer and tactician Alex Stewart, formerly of Tifo Football, to talk sporting boycotts, World Cup players-to-watch and the missing England song.
Catch a new episode of PRS every Friday until the end of the World Cup.
Music by Matt Huxley. Produced by Chal Ravens. Design by Pietro Garrone. Name by Tim Burrow.
Jeremy Hunt has blamed tax rises & spending cuts on the war in Ukraine and Covid-19. In reality, it's the result of 12 years of economic failure.
Plus: Twitter in chaos & World Cup controversy.
With Michael Walker & Aaron Bastani.
__________________________________________
Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:
https://novaramedia.com/support
Rishi Sunak is using record inflation to justify austerity 2.0. We ask James Meadway if that makes economic sense.
Plus: Trump launches his 2024 presidential election bid; and the shameful neglect by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing that led to the death of a 2-year-old.
With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
__________________________________________
Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:
https://novaramedia.com/support
We’re told by the Conservatives and their acolytes in the media that the Labour Party is — and always has been — soft on immigration. Little could be further from the truth. Ash Sarkar meets Dr Maya Goodfellow to talk about New Labour’s inhumane immigration policies, the problem with the term ‘economic migrant’ and how people — no matter what we’re told — will end up falling in love across supposedly unbridgable cultural divides.
On Sunday, the World Cup kicks off in Qatar. How did a tiny dictatorship with a dismal human rights record, deadly summer temperatures and barely any football infrastructure end up hosting the world's biggest tournament? And what's a leftwing fan going to do about it?
Keir Milburn (Leeds United) and Tom Williams (Southampton) tackle the controversy in Pro Revolution Soccer – a five-part podcast series launching on 18 November. Tune in every Friday for expert guests and political punditry you won't find anywhere else.
Head to novara.media/football for more. Music by Matt Huxley. Produced by Chal Ravens.
Suella Braverman's headline-grabbing migrant deal is a re-heated version of policies that have already failed. Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar discuss the farcical nature of migration politics in Britain.
Plus: Keir Starmer plots to block Jeremy Corbyn from the Labour Party.
__________________________________________
Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:
https://novaramedia.com/support
Is Elon Musk trying to kill Twitter? Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar discuss the company’s public meltdown – and what this means for politics.
Plus: Kwasi Kwarteng attempts to re-write history and Dominic Raab makes the Westminster pest list.
__________________________________________
Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:
https://novaramedia.com/support
The welfare state was founded in the postwar period, seemingly as payment for a profound national sacrifice. Strengthening it has been a goal of the left for decades. The argument is as simple as it is radical: the wealth of the nation must be shared among its people. But where did that wealth come from? […]
Chris Packham is a national treasure. A naturalist, photographer and author, he’s best known for bringing nature into our living rooms as host of The Really Wild Show, Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch. He’s also an environmental campaigner and an anti-hunting advocate who has been targeted by threats and arson for his views. Aaron Bastani talks […]
Sunak’s flip-flop on attending COP-27 has already embarrassed Britain, but what’s really at stake during at the climate talks? We speak to Simon Lewis at the conference in Egypt. Plus: Keir Starmer says the NHS employs too many foreign workers; and is Jeremy Hunt is set to unleash austerity 2.0? With Michael Walker and Ash […]
Tory minister Chris Philp has said it is “a bit of a cheek” or asylum seekers to complain about conditions at processing centres. Plus: Elon Musk’s twitter takeover hits stumbling blocks; and the World Cup sees FIFA try to silence critics of Qatar. With Ash Sarkar and Michael Walker. __________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as […]
As Sunak continues to defend Braverman’s decisions over Marston, the Home Office is dumping asylum seekers in London without anywhere to stay. How low can this government go? Plus: Netanyahu is back in power after general elections in Israel; and Matt Hancock’s decision to go on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here. With […]
What is identity politics? Recent definitions have strayed some distance from the ideas laid out by the Black radical feminists of the Combahee River Collective. In their original 1977 statement, the Boston collective established a simple but undeniable truth: what you know depends on who you are. The problem, as American philosopher Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò […]
What is identity politics? Recent definitions have strayed some distance from the ideas laid out by the Black radical feminists of the Combahee River Collective. In their original 1977 statement, the Boston collective established a simple but undeniable truth: what you know depends on who you are. The problem, as American philosopher Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò […]
What is identity politics? Recent definitions have strayed some distance from the ideas laid out by the Black radical feminists of the Combahee River Collective. In their original 1977 statement, the Boston collective established a simple but undeniable truth: what you know depends on who you are.
The problem, as American philosopher Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò points out, is that the most privileged members of marginalised groups can end up speaking for the group as a whole. Identity politics has been captured by elites, says Táíwò, and the effect can either be brazenly cynical – like the CIA implementing a diversity policy – or vastly more subtle.
On Novara FM, the professor of philosophy at Georgetown University talks to Eleanor Penny about his recent book, Elite Capture and Reconsidering Reparations, and how we can get back to the radical promise of identity politics: socialism.
After Lula’s close re-election as president of Brazil, we speak to Vincent Bevins in São Paulo about a historic political comeback. Plus: Liz Truss and Suella Braverman are criticised for security leaks; and a migrant detention centre in Kent is hit by a shocking terrorist attack. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. __________________________________________ Support Novara […]
After Lula’s close re-election as president of Brazil, we speak to Vincent Bevins in São Paulo about a historic political comeback. Plus: Liz Truss and Suella Braverman are criticised for security leaks; and a migrant detention centre in Kent is hit by a shocking terrorist attack. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. __________________________________________ Support Novara […]
After Lula's close re-election as president of Brazil, we speak to Vincent Bevins in Sao Paolo about a historic political comeback.
Plus: Liz Truss and Suella Braverman are criticised for security leaks; and a migrant detention centre in Kent is hit by a shocking terrorist attack.
With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
__________________________________________
Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:
https://novaramedia.com/support
ACFM reunite for spooky season with one thing on their minds: the horror, the horror!
Nadia, Jeremy and Keir embark on a historical, literary and cinematic exploration of scary stuff. Why do (some) humans love to be terrified? What can horror teach us about the nature of the universe? What do the latest crop of scary movies say about the fears plaguing our society?
From Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to Jordan Peele's 'Get Out', from H.P. Lovecraft's cosmic horror to Sigmund Freud's idea of the uncanny, the gang discuss books and ideas spanning several centuries – along with music from Bauhaus, Gravediggaz and Metallica.
An ever-expanding playlist of all the music discussed on the show can be found on Spotify – just search ACFM. Remember you can find the version of this show on Novara Media's SoundCloud.
Books: Joseph Conrad – Heart of Darkness / Sigmund Freud – The Uncanny / Susan Hill – The Woman in Black / Stephen King – On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft / H.P. Lovecraft – Various / Paul Santilli – 'Culture, Evil, and Horror’ / Mary Shelley – Frankenstein / Bram Stoker – Dracula / Horace Walpole – The Castle of Otranto / H.G. Wells – The War of the Worlds
Films: Everything Everywhere All At Once / Get Out / Halloween / Invasion of the Bodysnatchers / Night of the Living Dead / Poltergeist / Rosemary's Baby / White Zombie
Music: Dave Matthews Band - 'Halloween' / Bauhaus - 'Bela Lugosi's Dead' / Warren Zevon - 'Werewolves of London' / Jegsy Dodd - 'A Scouse Werewolf in London' / Metallica - 'Enter Sandman' / Ray Parker Jr - 'Ghostbusters' / Gravediggaz - 'Diary of a Madman' / Insane Clown Posse - 'Hocus Pocus' / Black Sabbath - 'Paranoid'
Produced and edited by Matt Huxley and Chal Ravens. PRS Licence Number: LE-0016481
ACFM reunite for spooky season with one thing on their minds: the horror, the horror! Nadia, Jeremy and Keir embark on a historical, literary and cinematic exploration of scary stuff. Why do (some) humans love to be terrified? What can horror teach us about the nature of the universe? What do the latest crop of […]
ACFM reunite for spooky season with one thing on their minds: the horror, the horror! Nadia, Jeremy and Keir embark on a historical, literary and cinematic exploration of scary stuff. Why do (some) humans love to be terrified? What can horror teach us about the nature of the universe? What do the latest crop of […]
Elon Musk has finalised his purchase of Twitter. What does it mean for free speech, corporate power, and the next US presidential election? Plus: Julia Hartley-Brewer spouts climate denial nonsense on BBC Question Time; and Rishi Sunak is challenged by an elderly woman on nurses pay. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani. __________________________________________ Support Novara […]
Elon Musk has finalised his purchase of Twitter. What does it mean for free speech, corporate power, and the next US presidential election? Plus: Julia Hartley-Brewer spouts climate denial nonsense on BBC Question Time; and Rishi Sunak is challenged by an elderly woman on nurses pay. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani. __________________________________________ Support Novara […]
Elon Musk has finalised his purchase of Twitter. What does it mean for free speech, corporate power, and the next US presidential election?
Plus: Julia Hartley-Brewer spouts climate denial nonsense on BBC Question Time; and Rishi Sunak is challenged by an elderly woman on nurses pay.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
__________________________________________
Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:
https://novaramedia.com/support
Rishi Sunak has defended his appointment his appointment of Suella Braverman as home secretary during his first PMQs. Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial discuss how Sunak fared against Starmer.
Plus: Nadine Dorries makes car-crash debut on TalkTV; and Richard Murphy explains how Rishi Sunak's economic agenda is dangerous.
__________________________________________
Read Richard Murphy's analysis on Sunak's economic agenda:
https://novaramedia.com/2022/10/25/heres-how-rishi-sunak-could-crash-our-economy-again/
__________________________________________
Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:
https://novaramedia.com/support
Rishi Sunak has defended his appointment his appointment of Suella Braverman as home secretary during his first PMQs. Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial discuss how Sunak fared against Starmer. Plus: Nadine Dorries makes car-crash debut on TalkTV; and Richard Murphy explains how Rishi Sunak’s economic agenda is dangerous. __________________________________________ Read Richard Murphy’s analysis on Sunak’s […]
Rishi Sunak has defended his appointment his appointment of Suella Braverman as home secretary during his first PMQs. Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial discuss how Sunak fared against Starmer. Plus: Nadine Dorries makes car-crash debut on TalkTV; and Richard Murphy explains how Rishi Sunak’s economic agenda is dangerous. __________________________________________ Read Richard Murphy’s analysis on Sunak’s […]
In 2018, Ireland voted to repeal the 8th Amendment of its constitution, which stated that a person and the foetus living inside their body had an equal right to life. Yet the struggle around abortion is not over in Ireland, or indeed anywhere else – a fact underscored by the dramatic overturning of Roe v. […]
In 2018, Ireland voted to repeal the 8th Amendment of its constitution, which stated that a person and the foetus living inside their body had an equal right to life. Yet the struggle around abortion is not over in Ireland, or indeed anywhere else – a fact underscored by the dramatic overturning of Roe v. […]
In 2018, Ireland voted to repeal the 8th Amendment of its constitution, which stated that a person and the foetus living inside their body had an equal right to life. Yet the struggle around abortion is not over in Ireland, or indeed anywhere else – a fact underscored by the dramatic overturning of Roe v. Wade this year, which effectively banned abortion in half of US states.
In her book Repealed: Ireland's Unfinished Fight for Reproductive Rights, author and activist Camilla Fitzsimons documents the successes and the failures of the Repeal the 8th campaign and argues that the right to abortion cannot exist in a vacuum: class, race and legal status are just some of the factors that complicate the familiar demand of “my body, my choice”.
On this episode of Novara FM, Fitzsimons speaks to Rivkah Brown about the untidy conclusions of the campaign, why morality is the wrong terrain on which to fight, and the growing threat to abortion rights in the UK.
Rishi Sunak has made his first speech as prime minister and picked his cabinet. What have we learned about how he’ll govern? Michael Walker and Owen Jones discuss. __________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support
Rishi Sunak has made his first speech as prime minister and picked his cabinet. What have we learned about how he’ll govern? Michael Walker and Owen Jones discuss. __________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support
After Johnson and Mordaunt bailed, Rishi Sunak will become Britain’s next prime minister. Are we about to be hit by austerity 2.0 from an unelected technocrat? Plus: Welsh actress is Rakie Ayola hits back on ridiculous ‘woke’ questioning; and Nadhim Zawahi is left high and dry by Johnson With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. __________________________________________ […]
Less than two months after leaving office in disgrace, Boris Johnson is plotting his return to Downing Street. Could it really happen? Plus: Britons want a general election now; and the controversial exit payment, expenses, and Lord’s appointments that Liz Truss will get after leaving Number 10. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani. __________________________________________ Support […]
In less than five days, Liz Truss has lost her chancellor and now her home secretary. Will Suella Braverman’s downfall hasten the end of the prime minister? Plus: As the show is live the Tory party descends into chaos amid a Commons vote on fracking. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial. __________________________________________ Support Novara Media […]
In October 1922, fascists came to power in the March on Rome. 25,000 Blackshirts swarmed through the streets and the King invited their leader — Benito Mussolini — to form a cabinet. Now, almost exactly a century later, Giorgia Meloni, leader of the far-right Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) is about to become the next […]
Jeremy Hunt has overseen a decisive u-turn on the Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget. How long can Truss last as prime minister? Plus: Maurice McLeod talks about his experience being blocked by the Labour party to stand as a candidate. With Aaron Bastani and Ash Sarkar. __________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as […]
Eating is supposed to be fun, so why does food culture – from our table manners to the promise of “clean eating” – trigger so much anxiety? Ash Sarkar meets Ruby Tandoh, former Great British Bake-Off contestant and author of Cook As You Are, to talk about the new wave of food writing and her […]
Kwasi Kwarteng has become the second shortest serving Chancellor in Britain’s history. Is Liz Truss about to become the shortest serving Prime Minister? Plus: Just Stop Oil throw a can of soup at a Van Gogh painting; the shady right-wing think-tanks who broke Britain. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani. __________________________________________ Support Novara Media for […]
As the Bank of England’s mixed messages have spooked the markets, Liz Truss’s contradictory statements in parliament have spooked just about everyone. We speak to James Meadway to make sense of the chaos. Plus: will Kwasi Kwarteng have to resign as chancellor; and Jacob Rees-Mogg lies through his teeth to defend the government. With Michael […]
Are families, like prisons, obsolete? Even if we might baulk at the comparison, the question can be illuminating. To choose one’s own family was long the dream of radicals. What if, instead of those we happen to be biologically related to, we could surround ourselves with care, freely chosen and freely given? After a thirty-year […]
In 2011, while working as a City trader, Gary Stevenson joined the ranks of the ultra-rich with a single bonus cheque. Not long after, he was named one of Citibank’s highest-performing traders worldwide. Stevenson made millions for his employer by betting on one thing: that inequality would worsen and living standards would fall. It made […]
In her party conference speech today, Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon trashed the Tories and re-affirmed her commitment to a second independence referendum. We speak to Jonathon Shafi about the next potential earthquake to hit UK politics. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. __________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support
We live in irrational times. From the resurgence of interest in astrology, tarot and occultism to the deepening influence of conspiracy theories and positive thinking, culture is experiencing a turn towards the magical. What does that mean for those of us on the “weird left”? Nadia Idle, Jeremy Gilbert and Keir Milburn gather round the […]
With the National Grid warning of energy shortages this winter, Liz Truss is refusing to act. Will Tory libertarianism lead to black-outs? Plus: Joe Biden issues federal pardon for possession of marijuana; and the government taking a whacking on BBC Question Time for their energy crisis failure. With Michael Walker and Gary Stevenson. __________________________________________ Support […]
In 1999, an anonymous Italian collective published a novel called Q. Imagined by its left-wing authors as an “operation manual for cultural disruption,” the book has had a bewildering political afterlife, with its story arc and the collective’s media pranks around Satanic ritual and paedophilia seemingly providing the basis for alt-right conspiracy theory QAnon. Did […]
In 1999, an anonymous Italian collective published a spy novel called Q. Imagined by its left-wing authors as an "operation manual for cultural disruption," the book has had a bizarre political afterlife, with its story arc and themes of Satanic ritual and paedophilia seemingly providing the basis for alt-right conspiracy theory QAnon. Did a '90s literary prank foment an American insurrection?
In a Microdose to accompany an ACFM Trip episode about magic, Keir Milburn speaks to Wu Ming 1, one of Q's co-authors and a founding member of the Wu Ming collective, about the universal appeal of conspiracies.
Books: Q – Luther Blissett / La Q di Qomplotto – Wu Ming 1 / The Tyranny of Algorithms – Miguel Benasayag / The Critique of Judgement – Immanuel Kant
The stage magician mentioned by Wu Ming 1 is Mariano Tomatis and the walking tour of Leeds mentioned by Keir is a NovaraFM podcast called Riots and the Red Flag.
Aaron Bastani and Dalia Gebrial discuss Liz Truss’s first conference speech as Prime Minister.
Plus: Suella Braverman praises the British empire and dreams of deportations; Rees-Mogg’s fusion fantasies & the latest on the Chris Kaba killing.
__________________________________________
Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month:
https://novaramedia.com/support
After a mini-budget that spooked the markets and outraged the public, Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng have been forced into a humiliating U-turn. Are the wheels already coming off their government?
Plus: Joana Ramiro reports from São Paulo on the Brazilian presidential election.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Liz Truss’ premiership has set the Tories into freefall, but how much damage can the Conservatives do before we get the chance to kick them out? Plus: Vladimir Putin annexes whole swathes of Ukrainian territory; and the third episode of the Al Jazeera ‘Labour Files’ documentary. With Michael Walker and Maurice Mcleod. __________________________________________ Support Novara […]
On 2nd October, Brazil will be faced with a stark choice. The incumbent president, Jair Bolsonaro, has overseen economic calamity and nearly 700,000 Covid deaths in his first term. His challenger, Lula Da Silva, is hoping to regain the presidency – just three years since being freed from prison. To discuss the state of Brazilian […]
The Bank of England have been forced to intervene as Kwarteng’s mini-budget continues to cause economic meltdown. We ask economist and former market trader Gary Stevenson what it all means. Plus: Keir Starmer’s conference speech analysed; and Labour MP Rupa Huq loses the Labour whip for comments about the chancellor. With Michael Walker and Dalia […]
Two years after resigning as Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn catches up with Aaron Bastani to dissect Corbynism and its aftermath. On the table: the Islington North MP’s suspension from the party, the fallout from the anti-semitism crisis, his previous interactions with new Tory leader Liz Truss, and what he thinks of the royal family.
Michael Walker interviews economist Jo Mitchell on the pound’s plunge, David Broder on Italy’s new far-right government, and is joined by Aaron Bastani to go through the latest from Labour Party conference and Al Jazeera’s ‘Labour Files’ documentary. __________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support
From Dominic Cummings’ cosy texts to Laura Kuenssberg to Boris Johnson having the Telegraph’s editorial board on speed dial, the cohort of journalists who make up the ‘Lobby’ have got a bad rap. Is mainstream political journalism in terminal decline? Or will the rise of independent and alternative media redefine ‘political journalism’ forever? And how […]
Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget gives the rich their biggest tax cut in 50 years. It’s also tanked the pound. Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani discuss the Tory’s latest gamble. Plus: Putin’s escalation of the war in Ukraine sees him mobilise more of his country; Apsana speaks exclusively to Novara Media on how Keir Starmer has failed […]
Three months after being signed off sick following a “sustained campaign of misogynistic abuse” from both her ex-husband and her local Labour party, Apsana Begum is returning to politics. In an exclusive interview with Novara Media, Britain’s first hijabi MP tells Rivkah Brown about escaping an abusive marriage, her suspension from the Labour party, and […]
Liz Truss wants the rich to get richer, and if you don’t like it, she doesn’t care. We speak to economist James Meadway about Trussonomics. Plus: Women are protesting by burning their hijabs in Iran after a 22-year-old woman was beaten to death by morality police. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial. __________________________________________ Support Novara […]
The queen’s state funeral had been planned for decades, with millions spent and thousands involved. Will the pomp of it all save the monarchy? Plus: Fake Royals rock up to the Queen’s funeral; the most surreal moments from the lying-in-state queue; and Scottish football fans mock the royals. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani. __________________________________________ […]
On the eve of the Queen’s funeral, Aaron Bastani and Ash Sarkar look around at a nation in mourning to analyse the emotional and political impact of the death of a monarch. How did Elizabeth’s 70-year reign help to neutralise Britain’s colonial legacy? What do the UK’s grieving royalists look like to foreign media? And […]
While the BBC & Sky deliver wall-to-wall royal coverage, Liz Truss is planning a package of handouts to the rich. Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani discuss bonus caps, fracking and sugar taxes. Plus: Therese Coffey’s obsessions with commas; David Beckham appears in the queue to see the Queen lying in state; and the prime minister […]
With the queen lying in state, the level of public enthusiasm for the monarchy is being measured in a line along the Thames. Michael Walker and Owen Jones discuss what’s driving people to queue. Plus: King Charles fires his staff; A columnist for the Times thinks we should be ‘frugal’ like the Queen; and we […]
Ukrainian forces have made lightning advances, pushing back Russian forces near Kharkiv. How decisive could this prove to the course of the war? We speak to Professor Paul Rogers Plus: the killing of unarmed man Chris Kaba by the metropolitan police; and the latest royal weirdness. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. ________________________________________________ Support Novara […]
It’s one of the few things that the late anarchist anthropologist David Graeber and tech billionaire Peter Thiel agreed on: the sci-fi future we were promised has not materialised. Where are the flying cars? Where are the teleportation machines? And why, instead, do we just have 15 different ride-hailing apps to choose from? In this […]
King Charles III has given his first address to the nation following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Plus: Truss’s energy plan comes as news of her Oil company donations; and a Scottish chip shop owner gets attacked for posting a video celebrating the Queen’s death. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani. ________________________________________________ Support Novara […]
Queen Elizabeth II has died at the age of 96. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. __________________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support
Michael Walker and Owen Jones discuss the key events of Truss’s first full day as prime minister and her first PMQs against Keir Starmer. Plus: Why Suella Braverman as the new home secretary could be even worse than Priti Patel; Liz Truss hires a climate disaster as an advisor; and bye bye bye Nadine Dorries. […]
On the day that Liz Truss wins the Tory leadership content and thus becomes Britain’s next Prime Minister Aaron Bastani and Ash Sarkar discuss what a Truss premiership means. __________________________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support
In the middle of a grave cost of living crisis, bosses at Royal Mail, BT and across corporate Britain are imposing pay rises for workers way below inflation. On Downstream, Aaron Bastani speaks to CWU General Secretary Dave Ward about corporate greed, the shadowy world of CEOs, the return of the working class and how […]
In one of his last speech’s as Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has blamed “short-termism” for the fact that nothing works in Britain. There’s a simpler answer though: We keep being governed by Tories! With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani. __________________________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support
As climate change induced floods devastate Pakistan, Liz Truss has committed to expanding UK oil and gas fields and – apparently – is set to make the climate-skeptic Jacob Rees-Mogg her energy secretary. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial. __________________________________________________________ Read about the Reach journalists strike: https://novaramedia.com/2022/08/23/daily-mirror-journalists-striking-over-low-pay-were-offered-advice-on-side-hustles-by-publishing-giant/ _________________________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as […]
Is colonial capitalism making us sick? From the vast outdoors to the depths of our guts, centuries of colonialism have reordered life on the planet. In its wake have come the dubious efficiencies of big agribusiness and the uneven advances of modern medicine. And our bodies have responded to this colonial condition, in many cases, […]
As the Tory leadership race enters its final week, neither candidate looks willing to take sufficient action on the cost of living crisis. Aaron Bastani and Ash Sarkar discuss the latest Truss proposal to cut VAT. Plus: Laura Kuenssberg back is back to present the BBC’s new Sunday morning show.
As record energy bills come into view this autumn, Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has advised people to use less energy. Plus: the fightback against soaring costs and Emily Maitlis’ hypocrisy on BBC impartiality. With Aaron Bastani and Harriet Protheroe-Soltani. _________________________________________________________ Watch Aaron Bastani’s latest video on the postal workers strike: _________________________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as […]
The NHS is in crisis and the likely next PM Liz Truss wants to slash funding even further. What does the future holds for our healthcare service. With Ash Sarkar and Dalia Gebrial. _________________________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support
Is there more to Liz Truss than meets the eye? On tonight’s TyskySour, Ash Sarkar is joined by Moya Lothian-McLean to discuss just what we can expect from our probable next Prime Minister. Plus: UK shores are being flooded with sewage amid the failure of water privatisation. _________________________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as […]
How can we care for each other within a system that doesn’t care about us? In this episode, Nadia Idle, Jeremy Gilbert and Keir Milburn get to grips with birth, death and all the social reproduction in between. When did we start putting our elders in care homes instead of our own homes? What happens […]
Despite what Grant Shapps might believe, London to Manchester train timetables have been cut by 66%. Can the reputation of Britain’s privatised services get any lower? Plus: Truss & Sunak take aim at solar power. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani. _________________________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support
Keir Starmer failed to stop a campaign to deselect a left wing MP despite an expert warning that the process was an “extension of [her] abuse” With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial. _________________________________________________________ Read more here: https://novaramedia.com/2022/08/17/a-domestic-violence-expert-warned-keir-starmer-that-labour-was-complicit-in-apsana-begums-abuse-he-did-nothing/ _________________________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support
Keir Starmer has ended his period of silence to announce that Labour would freeze energy bills. Is the policy worth the wait? Plus: One year on from the Taliban taking power in Afghanistan; and the cabinet office are trying to ban critics of the government. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. _________________________________________________________ Support Novara Media […]
The NHS is at breaking point, barely anyone can afford their energy, and now we’re running out of clean water. After 12 years of Tory rule, is there a single thing in Britain that works? Plus: Owen Jones demolishes Tory lines on energy prices; and Liz Truss comes out with more complete nonsense. With Michael […]
While Martin Lewis sounds the alarm on energy bills (again), James Cleverly and the Tories are asleep at the wheel. Why is the political establishment failing to offer solutions as prices soar? Plus: Polling shows the Don’t Pay campaign have the public on their side; and workers at Royal Mail announce strikes later this month. […]
Since Bernie Sanders’ failed attempt to become the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, there has been a reinvigoration of the left in the USA. This uptick has also been visible in the media, and nowhere more so than with the rise of Hasan Piker – arguably the most influential political voice on livestreaming service Twitch. Aaron […]
Israeli airstrikes In Gaza this weekend have killed 44 people, including 15 children. Will the ceasefire hold? Plus: Liz Truss’ addiction to U-turns and a new left mobilisation on the cost of living crisis. With Ash Sarkar and Moya Lothian-Mclean. _________________________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support
The coming recession will dwarf everything else in British politics this year. We speak to economist James Meadway about the hardship to come, and the government’s response. Plus: Starmer’s campaign pledges catch him out again; Alex Jones screw himself over in court; and Sunak says the quiet part loud. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani. […]
Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan has intensified tensions between the US and China, but what does it mean for Taiwan itself? We speak to Brian Hioe of New Bloom magazine. Plus: Liz Truss performs a humiliating U-turn and offends the nation of Scotland; Sunak announces a barmy ‘extremism’ policy; and an Australian senator gets rebuked […]
Football has finally come home. But will the Lionesses’ victory be a watershed moment for women in sport? Plus: an interview with CWU’s Dave Ward, Johnson plans to pack the Lords with his mates; and the Don’t Pay UK campaign picks up steam. _________________________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support
With a summer of strikes continuing to escalate, Michael Walker is joined by Labour MP Sam Tarry to discuss his breach with Keir Starmer. Plus: Martin Lewis latest shocking prediction for the October energy price cap rise; and live reaction to Rishi Sunak’s interview with Andrew Neil. _________________________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as […]
As the Tories threaten to ban rail strikes, Keir Starmer has sacked a frontbencher for turning up to a picket line. Is it now the unions vs the government and the opposition? Plus: Starmer sacks shadow transport minister Sam Tarry; and Jamie Hale speaks on the dangers that still remain for disabled people and Covid-19. […]
This weekend Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak embarked on a racist race to the bottom. Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar discuss how low it could get. __________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support
Boris Johnson’s demise meant Britain could have had a serious Prime Minister. Instead, we’re likely to get Liz Truss. Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani discuss her campaign. __________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support
It’s official – the next Prime Minister will either be Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss. Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial discuss what that means for Britain. Plus: Aaron Bastani on the findings of the Forde Report, and Martin Lewis issues a stark warning to Tory leadership candidates. __________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as […]
The third televised Tory leadership debate has been cancelled after Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss pulled out. Plus: The third ballot of Conservative MPs sees Tom Tugendhat knocked out; and effects of climate change are seen in Britain’s heatwave. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. __________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a […]
In a tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG), a group of people take a trip into an imaginary world, guided by an MC or ‘dungeon master’. Not limited to the Tolkien-esque themes of the famous Dungeons & Dragons, TTRPGs range from gritty sci-fi scenarios to steampunk heist fantasies, and from everyday life to magic, monsters and vampires. […]
All the remaining candidates to the be the next Conservative party leader and Prime Minister take part in their first televised debate. Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani give their live reactions and analysis. __________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support
Games are all around us. They let us escape from drudgery and experiment with other worlds and ways of being. But they can be traps too: apps designed to be addictive, producing only the most hollow sense of achievement. In this Trip, Nadia, Jeremy and Keir throw their polyhedral dice to explore how games shape […]
The first round of voting by Tory MPs has knocked Hunt and Zahawi out of the race, with Sunak and Mordaunt on top. So who’s set to make it to the final members ballot? With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial. __________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support
As the race to be next Prime Minister heats up, Ash Sarkar and Michael Walker run through the latest candidates to launch. Plus: Rishi Sunak’s privilege is exposed by a resurfaced documentary clip and Penny Mordaunt releases a bizarre campaign launch video. __________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support
In the 2022 Tower Hamlets local elections, something unprecedented happened. The borough elected a mayor previously banned from taking part in politics. That’s not all. His party, Aspire, not only took the council from Labour but gained more seats than Labour across the whole of England. At the centre of all of this was Lutfur […]
Boris Johnson hasn’t even booked the moving van yet, but Rishi Sunak has already announced his pitch to take over his job. Ash Sarkar and Aaron Bastani go through the runners and riders lining up to be our next prime minister. Plus: Labour leader Keir Starmer is cleared over ‘Beergate’ lockdown breaches. __________________________________ Support Novara […]
Boris Johnson is gone – but he’s not out of office. What happens next? Plus: the first Tory MP to launch their leadership campaign. With Ash Sarkar and Michael Walker. __________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support
Boris Johnson’s premiership is hanging by a thread after 24 hours of mass government resignations and MPs breaking ranks. After a day of massive reckoning for the Prime Minister, we bring you the key events and the latest news. With Barnaby Raine, Dalia Gebrial and Aaron Bastani. __________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as […]
Over the last few centuries, the global spread of a vast array of different drugs has reshaped how we work, experience pleasure, fight wars, and explore our inner worlds. And from Richard Nixon’s ‘War on Drugs’ to the opium wars to the scuppering of the hippie movement, those drugs have been entangled with politics and […]
All weekend, No.10 have denied Boris Johnson knew of “specific allegations” against Chris Pincher when he promoted him. By lunchtime, that story unravelled. Plus: Ed Balls compares climate activists ‘terrorists’; Covid-19 cases are on the rise; and declining birth rates become the latest moral panic. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. __________________________________ Support Novara Media […]
Another day, and another Tory MP has had the whip removed for alleged sexual misconduct. What the hell is going on in the UK parliament? Plus: CWU members at BT vote for strike action; Finland & Sweden sell out the Kurds to join NATO; Douglas Murray goes full fascist. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani. […]
After Sturgeon announced her intention to hold IndyRef2 in October 2023, on TyskySour we ask whether it will happen or if it’s just a political play before the next election? Plus: Starmer rips up the Labour party manifesto; and Tory MPs give their shocking views on abortion rights. With Michael Walker and Moya Lothian-McLean.
By the 1990s, a faction of Irish republicans were turning away from militancy and setting their sights on peace. A political future for the campaign would require more money, more lobbying, and even deeper engagement with the United States – though not with Irish Northern Aid, now tainted by its long association with the IRA. […]
MPs are debating proposed legislation which would allow the UK to breach the Northern Ireland protocol that Boris Johnson negotiated. But would it put the Good Friday Agreement at risk? Plus: David Lammy gives lame excuses for why he won’t back workers, Criminal Barristers go on strike and Mick Lynch gives a barn-storming speech. With […]
After suffering two huge byelection losses, how damaged is Johnson’s premiership? And what does the result mean for Labour and the Lib Dems? Plus: Mick Lynch’s media rampage continues, and a landmark ruling in the US supreme court overturns Roe V Wade – removing federal abortion rights for women across America. With Aaron Bastani and […]
We live in a time of short-term imperatives and long-term consequences for our actions, with just a few years left to avert climate catastrophe but a planet transformed for millennia if we fail. Philosopher Roman Krznaric’s work reflects on these vast timescales and on our place within them. How can we navigate the tension between […]
As rail strikes take place across the country, we speak to the RMT’s Eddie Dempsey on why solidarity with railway workers is required. Plus: Mick Lynch’s impressive broadcast tour, and Starmer’s Labour party fail to back the workers. With Barnaby Raine and Moya Lothian-McLean.
Corrected file Noraid has been portrayed on screen many times, usually in the background of stories about terrorism and gunrunning. While TV shows and movies like Columbo, Patriot Games and The Devil’s Own aren’t exactly high art, they do reveal how the class politics of Irish America were understood (and misrepresented) by Hollywood. In this […]
Noraid has been portrayed on screen many times, usually in the background of stories about terrorism and gunrunning. While TV shows and movies like Columbo, Patriot Games and The Devil’s Own aren’t exactly high art, they do reveal how the class politics of Irish America were understood (and misrepresented) by Hollywood. In this bonus episode, […]
Gustavo Petro has become Colombia’s first ever leftist President. We speak to David Adler from Progressive International about what comes next. Plus, all the latest on the RMT strikes, and the disappearing story in the Times about yet more dodgy dealings from Johnson. With Michael Walker and Barnaby Raine. Read Charlotte England on the Colombian […]
With Priti Patel approving Julian Assange’s extradition, on tonight’s #TyskySour we discuss what options are left to stop him being tried for espionage in the United States. Plus: England is hit with the hottest day of the year; he government publish their renting white paper; and the Conservative candidate in Wakefield invokes a serial killer. […]
Everyone who’s ever been to a protest in the UK knows it: the police are not there as neutral facilitators of your democratic rights, but to squeeze the joy out of protest and make it invisible to those in power. Recently, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act has given the police even more power […]
Each generation must encounter the Communist Manifesto anew, deciphering Marx and Engels’ text for their own era. So what gives this short book its enduring power? In his new book A Spectre, Haunting: On The Communist Manifesto, China Miéville explains how its various facets – being part political treatise, part gothic literature, and part spell to […]
The Tories are furious after their first Rwanda deportation flight was grounded. What happens next, and is leaving the ECHR next on Priti Patel’s agenda? Plus: it’s five years since the fire at Grenfell Tower claimed 72 lives, but has anything changed since the tragedy? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
As the Troubles dragged on, IRA volunteers at the Maze Prison decided to go on hunger strike in 1980 and 1981. Their decision would change everything for the IRA — and for Noraid. The protest garnered sympathy from around the world and sparked outrage in the Irish American community. Noraid rallied outside the British embassy, […]
An appeal court judge has ruled that Priti Patel’s Rwanda flight can go ahead. Is it now too late to be stopped? Plus: Keir Starmer bores the nation, and Carole Cadwalladr defeats Arron banks in a Brexit libel trial. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Boris Johnson’s Right-To-Buy plans won’t fix our broken housing system – they’ll only make it worse. Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani explain why. Plus: Paul Mason’s map of so-called ‘Pro-Putin’ influence on the left, and Wes Streeting’s leadership ambitions lead him to pretend he’s more left-wing than he is.
Even as police budgets and powers have expanded, ordinary workers are being called to carry out more and more policing functions themselves. Whether as an assistant manager in a McDonald’s or as a teacher or doctor, workers are expected to take on extra ‘guard duty’ in addition to their usual tasks, keeping watch for their […]
Boris Johnson keeps insisting he wants to move on from Partygate to focus on policy. With growing calls for tax cuts from his MPs, should we expect another shift to the right? Plus: James Meadway on why Britain needs the £15 minimum wage; YouGov are accused of suppressing Corbyn-positive polls; and the RMT announce three […]
Since the 1990s, decarbonisation has been the primary goal for many environmentalists. But there is another threat to life on Earth, one that could be just as dangerous as runaway climate change: the farming of animals for human consumption. In his new book Regenesis: Feeding the World Without Devouring the Planet, George Monbiot warns that […]
For decades, a quiet armored truck driver living in Brooklyn ran thousands of guns to the IRA. He was born in Ireland and dedicated to the Republican cause. He was also a committed socialist, who believed the anti-imperial struggle in Ireland was connected to the struggle of African-Americans, Cubans and Vietnamese. When he wasn’t handing […]
Judgement Day has arrived for Boris Johnson. Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar & Aaron Bastani react to the results of the no-confidence vote in Boris Johnson by conservative MPs.
For over 100 years, Irish revolutionaries hoping to drive the British out of Ireland looked to the United States for money and support. They also looked across the Atlantic for new technology that might give them an advantage, including homemade surface-to-air missiles and even the world’s first modern submarine. In this bonus episode, we explore […]
Conservative politicians have said Boris Johnson could face a vote of no confidence as soon as next week. Are we about to see the back of Boris Johnson? Plus: Keir Starmer is handed a questionnaire by Durham police and Justin Welby says Prince Andrew should be forgiven. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Conservative politicians have said Boris Johnson could face a vote of no confidence as soon as next week. Are we about to see the back of Boris Johnson?
Plus: Keir Starmer is handed a questionnaire by Durham police and Justin Welby says Prince Andrew should be forgiven.
With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
After Bloody Sunday in 1972, Irish Northern Aid saw its power, influence and donations increase dramatically – but a higher profile brought new enemies. Secretly, the Federal Bureau of Investigation turned its sights on Noraid, auditing their books, cultivating informers and staking out meetings. On the public stage, Irish American politicians like Ted Kennedy, who had once wooed voters with their militant rhetoric against the British, began working to turn the community away from the IRA and Noraid. An array of powerful actors had finally taken notice, and were ready to clamp down. But Noraid had some moves of its own to make.
Further reading: The American Connection by Jack Holland Irish America and the Ulster Conflict by Andrew Wilson The Provisional IRA: From Insurrection to Parliament* by Tommy McKearney ‘It was networking, all networking’: the Irish republican movement's survival in Cold War America by Danielle Zach
Hosted by Nate Lavey Produced by Nate Lavey and Michael McCanne Original music by Matt Huxley
https://novara.media/ForeignAgent
As Priti Patel sends leaflets to asylum seekers warning of imminent deportation to Rwanda, a leaked Home Office report has admitted UK migration policy is steeped in racism. We speak to immigration barrister Zehrah Hasan.
Plus: Starmer gets called out by the boss of the RMT; Liverpool fans are attacked by french police; and Carrie Johnson is the focus of the latest PartyGate revelation.
With Michael Walker and Moya Lothian-Mclean.
Rishi Sunak's belated cost-of-living package has been welcomed by Labour. But is it all it's cracked up to be? We ask chief executive of the New Econimcs Foundation Miatta Fahnbulleh.
With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
The Sue Gray report reveals a culture in Downing Street of rule-breaking, cover-ups, and disrespect towards lower paid staff. Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial dig into the details.
In 1927, the Irish republican Michael Flannery emigrated from the quiet backroads of Tipperary to the crowded streets of New York City, swapping a life of rebellion for a humdrum career in life insurance.
But the Irish American community hadn’t forgotten about the old country, and as the Troubles began in Northern Ireland, Flannery found himself at the heart of the campaign to end British rule.
In episode two of Foreign Agent, Flannery’s life story unlocks the roots of anti-colonial struggle in Ireland and how the Irish became white in America. We trace the history of Noraid, the organisation he helped to found, and the political tensions threatening to rupture the republican movement.
Further reading: Irish America and the Ulster Conflict by Andrew Wilson Noraid and the Northern Ireland Troubles, 1970-1994 by Robert Collins The Provisional IRA by Tommy McKearney Ireland, Colonialism, and the Unfinished Revolution by Robbie McVeigh and Bill Rolston How the Irish Became White by Noel Ignatiev Black and Green by Brian Dooley Enemies and Passing Friends by Pamela Clayton “Irish Republicans in Inter-war New York” and “The Politics of Noraid” by Brian Hanley
The interviews recorded with Michael Flannery and Martin Lyons are courtesy of the Tamiment Library at New York University.
Hosted by Nate Lavey Produced by Nate Lavey and Michael McCanne Original music by Matt Huxley https://novara.media/ForeignAgent
When six suitcases full of guns are left on an Irish dock in 1971, suspicion falls on a newly founded organisation of Irish Americans known as Noraid.
For nearly 30 years, the US, British and Irish governments accused the group of being a front for the Provisional IRA and of funnelling weapons and cash from the pockets of Irish America to the coffers of the socialist guerillas. But could they prove it?
In episode one of Foreign Agent, host Nate Lavey explains how militant Irish nationalism took hold in the bars and social clubs of the Irish American diaspora, and recounts how the appearance of an iconic American rifle on the streets of Belfast led to a courtroom drama in Texas, ending in embarrassment for the American and British governments.
Further reading: Irish America and the Ulster Conflict by Andrew Wilson A Secret History of the IRA by Ed Moloney The Lost Revolution by Brian Hanley and Scott Millar
The interviews recorded with Matthias Reilly and Pascal Morahan are courtesy of the Tamiment Library at New York University. The interview with Brendan Hughes is from the film Voices from the Grave and is courtesy of Ed Moloney.
Hosted by Nate Lavey Produced by Nate Lavey and Michael McCanne Original music by Matt Huxley https://novara.media/ForeignAgent
After the police cleared Boris Johnson of all but one rule breach, photos have emerged of the PM drinking booze at a separate gathering during lockdown. How have the Met let him get away with it?
Plus: Australia has a new PM and the Tories are still all over the place on an energy company windfall tax.
With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
What defines each era? Historians often lean on terms that point to technology: bronze, steam, carbon, silicon. So is technology a fundamental aspect of being human? On this wide-ranging Trip, the gang take on one of their biggest topics yet.
Starting from the basis that technology is an application of knowledge for a practical purpose, Jeremy Gilbert, Nadia Idle and Keir Milburn propose the washing machine as the most important invention of the 20th century, theorize a fully automated luxury Keynesianism, and consider what motivates the left's apparent technophobia.
They also discuss techno-adjacent political formations, from Luddites to Accelerationists to cyborg feminists, and return to a classic ACFM conversation about technologies of the self.
Expect techno music, obviously, plus songs from Kraftwerk, Phuture and Laurie Anderson. An ever-expanding playlist of all the music discussed on the show can be found on Spotify.
Books & articles: Katrine Marçal - Mother of Invention: How Good Ideas Get Ignored in an Economy Built for Men / JM Keynes - The Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren / EP Thompson - The Making of the English Working Class / Joseph Schumpter/ Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy / Donna Haraway - A Cyborg Manifesto / Helen Hester - Xenofeminism / Foucault - Technologies of the Self / Nick Srnicek & Alex Williams - Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without Work / David Stubbs - Future Days / Andy Beckett - Promised You a Miracle
Music: Pink Floyd - 'Welcome to the Machine' / Kraftwerk - 'The Robots' / Model 500 - 'No UFO's' / Horrible Histories - 'The Luddites Song' / Phuture - 'Acid Trax' / Laurie Anderson - 'O Superman' / Disco Inferno - 'Even The Sea Sides Against Us' / The Houghton Weavers - 'The Song of the Weavers'
Produced and edited by Matt Huxley and Chal Ravens. PRS Licence Number: LE-0016481
With a police investigation into PartyGate ending with no additional fines for the Prime Minister, has a Met stitch up saved Boris Johnson’s skin? Plus: Rishi Sunak is the first politician to appear in the Sunday Times Rich List; George W Bush jokes about the Iraq War; and Palestine Action get arrested. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Throughout history, countless good ideas have been side-lined or dismissed because they were put forward by women.
That's the eternal frustration that motivates historian Katrine Marçal, who delves into her myth-busting research for a Microdose episode all about the missed turns of technology.
In conversation with ACFM host Nadia Idle, the author of Mother of Invention: How Good Ideas Get Ignored in an Economy Built for Men and Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner? lays out some of the questions and frustrations she's encountered in her studies. For instance, why did it take 5,000 years to put wheels on a suitcase? Why was the electric car rejected as too feminine when it was first conceived, a century ago? And how come all the early computer programmers and coders were women?
Look out for the next ACFM Trip on technology with Nadia, Jeremy Gilbert and Keir Milburn, landing in a few days.
A new podcast from Novara Media.
In the 1970s, many ordinary Irish Americans became militant advocates for a revolutionary socialist guerrilla group: the Irish Republican Army. Their weapons and donations allowed the IRA to go head to head with the British military. But they also built a real political movement in the United States, one that eventually changed the course of the Troubles—and their own identity.
Over six parts, Foreign Agent: The IRA's American Connection follows the guns, money, and politics from the US side of the conflict. Listen to the first two episodes next Tuesday, 24 May.
With inflation at 9% and business profits surging, the Tories still want the poor to pay for the cost of living crisis. We speak to James Meadway about whether workers should be demanding higher pay. Plus: A Tory MP has been arrested on suspicion of rape, and Ed Miliband calls out Rishi Sunak at the despatch box.
With Michael Walker and Moya Lothian-Mclean.
The white nationalist mass shooting in Buffalo has shown the real world effects of the racist ‘Great Replacement Theory'. Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar discuss right wing conspiracy theories in the US and UK. Plus: A Tory minister tells those struggling to just work more hours; Martin Lewis loses it at the energy regulator; and the royals get booed by Liverpool football fans.
Boris Johnson has a new plan for dealing with the cost of living crisis – making 91,000 civil servants redundant. Are we entering a new age of austerity? After killing a leading Palestinian journalist, Israeli forces have today attacked her funeral. We discuss the events in East Jerusalem that should shock the world. And Labour […]
Israeli forces have shot dead Shireen Abu Akleh, a prominent Palestinian journalist. We explain the significance of the killing, and speak to one of her friends. Plus: Michael Gove’s bizarre interviews; Nick Ferrari says he is a ‘person of colour’ despite being white; and Piers Morgan’s TalkTV ratings tank. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
The election of Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour Party was met with euphoria across the mainstream media. But despite winning the leadership with a huge majority, Starmer had only been involved in politics for five years – having previously worked as a barrister, a pro bono lawyer and director of public prosecutions – […]
Keir Starmer has pledged he will resign if fined by Durham police. Is this an act of political genius, or career suicide? Plus: The cost of living crisis continues and we take a further look at the ramifications of the historic election result to the Northern Ireland assembly. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani break down the local elections results across England, Scotland and Wales, as well as the Northern Ireland elections to Stormont. With Rory Scothorne and Amanda Ferguson
We’re entering an era of climate disaster and mass extinction, yet most of the proposed solutions to our predicament amount to rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. What we need, propose environmental scholars Drew Pendergrass and Troy Vettese, is a totally different vision of life on Earth. Joining Aaron Bastani, the authors of Half-Earth Socialism […]
Boris Johnson has claimed he can’t protest the incomes of Briton’s poor because it will accelerate inflation. We speak to Grace Blakeley to explain everything wrong with his argument. Plus: Millions of women face being stripped of Abortion rights with the US Supreme Court indicating they will overturn Roe V Wade; Starmer’s BeerGate rolls on; […]
Michael Walker and Barnaby Raine discuss the history behind the May Day protests. Plus: Blair endorses Starmer, and the Tories pass three acts that make Britain worse.
Michael Walker and Barnaby Raine discuss the history behind the May Day protests. Plus: Blair endorses Starmer, and the Tories pass three acts that make Britain worse.
Keir Starmer appears to have chosen a strategy to win next week’s local elections: become really right wing. On tonight’s show, Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani discuss Labour’s authoritarian attacks on the Lib Dems. Plus: the porn-watching MP is named; Nadine Dorries has yet another gaffe; and the government’s double standards when it comes to […]
Keir Starmer appears to have chosen a strategy to win next week's local elections: become really right wing. On tonight's show, Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani discuss Labour's authoritarian attacks on the Lib Dems. Plus: the porn-watching MP is named; Nadine Dorries has yet another gaffe; and the government's double standards when it comes to refugees.
Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial discuss Boris Johnson’s latest pathetic plans to tackle the cost of living. Plus, parliament’s mystery porn-watching MP.
Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial discuss Boris Johnson’s latest pathetic plans to tackle the cost of living. Plus, parliament’s mystery porn-watching MP.
Macron’s election as French president might be a relief, but an unprecedented showing for the far right does not bode well for western democracies. We speak to an expert on french politics, Aurelien Mondon. Plus: Why Elon Musk buying Twitter is a sign of a plutocracy out of control; the Mail on Sunday’s misogynistic hit […]
Macron's election as French president might be a relief, but an unprecedented showing for the far right does not bode well for western democracies. We speak to an expert on french politics, Aurelien Mondon. Plus: Why Elon Musk buying Twitter is a sign of a plutocracy out of control; the Mail on Sunday's misogynistic hit piece on Angela Rayner; and Corbyn's Times Radio interview. With Michael Walker and Barnaby Raine.
Influential Tories have publicly called for Johnson to resign. With a Commons select committee set to investigate whether he deliberately misled parliament, are the walls finally closing in on the prime minister? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
A UK court has today approved the extradition of Julian Assange, leaving the decision on his fate with home secretary Priti Patel. We speak to Matt Kennard of Declassified UK about the significance of the ruling. Plus: More Partygate embarrassments for the Tories. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Known for his steadfast support of Jeremy Corbyn whilst heading up the biggest private sector union in the country, Len McLuskey has a unique and intimate knowledge of both Labour Party politics and the organised labour movement. Aaron Bastani speaks to the most important trade unionist of his era on the publication of his memoir, […]
Israel has once again stormed the Al-Aqsa mosque during Ramadan. We speak to Ines Abdel Razak in Jerusalem about the current wave of repression in Palestine. Plus, Johnson’s unpopularity is more evident than ever, and the Tories plan to send refugees to Rwanda. With Michael Walker and Barnaby Raine.
Just what is it good for? This time on ACFM, Jeremy Gilbert, Nadia Idle and Keir Milburn respond to the Ukraine invasion with a conversation about war. Is it an aberration, or an unavoidable product of human power struggles? Are conflicts between nations better understood as a reflection of domestic divisions? And how is war […]
After Johnson and Sunak have both been fined for breaking lockdown rules, will either of them face real consequences for breaking the laws they imposed on us? Or for lying about it? With Barnaby Raine and Dalia Gebrial.
Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen are moving through to the run-off of the French presidential election. But results also show that a third of French voters opted for far-right candidates. Plus: Just Stop Oil block depots across the country and Extinction Rebellion disrupt London. With Barnaby Raine and Ash Sarkar.
Rishi Sunak has been rocked by revelations that his wife enjoys non-dom status. Now it’s become apparent he claimed permanent residency in the US for the first seven years he was an MP, cabinet member and chancellor. How fishy will Rishi’s finances get? Plus: an Novara Media exclusive on Caterpillar calling in scab labour to […]
Boris Johnson’s U-turn on trans conversion therapy has caused outrage among LGBT groups. We speak to Ugla Stefania about the government’s current stance. Plus, Nadine Dorries’ cultural vandalism; Rishi Sunak’s latest slap to working people & his gift to private school. With Michael Walker and Owen Jones.
We’re reaching an eschatological tipping point, says Croatian philosopher Srećko Horvat. Can humanity turn back from the brink? Joining Eleanor Penny on NovaraFM, the author of After The Apocalypse explains how the end of the world has been normalised and commodified. What can we do to break the spell of end-times nihilism, “ruin porn” and […]
As Russian troops have withdrawn from areas around Kyiv, evidence is emerging of possible war crimes. Plus: IPCC release new report; Labour’s latest cover up; Rees-Mogg’s partygate flop; Tory MP’s cocaine pic. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Energy bills have increased by 54% today plunging millions of Brits into poverty. How long can the Tories ignore Britain’s cost-of-living crisis? Plus: Sunak compares himself to Will Smith and Prince Andrew is caught in another scandal. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Russia has said it will pull back troops from Kyiv to “increase trust” in peace talks. We ask Paul Rogers whether or not Ukraine should believe Russia is serious about peace. Plus: The met police issues PartyGate fines, and we speak to journalist Freddy McConnell about the first British MP to come out as transgender. […]
Few political thinkers exert such influence that their work becomes synonymous with a historic era. Francis Fukuyama’s declaration of “the end of history” after the fall of the Soviet Union made him one of those thinkers – but 30 years on, has he reassessed his own claim? And what events since then have shaken his […]
Rishi Sunak was today grilled by MPs on his spring statement. Michael Walker and Barnaby Raine explain why the chancellor lied when he said his mini-budget was “progressive”. Plus, Biden’s dangerous gaffe; Zahawi crumbles under pressure; Tory gagged alleged rape victim; Kuennsberg to replace Marr.
Rishi Sunak has got used to being the golden boy of UK politics. But the media have now turned on him after a spring statement that left Britons poorer. Has he been found out? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Living standards are set to fall this year by a greater amount than at any time in the past 70 years. Did Rishi Sunak’s Spring Statement rise to the challenge? We speak to Gary Stevenson. Plus: Johnson’s response P&O response and Will & Kate get rejected by Caribbean countries. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has criticised the five foreign secretaries that have been in office since she was taken prisoner. What else did we learn from her first media appearance? Plus: an interview with a Ukrainian refugee; Martin Lewis vs Sajid Javid; Boris Johnson compares Brexit to Ukraine; The Worst Speech at Tory Conference. With Michael Walker […]
Ed Winters, AKA Earthling Ed, is a vegan activist with an enormous presence on social media. His arguments range from outlining the ecological and economic consequences of relying on animal products to scrutinising society’s moral and spiritual relationship with animals in a way you might not expect from a YouTube activist. Aaron Bastani speaks to […]
China has been considered Russia’s most important ally in its war on Ukraine. But could Xi Jinping be about to change course? Plus: the shocking dismissal of 800 workers by P&O ferries has been condemned by politicians across the political divide. But are ministers crying crocodile tears when they won’t outlaw fire-and-rehire? With Michael Walker […]
The FT have reported that a 15-point plan to end the war has been drawn up by negotiators from Russia and Ukraine. Could a breakthrough be imminent on a peace deal? We speak to Ukrainian academic Taras Fedirko. Plus, Obaidullah Baheer on the impact of sanctions on Afghanistan. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Throughout the 20th century, as countries gained independence from the British Empire, there was a rightful sense of renewed agency. And yet, in the world of finance and global capital, many corporate structures of empire continue to exist. Ash Sarkar finds out why with Kojo Koram, author of Uncommon Wealth: Britain and the Aftermath of […]
Michael Walker is joined by TyskySour researcher Steven Methven who has recently returned from the Ukraine-Poland border. On tonight’s show, he introduces a UK fighter he met on the way to join the war.
Has democracy broken down? Is it even an idea worth fixing? Trip 22 is a three-horse race as Nadia Idle, Jeremy Gilbert and Keir Milburn consider the anti-democratic shifts happening across the political spectrum and ask what it really means to be ruled by the people. The gang discuss whether democracy is necessary to tackle […]
Western leaders have suggested that Putin is planning a false flag operation using biological or chemical weapons. Should they be believed? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
At the beginning of the century, as Russia’s economy stabilised under Vladimir Putin, a once-great power began to engage in military conflicts abroad: Georgia in 2008, Crimea in 2014, and now in 2022, the invasion of Ukraine. This renewed assertiveness and expansionism is the product of more than just one irascible leader, however. Russia’s political […]
The horror of Putin’s war on Ukraine is all too clear to see. But by focusing on punishing Putin instead of de-escalation, are western politicians and media taking an unpalatable risk? With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Putin has offered peace terms to Ukraine’s President Zelensky which scale back on initial Russian demands. Is this a sign of a weakened leader ready to compromise? Michael Walker speaks to Russia-expert Anton Barbashin.
Faced with a stronger than expected Ukrainian resistance, Putin has returned to a familiar tactic of urban warfare: Indiscriminate shelling & siege. We speak to Anatol Lieven who has reported on Russia’s military actions in Syria and Chechnya. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
As Russia claims to have taken its first city, the war in Ukraine looks set to get bloodier. We analyse the latest developments, and speak to Matthew Ford about the informational front on Ukraine’s battlefields. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Amid a stronger than expected Ukrainian resistance, Putin has shifted to deadlier weaponry and threatened the world with nuclear war. We speak to Professor Paul Rogers for the latest on Russia’s war on Ukraine. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
At a time when galleries and museums are caught in the middle of a culture war about representations of history, Nathalie Olah’s short volume Class – recently published as part of the Tate’s Look Again book series – offers a fresh take on the relationship between “great” art and systems of power. In conversation with […]
As Putin sends troops into the Donbas, we ask Russia-expert Anatol Lieven whether Russia and Ukraine are on a path to all out war. Plus: Is Putin losing his mind; trump Calls Putin ‘A Genius’; the UK comes out with weak sanctions against Russia; and Johnson is is questioned under police caution. With Michael Walker […]
When he’s not working on #ACFM, show producer Matt Huxley is a musician. His recent EP under the name Muckers is the inspiration for this Microdose – a short audio essay about land, family, trespass and belonging. Recorded while out walking, Acid Camping considers who owns the landscape, the methods by which people have been driven […]
Boris Johnson has announced the end of all Covid restrictions, and the end of all Covid support. Is this “learning to live” with the virus? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Is there a politics of sex? One hundred years of feminist thought has shown that this question can give us a close-up view on the issues that shape our lives: power, equality, ownership, justice and the way we organise our societies. As part of Doing It Right: Sex on the Left, Novara Media’s exploration of […]
In the standoff over Ukraine, it’s not just Russia leaking dodgy intelligence. How do we make sense of a conflict when we’re stuck in an information war? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
In 2014, a mysterious letter detailing a plot by Muslim extremists to take over Birmingham schools caused a national scandal. No one seemed to know, or even care, who actually wrote the letter – but in The Trojan Horse Affair, rookie reporter Hamza Syed and S-Town producer Brian Reed go looking for answers. Ash Sarkar asks […]
Prince Andrew has settled with Virginia Guiffre, and so will avoid a jury trial for sexual abuse claims. Is this justice, and who paid the reported £12 million? With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
If we are to believe politicians in the UK & US, the standoff between Ukraine and Russia is likely to imminently descend into a full-blown war. We speak to Prof Paul Rogers about the interests at play, and what might happen next.
Missing from a lot of leftist discussions of sex work are sex workers themselves. When it comes to developing a radical politic of sex work, this invisibility makes it difficult to adhere to the principle of “nothing about us, without us.” So for this episode of #NovaraFM, we decided to do something at once out-of-the-ordinary […]
As Met police commissioner Cressida Dick is forced to resign, we assess her career so far and discuss who might replace her. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Boris Johnson has announced his plan to end all Covid-19 restrictions by the end of the month. Is this how we learn to live with coronavirus, or a risky political stunt? With Michael Walker, Dalia Gebrial and Oliver Barnes.
Boris Johnson has announced his plan to end all Covid-19 restrictions by the end of the month. Is this how we learn to live with coronavirus, or a risky political stunt? With Michael Walker, Dalia Gebrial and Oliver Barnes.
Boris Johnson’s new chief spin doctor has decided the way to win back the trust of an insulted public is to… increase the level of banter. Michael Walker & Ash Sarkar try to make it make sense.
Boris Johnson's new chief spin doctor has decided the way to win back the trust of an insulted public is to... increase the level of banter. Michael Walker & Ash Sarkar try to make it make sense.
Boris Johnson’s attempt to “shake up” Number 10 has turned into a mass exodus. What’s the story behind the Downing Street Meltdown? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
With the arrival of armed drones and unmanned vehicles, the world has entered a new era of warfare, one which purports to be more humane. But what if our efforts to make war more ethical – without torture, war crimes or vast casualties – have led us into an age of endless war? Yale law […]
Amnesty International has declared that Israel is an apartheid state. We speak to Yara Hawari in Palestine on the significance of the judgement and lay out how Britain is implicated in this ongoing crime.
Sue Gray’s report has been shorn of any factual findings, but remains damning about the Prime Minister. Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial explain the report’s contents and analyse reaction to it.
How far would you go to get famous and escape poverty? Ash Sarkar is joined by Symeon Brown, Channel 4 News reporter and author of ‘Get Rich or Lie Trying: Ambition and Deceit in the New Influencer Economy’, to discuss how the democratic promise of the internet has reinvented the pyramid scheme. From cryptocurrencies to […]
After originally refusing to investigate Downing Street Parties, the Met Police have now spiked the report that was supposed to tell us all the truth. Has Cressida Dick saved Boris Johnson? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Downing Street is under police investigation and Britain awaits the Sue Gray report. Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial run through the countdown to Johnson’s judgement day.
Boris Johnson has launched an investigation into Nusrat Ghani’s claim she was sacked as a minister for her “muslimness”. Will it lead to a light finally being shone on Tory Islamophobia? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Testimony from multiple MPs has exposed how the government blackmail MPs to get their way. Is a light finally being shone on the sinister machinations that take place in Westminster? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
A dramatic defection to Labour has Boris Johnson on the ropes. Will Johnson be removed by his own backbenchers? With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
In a last gasp bid to save his career Boris Johnson is planning a cull of top staff, and a flurry of right wing policy announcement. Will the so-called ‘Operation Save Big Dog’ pay dividends? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
In the first #ACFM Trip of the year, Nadia Idle, Jeremy Gilbert and Keir Milburn look at the conflicting desires and demands that make up a political movement. Is unity possible? Is coalition desirable? Do we need to agree in order to win? The gang discuss the difference between liberal and radical conceptions of identity […]
What’s worse than partying while people suffer under lockdown rules? For the Tory grassroots, it might well be offending Her Majesty the Queen. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Boris Johnson has admitted attending a lockdown party, but won’t stop repeating his ridiculous excuses. Is it now time up for the PM? With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
What can we learn from the women of the Popular Front? Ahead of an #ACFM Trip on Unity and Difference, Nadia Idle talks to actor and activist Norah Lopez Holden about the milicianas who fought in the Spanish Civil War. What brought these women together – and what pushed them apart? Lopez Holden has worked […]
The Telegraph have reported that Jeremy Corbyn is considering launching a new party. Is the story plausible and, if so, would it be a good idea? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarker.
Newly revealed whatsapp messages between Boris Johnson and a party donor raise fresh questions about Tory corruption. Will incessant sleaze scandals bring the PM down? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
In debates around the rights of transgender people, a charge often levelled at those fighting for trans inclusion is that their arguments rest on a denial of biological facts. In this episode of Downstream, Michael Walker speaks to biologist Julia Serano about what so-called gender critical thinkers get wrong about sex and gender, and whether […]
Boris Johnson has said England can “ride out” the Omicron wave. But at what cost will it come to the NHS? Tonight we speak to critical care nurse Dave Carr about the strain on Britain’s hospitals. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
By deciding against implementing restrictions over the New Year Boris Johnson took a massive gamble. As more data emerges on the impacts of Omicron, we assess whether or not it’s a call he’ll come to regret. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
As scientists continue to assess the risks of Omicron, suffering businesses and workers have been left out in the cold with only a paltry support scheme. Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial lay out why Rishi Sunak is a danger to Britain’s health. Plus, we speak to Oliver Barnes for an update on all things Omicron, […]
Boris Johnson is considering banning household mixing for a month after Christmas. Is it necessary, and why are the government again trading early action for extreme measures later? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
A massive byelection upset in North Shropshire has shown England’s anger at Boris Johnson. Is it a fatal blow to his authority as PM? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
The UK has reported 78,610 new Covid-19 cases, the highest daily case rate since the pandemic began. In resisting more restrictions, is Boris Johnson now delaying the inevitable? With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Boris Johnson has announced the booster campaign will be accelerated to up to 1 million jabs per day. Is this the route to get the country past Omicron, or a half-baked plan from a desperate PM? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
After a disastrous week with laws broken and lies exposed, is this the beginning of the end of Boris Johnson? Plus, the latest judgement on Julian Assange’s extradition and Novara journalists are targeted by abuse of twitter’s new rules. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
A damning clip of Downing Street staffers joking about lockdown parties has thrown the government into crisis. Is this the scandal that could bring Johnson down? With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Boris Johnson spent today posing in front of police vans & talking tough on drugs. It’s hypocritical and it won’t work. Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar discuss Britain’s failed war on drugs.
New data from South Africa has dampened any hope that Omicron is milder than Delta. Meanwhile Dominic Cummings has launched a stinging attack on Johnson’s government failing to prepare for new variants. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Novara’s latest focus series is about the disability politics the left usually ignores. Over the last two weeks we’ve published articles on subjects like mental health, toxic work culture, sex worker rights, sign language, the philosopher Peter Singer and why autism is not a disease. This podcast contains eight of these articles in audio form, […]
Students are facing disruption this week as lecturers challenge plans to cut their pensions and undermine working conditions. On tonight’s #TyskySour we speak to UCU General Secretary Jo Grady about the strike.
What should political organisation in the 21st century look like? Wiggly? Lumpy? Diagonal? Something rather like that, suggests political theorist and author Rodrigo Nunes, who joins Keir Milburn and Jeremy Gilbert on this additional revolutionary Microdose. Focusing on the last few decades of radical left politics, the trio reflect on on their own experiences in […]
Omicron is here. Is Britain ready? Plus, we speak to Fatima Hassan in South Africa about how vaccine apartheid left us vulnerable to new variants. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
A war of words between Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron has turned a humanitarian crisis into a diplomatic spat. Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani discuss the undignified politics of the UK/French border.
From ancient myths to the Batman trilogy, our storytelling culture is littered with villains embodied by disabled people and those with facial differences. Why does disability feature so heavily in our literary and cinematic traditions, and how has this hypervisibility had the ironic effect of erasing the experiences of disabled people? Ash Sarkar is joined […]
Labour, the Tories, the BBC, and the right wing press all agree Britain is in the midst of a “migrant crisis”. Why have desperate people in boats put our political class in a collective meltdown? With Michael Walker and Barnaby Raine.
No vision of climate justice is complete without a roadmap towards reparations, argues Esther Stanford-Xosei in the final bonus episode from Planet B: Everything Must Change. Speaking to Harpreet Kaur Paul, the Indigenous reparationist, activist and advocate explains how histories of colonial injustice and racial discrimination have resulted in the twin crimes of genocide and […]
MPs will vote tomorrow on Sajid Javid’s Health and Care Bill. Does it threaten to privatise the NHS by the back door? We speak to Dr Bob Gill. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Do progressives spend enough time challenging the multiple oppressions disabled people face? Have we taken the time to properly understand the models and frameworks that disabled activists use to guide their action, and comprehend the world? And have we properly considered how an exploration of the experience and treatment of disabled people could enhance our […]
When poorer countries face unpayable debts, their ability to mount a defence against climate breakdown is drastically weakened. That’s why any attempts to prevent ecological disaster must involve ending debts and co-operating on global tax measures, says Indian development economist Jayati Ghosh. In an extended interview with Harpreet Kaur Paul, Ghosh breaks down the fundamentals […]
Boris Johnson’s broken promises on high speed rail have led to accusations that he has betrayed the North. We ask HS2 expert Jon Stone about whether that’s true. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
They are claimed from all sides and by all parties – but who are Britain’s ex-service personnel? What do they want? And what do their politics – whether conservative, liberal or socialist – tell us about Britain as a post-imperial country? Aaron Bastani speaks to Joe Glenton, journalist and author of Veteranhood.
When we think about debt, we often think of money owed by countries in the Global South to institutions like the World Bank and IMF. But there is another kind of debt – the climate debt owed by the most polluting nations in the global north to those who have contributed the least to climate […]
In another desperate U-Turn Boris Johnson has accepted there should be a limit put on MP’s second jobs. His backbenchers aren’t best pleased. Will Johnson’s out-of-touch MPs lock in Westminster sleaze? With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
India & China have been blamed for a disappointing climate deal in Glasgow. But is it fair for the rich world to castigate those who’ve historically emitted the least? Asad Rehman lays out what really happened at #COP26. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
A global Green New Deal must enshrine people’s right to move – and also their right to stay, says Asad Rehman, executive director of anti-poverty charity War on Want. In an extended interview, Rehman talks to Dalia Gebrial about the emergence of the ‘climate refugee’ – and how this narrow definition will help countries in […]
The fight against climate breakdown requires us to imagine a world without borders, says activist and writer Harsha Walia in this extended interview from Planet B: Everything Must Change. The Canadian author, whose books include Undoing Border Imperialism and Border and Rule, tells Dalia Gebrial why borders are themselves products of capitalism, in stark opposition […]
Negotiations in Glasgow are going down to the wire, yet few believe world leaders will get us anywhere near limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. Is COP26 heading for failure? We speak to Simon Lewis. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Who dares to rewrite 40,000 years of history? Archaeologist David Wengrow and the late anthropologist David Graeber offer a radically different story of our social evolution in their new book, The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity. Drawing on groundbreaking research gathered over a decade of collaboration, their mighty 700-page tome upends just […]
In the fifth episode of Planet B: Everything Must Change, Dalia Gebrial explores the countless ways in which climate breakdown is driving the displacement of people, from the destruction of homes and subsistence livelihoods to the increasing scarcity of work in drought-afflicted countries. Who benefits from the idea of the ‘climate refugee’? Why does gender […]
On top of his £82K MP salary, last year Geoffrey Cox earned a million pounds as a lawyer. His most lucrative job: representing a tax haven in the Caribbean. Tonight’s #TyskySour is all about MP’s greed. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
From food scarcity to extreme weather, climate change will affect the lives of billions around the world. At what point are its future horrors unacceptable? And how should that shape climate politics now? Aaron Bastani speaks to Andreas Malm, author of How To Blow Up A Pipeline and White Skin, Black Fuel, about the limits […]
Worker exploitation and environmental degradation are both rife and invisible in the shipping networks on which global capitalism depends, explains professor and author Laleh Khalili in this bonus interview from Planet B: Everything Must Change. The writer of Sinews of War and Trade, an investigation into the secretive world of maritime trade, tells Harpreet Kaur […]
As MPs debate Tory corruption, Boris Johnson is under increasing pressure to clean up parliament. How do we make MPs honest, & should we abolish the House of Lords?
Māori activist Tina Ngata explains why the fight against climate breakdown must involve a radical rethink of our relationship with the ocean in this extended interview from Planet B: Water. More than a commodity or an infinite resource, water is part of our genealogy, argues Ngata, who works as an advocate for environmental, Indigenous and […]
The #ACFM gang square up a suitably momentous topic for their milestone 20th Trip: revolution! Nadia Idle, Jeremy Gilbert and Keir Milburn wonder how the idea of political revolution ever became thinkable, and if it’s still thinkable today. Was the sexual revolution a real revolution? How did disillusionment with Soviet communism affect our political imagination? […]
Threats to withdraw funding from rebel MPs’ constituencies, a potential peerage for Paterson and the PM refuses to come clean on lavish getaways. It’s just another week for a government rotten to the core. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
In anticipation of the next Trip, the ACFM trio deliver a condensed but essential history of revolution from Oliver Cromwell to Fidel Castro, with stop-offs in France, America, Haiti, China, Spain and Russia. What does it take to cook up a revolution? Is the French Revolution still relevant to our idea of radical social upheaval? […]
Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar explore the embarrassing U-turn performed by Boris Johnson over the Owen Paterson scandal and the resignation of the Tory MP at the centre of it all.
How have we come to see our oceans as either a vehicle for trade or a site of limitless resources? In the fourth episode of Planet B, we ask why water, the most basic necessity of life, always has a price. Harpreet Kaur Paul finds out how capitalism has fundamentally changed our relationship with water, […]
Tory MP Owen Paterson was found to have breached MP lobbying rules by an independent standards committee. The Tory response: abolish the committee and replace it with a new one! With Michael Walker, Lloyd Russell-Moyle and Adrienne Buller.
Climate journalist Kate Aronoff explores the power – and limitations – of the Green New Deal in this extended interview from the Planet B series. Why are large-scale infrastructure projects seen as pivotal to the political success of any climate strategy? And what would happen if we looked at our infrastructure needs – from housing […]
Leaders and diplomats from 197 countries have descended on Glasgow for a conference billed as the “last chance” to save the planet. Michael Walker is joined by Simon Lewis to explain everything you need to know about COP26.
Yanis Varoufakis explains why the fight against climate breakdown requires us to bring down the bankers and the oligarchs in an extended interview from Planet B: Everything Must Change. Speaking to Dalia Gebrial, the Greek politician and economist argues that we have run out of time to tax the rich and calls on younger generations […]
Facebook is now Meta, and Mark Zuckerberg says our future is in the Metaverse. Is virtual reality the future of the internet, or Zuckerberg’s latest gimmick? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Who builds? Who benefits? Who pays? In the third episode of Planet B: Everything Must Change, host Dalia Gebrial finds out why infrastructure has become a touchstone for climate movements across the global north. From Bernie Sanders’ Green New Deal for public housing to Jeremy Corbyn’s pledge of a green industrial revolution, this kind of […]
Rishi Sunak’s budget may have come with some big spending pledges, but it’s nowhere near enough to undo a decade of austerity. James Meadway joins Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial to discuss Budget 2021.
In this #ACFM Microdose to accompany the gang’s recent Trip into space, Keir is joined by Fred Scharmen, author of Space Forces: A Critical History of Life in Outer Space. Drawing on his background in architecture and spatial design, Scharmen unpacks the human desire to go into space and create new worlds from scratch. How […]
Activist and journalist Julian Brave NoiseCat explains the importance of land rights and sovereignty in the fight against climate breakdown in an extended interview from Planet B: Everything Must Change. Speaking to Harpreet Kaur Paul, he explores the long history of Indigenous resistance to land colonialism and argues that the Indigenous experience of genocide as […]
Rishi Sunak will this week deliver a budget and spending review that will shape how Britain rebuilds following Covid-19. We speak to former shadow chancellor John McDonnell about what he thinks should be in it. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Noam Chomsky warns against a Green New Deal that would save capitalism rather than dismantling it in an extended interview from Planet B: Everything Must Change. The eminent activist and political writer talks to Dalia Gebrial about his vision of a Green New Deal and the lessons we can take from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s original […]
Trials have shown booster shots to be incredibly effective at preventing symptomatic Covid-19. Will it be enough to get us through winter without new restrictions? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
In the second episode of Planet B: Everything Must Change, Harpreet Kaur Paul investigates how the way we’re using land is accelerating the climate crisis and violating the rights of local communities. How has the logic of extraction and commodification shaped the land we live on? And how can we reorient our relationship with the […]
Boris Johnson has announced long-awaited plans for Britain to reach net zero carbon emissions, but are they ambitious enough to hit that target? Plus, reaction to Sajid Javid’s Covid-19 briefing. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Sarah Jaffe contrasts the demand for green jobs with the growing resistance to work in an extended interview from Planet B: Everything Must Change. The author of Work Won’t Love You Back talks to Dalia Gebrial about the “good, green union jobs” and why there won’t be enough of them to go round, and explains […]
The death of David Amess has renewed debates about the safety of MPs, social media anonymity, online radicalisation & civility in politics. Where are changes needed, and where is the media missing the point? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Jeremy Corbyn lays out his hopes for the global fight against climate breakdown in this bonus interview from Planet B: Everything Must Change. The Labour MP talks to Dalia Gebrial about environmental reparations, a just transition in the North Sea oil sector, the influence of lobbyists and his belief in the power of grassroots organisation. […]
For the second time in six years a British MP has been violently killed while doing their job. We discuss the circumstances of the tragic death of Sir David Amess, and why it seems Britain cannot keep its politicians safe from harm. Also on the show: – Dominic Cummings Attacks Keir Starmer as an “Uber […]
Commute. Pollute. Repeat. What are we working for? In the first episode of Planet B: Everything Must Change, host Dalia Gebrial tackles the future of work. As the climate changes, what kinds of work will we find ourselves doing? Which of our jobs will be valued, and which will become obsolete? What would a “just […]
An official report has judged the UK’s delayed lockdown to be Britain’s worst ever public health failure. Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial breakdown the key findings.
In a bid to get Britons back into the office, cabinet ministers have alleged that civil servants working remotely hindered the fight against the Taliban. What will be next in the Tory war on working from home? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
We need a global Green New Deal. Can we build it in time? Planet B: Everything Must Change is a new podcast series about a world that isn’t just saved from climate chaos, but is transformed by the fight against it. Ahead of the UN Climate Conference in Glasgow, hosts Dalia Gebrial and Harpreet Kaur […]
After energy shortages, benefits cuts, and a tax hike on national insurance, the public have turned against the Tories on the economy. How long will Johnson’s post-conference hangover last? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
If neoliberalism is over, what comes after? Could this new political and economic moment end up turning right rather than left? Aaron Bastani speaks to sociologist Paolo Gerbaudo about his new book The Great Recoil, examining how ideas of protection, control and state intervention are replacing the previous orthodoxy of free market capitalism.
Boris Johnson’s pun-filled conference speech promised to “level up” the country, but on the day that millions are hit by a cruel cut to universal credit, his pitch to workers is a sick joke. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Aaron Bastani meets Nina Turner, co-chair of the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, to discuss the American left under Biden, the prospect of Donald Trump running in 2024 and how American workers can build a more progressive politics.
At Tory party conference Boris Johnson is promising higher wages in a post-Brexit Britain. How seriously should we take the pledge? With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar and James Meadway.
At the Labour Party Conference last week, Ash Sarkar shared fish and chips on Brighton seafront with Zarah Sultana, MP for Coventry South. They talked about why being in the Labour Party is so hard right now, their experiences as Muslim women of colour on the left, how trans rights are dividing the party, and what’s […]
Sarah Everard’s murder has left the Met Police open to charges of institutionalised misogyny. Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani and Ash Sarkar discuss the evidence.
Keir Starmer’s 90 minute conference speech trashed Corbyn, evoked Blair, and mentioned lots of tools and robots. Will it give his leadership the reboot he desperately needs? With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
A rule change to rig future elections for Labour party leader was passed by a narrow margin after multiple delegates were suspended. Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar discuss Starmer’s contempt for democracy and other conference news.
Will Keir Starmer’s rule changes pass? Will his “contribution society” make waves? Is Ed Miliband being ousted? And could Wes Streeting be Labour’s next leader?! Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar preview Labour Party conference 2021 Attend The World Transformed virtually here: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/twt21-online-programme
Starmer’s attempt to rig the rules for any future leadership challenge is facing a backlash from trade unions, party activists and left-wing MPs. We speak to NEC member Lara McNeill.
Six energy companies have collapsed in the past two weeks, and dozens more are expected to crumble. Will Britain face a gas crisis this winter? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
The first real Labour conference with Keir Starmer as leader will pitch party bosses against the left. Is there any hope of preventing a stitch up? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani,
Is ‘consent’ the only dividing line between good sex and bad sex? Ash Sarkar is joined by Rachel Thompson to discuss her new book Rough and the politics of pornography, kink, and sex-ambivalent feminism.
The good news: one bunch of malicious incompetents have been fired. The bad news: another bunch of malicious incompetents have been hired. Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial discuss the Tory cabinet reshuffle.
Johnson’s Covid winter plan includes jabs for teenagers and boosters for the vulnerable, but wider measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus are set to be absent. Will it be enough to avoid another nightmare winter? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Jeremy Gilbert, Nadia Idle and Keir Milburn explore the politics of space. What even is space, and why does it so often seem to be the domain of the political right? How does the built environment have the power to discipline or liberate us? And why do all the billionaires want to get off the […]
A YouGov poll has shown Labour in front of the Conservatives for the first time since January after an unpopular hike to national insurance. Has Johnson blown it, and can Starmer take advantage? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
As MPs vote on Boris Johnson’s manifesto breaking tax hike on workers, Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial discuss why the rise is regressive, and why it won’t fix Britain’s care crisis.
What could our towns and streets become after the pandemic? Ahead of the next #ACFM on space, Nadia Idle goes down to street level to discuss spatial equality with architect and planner Pooja Agrawal. As the co-founder of Public Practice, a social enterprise bringing good design into local government, Agrawal spends a lot time thinking […]
Boris Johnson faces a backlash for breaking a manifesto promise as he prepares to raise national insurance. Should the move be opposed and, if so, how else should social care be funded? With Michael Walker, James Meadway and Ash Sarkar.
The JCVI has surprised parents and politicians by advising against Covid-19 vaccines for most 12 to 15 year olds. Will health secretary Sajid Javid now overrule them? With Michael Walker, Anthony Costello and Aaron Bastani.
The JCVI has surprised parents and politicians by advising against Covid-19 vaccines for most 12 to 15 year olds. With Michael Walker, Anthony Costello and Aaron Bastani.
Joe Biden has pledged to give up on “nation-building” wars following the removal of the last remaining US troops from Afghanistan. Is he right to make that pledge, and should we believe him? With Michael Walker, Samuel Moyn and Obaidullah Baheer.
Are anti-vaxxers a threat to the free press? Ash Sarkar is joined by Owen Jones to discuss the protest outside ITN, another ‘rare’ intervention from Tony Blair, and the Mail on Sunday’s absurd hit-piece against Jess Brammar.
As Kabul fell, Dominic Raab lay under a gazebo at a luxury hotel. Michael Walker explains how it is another example of the callousness of Britain’s Tory government when it comes to Afghan refugees.
Debating defeat in Afghanistan, MPs have argued the war could be won if only the West stayed longer. Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani discuss the Westminster consensus, & speak to Obaidullah Baheer from Kabul.
Kabul has fallen to the Taliban following their lightning sweep across Afghanistan. What is the future for the country? We speak to Ali M Latifi in Kabul, and Professor Paul Rogers.
As numerous cities fall to the Taliban, why has the US-backed Afghan government been so quick to crumble? We speak to Gulwali Passarlay and Anatol Lieven.
Just like COVID-19, climate breakdown is an anthropogenic crisis that requires an anthropogenic solution, according to Benjamin Bratton, author of Revenge of the Real: Politics for a Post-Pandemic World. In a conversation touching on Foucault, eschatology, China’s future and the archetypal “Karen”, Bratton tells Aaron Bastani why we need a new, positive biopolitics on a […]
The gap between students at private and state schools receiving A/A* grades has hit record levels. We speak to Jeevun Sandher about the statistics behind Britain’s educational divide. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Has the left forgotten how to have fun? Ash Sarkar is joined by #ACFM’s Jeremy Gilbert to discuss euphoria, liberation and wisdom in the rave.
The IPCC report confirms that our current extreme weather is set to worsen as it warns 1.5°C warming is now unavoidable. We speak to climate scientists Dr Ella Gilbert about the findings of the UN panel. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
The IPCC report confirms that our current extreme weather is set to worsen as it warns 1.5°C warming is now unavoidable. We speak to climate scientists Dr Ella Gilbert about the findings of the UN panel. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial. The ‘Code Red’ Climate Crisis Report
In the latest of his perpetual relaunches, Keir Starmer has urged Labour members to embrace Tony Blair’s legacy. Should they? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Mark Duggan's death at the hands of police sparked the worst 4 days of riots Britain has seen in a generation. A decade on, what is their legacy, and has anything changed? With Michael Walker, Dalia Gebrial and Adam Elliott-Cooper.
Mark Duggan’s death at the hands of police sparked the worst 4 days of riots Britain has seen in a generation. A decade on, what is their legacy, and has anything changed? With Michael Walker, Dalia Gebrial and Adam Elliott-Cooper.
A SAGE report has warned that new variants could take us back to square one in tackling the Covid pandemic. How seriously should we take that risk? We speak to Deenan Pillay of Independent Sage. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
The ONS, ZOE App, and PHE are all giving different accounts of whether Covid cases are rising, falling, or levelling off. So what is actually going on? We ask biomedical researcher at Queen Mary University Alex Crozier.
Log on to any social media and you’ll be plunged into a whirlwind of demands for recognition, each voice trying to shout louder than the others. And for decades, political theorists have thought that the demand for recognition is one of the most powerful forces driving popular discontent – on right and left. But what […]
The government have announced double vaccinated people from the EU and USA won’t need to self-isolate on entry to England. We ask Gabriel Scally whether the move is sensible or reckless. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
In the past two weeks we’ve seen heatwaves and wildfires in North America and extreme floods in Europe, India and China. We speak to climate scientist Simon Lewis about just how bad this could get. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Keir Milburn, Nadia Idle and Jeremy Gilbert get on the couch to talk about therapy. Wrangling with how to square their collectivist politics with the introspective work of therapy, they wonder if people on the left are more inclined to seek such treatment, and what role physical exercise plays in their mental wellbeing. Analysing their […]
Johnson’s incoherent plan to allow mass infections while keeping self-isolation in place has brought England to a standstill. How will the pingdemic end? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
ACFM host Keir Milburn takes #NovaraFM producer Chal Ravens on a tour of Leeds, one of northern England’s historic epicentres of industry, trade and capital. From trouble at the flax mill to face-offs with fascists, Keir maps out a working class history that’s as much about violence as it is about solidarity. We meet Chartists […]
The point of psychodrama is not to create beautiful theatre, laughs practitioner Nada Sabet. To accompany the next #ACFM Trip on the topic of therapy, host Nadia Idle finds out about an unusual therapeutic technique which borrows elements of theatre, psychiatry and psychotherapy to gain insight into different facets of our identity. Nada explains how […]
Dominic Cummings has claimed Boris Johnson almost risked giving the Queen coronavirus and was unconcerned about 80 year olds dying. Cummings has also admitted he considered replacing the PM following the 2019 general election. Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial analyse the Cummings/Kuenssberg interview. Dominic Cummings Tells All in BBC Interview
The abandonment of coronavirus restrictions has brought about freedom for some, unfreedom for others, and fear for many more. We discuss the implications of Boris Johnson’s ‘freedom day’ with Deepti Gurdasani. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Ash Sarkar speaks to Juliet Jacques about her new book ‘Variations’ – a collection of short stories inspired by real-life events that explore the history of transgender Britain.
It's three days before England removes all restrictions and daily UK cases have just topped 50,000. Are we heading for a catastrophe? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
It’s three days before England removes all restrictions and daily UK cases have just topped 50,000. Are we heading for a catastrophe? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani. Opposition Mounts to Johnson’s ‘Freedom Day’
The Tories wanted to start a culture war. They ended up going to war with the England football team. Has Boris Johnson bitten off more than he can chew? With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial. England Players Take on Tories’ Cynical ‘Culture War’
England's inspirational Euro run has ended in heartbreak at Wembley, and then online racism against players. Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani reflect on the cultural politics of Euro 2020.
England’s inspirational Euro run has ended in heartbreak at Wembley, and then online racism against players. Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani reflect on the cultural politics of Euro 2020. Heartbreak for Heroes
Wayne Couzens has pleaded guilty to the murder of Sarah Everard. But there are still pressing questions for the police to answer about their own conduct in the case. With Ash Sarkar and Moya Lothian-Mclean. Met Police Officer Wayne Couzens Pleads Guilty to Murdering Sarah Everard
Sajid Javid has admitted Covid-19 cases may soon hit a record 100,000 a day. Analysis suggests this could lead to up to 10 million self-isolating in a summer of Covid chaos. With Aaron Bastani and Dalia Gebrial.
Sajid Javid has admitted Covid-19 cases may soon hit a record 100,000 a day. Analysis suggests this could lead to up to 10 million self-isolating in a summer of Covid chaos. With Aaron Bastani and Dalia Gebrial. Javid Admits Summer Covid-19 Infections Could Hit Millions
Boris Johnson has confirmed that most remaining Covid-19 restrictions in England will be removed on 19 July. Is this the right move? or is it more government complacency that risks variants emerging? With Ash Sarkar and Dalia Gebrial.
Boris Johnson has confirmed that most remaining Covid-19 restrictions in England will be removed on 19 July. Is this the right move? or is it more government complacency that risks variants emerging? With Ash Sarkar and Dalia Gebrial. Johnson Announces End of England’s Covid Restrictions
Kim Leadbeater's tight victory in Batley & Spen has given Keir Starmer breathing space. Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani analyse the result and what it means for Labour.
Kim Leadbeater’s tight victory in Batley & Spen has given Keir Starmer breathing space. Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani analyse the result and what it means for Labour.
Since 2010 Len McCluskey has been the general secretary of Unite, one of Britain’s largest trade unions. That changes this year with the election of his successor, a three-way race between Gerard Coyne, Sharon Graham and today’s guest on Downstream, Steve Turner.
With Batley & Spen looking likely to hand Keir Starmer another by-election defeat, Michael Walker and Owen Jones discuss the issues dominating the campaign and the implications a loss would have on the Labour Party. The Batley & Spen Byelection Preview
Sajid Javid has replaced Matt Hancock as health secretary, is a lockdown sceptic and a banker at JP Morgan. Should Britons trust their health in his hands? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. Why Sajid Javid Is a Danger to the NHS
Matt Hancock has been caught having an affair with a key aide who hired to tackle the pandemic. He’s admitted breaking social distancing rules, but not commented on potential conflicts of interest. Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani discuss the hopeless health secretary.
The cycle of struggle that erupted in 2011 – from the Arab Spring to the movement of the squares to the anti-austerity demonstrations in Britain – was characterised by stress on horizontalism and decentralised leadership. But as that movement grew and changed, it found itself running into the limits of that form, and entered into […]
MPs have criticised the term 'white privilege' in a report on the underachievement of white working class students. Once again, the usual suspects are overlooking class to use kids as a front in their culture war. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
MPs have criticised the term ‘white privilege’ in a report on the underachievement of white working class students. Once again, the usual suspects are overlooking class to use kids as a front in their culture war. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial. Tories Blaming the Term ‘White Privilege’ for Underachievement in Schools
Defeat in Hartlepool and a historic low in Chesham & Amersham have caused a crisis of confidence in Keir Starmer. As advisors resigning and MPs speaking out, could his leadership be coming to an early end? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. Is Starmer’s Leadership About to End?
What do we mean by solidarity? Keir Milburn, Nadia Idle and Jeremy Gilbert consider the meaning of a much-used word in this unusual Trip, recorded live as part of HKW’s online festival, Acid Communism: Spectres of the Counterculture. With music from Nina Simone, The Youngbloods and The Special AKA, the gang consider the legacy of […]
Does a Lib Dem victory in Chesham & Amersham show Boris Johnson risks losing the ‘blue wall’? And after Labour secured only 1.6% of the vote, what is next for Keir Starmer? With Michael Walker and Owen Jones Lib Dems Beat Tories in Shock Byelection Win
Desire. It takes a young, working-class man out of the car factory, through the academy, and out of it again. It takes him through nightclubs and seminar rooms, cruising grounds and bathhouses, through intense relationships – both enduring and transient – and into a restless, enduring inquiry into human life as condensed in our greatest […]
An independent panel into the murder Daniel Morgan has ruled the Metropolitan Police are "institutional corrupt." We speak to Peter Jukes on the significance of the findings. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
An independent panel into the murder Daniel Morgan has ruled the Metropolitan Police are “institutional corrupt.” We speak to Peter Jukes on the significance of the findings. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial. Metropolitan Police Institutionally Corrupt
Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar respond to Johnson's press briefing confirming a four week delay to further easing of Covid-19 restrictions.
Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar respond to Johnson’s press briefing confirming a four week delay to further easing of Covid-19 restrictions. Johnson Announces Covid-19 Restrictions to Continue
The prime minister is reportedly due to announce a delay to the planned 21 June reopening from coronavirus restrictions. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
In 1987, private detective Daniel Morgan was found murdered with an axe to the head in a pub car park in south London. Despite the brutal circumstances of his death and multiple investigations, the case remains unsolved, prompting suspicion of corruption and cover-ups. Ash Sarkar speaks to Alastair Morgan as he awaits the results of […]
The High Court has ruled that Michael Gove acted unlawfully when he gave a £570,000 contract to associates of Dominic Cummings. We speak to Jolyon Maugham from the Good Law Project who brought the case. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial. Gove Acted Unlawfully Over Covid-19 Contract, High Court Rules
The G7 have announced plans for a global minimum tax rate of 15%. Will this reign in big tech and tax havens, or is it all just hot air? We speak to Robert Palmer. With Michael Walker and Jason Okundaye. Tax Havens & Tech Giants Targeted in G7 Deal
Public Health England have warned that the Delta variant of Covid-19 is more transmissible, more likely to lead to hospitalisations, and more resistant to vaccines than the variant from Kent. Should we pause plans to remove more restrictions? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. Experts Weigh in on Whether UK Should Unlock on 21 June
Why is it so hard to imagine a world without coppers? In this special episode, Novara Media reporter Rivkah Brown examines how the blue tentacles of police power creep into our daily lives and invade our minds. We hear the shocking stories of Bea, a left-wing activist who discovered her ex was a police spy, […]
The Undercover Policing Inquiry, which started in December last year, is examining the infiltration of more than 1,000 political groups by British police since 1968. How much has been disclosed? Will more revelations come to light? And what does justice look like for those whose lives have been destroyed by ‘spycops’? Aaron Bastani is joined […]
The Tories’ own education tsar has recommended £15bn will be needed to help fund catch up programmes for kids who missed school due to Covid-19. So why have the government only proposed £1.4bn? With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial. Tories Announce Pathetic Covid-19 Catch Up Plans
The idea that Covid-19 leaked from a Wuhan lab was once dismissed as a conspiracy theory. However, it now has widespread appeal among mainstream politicians and scientists. What changed? We speak to Stephen Buranyi.
The idea that Covid-19 leaked from a Wuhan lab was once dismissed as a conspiracy theory. However, it now has widespread appeal among mainstream politicians and scientists. What changed? We speak to Stephen Buranyi. Did Covid-19 Leak From a Lab?
Matt Hancock has come out fighting after his honesty and competence was attacked by Dominic Cummings. With a renewed focus on failures over care homes, can the health secretary survive? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani. Matt Hancock Fights for His Job After Cummings Testimony
In the next decade, all politics will be climate politics. But climate politics isn’t always progressive. In the US, outright pseudoscientific denialism has been replaced by a softer, economist-led denialism: there might be a problem, but we just can’t afford to do anything serious about it. And there are darker possibilities lurking in the shadows. […]
Dominic Cummings has launched an extraordinary attack on Boris Johnson, Matt Hancock and the entire British establishment in hours of evidence to MPs. We take you though all the key moments. With Michael Walker and Moya Lothian-Mclean.
Dominic Cummings has launched an extraordinary attack on Boris Johnson, Matt Hancock and the entire British establishment in hours of evidence to MPs. We take you though all the key moments. With Michael Walker and Moya Lothian-Mclean. Dominic Cummings Testifies on Johnson’s Covid-19 Response
Check your privilege. Google it. Stay in your lane. Though Black Lives Matter has politicised a new generation into antiracism, it’s not actually clear what white people are meant to do next. Ash Sarkar is joined by Emma Dabiri to talk about why liberal identity politics are a dead end, why allyship is a nonsense, […]
Dominic Cummings has attacked Johnson for lying about "herd immunity" as the government's Covid-19 strategy. But can a top advisor credibly attack the man he was employed to advise? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Dominic Cummings has attacked Johnson for lying about “herd immunity” as the government’s Covid-19 strategy. But can a top advisor credibly attack the man he was employed to advise? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. Cummings Exposes Johnson’s Herd Immunity Plan
In this extended Trip, Keir Milburn, Nadia Idle and Jeremy Gilbert wrestle with the idea of “the long ‘90s”: a set of cultural, political and affective assumptions that have outlasted the 20th century, and from which a certain cohort of today’s politicians, commentators and columnists cannot seem to escape. With music from Roni Size, Stereolab […]
A ceasefire has come into force in Gaza. However, with Israeli police once again storming the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, it is clear that for Palestinians a ceasefire does not mean peace. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
A ceasefire has come into force in Gaza. However, with Israeli police once again storming the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, it is clear that for Palestinians a ceasefire does not mean peace. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. Ceasefire in Gaza, but Occupation Continues
What if everything you thought you knew about freedom was wrong? For generations of political activists, revolutionaries, utopians and dreamers, freedom has been the watchword of political struggle. People have stood on barricades and in front of tanks demanding it, wasted in prisons in defence of it and stood in front of firing squads for […]
The Indian variant of coronavirus is the single biggest threat to the UK's schedule for leaving lockdown. Why did Boris Johnson take so long to act to get it under control? With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
The Indian variant of coronavirus is the single biggest threat to the UK’s schedule for leaving lockdown. Why did Boris Johnson take so long to act to get it under control? With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial. How Johnson’s Mistakes Spread the Indian Variant
In March this year the UK’s new military strategy declared that Israel remains a ‘key strategic partner’. But what does that mean, and where does it sit in relation to Israel and its war on Palestine? Aaron Bastani is joined by Mark Curtis, editor and co-founder of Declassified UK.
As Israel's onslaught on Gaza escalates, so does opposition to occupation and apartheid. We discuss the latest developments in the conflict and the rising movement for Palestinian liberation. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
As Israel’s onslaught on Gaza escalates, so does opposition to occupation and apartheid. We discuss the latest developments in the conflict and the rising movement for Palestinian liberation. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani. Death Toll Reaches 200 in Israel’s War on Gaza
The proposed new Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is an obvious assault on the right to protest, threatening penalties of up to 10 years in prison for “causing public nuisance”. With the bill on its way to becoming law, Jeremy Gilbert, Nadia Idle and Keir Milburn draw on their own experiences to discuss the […]
As Israel escalates its attack on Gaza, Palestinians across the region are rising up with a unity not seen for a generation. Is Israeli apartheid facing its greatest threat? With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani and Yara Hawari. Palestinians Rise up As Israel Escalates Attack on Gaza
Who decides how we’re governed? What can’t a government do? And who gets to vote – or who doesn’t? And where is it all written down? In a constitution, of course. At the end of the 18th century, in a time of war and revolution, a spate of constitution-writing broke out across the globe. They […]
As Israel bombards Gaza, Western media insists on describing the conflict as a cycle of violence with wrongdoing on both sides. This ignores the most important reality in the region: settler colonialism. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
As Israel bombards Gaza, Western media insists on describing the conflict as a cycle of violence with wrongdoing on both sides. This ignores the most important reality in the region: settler colonialism. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. Israel Bombards Gaza
While Labour lost council seats across the North and Midlands in last week’s local elections, it held firm in Preston. Can municipal socialism and the ‘Preston Model’ now save the party? Aaron Bastani is joined by Matthew Brown, Labour leader of Preston Council.
Keir Starmer's bungled reshuffle has left his personal authority in tatters. Labour MP Clive Lewis joins Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial to discuss whether this is an opportunity for the party's left to have its voice heard.
Keir Starmer’s bungled reshuffle has left his personal authority in tatters. Labour MP Clive Lewis joins Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial to discuss whether this is an opportunity for the party’s left to have its voice heard.
A #TyskySour election special looking at the latest results in Wales, Scotland, London and the metro mayor races. With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani, Michael Gray and Harriet Protheroe-Soltani.
A #TyskySour election special looking at the latest results in Wales, Scotland, London and the metro mayor races. With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani, Michael Gray and Harriet Protheroe-Soltani. Election 2021: Scotland, Wales and London
Jeremy Gilbert hits the road for a musical microdose accompanying the #ACFM Trip on Folk. Connecting different strands of folk music with their various political tendencies, Jeremy looks at the communism of Woody Guthrie and the singers of the Dust Bowl era, the Vietnam protest music of Bob Dylan and the Greenwich Village scene, and […]
In Hartlepool not only have Starmer’s Labour lost a seat held under Corbyn, but they’ve reduced the party’s vote share. Is this the end for a leadership with nothing to say? Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani bring analysis of initial round of results from the May 2021 elections.
Keir Starmer faces his first big test as Labour leader with elections across Britain on 6 May 2021. With Michael Walker, Owen Jones and Dalia Gebrial.
Keir Starmer faces his first big test as Labour leader with elections across Britain on 6 May 2021. With Michael Walker, Owen Jones and Dalia Gebrial. Keir Starmer’s First Big Test
Between a fifth and a quarter of scripted network TV shows involve police or law enforcement. From Paul Blart: Mall Cop to A Touch of Frost, ‘copaganda’ has our pop culture bang to rights. What impact does the ubiquity of police dramas on our screens have on the real criminal justice system? And – mother […]
For some, Joe Biden has already exceeded expectations. For others, his economic programme is nowhere near enough to address the climate crisis and American decline. While the president’s Covid relief package has seen billions dispensed immediately, his Jobs Plan proposes to invest $35 billion in green R&D over eight years – less than Americans spend […]
The #GlazersOut protest was the first time ever that a Premier League match has been postponed because of fans’ actions. Can the movement create a revolution in club ownership? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. Manchester United Fans Shut Down Match Over Glazers
With new ONS data showing Covid-19 case levels 20 times lower than their January peak, are we finally seeing the end of the UK pandemic? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
With new ONS data showing Covid-19 case levels 20 times lower than their January peak, are we finally seeing the end of the UK pandemic? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani. Is the Covid-19 Pandemic Over in the UK?
Climate change is better understood as climate systems breakdown, and it’s only through the lens of the latter that we can grasp the scale of the crisis ahead. Aaron Bastani is joined by Mat Lawrence and Laurie Laybourn-Langton to discuss their new book, Planet on Fire: A Manifesto for the Age of Environmental Breakdown.
The Electoral Commission have launched an investigation into the funding of Boris Johnson’s flat. Could the scandal bring down the Prime Minister? With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial. Boris Johnson Under Investigation
Did Boris Johnson say he'd "let the bodies pile high in their thousands" rather than implement a third Covid-19 lockdown? If he did, will it do any damage to his premiership? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Did Boris Johnson say he’d “let the bodies pile high in their thousands” rather than implement a third Covid-19 lockdown? If he did, will it do any damage to his premiership? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. Boris Johnson’s Outrageous Covid-19 Comments
While it may seem the Covid-19 pandemic in Britain is ending, this week saw global case levels higher than ever before. We speak to Deepti Gurdasani about the ongoing global coronavirus crisis. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani. The Coronavirus Pandemic Is Not Over
Blue Devils! A little band of tyrants! A plague of blue locusts! So the Northern radical press reacted to attempts to impose a new police force in the 1840s. But today that tradition of scepticism and hostility to the police is largely forgotten. As new movements against racist violence in the US raise the slogan […]
Derek Chauvin has been found guilty on all charges for the murder of George Floyd. Does the verdict move the US closer towards racial justice? With Michael Walker, Maurice BP-Weeks, Adam Elliott-Cooper and Dalia Gebrial. Derek Chauvin Found Guilty of Murdering George Floyd
Following the shock announcement of a European Super League, Ash Sarkar talks to podcaster Laurence McKenna about how a sport created by the poor was stolen by the rich – and what can be done to take football back.
Proposals for a European Super League have provoked a backlash among fans, players and politicians. Can the plans to cartelise the game be reversed? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. The End of Football As We Know It
After 20 years of war, in what state do the US and their British allies leave the nation of Afghanistan and its people? With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani and Ali M Latifi.
https://novaramedia.com/2021/04/16/biden-announces-withdrawal-from-afghanistan/
After 20 years of war, in what state do the US and their British allies leave the nation of Afghanistan and its people? With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani and Ali M Latifi. Biden Announces Withdrawal From Afghanistan
Political scandal no longer seems to cut through the conversation, but is the unfolding saga around Max Greensill and David Cameron an exception? Aaron Bastani is joined by Sunday Times journalist Gabriel Pogrund to discuss the implications of a story which is only set to grow.
Keir Starmer has called on the PM to launch a full inquiry into Greensill and said “sleaze is now at heart of this Tory government”. Will the allegations stick? With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial. Tory Sleaze Row Gathers Pace
The government have announced an independent review into David Cameron and the Greensill affair. Is another white-wash incoming? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
The government have announced an independent review into David Cameron and the Greensill affair. Is another white-wash incoming? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. David Cameron Investigated Over Greensill Scandal
After a week of violence in Northern Ireland, we speak to Amanda Ferguson about the events that led to unrest among loyalist communities, and whether the peace process is in danger. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
After a week of violence in Northern Ireland, we speak to Amanda Ferguson about the events that led to unrest among loyalist communities, and whether the peace process is in danger. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani. Northern Ireland Sees Riots From Loyalists
| The JCVI have announced that under 30s should be offered an alternative to the Astra Zeneca vaccine. What does this mean for the vaccine rollout, and for young people who’ve already had the AZ jab? With Michael Walker, Deenan Pillay and Dalia Gebrial. |
What Are the AstraZeneca Blood Clot Risks?
Excluding Tony Blair’s back-to-back victories, the Conservative Party has governed the UK for all but 18 of the last 100 years. While the media often presents elections as Labour’s to lose, the truth is that Britain is a one-party state that occasionally lets the other side have a go in the interest of fairness. With the Hartlepool by-election just a month away, Ash Sarkar is joined by journalist Samuel Earle to discuss how the Conservative Party became the most successful political party in the Western world – and what it might take for the left to topple them.
| Boris Johnson has announced trials for vaccine passports. Are they a route to freedom, or authoritarian overreach by the backdoor? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. |
Johnson Announces Vaccine Passports for Major Events
Nadia Idle, Keir Milburn and Jeremy Gilbert go back to the land to dig into the politics of folk. With music from The Pogues, Steeleye Span and Enigma, the gang discuss island cults, progressive patriotism, Communist folkies and the pitfalls of accelerationism. Turn on, tune in, muck out!
Music: Woodie Guthrie – You Gotta Join That One Big Union / Steeleye Span – Hard Times of Old England / The Pogues – The Irish Rover / The Incredible String Band – The Hedgehog’s Song / Ewan MacColl and The Pogues – Dirty Old Town / Billy Bragg – A New England / Enigma – Return To Innocence
Books: Alex Niven – Folk Opposition / Simon Reynolds & Joy Press – The Sex Revolts: Gender, Rebellion and Rock ‘n’ Roll / Raymond Williams – Culture and Society; The Country and the City / Fred Turner – From Counterculture to Cyberculture / Alex Williams & Nick Srnicek – Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without Work / Simon L. Lewis & Mark A. Maslin – The Human Planet
Film and TV: The Wicker Man / Blood on Satan’s Claw / Straw Dogs / Deliverance / The Owl Service / The Good Life
Other: My Albion podcast
Produced and edited by Chal Ravens and Matt Huxley.
| As the anniversary of Keir Starmer’s election as Labour leader approaches, how should we assess his first year in charge? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani. |
A Year of Keir
We discuss two white washes: The government appointed commissioners who absolved the government of racism, and the police inspectorate who absolving the police of overreach. With Michael Walker, Kojo Karam and Dalia Gebrial.
Britain Not Racist Says Government Report
Will the 2020s be the decade when power decisively shifts from the United States to China? How important is China’s rise in a broad historic context – and is that why we are seeing an emerging Cold War between Washington and Beijing? Do appeals to a ‘civilisation-state’ undermine the power of universal values and human rights? Aaron Bastani speaks to Martin Jacques, author of the best-selling book, When China Rules the World.
On Friday Bristol saw its third protest against the policing bill in 6 days. We speak to Adam Cantwell-Corn, co-founder of The Bristol Cable, who reported from the scene. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
On Friday Bristol saw its third protest against the policing bill in 6 days. We speak to Adam Cantwell-Corn, co-founder of The Bristol Cable, who reported from the scene. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Police Violence at Third Bristol Protest
Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani discuss the Suez Canal blockage and its impact on global trade.
Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani discuss the Suez Canal blockage and its impact on global trade.
The Suez Canal Blockage
At the birth of industry in England, a movement of weavers gathered together to resist the imposition of technologies which threatened their way of life. Their actions – which ranged from petitioning government to direct sabotage and destruction of the new weaving frames – were done in the name of their fictional leader, the ‘mass pseudonym’ Ned Ludd. The Luddites became a byword for a pointless struggle against the inevitable tide of technological progress, but perhaps they now look prophetic. In fact, claims Gavin Mueller, the Luddite rebellions set the pattern for repeated acts of workplace and community rebellion against the imposition of technologies which dispossess workers and rob us all of our freedom. ‘To be a good Marxist’, he claims, ‘is to be a Luddite.’ He joins James Butler to trace a surprising history of Luddite rebellion stretching from pre-industrial England to the hacker culture of the early internet, and the ecologically-oriented movements of salvage and repair springing up today.
Gavin Mueller’s Breaking Things at Work: The Luddites Were Right About Why You Hate Your Job is available now from Verso Books.
The image for this episode is taken from an early 1980s cover of Processed World, an archive of which is available online and which we commend to our listeners.
https://novaramedia.com/?p=32077
Priti Patel has announced harsh new plans to restrict people’s right to asylum in Britain. We speak to Maya Goodfellow about the Tory war on refugees. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Priti Patel has announced harsh new plans to restrict people’s right to asylum in Britain. We speak to Maya Goodfellow about the Tory war on refugees.
With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
In recent years Scottish and Welsh independence, as well as Irish unification, have become increasingly plausible, with Britain’s departure from the EU highlighting major points of difference, as well as economic imbalances, across the home nations. But could the break up of the UK ever include the North of England? And what would a sovereign ‘Northumbria’ actually look like?
Aaron Bastani speaks to Philip Proudfoot, founder of the Northern Independence Party.
On Sunday night police vans were burned and windows smashed at the end of a protest against the Policing Bill. But was it aggression from the cops or from protesters that caused the riot? We speak to a journalist and an activist who were there. Plus, the riots have caused an enormous backlash among the political class. Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar discuss the fallout from the protests, and the utility of riots.
Policing Bill Sparks Riots in Bristol
A horrific mass shooting in Atlanta has shone a spotlight on anti-Asian racism in the USA. But what about the challenges faced by East and Southeast Asians in the UK? We speak to Zing Tsjeng. With Michael Walker and Owen Jones.
A horrific mass shooting in Atlanta has shone a spotlight on anti-Asian racism in the USA. But what about the challenges faced by East and Southeast Asians in the UK? We speak to Zing Tsjeng. With Michael Walker and Owen Jones.
Stop Asian Hate
150 years ago this week, workers and the poor of Paris seized control of the city and established a popular, elected municipal government: they took over great buildings, wiped out debts, instituted free education – and inspired countless radicals worldwide. The Commune lasted only 72 days before being drowned in blood. But each of those days was a political earthquake.
James Butler is joined by Laura Forster, a historian of the Commune, to trace its aftershocks: from the lives of exiled radicals in Soho and Fitzrovia, to the British socialists who took up the story of the Commune – both as an inspiration and a warning – through to Lenin dancing in the snow and the red thread linking the Paris Commune with the London County Council. Delve deeper into the Paris Commune in our archives: James and Aaron discuss the political imaginary of the Commune with Kristin Ross.
https://novaramedia.com/?p=31920
The criminalisation of drugs has almost no impact on drug use, denies access to proven medical treatments and disproportionately targets people of colour. Yet the idea that drugs are ‘evil’ and that drug users are criminals is entrenched in international and domestic law. How can we begin to shift this point of view? What are the first steps towards decriminalisation? Ash Sarkar speaks to David Nutt, Professor of Neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London.
On Tuesday the Policing Bill – which will criminalise a wide range of protests – passed its second reading in the commons. Yet the bill still needs to jump many hurdles before it becomes law. Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani discuss whether it can be stopped.
Banning Your Right to Protest
| This weekend the Met Police sparked outrage with their heavy handed response to a vigil in remembrance of Sarah Everard. Meanwhile, parliament debates a new law that would give police forces even more power at cracking down on protests. We discuss what’s going wrong at the Met and the dangers of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill with Gracie Mae Bradley, interim Director at Liberty. |
Outrage at Met Police Handling of Sarah Everard Vigil
| The disappearance and death of Sarah Everard has shone a spotlight on the epidemic of violence against women in Britain, and has provoked an outpouring from women on social media sharing their own experience of harassment, threats and violence at the hands of men. Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial discuss the case and the response it has provoked. |
Sarah Everard & Violence Against Women
| Piers Morgan is out from ITV and the Society of Editors is facing a growing backlash over its dismissal of media racism. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani. |
Meghan Takes Out Morgan
Will Harry and Meghan bring down the monarchy? Ash Sarkar is joined by gal-dem political editor Moya Lothian-Mclean and Novara Media’s very own James Butler to discuss how we ended up with a family of dysfunctional aristocrats at the very top of British society, why republicanism is still so marginal, and the collision course between celebrity culture and 1200 years of feudalism.
In an explosive Oprah interview, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle levelled allegations at the royal family which could fatally undermine their legitimacy. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
In an explosive Oprah interview, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle levelled allegations at the royal family which could fatally undermine their legitimacy. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
| Throughout the pandemic the Tories have loudly thanked NHS workers for standing on the frontline against coronavirus. Now they’re offering them a miserly 1% pay rise. How did Boris Johnson go from clapping for carers to giving them a slap in the face? |
Slap for Carers
We all dream of a better world. In fact, all politics of emancipation – all serious politics of the left – is rooted in claims about a better world and a vision of the future. Why, then, do so many leftists disdain “making recipes for the cookshops of the future”? Did Marx really think we couldn’t – or shouldn’t – think of a new world? And what lessons might this argument have for liberation movements today? Peter Hudis has written on Marx’s Concept of the Alternative to Capitalism, and is general editor of the Complete Works of Rosa Luxemburg. He joins James Butler to explore the relationship of alienation to the way we think about the future, Marx’s humanism, and what connects a 19th century anarchist with today’s mealy-mouthed social democratic tinkerers.
https://novaramedia.com/?p=31404
| Does Rishi Sunak’s budget speech show the Tories have finally dumped Osbornomics to instead channel John McDonnell? With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani and Jeevun Sandher. |
What’s in Rishi Sunak’s Budget?
Should we all be vegan or vegetarian? Does climate change require a new relationship to nature and non-human animals? And will Covid-19 be the moment when we realise industrial farming carries devastating, unacceptable risks? Aaron Bastani speaks to the author of ‘Animal Liberation’ and professor of bioethics at Princeton University, Peter Singer.
With the vaccine rollout going well, the one thing that could disrupt the route back to pre-covid normality is the spread of a new immune resistant strain. So how worried should we be about the arrival of the Brazil variant in Britain, and does this show Boris Johnson’s travel rules aren’t fit for purpose? Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar take you through the evidence.
| With the vaccine rollout going well, the one thing that could disrupt the route back to pre-covid normality is the spread of a new immune resistant strain. So how worried should we be about the arrival of the Brazil variant in Britain, and does this show Boris Johnson’s travel rules aren’t fit for purpose? Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar take you through the evidence. |
Johnson’s Travel Rules Under Strain
| The Supreme Court have ruled Shamima Begum has no right to return to Britain to appeal the removal of her citizenship. Is the UK abdicating responsibility? |
Shamima Begum Can’t Come Home
Following the headlines of recent years, you might be forgiven for thinking the problem of sex and power can be solved just by thinking about consent. But what if consent was only the beginning, not the final answer, to the question of desire? What would it mean to face the intractability and difficulty of sexual politics without seeking easy solutions? What might the search for a ‘female Viagra’ tell us about just how ingrained our assumptions about pleasure are? If bad sex is political, what are we going to do about it?
James Butler is joined by Katherine Angel, author of Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again, to explore why bad sex is political – and how we might think better about the difficulty of sex and power.
https://novaramedia.com/?p=31180
Labour have confirmed that if Rishi Sunak raises corporation tax at next week’s budget, they will vote against it. Has Starmer’s single-minded obsession with reassuring swing voters meant Labour are now to the right of the Tories on tax? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Starmer Outflanked by Tories on Corporation Tax
Does the right actually care about free speech? Why do many think Britain has a unique history of defending freedom of expression when evidence suggests otherwise? And why should free speech matter to the left? Aaron Bastani speaks to the editor of Tribune magazine, Ronan Burtenshaw.
| Boris Johnson delivers his roadmap out of lockdown. Do his plans for students to all return on the 8th March risk a resurgence? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. |
The Exit Plan
| Was Keir Starmer’s “relaunch” speech an example of astute political positioning or a damp squib. We ask James Meadway, the former advisor to John McDonnell, who proposed “recovery bonds” a week before they were endorsed by the Labour leader. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial. |
Starmer’s Reboot Speech
| A key architect of Keir Starmer’s leadership campaign now believes that the Labour leader has wasted a year being soft on the Tories, and needs a change of course. Will he listen? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani. |
Starmer Called Out by Key Ally
Can the BBC be trusted to fight for its own survival? Television has become ground zero in the reactionary backlash against liberal norms and, for some reason, current affairs comedy has found itself in the crosshairs. This week on Downstream, Ash Sarkar meets Nish Kumar – comedian and host of The Mash Report – to talk about how he became the accidental face of the Defund the BBC movement, and why right-wing comics are the real snowflakes.
The UK has met its target to give 15 million first-dose vaccines to those vulnerable to Covid-19. Does this mean we can start loosening the lockdown? We ask Professor Susan Michie of Independent Sage. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Nadia Idle, Keir Milburn and Jeremy Gilbert explore the political power of desire from the storming of the Capitol to the millenarian strands of Corbynism, with music from Portishead and the Au Pairs.
Music: Portishead – Glory Box / Tricky – Makes Me Wanna Die / Alton McClain & Destiny – Crazy Love / Alternative TV – Love Lies Limp / The Au Pairs – It’s Obvious
Books: Deleuze & Guattari – Anti-Oedipus / Freud – The Interpretation of Dreams / Spinoza – Theologico-Political Treatise / Wilhelm Reich – The Mass Psychology of Fascism / Nick Hornby – High Fidelity / Herbert Marcuse – One-Dimensional Man / Adkins, Konings & Cooper – The Asset Economy / Alex Williams – On Negative Solidarity and Post-Fordist Plasticity
Produced by Matt Huxley and Chal Ravens.
| The Guardian is supposed to be Britain’s leading liberal newspaper. However, its US arm this week fired a columnist for tweeting a joke about Israel. We speak to the journalist in question, Nathan J Robinson With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial. |
Fired From the Guardian
What can the Apollo missions teach us about dealing with the major crises of the 21st century? And why are politicians so eager to dwell on caricatures of the public rather than engage in problem-solving – from climate change to housing and education?
Aaron Bastani speaks to author and academic Mariana Mazzucato to find out.
The health secretary has announced that arrivals from ‘red zone’ countries will need to quarantine in hotels for ten days at a cost of £1,750. Labour are demanding a more comprehensive blanket policy approach. In a bid to look tough, Matt Hancock has threatened 10 years in jail for anyone who lies on a passenger locator form. Are the Tories more interested in getting tough sounding headlines than being tough on new covid variants? Plus, Joe Biden has announced the US will withdraw support for the Saudi war on Yemen. Will Britain follow suit? We speak to David Wearing. Labour has announced the make-up of its Antisemitism Advisory Board. It’s full of opponents of the labour left. Is a stitch-up incoming? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Jail Time for Travel Breaches
Nadia Idle speaks to psychosexual therapist and writer Tabitha Bast about dating and desire. They discuss the changing dynamics of dating, how to build romantic resilience, the politics of swiping right and more.
Tabitha is a qualified psychosexual therapist who works privately and through a charity, currently conducting her sessions online. She was also involved in ecological and social justice activism for over 20 years.
Look out for the next episode of #ACFM on 14 February, with Nadia, Jeremy and Keir exploring the concept of Desire.
Books: Emily Nagoski – Come As You Are
Podcasts: Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel / Tabitha on the Bella Ciao podcast
The Oxford AstraZeneca Vaccine is already being rolled out in the UK, and is the most ordered jab in the developing world. However, this weekend results from trials suggest the vaccine is ineffective against the South African strain of the virus. How big a blow is this news to the global fight against coronavirus? We ask Professor of Virology and Independent SAGE member Deenan Pillay. Plus: John Woodcock is given the job of investigating ‘extremism’ on left and right; How the Queen lobbied to hide her wealth; A rattled Keir Starmer seeks to seem “pro-business”; and the BBC’s Emma Barnett accused of Islamophobia. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
The Oxford Vaccine Setback
This week a leaked presentation sparked ridicule for Labour, just as Starmer was caught lying in parliament. As commentators question if he's up for the job, we discuss Keir Starmer's worst week as Labour leader. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
This week a leaked presentation sparked ridicule for Labour, just as Starmer was caught lying in parliament. As commentators question if he’s up for the job, we discuss Keir Starmer’s worst week as Labour leader. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Starmer’s Worst Week
Once, it was enough just to work. Now everyone – from self-help gurus to employment counsellors, from superstar artists to glassy-eyed Silicon Valley CEOs – tells us we have to love it as well. Why? When did this change happen? And what should we love, if not work? Sarah Jaffe has reported for years on work and workers’ organisation on both sides of the Atlantic, and joins James Butler to explain why work really will never love us back.
Work Won’t Love You Back: How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted and Alone is available from Hurst Publishers.
https://novaramedia.com/?p=30396
Boris Johnson has called for a nationwide clap to remember Sir Captain Tom Moore, who on Tuesday passed away from covid-19. Given the Prime Minister has presided over 109,000 deaths and leads a party that cut the NHS to the bone, is he simply exploiting a tragedy for his own partisan end?
Clap for the Captain
A year after the World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 a pandemic, with Britain enduring more than 100,000 deaths since, major questions remain unanswered. Why was the response of the UK among the worst in the world? How is it possible that the death toll of countries in Europe and North America is so much higher than poorer countries such as Thailand and Vietnam? And when will things go ‘back to normal’?
Aaron Bastani talks to Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of the prestigious medical journal The Lancet and author of a new book, The Covid-19 Catastrophe: What’s Gone Wrong and How to Stop It Happening Again.
| The UK transmission of the South African Covid strain demonstrates how the vaccine rollout could be undermined. Are Labour right to call for closed borders? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. |
Closing the Borders
As GameStop shares keep rising while hedge funds lick their wounds, are Reddit users a real threat to the power of Wall Street? Plus, Ben Smoke speaks about the Stanstead15 on the day they have seen their convictions overturned in the Court of Appeal. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
The GameStop Stock Surge
The last few years have heralded the rise of the influencer: social media users who have, in essence, found a way to get paid for being themselves on the internet. But has this commodification of the self poisoned the public sphere? Or are we witnessing the end of gatekeeping – and the beginnings of a new, more democratic kind of celebrity? Moya Lothian-McLean, politics editor at gal-dem magazine, joins Ash Sarkar on Downstream to crack open the influencer industrial complex.
| Boris Johnson has claimed that his government “did everything” they could to protect lives and tackle the coronavirus pandemic. As the death toll exceeds 100,000 people, we explain why Boris Johnson was lying. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani. |
Johnson Is to Blame
Government briefings suggest schools will stay closed until Easter. Is this a policy progressives should support? With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar and Chloe Tomlinson
Government briefings suggest schools will stay closed until Easter. Is this a policy progressives should support? With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar and Chloe Tomlinson
Schools Out Till Easter?
| Boris Johnson has announced the new covid variant may be more lethal. We ask clinical epidemiologist Deepti Gurdasani how worried the public should be about this variant. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial |
The New ‘More Deadly’ Covid Variant
Every election we hear of the “care crisis” as if it’s about to explode. But care affects us all, and not just in election cycles. And rather than an explosion, the reality of care in the UK looks more like the slow and gradual erosion of the fabric of social provision. But why is care in crisis? Who does care work in Britain? Why are big corporations and financiers so interested in it? How does this all track back to the financial crisis? And who will take care of us when we need it? Emma Dowling joins James Butler to explain.
Emma Dowling’s book, The Care Crisis: What Caused It and How Can We End It?, is out now from Verso Books.
Some of the voices at the beginning of the show are drawn from interviews made last year by Novara Media reporters. You can hear them in full in our deep dive into care work, politics and organising: ‘Tired From the Heart’: Voices of the Care Sector.
https://novaramedia.com/?p=29891
The Trump presidency has ended and Joe Biden is in the White House. Is there now a chance to seriously reform the US? With Nomiki Konst, Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani and Nomiki Konst
The Start of the Biden Era
| The UK is on target to have vaccinated the most vulnerable in society by mid-February. Can restrictions be relaxed after this point, or should we aim to eradicate the virus altogether? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. |
Will the UK Ever Eradicate Covid?
Nadia Idle, Keir Milburn and Jeremy Gilbert return to talk about the power and potential of crowds – from mobs and marches to mesmeric leaders and terrace anthems, with music from the Joubert Singers, Sham 69 and more.
Music: The Polyphonic Spree – Light and Day / The Joubert Singers – Stand On The Word / Pink Floyd – Fearless / Sham 69 – The Kids are United / The Proclaimers – Sunshine on Leith (as sung by Hibernian F.C. fans)
Books: Jeremy Gilbert – Common Ground / Nadia Idle & Alex Nunns – Tweets from Tahrir / / Elias Canetti – Crowds and Power / JS McClelland – The Crowd and the Mob / Gustav Le Bon – The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind / Freud – Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego /
Sartre – Critique of Dialectical Reason / Dan Hancox – The Power of Crowds (article)
Look out for the accompanying Microdose interview with Turkish journalist and author Ece Temelkuran, who talks to Nadia Idle about the joy inherent in a protest and why raves are more infantilising than inspiring.
Experts suggest new Covid infections in England may have finally peaked, but with two more weeks of rising hospital admissions expected, can the NHS avoid collapse? We speak to A&E doctor Silas Webb. Plus: We speak to SAGE advisor Professor Susan Michie on the lockdown blame-game, and Richard Leonard resigns as the Leader of Scottish Labour. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
2021 marks a decade since Aaron Bastani and James Butler started the radio show which would eventually become #NovaraFM, and which would give birth to Novara Media. To mark the start of the new year - a year in which all the crises which prompted the show's creation are more visible and more pressing than they were a decade ago - join James for a trip through just some of the twists and turns, hidden gems, prophetic foresights and sudden surprises in the Novara archives. https://novaramedia.com/?p=29568
The government have once again been shamed by a footballer for failing Britain’s kids. From a botched schools policy to paltry meals, are the Tories failing a generation? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Nadia Idle speaks to Turkish journalist and author Ece Temelkuran about the potency of crowds. Reflecting on their experiences in Tahrir Square and Gezi Park, they talk about feeling powerful in political demonstrations, why raves are infantilising rather than inspiring, and how Covid-19 has put an end to free assembly.
Ece, twice named Turkey's "most read political columnist", has published several novels as well as 2019's How to Lose a Country: The 7 Steps from Democracy to Dictatorship, chronicling the rise of right-wing populism in Turkey and the west. She was awarded the Human Rights Association of Turkey's Ayşe Zarakolu Freedom of Thought Award in 2008.
Books: Ece Temelkuran - How to Lose a Country: The 7 steps from Democracy to Dictatorship / Nadia Idle and Alex Nunns - Tweets from Tahrir / Elias Canetti - Crowds and Power
You can read more of Ece's work on her website: https://ecetemelkuran.com
Boris Johnson's late lockdown has condemned Britain to weeks of rising Covid deaths. This weekend his media outriders have focussed on making the public blame each other.
With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Was this week’s storming of the Capitol a genuine insurrection or just a comedy coup, and how does our answer inform how the left should respond? Plus, How long will it be until Britain bends the Covid curve? And global health expert Yara Asi on Palestinians under occupation being left out of Israel's vaccination efforts. With Michael Walker, Sarah Jaffe and Francesca Fiorentini and Dalia Gebrial.
As Boris Johnson passes legislation for a lockdown until the end of March, and after Chris Whitty suggested we might still need covid restrictions next winter, should we abandon hope of a covid-free post pandemic world? Plus, A&E doctor Tariq Jenner on how NHS hospitals are coping amid the pandemic, Bhaskar Sunkara on the Democrats flipping the US Senate, and the soon-to-launch right-wing news channel GB news. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
On Monday a British judge ruled that Julian Assange should not be extradited to the United States on charges of espionage and computer hacking. Yet despite that verdict the judgment arguably represented a blow to freedom of the press, with the judge accepting the substance of the case made by the US State Department.
On Downstream, Aaron Bastani is joined by Yanis Varoufakis, former Greek finance minister and prominent supporter of Julian Assange during his time in prison, as they discuss the meaning of the outcome and what next for the founder of Wikileaks.
Boris Johnson will tonight finally announce a national lockdown. But with hospitals already under more strain than in March, how much has the delay cost Britain?
Liz Truss has declared war on "woke". But as UNICEF intervene in Britain for the first time in 70 years, can the Tories really blame record levels of poverty on too much anti-racism?
With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Everyone's heard about the rise of the robots: they're going to put us out of jobs, Skynet is going to usher in a miserable dystopia, or a friendly AI will automate everything we hate, freeing us to live a life of luxury. But what if both of these accounts are wrong? A deeper look at the actual consequences of automation might suggest something quite different is happening. The gains in productivity automation is supposed to make don't appear: a decade of stagnation tells us quite otherwise. So what have the automation theorists got wrong? And if the robots aren't going to usher in utopia, how might we build it with our own hands? James Butler is joined by Aaron Benanav, author of Automation and the Future of Work, to discuss. Endnotes has recently published an account of the 2019-20 'non-movements' on its website. https://novaramedia.com/?p=29114
Despite concerns from scientists, the UK government’s rules for Christmas Covid will not change. Will Boris Johnson’s call for us to have a “merry little Christmas” stop the spread? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Nearly 12 months ago some said that we were on the verge of entering a new Roaring '20s. How prescient they turned out to be.
One pandemic and a global economic freefall later, all the assumptions we started out with in January have turned to dust. In their place are pressing questions. Did Boris Johnson's landslide breathe a new lease of life into the Conservative Party? Has coronavirus changed politics for a decade? What does the explosive rise of BLM mean for the anti-racist cause?
Downstream hosts Ash Sarkar and Aaron Bastani are joined by NovaraFM's James Butler to discuss the year in review and what comes next.
As cases surge, London is entering a Tier 3 lockdown. But with schools staying open, is time running out to prevent carnage this Christmas? #TyskySour with Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Boris Johnson has said a no-deal Brexit is now "very, very likely." Is the prime minister just bluffing or is Britain about to go over the Brexit cliff-edge? With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/12/11/deal-or-no-deal/
What would it mean to take climate change as seriously as it demands to be taken? What kinds of political action are adequate to the climate crisis? Why are states acting so slowly, and so inadequately? And why is the climate movement so wedded to a near-absolute pacifism? Andreas Malm, author of one of the most penetrating accounts of carbon capitalism, thinks he knows why – and what is to be done. In a new polemic, How to Blow Up a Pipeline, he makes an urgent call for the climate justice movement to take radical action against the infrastructure of death – before it's too late. He joins James Butler to discuss. The two Catholic Worker activists mentioned in the episode, Jessica Reznicek and Ruby Montoya, face over 100 years each in prison. The Climate Focus is part of Novara Media’s Decade Project, an inquiry into the defining issues of the 2020s. The Decade Project is generously supported by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation (London Office). https://novaramedia.com/?p=28949
As they meet for dinner in Brussels, can Ursula Von Der Leyen and Boris Johnson break the deadlock on a Brexit deal? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Michel Barnier has set Wednesday as the deadline for any UK-EU agreement, but the same sticking points remain. Are we hurtling towards a no deal Brexit? Plus: Millwall fans booed their own players as they took the knee on Saturday. Minister and right-wing pundits have suggested this was only opposition to the demands of the official BLM organisation. Are they excusing racism? After mounting the biggest strike in history, Indian farmers are still protesting a wave of neoliberal reforms. We speak to Dr Jasdev Singh Rai. Director of the Sikh Human Rights Group. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
The UK will start administering a coronavirus vaccine next week. But how did Britain manage to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine quicker than its peers, and should we worry that speed came at the expense of certainty? We speak to Professor Deenan Pillay of Independent SAGE. Plus: Aidan Harper on a 4 day week; UK government announces its aim to cut emissions by 68% by 2030; Labour suspend a prominent jewish activist. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani
What is it to live a good life? Does it mean endless consumption? More air travel to farther places, fast food and faster fashion, and an endlessly expanding market? And if so, doesn't climate change mean an end to anything like a good life? The philosopher Kate Soper doesn't think so. She joins Clare Hymer to discuss alternative hedonism, political optimism and post-growth living. Kate Soper's book, Post-Growth Living: For an Alternative Hedonism, is out now from Verso. The Climate Focus is part of Novara Media’s Decade Project, an inquiry into the defining issues of the 2020s. The Decade Project is generously supported by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation (London Office). https://novaramedia.com/?p=28495
As Britain becomes the first Western country to approve a covid vaccine, ministers are desperate to claim credit for a German/US invention. But politics aside, does this mean the end of the pandemic is in sight? Plus: the first batch of lab grown chicken goes on sale in Singapore; Debenhams has followed Arcadia into administration; Starmer under pressure to drop islamophobic donor. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
20 years after the Macpherson Report, the Metropolitan Police is still dogged by accusations of institutional racism, while the Black Lives Matter movement has forced a reckoning with police brutality and inequalities in the criminal justice system. But should Black and Asian people protest from the outside to force change, or join the ranks of the police itself?
Ash Sarkar meets Leroy Logan, former police superintendent and inspiration for Steve McQueen’s Red White and Blue, to talk about his father's assault at the hands of the Met, institutional racism, and whether you can really change things from the inside.
While COVID-19 has killed Arcadia, it has cemented Amazon as the world's dominant retail firm. David Adler joins the show to discuss what does the rise of Bezos's empire, and the fall of Green's, mean for both the planet and for workers?
Plus, with local CLPs banned from discussing Jeremy Corbyn we speak to CLP chair Corrie Drew and Momentum chair Andrew Scattergood about how the left can fight for democracy despite the authoritarian moves of Keir Starmer.
With Michael Walker, Dalia Gebrial.
In the jungles of Jharkhand and Bihar, armed Maoists continue their decades-long insurgency against the Indian state. Sparked off by a rebellion in Naxalbari in 1967, after taking to the jungles, the Naxalites encountered and recruited from Adivasi populations, often living in resource-rich areas eyed by mining and extraction companies. Alpa Shah, who teaches anthropology at LSE, became intrigued by the number of young Adivasis attracted to life among the guerrillas. Returning to the Naxalite red capital, she joined a Maoist platoon as they made a dangerous seven-night march across the jungle. Nightmarch weaves the story of that journey with reflections on the inner world of Maoist leaders and footsoldiers, the consequences of political violence, and the enduring legacy of caste, class and gender prejudice. She joins James Butler to explore the inner life of the insurgency.
Since the book's first publication, the insurgency has become a catch-all excuse for the Modi government to crack down on dissent – alleging that trade unionists, journalists and human rights defenders are in fact 'urban Naxals', and arresting, detaining or surveilling them. In her preface to the new edition of Nightmarch, Shah describes the latest developments in this wave of repression, and outlines her fears that India will become, instead of the world's deepest democracy, its largest prison. https://novaramedia.com/?p=28067
With a public sector pay freeze and cuts to foreign aid, has Rishi Sunak's spending review shown him to be a typical Tory class warrior? With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar and James Meadway.
With a vaccine ready for the new year, why is Boris Johnson risking giving Britain’s grandparents covid for Christmas? #TyskySour with Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Keir Starmer has given himself three months to find a rule Corbyn might have broken that justifies him losing the whip. Meanwhile, Johnson has decided that, when it comes to his allies, rules don't apply at all. Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial discuss Priti Patel keeping her job after breaking the ‘ministerial code’ and Corbyn losing the whip at the behest of Margaret Hodge. Is due process dead in Britain? Plus, Rivkah Brown on the government’s rush to deport migrants before Brexit.
London is red. In both 2017 and 2019, the capital city went overwhelmingly red – a story repeated in other English cities, but especially pronounced in London. Yet the left has rarely had much interest in London's socialist story, preferring to deride the capital as a decadent seat of power or a parasitical drain on the rest of the country. But London has a deep, long history as a laboratory of struggle and a crucible of socialist experiment – and once had a city government so radical that Thatcher had to abolish it. Owen Hatherley joins James Butler to argue that it's time to reclaim the Red Metropolis. Red Metropolis is available from Repeater Books now. https://novaramedia.com/?p=27841
Labour have re-admitted Corbyn, but now Starmer's suspended the whip. What's the real story behind the chaos of the last 24 hours? And what happens next? Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani discuss the reinstatement of Jeremy Corbyn in the Labour party.
Love him or loathe him, Dominic Cummings was the driving force of Johnson’s government. It was Cummings that masterminded the election campaign that pitched the people vs politicians and won Johnson his majority. Then, by combining culture wars with promises to ‘level up’ the country he transformed the Tories too. So, now he’s gone what direction will the Tories take? Will they dump the culture wars for climate action, as some newspapers are suggesting? Or, will it be the same old attacks on the marginalised, only now with more ‘civility’? Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar unpick the evidence.
In April, Boris Johnson’s government trashed Britain’s lockdown strategy, and the popularity of the Prime Minister to save Dominic Cummings. Less than six months later and he’s announced he’s resigning anyway. What will Johnson’s chief advisor mean for the direction of this government? Will the fall of Cummings mean a softer Brexit and an end to toxic culture wars? With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
You're probably tired of hearing about 'fake news.' You probably think everything that needs to be said about it has been said. What if you were wrong? What if those arguments had barely scratched the surface? James Butler is joined by Marcus Gilroy-Ware to delve behind the facade of fake news and uncover what lies beneath: from a hollowed-out democracy, to the clash of reason and emotion, to the question of conspiracy theory – and what it might really tell us.
Marcus Gilroy-Ware's After the Fact: The Truth About Fake News is available now. https://novaramedia.com/?p=27624
Ash Sarkar is joined by Naomi Klein to discuss what Biden in the White House means for the world, whether Trumpism has a future, and what next for the left.
Progressives are celebrating the end of Trump. What changes now? With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar, and Nelini Stamp, Anand Menon and David Wearing.
Biden is President-elect. Trump has been dumped. But will Trump now accept the inevitable, and what will a Biden White House mean for America? With Michael Walker, Dalia Gebrial, Waleed Shahid and Micah Uetricht.
The votes are still being counted, but it now looks certain that Joe Biden will be the next president of the USA. Despite the predictions of liberal pundits, though, the Biden landslide didn't emerge. Why? What does the US look like after four years of Trump? Has American political culture changed – and is it permanent? And what hope does the fledgling left in the US have? James Butler is joined by two leading writers and theorists of the American left, JoAnn Wypijewski and Vivek Chibber, to answer those questions.
JoAnn's latest book, What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About #MeToo, is available from Verso Books. The two essays discussed in the episode can be found online: 'The Politics of Insecurity' at the New Left Review, and on the politics of the Brett Kavanaugh appointment at the Verso website. Vivek Chibber's work on class politics can be found at Catalyst. https://novaramedia.com/?p=27339
The ‘blue wave’ hasn’t materialised, and the US election will go down to the wire. Tonight we speak to Nomiki Konst for analysis of the race, plus Sarah Jaffe live from swing-state Pennsylvania. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Britain's museums are filled with objects from around the world which were stolen.
Should they be given back? And what would a 'decolonised' museum actually look like? Aaron Bastani is joined by Professor Dan Hicks to discuss his new book "The Brutish Museums".
The Tories have been trashing the idea of a second English lockdown for weeks. They’ve finally implemented one in. But is it a month too late? With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
A day after Keir Starmer threw a grenade into the Labour Party by suspending Corbyn, what do we now know about how MPs, unions and members will respond? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been suspended from the party. What the hell happens now?! With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani and Rivkah Brown.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/10/29/corbyn-suspended/
Removing free school meals in the middle of a pandemic is arbitrary and cruel. Has Marcus Rashford revealed the true nature of Tory Britain? Plus: the leader of Islington Council, Richard Watts, on why school meals should be free for all; Deputy in the Chilean Congress, Giorgio Jackson, on the referendum that overturned Pinochet’s constitution; And, why are so many covid-skeptics right-wingers? With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
With 10 days left to the US presidential election, last night’s debate was Trump’s final chance to shift the dial. Did Biden manage to close the deal? Ryan Grim joins Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar to discuss.
In 2017 Labour, under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, achieved 40% of the vote in a general election – increasing their share of the vote by 10%. Two years later, in December 2019, that fell to 32% – as the party slumped to its lowest number of seats since 1935.
What explains the difference between those two results? What went right, and wrong, for Jeremy Corbyn? And can Keir Starmer be trusted to retain socialist policies through to 2024? All that, and more, is covered as Aaron Bastani talks to James Schneider, former head of strategic communications for Jeremy Corbyn.
In New Zealand and Bolivia, this weekend saw landslide victories for the left. We speak to Max Harris, Author of NZ project, on Jacinda Ardern, and David Adler live from from La Paz on the Bolivian election. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
As the coronavirus spirals out of control, Johnson is distracted by two wars of his own making: One with the north of England, the other with the EU. Michael Walker and Dalia Grabiel discuss a chaotic 48 hours in British politics, and speak to the leader of Preston council, which has just been put into tier 3 of lockdown restrictions. Plus, the #SpyCops Bill sees 35 Labour MPs break the whip in rebellion against Keir Starmer.
Labour and SAGE are pushing for a circuit breaker lockdown to curtail the spread of Covid-19. But what would a “circuit breaker” really achieve? We ask Professor Karl Friston of Independent SAGE. Plus: Everything that’s wrong with the test and trace system, Micah Uetricht on Trump returning to the campaign trail, and a correction from Monday’s show on childhood transmission. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
While it has already led to more than one million deaths, the consequences of Covid-19 go beyond just public health with 2020 experiencing the sharpest economic downturn in history. Of course much of that was intentional, with demobilisation seen as necessary to control the virus, but what are the longer term economic impacts? Will some of the old economy never return, do higher levels of public debt really matter and will Covid-19 accelerate the ascent of the rest over the West. To discuss all of that Aaron Bastani is joined by Grace Blakeley, author of 'Stolen' and the forthcoming 'Corona Crash' with Verso Books.
After a weekend of wrangling, Johnson has announced a three tier lockdown. Does this pandemic policy punish the North for Westminster failures? Plus, John Ashton on whether Merseyside was right to accept the highest lockdown restrictions and former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell why he believes it's time for the prime minister to be replaced. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani
Rishi Sunak has annnounced an extension to the furlough and, once again, the realities of covid have forced the government into another screeching U-turn. Do the Tories still lack a strategy for dealing with the virus? Plus: Trump's bizarre twitter vids and Number 10's new spokesperson. With Michael Walker, Dalia Gebrial and James Meadway.
Sturgeon has announced scottish pubs will close for two weeks. With local lockdowns failing, Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani discuss whether the rest of the UK will soon follow suit? Plus, The growing backlash against 10pm curfew Unite slashes Labour funding UK's booming arms trade.
After nearly five years of political upset, parliamentary dysfunction and media blitzkrieg, the Corbyn project met it's end with defeat at the ballot box and the rise of Keir Starmer. But was Corbynism always doomed to meet this sticky end? That's the question posed by Owen Jones in his new book This Land. Ash Sarkar interviewed him to find out more.
http://novara.media/thisland
There are few sectors as broad and diffuse as the care sector, and there are few forms of work that have to struggle so hard for recognition - leaving some workers "tired from the heart". We ask: why do political responses to care work seem to fall short? How should the needs of support workers and support recipients be balanced? And what would it mean to advance an alternative vision of the care sector? As part of Novara Media's Future of Work focus, Sophie Hemery and Craig Gent spoke to people across the care sector, including childcare, adult social care and both disability and mental health support. They join James Butler in the studio. This work is supported by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation (London Office). Our special thanks to Matt Huxley for his production work, and to 65daysofstatic for their music. https://novaramedia.com/?p=26040
Thousands were missed by test-and-trace because of an excel error. Will incompetence condemn Britain to a Second Covid Wave? Plus: Trump won't isolate; Labour abstain on #SpyCops bill; and. Tory Party Conference. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial discuss the bombshell news that Trump has coronavirus. Plus, pressure mounts on Margaret Perrier after breaking covid rules, the Julian Assange extradition hearing closes, the elites driving migrant prison ship plans.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/10/02/trump-gets-corona/
Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar are joined by New York Magazine's Eric Levitz to analyse a dire presidential debate, and an ongoing American nightmare. Plus, the day's Downing St press briefing and home secretary Patel's plan to ship asylum seekers to the South Atlantic.
There is no more fundamental form of work than work that provides us with food. Yet most of us have only a vague sense of the round-the-clock work done to put food on our plates – which some workers say is like 'sacrificing your life' to feed the rest of society. Can that last?
As part of Novara Media's Future of Work focus, Sophie Hemery and Craig Gent have been out talking to workers throughout the food supply chain, from dairy farmers to wholesale traders and grocers. They join James Butler in the studio. This work is supported by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation (London Office).
Our special thanks to Matt Huxley for his production work, and to 65daysofstatic for their music. https://novaramedia.com/?p=25885
Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani discuss the wave of lockdowns at British universities. Plus, anti-capitalism banned in English schools, Paul Dacre and Charles Moore tipped for top BBC jobs, Lawfare in Ecuador (w/ Guillaume Long) and Labour seeks to woo back rich donors.
David Graeber’s life and work leaves an indelible mark on thinkers and activists from London through New York, from Rojava to Quebec. To celebrate his life and work Novara Media are hosting a live stream with academics, activists, and politicians who have been influenced by, and who were an influence on, his intellectual endeavours and activist pursuits.
With:
Molly Crabapple John McDonnell David Wengrow Dani Ellis Debbie Bookchin Aaron Bastani Grace Blakeley Alpa Shah Jeremy Corbyn
Hosted by Ash Sarkar
Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani discuss Sunak’s lacklustre Job Support Scheme. Plus, COVID chaos on UK campuses. why casual sex is still banned, Whittome sacked for opposing Torture.
Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial Respond to Keir Starmer’s Address to the Nation on Covid-19. Plus, top scientists say Johnson’s new restrictions aren’t good enough, China commits to carbon neutrality by 2060 and RLB’s replacement gets Labour in trouble.
Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani react to Johnson’s address to the nation and Keir Starmer's first speech to party conference as Labour Leader.
Coronavirus cases are doubling every week. Hospital admissions are rising. And - if Britain doesn’t change course - more deaths are on the way. That was the message from the UK’s Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Advisor in a live public broadcast this morning. Is it time to panic?? Plus, Labour’s online conference, the end of the evictions ban and whether the Prime Minister is about to quit. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
10 million people in the UK now live under local restrictions, and a nationwide lockdown looks to be incoming. Will the government come to regret bullying us into our offices, and giving us all discounts in pubs? Plus: why no-one understands government testing figures (including Matt Hancock); Priti Patel’s War on Cocaine; Joe Biden’s Beef with Boris Johnson; and Joe Rogan backs Assange but liberal pundist stay silent. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/09/18/lockdown-reloaded/
The government promised that by the time schools re-opened the UK would have a world beating test-and-trace system. However, just as our economy is re-opening, Britain’s testing system has collapsed. Does Britain’s testing chaos make a second wave inevitable?
After the 2017 general election Labour under Jeremy Corbyn seemingly stood on the brink of power. From nowhere they had enjoyed the biggest increase in vote share of any party since 1945, depriving the Tories of their majority. But from there it was a story of Glastonbury to catastrophe and, last December, Labour gained their lowest number of seats since 1935. How did so much change, and so quickly? Who bares the most responsibility? And could it have been any different? To discuss all that Aaron is joined by Gabriel Pogrund and Patrick Maguire, authors of ‘Left Out’: The Inside Story of Labour Under Corbyn.
The US West Coast is suffering from record breaking forest fires. Will the disaster jolt the country into climate action? Plus, Alan Sugar wants you back in the office, Labour Friends of Israel celebrates an influx of MPs, and thousands complain after ITV airs homage to Black Lives Matter. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
From Sunday it will be illegal to meet up with a group of more than 6 people, unless your boss has told you so. Does the need for a tightening of lockdown rules show the government has lost control of covid 19? Is it sustainable to tell people they’re morally obliged to traipse into packed offices, while banning them from meeting up with friends after work? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Boris Johnson won last year’s general election promising to implement his oven ready deal. However, less than 12 months later he’s planning to break The Withdrawal Agreement. Are the government really willing to unilaterally break a legally binding international treaty? Or is this just typical bluster from the Prime Minister? Plus, Extinction Rebellion take on Rupert Murdoch, the biggest increase in coronavirus cases since May and a Tory MP gets owned by Mark Rashford.
Nothing says Global Britain more than hiring an ex-Australian PM to be a trade envoy. But what about if he’s a noted misogynist, homophobe and climate sceptic? Plus, Corbyn-Coyle WhatsApp leaks and Gary Lineker enrages xenophobes; We also remember and discuss the life and work of world-renowned anthropologist David Graeber.
Extinction Rebellion are back on the streets protesting government inaction on the climate. But it’s leadership have angered left wingers by renouncing a banner members made in support of socialism. Is their anti-political stance a dead end? Plus, as schools open the government blackmail workers back into offices and Fox News comes to the UK.
Since 1843, The Economist has been the single most devoted and influential champion of liberalism anywhere in the world. But what exactly is liberalism, and what does the output of the Economist tell us about it?
To discuss this, Aaron Bastani spoke to Alexander Zevin, author of Liberalism at Large: The World According to the Economist.
Michael Walker is joined by Minnie Rahman from Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants to discuss the human cost of the trumped up ‘migrant crisis.’Plus, UK cronyism the evictions ban coming to an end and record support for Scottish independence.
The government have been forced into a screeching U-Turn on exam results. It's a victory for students and teachers, and an embarrassment for Gavin Williamson. How did zoomers force the climbdown? Plus, Greece abandon migrants at sea after shipping them to Turkish border and record-breaking protests in Belarus threaten Lukashenko's 26 year rule.
Nadia Idle, Keir Milburn and Jeremy Gilbert are back to discuss the recent rise of conspiratorial thinking within New Age, spiritual and 'wellness' communities, and what implications this has for the Left, with music by David Bowie, Mark Stewart and Coki. Edited and produced by Olivia Humphreys and Matt Huxley.
PRS LICENCE NUMBER: LE-0016481
Music: Black Sabbath - Paranoid / Mark Stewart + Maffia - None Dare Call It Conspiracy / David Bowie - Moonage Daydream / The Stooges - TV Eye / Coki - Mood Dub / David Bowie - Rock'n'Roll Suicide.
Books: Frederic Jameson - The Postmodern Condition / Jean-Francois Lyotard - The Condition of Postmodernity / Thomas Pynchon - The Crying of Lot 49 / Dan Hind - The Return of the Public: Democracy, Power and the Case for Media Reform / Clare Birchall - Knowledge Goes Pop: From Conspiracy Theory to Gossip / Jack Bratich - Conspiracy Panics: Political Rationality and Popular Culture / Alan Piper - Strange Drugs Makes For Strange Bedfellows: Ernst Junger, Albert Hofmann and the Politics of Psychedelics.
https://novaramedia.com/?p=24304
Dishing out A-level results in the midst of a pandemic was always going to be hard. That doesn’t excuse a process which has turned into an unprecedented disaster, thrown up arbitrary grades, and dashed the hopes of thousands of young people. But with the poorest hit hardest, is this a case of government incompetence, or of Tory class war? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Nomiki Konst joins Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial to discuss Kamala Harris being picked as Joe Biden's running mate. Plus, Professor Simon Lewis on climate change heatwaves and Commonwealth Director Mathew Lawrence on Britain’s record breaking recession.
We speak to Labour MP Dawn Butler about institutional racism in Britain’s police. Plus, BBC breakfast go on a 'migrant safari', Andrew Neil is reportedly in the running as the next chair of the BBC, and David Miliband brands Corbyn and the Labour left 'wreckers'.
Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani debunk the latest right-wing freakout about migration. Plus, Government corruption on PPE, submissions close for the Labour Leaks inquiry and why we all need Joe Biden to stop talking.
Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial speak to Dr Hicham Safieddine on the Beirut explosion and Harvard Epidemiologist Bill Hanage on COVID-19.
Over the last five days a former Tory MP has been convicted of sexual assault, an unnamed ex-Tory Minister has been arrested, and Prince Andrew faces a wave of new allegations of his involvement in sexual abuse. All the men involved have one thing in common. They have been protected by our establishment. Plus, we speak to the FT's deputy Beijing Bureau Chief, Yuan Yang, on Trump's TikTok ban and, discuss the SAS "rogue killing squad" with Declassified's Phil Miller
A coronavirus spike means a tightening of Britain's lockdown and a Tory MP blames ethnic minorities. Plus, Evgeny Lebdev, Claire Fox, John Woodcock and Boris Johnson’s brother get seats in the House of Lords. And Jane Heybroek’s legal battle with Tracy-Ann Oberman and Rachel Riley.
After sacking Rebecca Long Bailey, apologising to antisemitism ‘whistleblowers’ and dropping numerous campaign pledges, much of Labour’s left is in despair about Keir Starmer. However, Paul Mason is still on board with the new Labour leader. We ask him why. Plus, Europe’s second coronavirus wave, and Newsweek’s Basit Mahmood on the EHRC’s poor record on race.
Aaron Bastani is joined by Ana Kasparian of The Young Turks as they discuss the latest events across the Atlantic.
Will Pelosi be successfully primaried? Is the US economy about to collapse? And what are the actual chances Donald Trump will lose this November?
After Wiley's antisemitic Twitter rant was left up for 48 hours, celebrities and campaigners are boycotting the platform. But, does the dodgy record on racism of those who instigated the action mean progressives should avoid the #NoSafeSpaceForJewHate movement? We're joined by Rivkah Brown to discuss. Plus, Labour Right Blackmail Keir Starmer, and Elon Musk Backs the Bolivian Coup.
With Ghislaine Maxwell behind bars, the world’s press are once again focusing on the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein. But the hosts of TrueAnon believe the mainstream media have no interest in exposing the underlying power plays that exist beneath the Epstein scandal. Plus, Corbyn’s legal fund raises £170k in under 2 days, and we speak to Owen Jones on the day his far-right attackers are sentenced.
Peter Jukes and Matt Kennard debate if the claims made in the Russia Report are a threat to our democracy, or a reach by remainers with an axe to grind. Plus, Niamh Eastwood on Rosie Duffield’s call for a laughing gas ban and Justin Schlosberg on Labour’s apology to antisemitism “whistleblowers”.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/07/22/the-russia-report-debate/
While we often hear how Britain must remember its history, the British state goes to great lengths to do the very opposite. This week's 'The Bastani Factor' sees Aaron joined by author & journalist Ian Cobain as they discuss the secrecy of the British state.
Dr Lee Jones speaks to Michael Walker about the stand-off between UK and China. Plus, Aaron Bastani and Ash Sarkar on a new coronavirus vaccine, the gagged chief nurse, and Dua Lipa's advocacy of Albanian nationalism.
Boris Johnson has dumped the science to save Britain's sandwich shops. Will the bet pay off? Plus, the Tory's plant a Russian dead cat and Ex-Labour MPs sell out to the highest bidder. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
The government have finally made masks mandatory in shops and Britain's right-wingers are freaking out. Plus: Will the Tories beat Labour to a wealth tax? The UK ban Huawei and the BBC axe The Andrew Neil Show. With Michael Walker, Dalia Gebrial and James Meadway.
Coronavirus has shone a light on hyper-exploitation in Britain’s cities. The Tories are blaming, yes you guessed it…. PC culture and immigration. Plus, Labour flip flops on tax, and Starmer scolds Russell-Moyle for criticising zionism. With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar and Aaron Bastani.
Are censorious lefties on twitter undermining free speech, and putting at risk the foundations of a liberal society. Or - are wealthy celebrities annoyed they are, for once, being held to account for their ill-thought out and prejudiced opinions? Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani and Ash Sarkar discuss.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/07/10/cancel-culture-cancelled/
Rishi Sunak claims his mini-budget will save your job and save the high street, but is a bonus for employers and a half-price meal voucher enough to save Britain from a virus-induced depression? With Michael Walker, Faiza Shaheen and Owen Jones.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/07/08/dishy-rishis-meal-deal/
Does Keir Starmer keeping Steve Reed make a mockery of his 'zero tolerance' commitment? Does it show Rebecca Long-Bailey's sacking was political all along? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Ghislaine Maxwell's arrest puts the spotlight back on our perverted and abusive elites. Plus, China's clampdown in Hong Kong, the fallout from David Starkey's racist outburst, and Britain goes back to the pub. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/07/03/sweating-yet/
The Leicester lockdown shows everything wrong with the government's whack-a-mole coronavirus strategy. Jeremy Hunt's hypocrisy, Johnson's 'New Deal', Starmer's NEC power-grab, and Forward Momentum's triumph.
With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
The imminent annexation of parts of the West Bank represents the latest episode in a century long war against the Palestinian people. .
Aaron Bastani is joined by author and academic, Rashid Khalidi, to discuss 100 years of settlement, occupation and struggle.
On Black Lives Matter and GRA reform Keir Starmer wants to avoid a culture war. But by sidestepping such issues, is Labour just surrendering to the forces of reaction? With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar and Aaron Bastani.
Starmer's dumped RLB and has so far got away with it. Can the Labour left avoid Armageddon? Plus, Tories open up about cash for access and fights on the beaches in the post-lockdown heatwave. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/06/26/starmergeddon/
Keir Starmer has sacked Rebecca Long-Bailey for a retweet and declared war on the Left. Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani convene to ask what the hell progressives do now.
By lifting the lockdown is Boris Johnson playing with fire? We speak to Independent SAGE member Gabriel Scally to find out. Plus, Meagan Day on the new AOC and Anand Menon whether ruling out a brexit extension means we'll end up with no deal. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
While anti-colonialism was driven by those in the global south, it was often in conversation with the imperial core. Aaron Bastani talks to Priya Gopal about her book ‘Insurgent Empire’ and the relationship between anti-colonial resistance and British dissent.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/06/23/insurgent-empire-w-priyamvada-gopal/
A terror attack in Reading spawns a bizarre conspiracy about Ash. Plus, the far-right exodus from twitter, zoomers make an impact on Trump's re-election and plans to sign in to your local pub.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/06/23/terror-in-reading/
Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani dive into Labour Together’s report into the election defeat. Plus, Boris Johnson finds new fuel for a culture war, and Alan Sugar’s advice on COVID-19.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/06/20/losing-together/
Munira Mirza is to lead the government's racism review. Are the Tories trolling anti-racism campaigners? Plus, Joshua Virasami on the police crackdown on BLM protestors, Laura Pidcock on shielding, and Matt Hancock claims Marcus Rashford's victory as his own.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/06/17/racism-review-spiked/
Ash Sarkar and Aaron Bastani discuss the far-right's commitment to restoring law and order by punching cops. Plus Shon Faye on why Britain's political class are so keen to make the lives of transgender people miserable.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/06/15/white-riot/
BLM protestors want racial justice. The establishment want to debate 70s sitcoms. Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani discuss the phoney (culture) war. Plus, Miatta Fahnbulleh on the UK's record-breaking recession.
The historic sins of communism and fascism are well documented. Often ignored, however, is murder and violence done in the name of anti-communism, and how this underpinned new forms of empire during the Cold War.
Aaron Bastani interviews author of 'Jakarta Method', Vincent Bevins, to examine the historic legacy of anti-communism, and the murder programs done in its name.
After the toppling of Edward Colston Britain is finally debating its colonial legacy, where will it end? Plus, the corporations saying 'Black Lives Matter', the government gives in on school re-opening, and a preview of Momentum's upcoming elections. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/06/10/the-domino-effect/
Edward Colston Has Fallen. Now, can the #BlackLivesMatter movement force Britain to face up to its colonial past and the racism that exists to this day?
https://novaramedia.com/2020/06/08/colston-has-fallen/
Nadia Idle and Judy Thorne discuss utopian desires over cake and tea. Including sci-fi futures, urban planning, and the Paris Commune.
Texts referenced:
Kristin Ross - Communal Luxury
Ursula Le Guin - The Dispossesed
Marge Piercy - Women on the Edge of Time
Christopher Alexander et al - A Pattern Language
The Tories have announced masks will now be mandatory on public transport. What took so long? Plus, Howard Beckett on British Airways vs Unite, Labour's shift on welfare, and Juliet Jacques on the media's coverage of trans rights.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/06/05/incompetence-unmasked/
After ten weeks of lockdown, James Butler asks: what have we learned?
Plus, a little announcement on the future of this show.
Trump threatens to call in the army. Are pandemic protests safe? And the UK government censor a report on BAME deaths. With Michael Walker, Dalia Gebrial, Sarah Jaffe and Timesh Pillay.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/06/03/military-rule/
The killing of George Floyd has catalysed a wave of protest across the United States, with police violence central to the message of the powerful #BlackLivesMatter movement.
Aaron Bastani interviews author of 'The End of Policing', Alex Vitale, to ask just how bad law enforcement is in the United States, and what can be done about it.
The US is being rocked by its biggest uprising since the 1960s. We are joined by National Organizing Director at the Working Families Party Nelini Stamp, live from New York, to discuss racist policing and anti-racist strategy. Plus, is Britain easing the lockdown too soon?
https://novaramedia.com/2020/06/02/america-in-flames-w-nelini-stamp/
James Butler asks what the government ease-off in regulations is really about – should we expect a second wave?
Plus, as teachers are pressed back to work, we hear from one trade unionist about what’s really going on in schools.
Rishi Sunak adjusts furlough scheme, the government ignores the science to ease the lockdown, and a CNN reporter arrested at the Minneapolis protests.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/05/30/furloughing-the-science/
Cummings survives: but what’s the wreckage?
Lockdown eases, but R is high: so why?
Plus, James Butler wonders about political hope in difficult times.
James Butler on Dominic Cummings: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/28/dominic-cummings-democracy-laws-truth-consequences Huw Lemmey on hecklers: https://huw.substack.com/p/what-have-you-got-to-say-to-that Minnesota Freedom Fund: https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/donate
Boris Johnson's blind defence of Cummings is undermining the lockdown, but will it seriously undermine his government? Michael Walker is joined by Owen Jones and Dalia Gebrial to discuss.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/05/27/herd-impunity/
Last year Davos viral sensation Rutger Bregman toured the tv studios of Britain finding that "on average, British journalists are the least curious of all." He found just one exception to this rule, his interview with Aaron Bastani for Novara Media.
Rutger is back, this time promoting his new book Humankind which argues that altruism and cooperation define our species, not barbarism as most would have you believe.
No new information. No apology. Dominic Cummings has made it clear it’s one rule for him and another for the rest of us.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/05/25/rule-breaker/
Cummings bets that he can cling on – and Johnson backs him. Has he miscalculated? Will it matter?
What does the Cummings crisis reveal about our politics - and the Tory attitude to law?
James Butler on Cummings and the dark world of advisers: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/23/dominic-cummings-reign-shadowy-world-spads
Boris Johnson has been forced to make two U-turns this week. Is he a prime minister in retreat? Plus, James Meadway on whether Britain's record debt will ever have to be paid back. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/05/22/johnson-in-retreat/
Former Public Health Chief John Ashton was one of the first experts to sound the alarm on the government's coronavirus strategy. Does he believe they have learnt from their mistakes? Plus, CLASS Director Faiza Shaheen on new unemployment figures and the depths of the COVID-19 economic crisis.
For the first time since this crisis began polls are showing the public dissatisfied with the government's handling of Covid-19. Could this be a turning point in the politics of coronavirus?
https://novaramedia.com/2020/05/18/a-turning-point-in-trust/
Labour's Shadow Housing Minister has called rent cancellation "un-Labour". Are we back to the bad old days Blairism? Plus, why the Tory press have gone to war with teachers and how the government are ending the lockdown BEFORE they've introduced test-and-trace.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/05/15/for-the-landlords-not-the-many/
Eight weeks in, James Butler asks what kind of judgements can we make about the crisis – and what it reveals about Britain.
Does the sudden global stoppage let us see what real political change might look like?
Plus, a special announcement on the future of this show.
Sunak softens his economic instincts: so what does that say about what’s coming? Is organised labour really in a position of strength?
Plus – what does the pandemic mean for the future of technocracy?
Charlotte Bence on trade unions, organising and workplace safety — https://tribunemag.co.uk/2020/05/if-your-boss-is-putting-your-life-at-risk-read-this
The government's new slogan to tackle to the coronavirus pandemic might be clear as mud, but its consequences are clear. The lockdown is over if you're working class. Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani and Ash Sarkar discuss the Tories' shifting message, and the consequences of a loosening of the lockdown.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/05/11/clear-as-mud/
Boris Johnson changes the lockdown rules – but is he also trying to shift the blame?
TUC Join a Union page: https://www.tuc.org.uk/join-union
Nadia, Jeremy and Keir search for the feeling of freedom, moving from Nina Simone to Buddhist House via Jeremy Clarkson. Edited and produced by Olivia Humphreys, Matt Huxley and Matt Phull.
PRS LICENCE NUMBER: LE-0016481
Tracklist: Variously performed by Marlena Shaw, Wynton Marsalis, Billy Taylor, Nina Simone, Cold Blood, John Denver, and Nina again, live at Montreux 1976 - I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free / Barking Bateria - Under The Bridge / Janis Joplin - Me & Bobby McGee / Richie Havens - Freedom / Ashford & Simpson - Stay Free / Primal Scream - Loaded / Gala - Freed From Desire.
Texts: Isaiah Berlin - Two Concepts of Liberty / Simone de Beauvoir - The Second Sex / Wendy Brown - Undoing the Demos / Adam Kotsko - Why We Love Sociopaths / Richard Sennett - The Corrosion of Character.
To celebrate our 10th Trip, we've compiled a playlist of all the music heard across #ACFM so you can tune in and drop out at your leisure. Find it on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Wv61PS6qItwCBUluNcSFx
Owen Jones joins Michael Walker to talk about the Tories mixed up lockdown messaging, VE Day and Keir Starmer getting smeared. Plus, Allyson Pollock on why we need an independent SAGE.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/05/08/lifting-the-lockdown-with-owen-jones/
James Butler considers the 75th anniversary of VE Day: what are the politics of memory?
Plus, Georgia Anderson catches us up on the story of the Nightingale hospitals.
🔥 Ash Sarkar asks whether the long shadow of Corbyn stops us seeing Keir Starmer clearly.
🔥 Plus, the government fears we’ve become “addicted” to income support. James Meadway breaks it down.
The UK's coronavirus death-toll has overtaken Italy to be the highest in Europe, but the press are more concerned with a scientists sex-life. Plus, Government scientists tie themselves in knots, furloughed workers labelled 'addicts', and Guardian technology editor Alex Hern on the NHS contact tracing app.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/05/06/dead-cats-and-death-tolls/
As the left wonders how to make a better world out of the crisis, Aaron Bastani asks: are there lessons we can learn from how the right does politics?
Plus, James Butler on the politics of freedom.
Edelman trust barometer: https://www.edelman.com/research/trust-2020-spring-update
How will the lockdown end?
James Butler asks: why is the US so intent on blaming China? Do states need ‘official enemies’?
Constantin Cavafy, ‘Waiting for the Barbarians’: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/51294/waiting-for-the-barbarians Bruce Schneier, ’On COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps’:https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2020/05/me_on_covad-19_.html
Ana Kasparian joins Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani to discuss allegations against potential Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Plus, the Johnson government fix testing numbers & Yara Hawari on coronavirus in Palestine. https://novaramedia.com/2020/05/01/biden-in-the-dock/
Happy May Day!
James Butler delves into the strike wave prompted by the coronavirus: might the pandemic mean a stronger position for workers?
We hear from a participant in Oxford’s vaccine trial.
And James wishes a happy birthday to Resonance FM.
George Monbiot joins Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani to discuss government bailouts and the impact of coronavirus on the politics of climate change. Plus, Boris Johnson has his sixth or seventh baby, and why festival companies are running pop-up morgues.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/04/29/the-coronavirus-climate-with-george-monbiot/
Last night's Panorama revealed deep, long-term failures by government to ensure NHS staff were as safe possible from Coronavirus. But what will be the consequences?
https://novaramedia.com/2020/04/28/failure-to-protect/
Aaron Bastani asks: where on earth is Labour going on economic policy? Can it avoid fighting the last war?
Plus, James Butler asks: are we facing a food crisis? Why?
Subscribe to The Burner here: https://novara.media/FollowTheBurner James Meadway: https://novaramedia.com/2020/04/27/dont-fight-the-last-war-why-the-left-needs-to-look-beyond-austerity/ Raj Patel: https://novaramedia.com/2018/05/18/raj-patel-a-history-of-the-world-in-seven-cheap-things/
After weeks off with Coronavirus, Boris Johnson is back at work and the press are already fawning. Plus, the right-wingers pushing to end the lockdown; the revolving door between press and government; and Priti Patel's pathetic press briefings. With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani and Ash Sarkar.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/04/27/boris-is-back/
Trump is promoting the injection of bleach and backing protests against the lockdown. Could Covid-19 lose him the presidency? Plus: The UK aren't controlling international travel. Why?
https://novaramedia.com/2020/04/24/19872/
Nicola Sturgeon has said social distancing will continue until 2021. Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani discuss the social and political implications. Plus Lara McNeil on the #LabourLeaks NEC meeting.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/04/23/when-will-this-end/
Keir Starmer took on his first PMQs yesterday: Ash Sarkar asks what we learned about his strategy. What’s changed since Corbyn?
Plus, experts and NHS workers ask you to #ChantforPPE
Dr Bill Hanage, Associate Professor of Epidemiology at Harvard University, joins Michael Walker to discuss global responses to Covid-19, and when and how we can exit coronavirus lockdown.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/04/22/after-the-lockdown-w-bill-hanage/
How bad could the economic crisis get? Who will it touch? What hope of recovery – and what shape will it take? And does political leadership really matter?
An exclusive interview with former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell on COVID-19, the #LabourLeaks, and the future of the left under Keir Starmer.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/04/19/john-mcdonnell-on-the-labourleaks-and-covid-19/
Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani are joined by Dr Sonia Adesara to discuss why BAME communities are hardest hit by coronavirus. Plus the latest on the #LabourLeaks
https://novaramedia.com/2020/04/17/unequal-burden/
The pandemic has brought a sudden stop to some of the fundamentals not just of neoliberalism, but economic activity itself. What might this 'holiday of exchange value' tell us about the system we live in? Can economics be a 'moral science'? And what next for the world system? James Butler is joined by Will Davies, Professor of Political Economy at Goldsmiths, to discuss. https://novaramedia.com/?p=19607
Jacobin's Meagan Day and Micah Uetricht join Michael Walker to talk about their new book "Bigger than Bernie: How We Go from the Sanders Campaign to Democratic Socialism"
https://novaramedia.com/2020/04/16/bigger-than-bernie-with-megan-day-and-micah-utrecht/
James Butler asks: what would a tech-led exit from lockdown look like?
James Meadway tells us what we should make of the OBR’s ‘bouncing ball’ scenario on the economic shock.
Ross Anderson: Contact tracing in the real world: https://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2020/04/12/contact-tracing-in-the-real-world/
As economies around the world go into deep freeze, Aaron Bastani is joined by economic historian Adam Tooze to discuss the scale of the downturn and what it means for modern capitalism.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/04/14/the-coronavirus-crash/
As the UK daily death toll surpasses the worst in Italy and Spain, the BBC's leading story is about the weather. Are Britain's press downplaying deaths? Plus Labour MP Nadia Whittome on the coronavirus crisis in our care sector.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/04/10/records-deaths-media-shrugs/
With Bernie Sanders bowing out of the race for Democrat nominee, what next for the US left? Is this the end of something, or the start?
https://novaramedia.com/2020/04/09/socialism-after-sanders/
Yanis Varoufakis had a front row seat for the EU's last existential crisis. Now that Europe is struck with coronavirus, are its leaders making the same mistakes all over again.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/04/08/yanis-varoufakis-on-the-coronacrisis/
Do official statistics show the true death count and economic cost of COVID-19? Plus Rebecca Long-Bailey’s communications boss Matt Zarb-Cousin joins Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani to discuss how the left lost the Labour leadership race.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/04/07/counting-the-cost-of-covid-19/
Boris Johnson is in intensive care: so how does the government now run? And shouldn’t we have known earlier?
What are the politics of the new Labour top team?
Plus, Georgia Anderson speaks to an NHS worker involved in setting up the training for the new Nightingale hospitals about the front line of the crisis.
James Butler on the politics of the coronavirus crisis in the LRB: https://lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v42/n07/james-butler/follow-the-science
The #ACFM crew discuss life in lockdown including cheese care packs, the moral economy, and the crisis of liberalism. Texts: Nadia Idle- This Too Shall Pass https://notaloneintheworld.com/2020/03/22/this-too-shall-pass/ / Craig Gent - When Logistics Run Out Of Time https://novaramedia.com/2020/03/23/when-logistics-run-out-of-time/ / Jonathan Corum and Carl Zimmer - How Corona Virus Hijacks Your Cells https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/11/science/how-coronavirus-hijacks-your-cells.html / Kropotkin - Mutual Aid / Hobbes - Leviathan / E.P. Thompson - The Moral Economy of the English Crowd in the Eighteenth Century. https://novaramedia.com/?p=19099
Italy gave the British government warning of the catastrophic consequences of COVID-19. So why have we entered this crisis so woefully underprepared? With Ash Sarkar, Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani
https://novaramedia.com/2020/04/03/we-were-warned/
Oonagh Ryder and Carl Cattermole speak to Kevin Blowe, Coordinator of the Network for Police Monitoring, about the new police powers that the Coronavirus Bill (now the Coronavirus Act 2020) has brought in. They are also joined by researcher and creative producer, Becka Hudson, to discuss the government's focus on criminalisation over public health.
Image: Tim Dennell (Flickr, Creative Commons)
How much of our economy will survive the COVID-19 recession? What will come next? Plus, the government's testing fiasco, with Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani and James Meadway.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/04/01/the-greater-recession/
As the COVID-19 crisis intensifies it increasingly seems like the government don’t have a plan. Is progress actually being made with testing and protective equipment?
https://novaramedia.com/2020/04/01/is-there-a-plan/
The UK is blaming poor COVID-19 preparation on secrecy by China. The problem: the dates don't add up! Plus, the Tories rediscover "society"; high-street collapse continues; and Orban suspends democracy.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/03/30/it-wasnt-me/
Who gets the blame? The right-wing press have set their eyes on China, but where should we really be looking? Plus, Rosa Gilbert answers your questions from lockdown in Italy.
Harry Davies on NHS PPE: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/27/advice-on-protective-gear-for-nhs-staff-was-rejected-owing-to-cost BPAS on early medical abortion: https://www.bpas.org/about-our-charity/press-office/press-releases/bpas-comment-on-sunday-times-report-of-government-preparing-to-re-instate-telemedicine-for-early-medical-abortion/ Robert Halfon on Tory ‘social democracy’: https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2020/03/robert-halfon-britain-is-now-a-moderate-social-democratic-state.html
Michael Brooks joins the show live from NYC to talk about the US response to coronavirus. Plus, Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock test positive for COVID-19.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/03/27/your-health-in-his-hands/
James Butler is joined by James Meadway to discuss the brewing economic crisis. With unemployment claims surging to 3.2 million in the US, and forecasts of global contraction, how serious could it get? What might the world look like on the other side of the pandemic? And how will it feed through into politics? https://novaramedia.com/?p=18713
In 24 hours over 405,000 people have volunteered for the NHS, but with Princes getting tested before frontline staff are we really all in this together?
https://novaramedia.com/2020/03/25/all-in-this-together/
Aaron Bastani and Michael Walker discuss #BoycottWetherspoons and whether Mike Ashley or Tim Martin is Britain's worst boss.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/03/25/are-we-the-baddies/
Nadia Idle, Jeremy Gilbert and Keir Milburn discuss Utopias, including the Paris Commune, analogue dreamlands and kettle logic. Edited and produced by Olivia Humphreys, Matt Huxley and Matt Phull.
PRS LICENCE NUMBER: LE-0016481
Tracklist: Goldfrapp - Utopia / John Lennon - Imagine / Nairobi Sisters - Promised Land / Harry McClintock - Big Rock Candy Mountain / Joe Meek - I Hear A New World / Noel Brass Jr - Cortex Overflow / Liverpool Cathedral Ringers and Cleo Evans - Imagine. Texts: George Orwell - Homage to Catalonia / P.M. - Bolo Bolo / Thomas More - Utopia / Fredric Jameson - Archaeologies of the Future / Kristin Ross - Communal Luxury / Jodi Dean - The Communist Horizon / Raymond Willians - Marxism and Literature. https://novaramedia.com/?p=18525
Oonagh Ryder and Carl Cattermole update on the spread of COVID-19 in UK prisons. They speak to Lisa Selby and Elliot Murawski of Blue Bag Life about what changes are happening in prisons and how prisoners and their family and friends are feeling. Kushal Sood, a prison lawyer, also joins to discuss the barriers to getting people who are vulnerable to COVID-19 out of prison and the problems with reformist calls to release only 'low risk' prisoners. https://novaramedia.com/?p=18486
Rishi Sunak has come up with a serious economic offer, and Boris Johnson's finally closing pubs. But with emergency wards already filling up, is it all too little, too late?
https://novaramedia.com/2020/03/20/tyskysour-quarantined/
For a Novara Media Special Broadcast, James Butler is joined by David Renton for an explainer on housing law, the eviction process and tenants’ rights – and what might happen during the coronavirus period. Resources: Legal 500's list of firms who act only for tenants. Shelter's advice on Section 21 notices. N244 forms on the gov.uk website. ACORN Community Union London Renters' Union https://novaramedia.com/?p=18347
Unite The Union’s Steve Turner joins Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani as they discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, how it impacts working class people and how organised labour needs to respond.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/03/18/the-coronavirus-divide/
NHS doctor Rita Issa joins Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani to discuss the government's coronavirus strategy and whether the NHS will be able to cope as the coronavirus spins out of control.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/03/16/coping-with-corona-the-nhs-and-covid-19/
Are the government moving too slowly on coronavirus, and is 'herd immunity' our best bet to limit the damage from COVID-19? Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani wade through the announcements and evidence.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/03/13/herd-immunity/
James Butler is joined by Paolo Gerbaudo, head of the Centre for Digital Culture at King's, to draw up a balance sheet of left populism over the past five years: its successes, its failures, and what's yet to come. Plus, a discussion of the politics of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Italian lockdown, and what that crisis might mean for European politics in the coming years. https://novaramedia.com/?p=18093
As Rishi Sunak delivers his first budget, we ask if coronavirus will lead to a crash on the scale of 2008. Plus, Joe Biden wins Michigan, is Bernie bust? With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar and James Meadway.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/03/11/viral-relief/
Oonagh Ryder and Sam Swann talk to Elio Beale, organiser with SWARM, a sex worker rights and advocacy movement and with Bent Bars, a letter writing project for LGBT+ prisoners. They discuss what sex work is, who does it and what happens when the state criminalises forms of work and survival https://novaramedia.com/?p=18043
Labour MPs Jon Trickett and Ian Lavery join Aaron Bastani to discuss their new report on why Labour lost the Midlands and North and what they need to do to win it back.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/03/09/northern-discomfort/
Following Super Tuesday, Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani are joined by Sarah Jaffe to breakdown the latest Democratic primary results. Plus, post-match analysis of Starmer and RLB's Andrew Neil interviews.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/03/04/blooper-tuesday/
Aaron Bastani is joined by Labour MP Zarah Sultana to discuss life in parliament, her political background and what next for Labour.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/03/02/interview-with-zarah-sultana/
The #ACFM crew take you on a tour from Detroit to Manchester, and consider music, politics and the musical city.
PRS LICENCE NUMBER: LE-0016481
Tracklist: Happy Mondays - Step On / The Supremes - You Keep Me Hangin' On / The Stooges - I Wanna Be Your Dog / Billy Butler - The Right Track / The Frantic Elevators - Hunchback Of Notre Dame / Joy Division - She's Lost Control / Happy Mondays - Hallelujah (Andrew Weatherall Club Mix) / Brythoniaid Male Voice Choir - Blue Monday
Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani are joined by ex-MP and Starmer supporter Paul Sweeney to discuss the Labour leadership, new details about the Bolivian coup, and the spread of coronavirus.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/02/28/starmerama/
James Butler is joined by Owen Hatherley, culture editor of Tribune Magazine and prolific author on housing, cities and architecture. We often talk about housing in the abstract - estates, regeneration, expenditure. But what about the kinds of houses people live in? Is there a politics of architecture? Plus, we ask: does culture matter to politics? And if there's a culture war, shouldn't we try fighting it? https://novaramedia.com/?p=17766
Aaron Bastani and Michael Walker are joined by Jo Grady to discuss the recent UCU strikes, the money behind the Keir Starmer campaign, and the issue of free speech on university campuses.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/02/26/ucu-strikes-back/
Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani and Dalia Gebrial discuss Bernie's big win in Nevada, ballots dropping in the Labour leadership race, and the start of Julian Assange's extradition hearing.
https://novaramedia.com/2020/02/24/bernie-hits-the-jackpot/