Novara Media

Novara FM: How Do We Liberate People From Bad Ideas? w/ adrienne maree brown Oct 31, 2024

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

Downstream: How War, Trade and Farming Changed the Planet Forever w/ Sunil Amrith Oct 28, 2024

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

Novara FM: The Age of Disaster Nationalism w/ Richard Seymour Oct 24, 2024

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

Downstream: Insects Are Disappearing and We Should Be Very Worried w/ Dave Goulson Oct 22, 2024

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

Novara FM: Understanding Hezbollah, Israel’s ‘Best Enemy’ w/ Elia Ayoub Oct 17, 2024

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

Downstream: Do We Really Need to Tax the Rich? w/ Stephanie Kelton Oct 14, 2024

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.

ACFM Trip 46: Death Oct 13, 2024

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

Novara FM: When Does A Crowd Become A Mob? w/ Dan Hancox Oct 10, 2024

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

Downstream: Everything You Need to Know About China & Xi Jinping w/ Olivia Cheung Oct 09, 2024

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 early difficulties with the CCP, his treatment of the Uyghurs and how China is manoeuvring it’s soft power in Africa.

You can buy Olivia’s book here: https://novara.media/BuyCheung

Novara FM: How the British State Is Trying to Crush the Palestine Movement Oct 03, 2024

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 probable 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

Downstream: India Was the Epicentre of the Ancient World w/ William Dalrymple Oct 01, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: Our New Cyberboss Overlords w/ Craig Gent Sep 27, 2024

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 […]

Downstream: The UK’s Landowning Elite Are Destroying the Countryside w/ Guy Shrubsole Sep 23, 2024

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 […]

Downstream: This Is the Reality for Palestinian Christians w/ Dr. Munther Isaac Sep 16, 2024

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.

ACFM Microdose: The Joy Of Fascism Sep 15, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: Mourn the Dead, Fight Like Hell for the Living w/ Sarah Jaffe Sep 12, 2024

“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 […]

Downstream: We Have Enabled Putin w/ Anne Appelbaum Sep 10, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: Motherhood In and Against the State w/ Helen Charman Aug 29, 2024

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 […]

ACFM Trip 45: Holidays Aug 25, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: Clean Energy Is Already Terraforming the Earth w/ Thea Riofrancos Aug 22, 2024

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 […]

Downstream: Is Humanity Really Heading for Population Collapse?! w/ Paul Morland Aug 20, 2024

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, […]

Novara FM: Fear and Loathing in Silicon Valley w/ Malcolm Harris Aug 15, 2024

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 […]

Downstream: Can The Green Party Keep Winning? w/ Carla Denyer Aug 05, 2024

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 […]

ACFM Trip 44: Humility Aug 04, 2024

What happens when you lose? In this Trip, 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 […]

Downstream: Arab Jews, The Hidden History w/ Avi Shlaim Jul 22, 2024

A foundational principle of the state of Israel is that it keeps Jews safe. This principle has been profoundly challenged in the last nine or so months. But what if Israel never really had the will or capacity to keep all Jews safe and, in fact, has made them less safe? Avi Shlaim is a […]

Pro Revolution Soccer 2.6: The Misfit Visionaries Who Invented Modern Football Jul 16, 2024

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 […]

Downstream: Party Politics is Broken w/ Jeremy Corbyn Jul 15, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: Macron’s Own Goal w/ Olly Haynes Jul 11, 2024

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 […]

Pro Revolution Soccer 2.5: Can Football Be Part of Political Resistance? Jul 10, 2024

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 […]

ACFM Microdose: Election ’24 Vibecheck Jul 09, 2024

The ACFM crew offer their first reactions to Labour’s landslide election win. Can Starmer’s government rescue the public sector? Where will the money come from? And can they make it to a second term? Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters Produced and edited by Matt Huxley and Chal Ravens. Help us build people-powered media: […]

Downstream: Here’s How America Really Runs Britain w/ Angus Hanton Jul 08, 2024

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’.

Novara FM: Britain is Broken. Can Anyone Fix It? w/ Dom Davies Jul 04, 2024

Asked in a recent poll to summarise Britain in a word, ‘broken’ was the people’s top choice. This brokenness is concrete stuff: crumbling bridges, sewage-filled rivers, failing computer systems, cancelled rail projects. But it’s also bundled with the collective stories we tell about what it means to be a nation, and who belongs in it. […]

Pro Revolution Soccer 2.4: In the Iron Grip of the Big Five Jul 03, 2024

Tom and Juliet are joined by Keir Milburn to take the long view on the Premier League. Juliet explains how ’80s hooliganism and stadium disasters led to the formation of a new top flight, boosted by Rupert Murdoch’s TV empire and resulting in the iron grip of the Big Five clubs today. Are we stuck […]

Downstream: This Is How Propaganda Actually Works w/ Matt Kennard Jul 01, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: Britain At A Crossroads w/ James Butler Jun 28, 2024

This time next week, Keir Starmer will likely be settling into No 10 with a thumping majority. Yet Labour has largely avoided the question of what they’re going to do with all that power once they get it, and the political media has barely posed the question. Meanwhile the Conservative party as we know it […]

Pro Revolution Soccer 2.3: Who Runs Football? w/ David Goldblatt Jun 28, 2024

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. […]

Downstream: The Israel Lobby Is Real. Here’s Exactly How It Works w/ Illan Pappé Jun 26, 2024

If you mention the Israel lobby in the mainstream media then, more often than not, you’ll face accusations of antisemitism. There are of course people who talk about the Israel lobby in antisemitic terms, but that doesn’t undermine the fact that it exists, and has existed for well over a century. This week’s guest is […]

Downstream: ‘We Have to Vote Labour’ w/ Mick Lynch Jun 25, 2024

Mick Lynch is the General Secretary of the RMT. He joined Ash Sarkar to discuss leveraging Keir Starmer, the importance of council housing and why it’s vital that people vote for the Labour Party.

Downstream: The Tories Are Done and They Won’t Be Coming Back w/ Peter Oborne Jun 25, 2024

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

Novara FM: How Labour’s Left-Wing Firebrands Fought Back w/ Andy Beckett Jun 25, 2024

It’s easy to think that the Labour left is gone for good. But it’s not so certain. From the 80s to the 10s, the Labour left endured almost three decades of isolation and exile. The difference this time is that their ideas are still popular. Will they be back once more, or have they now […]

Novara FM: Where Will Labour Invade This Time? w/ David Wearing Jun 20, 2024

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 […]

Pro Revolution Soccer 2.2: Can Football Explain the Far-Right Resurgence in Europe? Jun 19, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: Whatever Happened to the Israeli Left? w/ Noam Shuster-Eliassi and Haggai Matar Jun 13, 2024

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 […]

Pro Revolution Soccer 2.1: Euro 2024 Reboot Jun 12, 2024

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+ […]

ACFM Microdose: Notes on Camp Jun 09, 2024

After investigating the politics of cool on the last Trip episode, the crew turn their attention to another distinctly modern sensibility: camp. Digging into Susan Sontag’s formative 1964 essay on the camp aesthetic, Nadia, Keir and Jem think about how elements of the artificial, the theatrical and the sentimental come together in camp objects, from […]

Downstream: Everything You’re Told About Green Capitalism is Wrong w/ Brett Christophers Jun 03, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: The Right Is Getting Real On Climate. Can We? w/ Ajay Singh Chaudhary May 30, 2024

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 […]

Downstream: Is India Really a Democracy? w/ Alpa Shah May 27, 2024

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 […]

ACFM Trip 43: Cool May 26, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: How Trans Misogyny Works w/ Jules Gill-Peterson May 23, 2024

The difference between sex and gender is fundamental to how we talk about trans people. But what if it obscures the richness of life outside of gender norms? There is so much more to gender non-conforming people than this academic, middle-class, distinction – so says Jules Gill-Peterson, a historian at Johns Hopkins University and the author […]

Novara Live: Rishi Sunak Announces July General Election May 23, 2024

In the pouring rain and 20 points behind in the polls, Rishi Sunak has announced that a UK general election will take place on 4 July. Michael Walker and Moya Lothian-McLean report. Plus: Ireland, Spain and Norway have announced their intention to recognise Palestine as a state. Follow our election coverage on Novara Live every […]

Downstream: The Truth About Incels w/ William Costello May 20, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: Living Through the Chinese Miracle w/ Yuan Yang May 16, 2024

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, […]

Downstream: Individualism is Destroying Our Freedom w/ Grace Blakeley May 13, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: Know Your Enemies w/ Matthew Sitman & Sam Adler-Bell May 10, 2024

George Bernard Shaw once joked that the US and the UK are “two countries divided by a common language.” Can the same be said of their conservatives? As we brace for a joint election year, Eleanor Penny talks to Sam Adler-Bell and Matthew Sitman, two expert guides to US conservatism via their podcast Know Your […]

Downstream: George Galloway’s Plan to Destroy the Labour Party May 05, 2024

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. […]

ACFM Microdose: Reactionary Democracy w/ Aaron Winter & Aurelien Mondon May 05, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: Your Neighbour Kills Puppies w/ Tom Harris May 02, 2024

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 […]

Downstream: How Austerity Harms Britain’s Most Vulnerable Children w/ Teresa Thornhill Apr 29, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: Read Some Effing Jameson! w/ Sianne Ngai and Matthew Beaumont Apr 25, 2024

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 […]

Downstream: This Is How Israel Controls Palestinians w/ Eyal Weizman Apr 22, 2024

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 […]

ACFM Trip 42: Fascism Apr 21, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: London’s Endless Appetite w/ Jonathan Nunn and Amardeep Singh Dhillon Apr 18, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: Colonial Capitalism Has Made Us Sick w/ Rupa Marya & Raj Patel Apr 11, 2024

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 […]

Downstream: Israelis Want Genocide w/ Abby Martin Apr 08, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: What’s Really Causing the Housing Crisis? w/ Nick Bano Apr 04, 2024

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 […]

Downstream IRL: This Ideology Threatens Our Fundamental Freedoms w/ Judith Butler Apr 01, 2024

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 […]

Downstream: We Are Getting Foreign Policy Very Wrong w/ Steve Coll Mar 25, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: Critical Theorists Hate This One Weird Trick w/ Anna Kornbluh Mar 21, 2024

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 […]

Downstream: On Gaza, Grammar Schools and British War Crimes w/ Peter Hitchens Mar 18, 2024

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 […]

ACFM Trip 41: Trust Your Gut Mar 17, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: The Untold Histories of Black Gay Britain w/ Jason Okundaye Mar 13, 2024

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 […]

Downstream: Retired Major-General on Gaza, Iraq and Afghanistan w/ Charlie Herbert Mar 11, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: Not Westminster’s Whipping Boys w/ Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram Mar 07, 2024

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 […]

Downstream: Britain’s Economy Will Only Get Worse Forever w/ Gary Stevenson Mar 04, 2024

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.

Novara FM: Russia After Navalny w/ Tony Wood Mar 01, 2024

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 […]

Downstream IRL: We Are in a New Cold War w/ Yanis Varoufakis Feb 26, 2024

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 […]

ACFM Microdose: Aliens On Screen Feb 25, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: The Nasty Noughties w/ Owen Hatherley & Ash Sarkar Feb 22, 2024

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 […]

The US Must Stop Funding Israel | Bernie Sanders meets Ash Sarkar Feb 20, 2024

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.

Downstream: Israel Will Never Be Safe While Occupying Palestine w/ Yousef Alhelou Feb 19, 2024

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.

Novara FM: Can International Law Protect Gaza? w/ Rob Knox Feb 15, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: How To Be Honest About Empire w/ Sathnam Sanghera Feb 08, 2024

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 […]

Downstream: Why No One Should Have More Than £10 Million w/ Ingrid Robeyns Feb 05, 2024

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 […]

ACFM Trip 40: UFOs Feb 04, 2024

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 […]

Downstream: Would the World Be Better Without Religion? w/ Aaron Bastani and Ash Sarkar Jan 29, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: Who Dares To Rewrite 40,000 Years of History? w/ David Wengrow Jan 25, 2024

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 […]

Downstream: Everything You Know About The Global Economy is Wrong w/ Philip Pilkington Jan 22, 2024

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 […]

ACFM Microdose: Plugged-in Protest w/ Jeremy Gilbert Jan 21, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: The Novels That Inspired Class War w/ Mark Steven Jan 19, 2024

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 […]

Downstream: We Are in the Post-Climate Change World w/ Gaia Vince Jan 15, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: Escaping the Tourism Trap w/ Dean MacCannell Jan 11, 2024

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 […]

Downstream: White Holes and Radical Politics w/ Carlo Rovelli Jan 01, 2024

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 […]

Novara FM: The People Vs Football w/ Juliet Jacques & Tom Williams Dec 28, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: 2023 Year in Review Dec 24, 2023

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, […]

ACFM Microdose: A Festive 50 For 2023 Dec 22, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: It’s A Wonderful Life w/ James Butler Dec 21, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: The Plan To Privatise Everything w/ Brett Christophers Dec 18, 2023

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 […]

ACFM Trip 39: Protest Dec 17, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: Palestine 2048 w/ Basma Ghalayini Dec 15, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: This Damage Cannot Be Reversed w/ Daniel Levy Dec 11, 2023

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 […]

Novara Live Extra: Israel’s Illegal War w/ Norman Finkelstein Dec 07, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: We Don’t Understand History w/ Blindboy Dec 05, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: Fascism Is Not The Exception w/ Alberto Toscano Dec 01, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: The History of Israel’s War on Palestine w/ Rashid Khalidi Nov 27, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: New Cities, Old Scams w/ Quinn Slobodian Nov 23, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: Does the Labour Party Care About Palestine? w/ Zarah Sultana Nov 20, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: Why Posh People Have Bad Taste w/ Nathalie Olah Nov 16, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: The Future of Money w/ Brett Scott Nov 13, 2023

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. […]

Novara FM: Engine of Immortality w/ Jeff Jarvis Nov 10, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: We Must Get Ready For An Emergency w/ Slavoj Žižek Nov 06, 2023

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 […]

ACFM Trip 38: Movement and Stillness Nov 05, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: In Search of Red Africa w/ Kevin Okoth Nov 02, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: How Protest Movements Fall Apart w/ Vincent Bevins Oct 30, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: Emergency Brake! On The Road With Just Stop Oil Oct 25, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: Philosophy’s Biggest Pessimist w/ John Gray Oct 23, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: Truth That Only Fiction Reveals w/ Pankaj Mishra Oct 19, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: The Left Is Traumatised w/ Gary Younge Oct 16, 2023

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, […]

Novara FM: Crossing the Class Divide w/ Lynsey Hanley Oct 12, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: Europe Is Over w/ Yanis Varoufakis Oct 09, 2023

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 […]

ACFM Trip 37: Surrealism Oct 08, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: Trillions of Tiny Flying Particles w/ Jay Owens Oct 05, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: Into The Mirror World w/ Naomi Klein Oct 01, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: The Other Enlightenment w/ Kenan Malik Sep 28, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: Big Pharma’s Secrets w/ Nick Dearden Sep 25, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: Is It Time For Post-Doom Politics? w/ Jem Bendell Sep 22, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: Empire, Austerity and Why Corbyn Was Right About Iraq w/ Rory Stewart Sep 18, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: What Does Class Mean Now? Sep 15, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: Here’s How Power Really Works w/ Grace Blakeley Sep 11, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: Oligarchs Are Ruining This Country w/ Sam Bright Sep 04, 2023

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 […]

ACFM Trip 36: Festivals Sep 03, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: Will We Still Be Mad After Capitalism? w/ Micha Frazer-Carroll Aug 24, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: The Art of the Psyop w/ Trevor Paglen Aug 17, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: The Oxygen of Democracy w/ Amy Goodman Aug 10, 2023

“Democratic media is the oxygen of democracy.” That’s the maxim that motivates Amy Goodman, award-winning American journalist and longtime host of Democracy Now!, the daily news show that has blazed a trail for alternative media in its nearly three decades on air. Whether reporting on East Timor’s independence movement or following the pipeline protests at […]

Downstream: A History of Sex Scandals w/ Steven Methven Aug 08, 2023

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 […]

ACFM Trip 35: The Internet Aug 06, 2023

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 […]

ACFM Microdose: Californian Capitalism w/ Malcolm Harris Aug 02, 2023

Ahead of an ACFM Trip about the internet, Keir Milburn is joined by Malcolm Harris to talk about the unique political history of his hometown of Palo Alto, the intellectual laboratory for a century of American hegemony. The Kids These Days author tells a story that connects the founding of California, the violent removal of its […]

Downstream: Social Mobility Is A Lie w/ Dan Evans Jul 31, 2023

Has the left misunderstood the state of our nation? Sociologist and trade unionist Dan Evans thinks so. He talks to Aaron about 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 […]

Novara FM: The Empty Promise of Ethical Meat w/ Amber Husain Jul 28, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: Going Undercover With Extremists w/ Julia Ebner Jul 24, 2023

Since 2016 we’ve seen mainstream politics take 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 been […]

Novara FM: We Were Promised Robot Butlers w/ Helen Hester & Nick Srnicek Jul 20, 2023

Once upon a time we dreamed of a world free from household drudgery, helped by robot butlers, self-cleaning appliances and “smart” homes that saved energy and tidied after themselves. Yet despite decades of high-tech innovation in the home, we’ve barely reduced our workload – and no one’s managed to automate the folding of laundry. So why […]

Downstream: What Have We Got Wrong About Antiracism? w/ Arun Kundnani Jul 17, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: Revenge of the Commoners w/ Jon Moses Jul 13, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: Is It Time for a Universal Basic Income? w/ Will Stronge Jul 11, 2023

Most people’s lives are defined by the exchange of labour for a wage. But what if the state gave us all a regular wage, with zero strings attached, to spend as we wish? That’s the core idea behind universal basic income, or UBI. With England’s first UBI pilot programme now underway, Aaron talks to Will […]

Downstream: Leaving London’s Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Community w/ Izzy Posen Jul 03, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: Can The Green Party Transform British Politics? w/ Zack Polanski Jun 26, 2023

The Green Party of England and Wales has made extraordinary gains in the last two decades, especially in the last round of local elections. As well as its one MP – Caroline Lucas – the Greens are also the biggest party on several councils and have a majority on Mid Suffolk District Council. Aaron is […]

ACFM Trip 34: The Outdoors Jun 25, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: How To Predict the Future w/ Peter Turchin Jun 19, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: Let’s Go Outside Jun 15, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: The British Media Is Broken w/ Moya Lothian-McLean & Michael Walker Jun 12, 2023

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.

Novara FM: Wave of Automation w/ Aaron Benanev Jun 09, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: The Mute Compulsion of Capitalism w/ Søren Mau Jun 01, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: How Corporations Control the Government w/ Matt Kennard May 29, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: Palestine as Showroom w/ Antony Loewenstein May 25, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: God-Like AI Is Closer Than You Think w/ Ian Hogarth May 22, 2023

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 […]

ACFM Microdose: Sitcoms At Work May 18, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: Tout Le Monde Déteste La Police May 17, 2023

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 […]

ACFM Trip 33: Comedy May 14, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: The Truth about the GDR w/ Katja Hoyer May 08, 2023

In 1989, 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 […]

Novara FM: Much More Freedom Is Necessary W/ Sophie K. Rosa May 04, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: How the Media Lies About Palestine w/ Mohammed el-Kurd May 03, 2023

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.

Novara FM: Atomic Split w/ Matthew T. Huber and Andrea Vetter Apr 27, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: Is the World Really Run by a ‘Leftist Elite?’ w/ Matthew Goodwin Apr 25, 2023

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, […]

Novara FM: How to Blow Up The Box Office w/ Jordan Sjol Apr 21, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: Eat Sleep Protest Repeat Apr 14, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: How We Ended Up With The Worst Media In The World w/ Ash Sarkar and Aaron Bastani Apr 09, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: On The Frontiers of Deviance w/ Sita Balani Apr 05, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: The Housing Crisis Is Even Worse Than You Think w/ Vicky Spratt Apr 03, 2023

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.

Novara FM: Planet Of The Cops w/ William I. Robinson Mar 29, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: We Must Ban Private Schools w/ Richard Beard Mar 26, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: The Long, Long Arm of the Law w/ Mark Neocleous Mar 23, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: Billions Will Die If They Don’t Listen To Us w/ Roger Hallam Mar 20, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: We Are on a Path Towards Authoritarianism w/ Mehdi Hasan Mar 13, 2023

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.

ACFM Trip 32: Myth Mar 12, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: The Truth About Snowflakes w/ Ash Sarkar, Aaron Bastani and Dalia Gebrial Mar 06, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: The Big Con w/ Mariana Mazzucato Feb 28, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: Liberty, Democracy, Piracy w/ Marcus Rediker Feb 22, 2023

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, […]

Downstream: Britain Is Being Scammed by Landlords w/ Michael Walker Feb 20, 2023

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 […]

ACFM Microdose: Strikes On Screen Feb 19, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: The Truth About Conspiracies w/ Nicky Woolf Feb 14, 2023

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 […]

Novara FM: Abolition Pending Revolution w/ Shanice McBean and Aviah Day Feb 08, 2023

Are the police running out of excuses? Police wearing body cameras still kill unarmed Black people. Sexual violence remains rife after inquiries and exposés. As reforms fail, the case for much more than piecemeal change builds. But at the same time, capitalism seems to have run out of other ways to maintain social control. Real […]

Downstream: Why Britain Needs To Ditch the Monarchy w/ Graham Smith Feb 07, 2023

With Charles’ coronation approaching, it’s time to scrutinise not just the man himself but the monarchy as an idea. Joining Aaron to explore all things royal – from how they fund their luxurious lifestyles to the ways they secretly exert political influence – is Graham Smith, CEO of Republic, a pressure group driven by a […]

ACFM Trip 31: Strikes Feb 05, 2023

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 […]

TyskySour: Britain’s Energy Nightmare Feb 03, 2023

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 […]

TyskySour: Half A Million On Strike Feb 01, 2023

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

TyskySour: Sunak’s NHS Pay Lies Jan 30, 2023

Rishi Sunak has promised more beds and ambulances for the NHS, but until he pays NHS workers properly he’ll have no-one to staff them. Plus: Sunak desperately tries to claim decisive strength after finally sacking Nadhim Zahawi; and we speak to Dr Yara Hawari on further violence in Palestine. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. […]

Downstream: Science Isn’t Truth w/ Adam Rutherford Jan 30, 2023

One of the most powerful justifications for racism in the 20th century was eugenics. Based on pseudo-scientific certainties cherry-picked from the messy world of genetics and behaviour, belief in eugenics led to some of the most profound horrors humans have ever experienced. So why are so many aspects of race science coming back alive today? […]

TyskySour: Hunt’s Economy Speech Jan 27, 2023

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 […]

TyskySour: Asylum Seeker Children Kidnapped Jan 25, 2023

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. […]

TyskySour: Zahawi On The Ropes Jan 23, 2023

Nadhim Zahawi’s political career is on the ropes, and Rishi Sunak is not enjoying a renewed focus on super-rich people who try and avoid tax. Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar discuss the latest Tory scandals. __________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support

Downstream: The Sexual Marketplace w/ Annie Lord Jan 23, 2023

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 […]

TyskySour: Starmer At Davos Jan 20, 2023

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

Novara FM: Havens in a Heartless World Jan 19, 2023

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 […]

TyskySour: Nurses On Strike Jan 18, 2023

Rishi Sunak’s deflections from the NHS crisis aren’t fooling anyone. On the day of another nurses strike, Michael Walker and Rivkah Brown discuss Britain’s Tory-created mess. __________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: novaramedia.com/support

Downstream: Tories Don’t Think w/ Peter Hitchens Jan 18, 2023

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 […]

TyskySour: Anti-Strike Law Showdown Jan 16, 2023

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 […]

TyskySour: Doctors Tear Into The Tories For NHS Collapse Jan 13, 2023

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 […]

TyskySour: Ambulance Workers On Strike Jan 11, 2023

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 […]

TyskySour: Union Talks Break Down Jan 09, 2023

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 […]

TyskySour: Right To Strike Under Threat Jan 06, 2023

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 […]

TyskySour: Sunak’s Lame Duck Speech Jan 04, 2023

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 […]

Downstream: Novara’s 2022 Roundtable Review Dec 28, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: The Year of Strikes Dec 23, 2022

2022 saw three prime ministers, two monarchs and a shed load of industrial action. Michael Walker and Owen Jones discuss the year that was. __________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support

TyskySour: Massive Strike Wave Dec 21, 2022

With more strikes announced, December is now the biggest month for walkouts since 1989. Plus: the Scottish parliament debates historic gender recognition reforms and Piers Morgan platforms Andrew Tate. With Aaron Bastani and Nihal El Aasar. __________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support

Novara FM: A Christmas Carol W/ James Butler Dec 20, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: High Court Rules Rwanda Plan Legal Dec 19, 2022

Britain’s High Court has ruled that it is legal for the government to send migrants to Rwanda. Will it now actually happen? Plus: Twitter users want Elon Musk gone and Jeremy Clarkson makes a vile attack on Meghan Markle. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. __________________________________________ Explainer: What Does Qatar Really Want? https://youtu.be/oZelNG85va4 __________________________________________ Support […]

Downstream: Our Own Cynicism Is the Left’s Biggest Enemy w/ Billy Bragg Dec 19, 2022

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 […]

ACFM Trip 30: Gifts Dec 18, 2022

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 […]

Pro Revolution Soccer Ep 5: Where Do We Go From Here? Dec 16, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Four Die In Channel Tragedy Dec 14, 2022

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

Downstream: Twitter’s Toxic Downfall w/ Richard Seymour Dec 13, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Army Called In To Break Strikes Dec 12, 2022

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

TyskySour: More Strikes Dec 09, 2022

As Rishi Sunak threatens to crack down on striking workers, he’s giving a bung to millionaires in the city. Plus: renters getting screwed and the right wing backlash to Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary. With Michael Walker & Ash Sarkar. __________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support

Pro Revolution Soccer Ep 4: Why Do We Love Football So Much? Dec 09, 2022

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 serious than we think? To discuss the emotional and social meaning of football, Keir […]

TyskySour: Christmas Strikes Announced Dec 07, 2022

Another day, another wave of strikes. UK Border Force, the Fire Brigades Union and ambulance workers are just some of the many strikes set to clash with Christmas. Plus: Rishi Sunak U-turns on his pledge not to build onshore wind farms. With Michael Walker & Dalia Gebrial. __________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as […]

Novara FM: 1971, the Year Britain Became White Dec 07, 2022

What if all of Britain is stolen goods? In the 1970s and 80s, a series of Acts of Parliament defined who did and who didn’t count as a citizen. ‘The Law of Patriality’ might sound like an obscure detail in a dusty tome, but, argues legal scholar Nadine El-Enany, it’s fundamental to modern Britain. These […]

Downstream: Everything We Think We Know About Human History Is Wrong w/ David Wengrow Dec 07, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Labour’s Plan to Abolish House of Lords Dec 05, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Tories Stare Into Defeat Dec 02, 2022

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 […]

Pro Revolution Soccer Ep 3: Should You Support Your National Team? Dec 02, 2022

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 […]

Novara FM: From Plantation to Platform w/ Dalia Gebrial Dec 01, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Strike Wave Britain Nov 30, 2022

Royal Mail workers, lecturers and sixth-form teachers are all taking industrial action today. We speak to Polly Smythe about Britain’s latest strike wave. Plus: Rishi Sunak defends private schools, racism at Buckingham Palace and the far right freak out over census data. With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial. __________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little […]

Downstream: How to Hide a Billion Pounds w/ Oliver Bullough Nov 29, 2022

Imagine you had a few million ill-gotten pounds, dollars or rubles. 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 […]

TyskySour: Protests In China Nov 28, 2022

Opposition to zero-COVID policies has sparked the biggest wave of protests in China in decades. We speak to Yuan Yang about their significance. Plus: Rishi Sunak faces Tory rebels, Matt Hancock leaves the jungle and Just Stop Oil’s latest protests. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani. __________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 […]

ACFM Trip 29: Sleep Nov 27, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Nurses To Go On Strike Nov 25, 2022

After a decade of falling pay, nurses have announced dates for their first national strikes in 106 years. Can they take on the Tories and win? Also on the show, the glamorous Tory peer secretly profiting from a PPE company and the latest in Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani. __________________________________________ […]

Pro Revolution Soccer Ep 2: What Does Qatar Want? Nov 25, 2022

Trophies. Glory. Trade deals. Kudos. What does Qatar really want from the World Cup? In the second episode of Pro Revolution Soccer, Keir Milburn and Tom Williams 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, […]

TyskySour: Supreme Court Rules Against Indyref Nov 23, 2022

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

Novara FM: There Was No Theory, It Was All Action W/ Sarah Schulman Nov 23, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: World Cup Controversy Nov 21, 2022

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

TyskySour: Hunt Won’t Save Britain’s Economy Nov 18, 2022

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

Pro Revolution Soccer: Should We Boycott the Qatar World Cup? Nov 18, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Inflation Highest In 41 Years Nov 16, 2022

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 […]

Downstream: Labour are as Bad as the Tories on Immigration w/ Maya Goodfellow Nov 16, 2022

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 […]

Pro Revolution Soccer: Coming This Friday Nov 15, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: UK-France Deal Nov 14, 2022

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

TyskySour: Musk Creates Twitter Chaos Nov 11, 2022

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

TyskySour: Surprising US Midterm Results Nov 09, 2022

Pro-Trump candidates fall short and abortion wins big in the US midterm elections. We discuss the results with Sarah Jaffe. Plus: Gavin Williamson resigns from Rishi Sunak’s government after his abusive texts are leaked; and nurses are set to go on strike in Britain for the first time ever. With Dalia Gebrial and Michael Walker. […]

Novara FM: History’s Biggest Benefits Cheat Nov 09, 2022

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? […]

Downstream: It’s Now or Never w/ Chris Packham Nov 08, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Hunt Plans Extreme Austerity Nov 07, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Tories Defend Immigration Abuses Nov 04, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Tories Defend Manston Conditions Nov 02, 2022

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 […]

Novara FM: Identity Politics Hijacked w/ Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò Nov 02, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Lula Wins Brazil Election Oct 31, 2022

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 […]

ACFM Trip 28: Horror Oct 30, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Musk Buys Twitter Oct 28, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Sunak’s First PMQs Oct 26, 2022

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 […]

Novara FM: The Unfinished Fight w/ Camilla Fitzsimons Oct 26, 2022

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. […]

TyskySour: Robo-Rishi Becomes PM Oct 25, 2022

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

TyskySour: Sunak Is New PM Oct 24, 2022

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. __________________________________________ […]

TyskySour: Boris Plots Comeback Oct 21, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Braverman Resigns Oct 19, 2022

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 […]

Novara FM: Time to Say the F-Word? w/ David Broder Oct 19, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Hunt Reverses Mini Budget Oct 17, 2022

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 […]

Downstream: Food Culture Is Making Us Anxious w/ Ruby Tandoh Oct 17, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Truss Makes Humiliating U-Turn Oct 14, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: More Chaos In UK Economy Oct 12, 2022

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 […]

NovaraFM: Choose Your Own Family Adventure w/ Sophie Lewis Oct 12, 2022

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 […]

Downstream: The Plan is to Make You Permanently Poorer w/ Gary Stevenson Oct 11, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Sturgeon’s Conference Speech Oct 10, 2022

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

ACFM Trip 27: Magic Oct 09, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Truss’s Energy Faceplant Oct 07, 2022

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 […]

ACFM Microdose: Fantasy and Conspiracy With Wu Ming 1 Oct 06, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Greenpeace Heckle Truss Oct 05, 2022

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

TyskySour: Kwarteng Performs Screeching U-turn Oct 03, 2022

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. __________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as […]

TyskySour: Tories In Freefall Sep 30, 2022

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 […]

Downstream: Can Lula Take Brazil Back From Bolsonaro? w/ Sabrina Fernandes Sep 29, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Britain Faces Financial Crisis Sep 28, 2022

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 […]

Downstream: People Used Anything to Attack Me w/ Jeremy Corbyn Sep 27, 2022

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.

TyskySour: The Pound Plummets Sep 26, 2022

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

TWT22: Is Political Journalism Broken? Sep 26, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: A Budget For The Rich Sep 23, 2022

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 […]

Downstream: Labour Weaponised My Domestic Abuse to Get Rid of Me w/ Apsana Begum Sep 22, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Economic Policies Announced Sep 21, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: The Queen’s Funeral Sep 19, 2022

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. __________________________________________ […]

Downstream: The Truth About the Monarchy w/ Aaron Bastani & Ash Sarkar Sep 19, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Truss’s Plan To Uncap Banker’s Pay Sep 17, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: The Queen Lies In State Sep 14, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Ukraine Gains Key Ground Sep 13, 2022

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 […]

Downstream: Silicon Valley Fraudsters Are Lying to Us w/ Paris Marx Sep 12, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Britain’s New King Sep 09, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: The Queen Is Dead Sep 08, 2022

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

TyskySour: Truss’ First Day As PM Sep 07, 2022

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. […]

TyskySour: Liz Truss Is Now Britain’s PM Sep 05, 2022

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

Downstream: The Moral Crisis of Corporate Britain w/ Dave Ward Sep 05, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: The End Of Boris Johnson Sep 02, 2022

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

TyskySour: Climate Catastrophe Liz Truss Aug 31, 2022

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 […]

NovaraFM: Deep Medicine: Caring Against Capitalism w/ Rupa Marya and Raj Patel Aug 30, 2022

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, […]

TyskySour: Truss’ Terrible Tax Plan Aug 29, 2022

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. _________________________________________________________ Support Novara Media for […]

TyskySour: Tory Energy Cap Meltdown Aug 26, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Liz Truss Wants To Cut The NHS Aug 24, 2022

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

TyskySour: Truss’ Useless Future Cabinet Aug 22, 2022

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 […]

ACFM Trip 26: Care Aug 20, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Chaos On Britain’s Railways Aug 19, 2022

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

TyskySour: Starmer Ignores Abuse Of Apsana Begum Aug 17, 2022

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

TyskySour: Starmer’s Energy Price Plan Aug 15, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: The Tories Have Broken Britain Aug 12, 2022

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 […]

TyskySour: Cleverly Has No Answers Aug 10, 2022

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. […]

Downstream: The World’s Biggest Political Streamer w/ Hasan Piker Aug 09, 2022

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 […]

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected