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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Mehdi Hasan is one of the most prominent political journalists in the US. He talks to Aaron Bastani about the challenges facing the world today: authoritarianism, the role of media in shaping public opinion, and the need for a more equitable society. His new book, “Win Every Argument” is out now.
From the epic of Gilgamesh to the archetypes of Carl Jung, the mysterious power of myth is at hand. Is Genesis as mythical as Oedipus? How did the fantasy of Brexit become a reality? And what stories underpin the emerging theory of Gilbertism? In this Trip, Jeremy, Nadia and Keir explore the alternate realities created […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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
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. […]
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? […]
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 […]
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. […]
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
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 […]
Keir Starmer has spent the week schmoozing big banks in Davos. Michael Walker & Aaron Bastani discuss his love affair with the world’s elites. Plus: Gary Stevenson calls out the Tories economic record; and Aaron Bastani talks at TED. __________________________________________ Support Novara Media for as little as £1 a month: https://novaramedia.com/support
The work that keeps us clean, fed, clothed and ready to go to work each day is known as social reproduction. Without this unwaged labour, capitalism would collapse. Yet the daily drudgery of cooking, cleaning and raising children is underpinned by our most sincere expressions of love and care. Writer and organiser Alva Gotby refers […]
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
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
