Has any government been so convulsed by such a catastrophically damaging scandal since World War II? As continued revelations about rampant partying in No. 10 envelop Boris Johnson, is it finally all over for him? Will he bring the Tories down with him - or will a leadership change allow them reboot? Is Labour triumphalism justified? We're joined by Peter Oborne - author of The Assault on Truth: Boris Johnson, Donald Trump and the Emergence of a New Moral Barbarism - and campaigner Matt Zarb Cou...
Jan 16, 2022•55 min
As Boris Johnson’s premiership is consumed in crisis after his repeated lies about multiple parties in No. 10, is it all over for him? Will he drag the Tories down with him? Are there even worse scandals? Will what comes next be even worse? Can’t imagine what that would look like? (We can). We are joined by Jolyon Maugham to explain how his Good Law Project successfully exposed the corruption of the government in the courts - and Ellie Mae O’Hagan to talk over what this all means. Please subscri...
Jan 14, 2022•1 hr 6 min
As the dictatorship of Kazakhstan violently cracks down on protesters, what's really going on? What's the role of inequality and poverty - and the broken promises of the free market? Just what is the nature of the governing tyranny - and with Russian intervention, what does this mean for global politics? Kazakh voices have been far too erased from this coverage. That's why we're talking to sociologist Dr. Diana T. Kudaibergenova to explain what caused this, what's happening on the ground - and w...
Jan 09, 2022•35 min
Megastar actor Emma Watson has been falsely smeared as an anti-Semite by former Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon after posting a pro-Palestine message on Instagram. Here is a striking example of anti-Palestinian racism: of how even expressing mild sympathy with the plight of the Palestinians is portrayed as a grotesque act of hatred. This is just the latest attack on a public figure expressing sympathy with the Palestinian people - but is it overreach and a sign of weakness by apologists for Is...
Jan 07, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Look what you made us do. With your support, we chased the Tories - literally. We gave a voice to otherwise marginalised working class people and minorities. We fought racism and bigotry. We had the best experts on COVID. We gave a platform to hopeful alternatives. Now we want to do far more. We don’t have billionaires funding us - we rely on you for our shows, podcasts and documentaries. Help us offer an alternative to a broken media - www.patreon.com/owenjones84 Support this show http://suppor...
Jan 03, 2022•5 min
Nearly half a century after Salvador Allende's democratically socialist government was overthrown by Augusto Pinochet, the people of Chile decisively voted for leftist Gabriel Boric over far right extremist José Antonio Kast. Is the Latin American 'pink tide' back with a vengeance, what does this mean for Chile, the Continent and beyond - and what hope can we all draw from this huge triumph for the left? We're joined by David Adler - General Coordinator of the Progressive International, which Bo...
Dec 21, 2021•1 hr 13 min
Nearly two years after COVID-19 was identified, and a year after mass vaccination began, Britain could be on the brink of another lockdown. How did we get here? How serious is Omicron? Is it intrinsically milder, will our antibodies keep it mild, will it cause less severe illness, hospitalisation and death - and what does the evidence from abroad tell us? We're joined by the Financial Times' brilliant John Burn-Murdoch - whose data and analysis has been a lifeline through the pandemic - to guide...
Dec 19, 2021•1 hr 16 min
Boris Johnson's government is in potentially terminal trouble as it is overwhelmed by lies and fury over parties in No. 10 while the country was in lockdown. Meanwhile, the country once again faces renewed COVID crisis as Omicron surges across the country. How bad are things for the Tories, has Keir Starmer's time really come - and how much of a mess is Britain in? We're joined by journalist Paul Mason and Novara's Michael Walker. Please subscribe - and help us take on the right wing media here:...
Dec 12, 2021•1 hr 26 min
As Boris Johnson is plunged into crisis over the multiple secret parties that happened in 10 Downing Street that he and his government are lying about, is it over for the Prime Minister? Joining us are Novara's Ash Sarkar and Jo Goodman from COVID Bereaved Families, who lost her dad to a virus the government allowed to let rip with catastrophic consequences. Please subscribe - and help us take on the right wing media here: https://patreon.com/owenjones84 Support this show http://supporter.acast....
Dec 08, 2021•1 hr 4 min
As a Tory Cabinet minister tells the Times newspaper that the Omicron crisis puts the government in a "Remarkable position" and "should put us in a good place for the new year", we look carefully at the facts - what do we know, how bad is it, and how do we avoid another lockdown? We are joined by Prof. Deenan Pillay from University College London. Please subscribe - and help us take on the right-wing media here: https://patreon.com/owenjones84 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owe...
Dec 05, 2021•1 hr 2 min
This is not the news any of us wanted to hear: South African scientists have identified a new variant of COVID described as the "worst ever", and it's been detected in several countries around the world. How serious is the threat, what do we know about it - and how much is this down to richer countries refusing to provide vaccines to the Global South? We're joined by Fatima Hassan live from South Africa, Miriam Brett - director of research and advocacy at Commonwealth, and Prof. Susan Michie and...
Nov 29, 2021•1 hr 7 min
Carla Denyer is the Green Party's newly elected co-leader: in some polls her party is in double digits. But what do the Greens stand for, are they basically Lib Dems, what's their take on Labour, could they be the left wing UKIP, how are they tackling transphobia, and how are they going to make a populist case to take on the climate emergency? Please subscribe - and help us take on the right wing media here: https:///www.patreon.com/owenjones84 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-ow...
Nov 26, 2021•44 min
After Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted after shooting dead two men and injuring another at a Black Lives Matter protest, the US right are triumphant. What does this mean now: for right-wing vigilantes and for progressive protesters? How would the US justice system have judged a person of colour in the same circumstances, and what does this tell us about white supremacy? We're joined by Benjamin Dixon, Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Pat Blanchard and Wajahat Ali . Please subscribe - and help us take on...
Nov 21, 2021•1 hr 5 min
It's the swimming pool in the sky: the so called 'Sky Pool' in Nine Elms, south London, which wowed the media but which sums up the inequality ravaging British society. This community provided the perfect opportunity to help tackle London's housing crisis - but instead it was handed to property developers to build luxury flats for the elite. This is a story about how settled working class communities are being torn apart by greed. But those working class voices have been erased from the conversa...
Nov 16, 2021•20 min
As the Tories are embroiled in corruption scandals, the polls are finally turning against them - after months of seeming apparently immune to pandemic mishandling, a fuel crisis, cuts to Universal Credit and a surge in the cost of living. But how much trouble are they in - and can Labour capitalise on the Tories' crisis? We're joined by Byline's Adam Bienkov and CLASS Director Ellie Mae O'Hagan. Plus - with a COP26 agreement signed - how much of a step forward or travesty is it? We're joined by ...
Nov 15, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Students who protested against Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely have suffered a firestorm of condemnation from the Establishment. But it’s based on lies - this was a peaceful protest with booing and heckling, nothing more - against a far right politician who supports the annexation of all Palestinian land, calls the Nakba an ‘Arab lie’, denounces Arabs as “thieves of history”, opposes relationships between Arabs and Jews and denounces Diaspora Jews. She is the representative of a state condemne...
Nov 12, 2021•6 min
As the Tories are embroiled in the Owen Paterson scandal, we examine the truly scale of corruption in Tory ranks, why it's a threat to democracy - and how we fight it, featuring investigative journalist and editor-in-chief of openDemocracy Peter Geoghegan. Is COP26 a great step forward in the struggle to save humanity - or just a greenwash for the world's polluters? We're joined by Green MSP Patrick Harvie. As the BBC are embroiled in scandal over a transphobic article which drew on the testimon...
Nov 08, 2021•1 hr 26 min
We're told that human nature is hardwired to need authority and hierarchy, and that we're driven by selfishness and greed. But is that really true? In a new book by David Wengrow and the late great David Graeber - THE DAWN OF EVERYTHING - the standard narrative about human history is challenged. Wengrow explains why it's not true that as human society gets more complicated there's a need for more top down control - and what our history tells us about our future. Please subscribe - and help us ta...
Nov 07, 2021•37 min
So I thought, why not have a chat with my mum about whether robots take over the world? She's got a new book out called 'Living With Robots' - I know I'm promoting my mum's book here, it's a one off I promise! - so we talk about what robots really are, what they can actually do, what their limits on, will they ever destroy us all, or at the very least take our jobs? Could they help build a new and better society? Please subscribe - and help us take on the right wing media here: https://patreon.c...
Nov 03, 2021•39 min
Hit Set Reminder above! With the start of COP26 - with the climate emergency threatening our very future existence - we are joined by brilliant experts and activists to explain what's at stake, what's likely to happen, and how we build pressure to save our planet. Please subscribe - and help us take on the right wing media here: https://patreon.com/owenjones84 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Nov 01, 2021•52 min
Former Labour Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell explains what the Tory Budget really represents, how Labour should pull itself together to offer an inspiring vision - and whether Keir Starmer's crisis-ridden leadership is coming to an end. Please subscribe - and help us take on the right-wing media: https://patreon.com/owenjones84 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Oct 30, 2021•44 min
Is it possible to grow concrete? This was the claim of a right-wing shock jock interviewing Insulate Britain's Cameron Ford in a viral clip watched by millions. As the much demonised protest group receives its first positive coverage in the aftermath, Cameron joins us to face down the movement's critics: about why they're targeting motorways, whether he worries for activists' safety after enraged motorists attack them, why this form of protest is justified - and what future he fears is coming un...
Oct 28, 2021•30 min
Anybody who cares about democracy, independent journalism and human rights should oppose the extradition of Julian Assange. Croatian philosopher Srecko Horvat explains exactly what's at stake. Please subscribe - and help us take on the right wing media here: https://patreon.com/owenjones84 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Oct 28, 2021•16 min
In an utterly baffling and disturbing turn of events, Novara Media - the biggest left media outlet in Britain - was summarily deleted from YouTube without warning - and then only reinstated after mass uproar. What the hell is going on - and what does this say about the stranglehold of tech giants over our democracy? Novara's Ash Sarkar and Michael Walker join us live. Please subscribe - and help support us as left media outlets are increasingly under siege: https://patreon.com/owenjones84 Suppor...
Oct 28, 2021•32 min
As Scotland's shift not to prosecute people caught with possession of drugs sparks a new debate over the failed 'war on drugs', we're joined by pre-eminent expert Prof. David Nutt and journalist Mattha Musby to talk over how a new approach is desperately needed. With Julian Assange facing extradition proceedings, the Belmarsh Tribunal has put the War on Terror on trial. We're joined by Croatian philosopher Srecko Horvat to explain what exactly is at stake. As the anti-trans rights LGB Alliance h...
Oct 25, 2021•1 hr 30 min
As cases surge and both hospital admissions rise, how much of a mess are we in? How could it have been avoided? Why are we doing worse than our European neighbours? What do we do to stop an even worse disaster - and is another lockdown on the cards? The brilliant Kit Yates from the University of Bath explains clearly all the facts you need to know. Please subscribe - and help us take on the right wing media here: https://patreon.com/owenjones84 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-ow...
Oct 22, 2021•13 min
The sickening murder of Tory MP David Amess should have been a moment where we united in horror, and focused on how we keep Members of Parliament safe. Instead the conversation has been derailed: politicians and media outlets who whip up hatred against voiceless minorities on a daily basis attack left-wing critics, even though there is no relevance to this heinous crime. MPs who routinely speak to journalists on the condition of anonymity demand that such a privilege is scrapped for social media...
Oct 20, 2021•16 min
Stonewall is Britain’s main LGBTQ civil rights organisation, and as the country’s anti-trans moral panic spirals out of control, it has become obsessively targeted by the British media. What’s the truth about Stonewall - and how dangerous a moment is this for trans people specifically, and LGBTQ people more broadly? Joining me is bestselling author Juno Dawson and the i paper's equalities reporter Jasmine Andersson. Please subscribe - and help us take on the anti-LGBTQ media here: https://www.Pa...
Oct 18, 2021•1 hr 33 min
As Britain's economic indicators flash red - how bad is the country's current plight, and how bad things are going to get this winter - and what lessons can we learn from the Biden experience across the Atlantic? We're joined by a stellar panel of guests: Laurie Macfarlane, economics editor of openDemocracy and Carys Roberts, Director of IPPR; plus Professor Adam Tooze, Columbia University, explains the lessons and limitations of Joe Biden's administration. Please subscribe and help us take on t...
Oct 11, 2021•1 hr 3 min
Omid Djalili is a comedy star, and we have a lot to talk about - comedy in the time of COVID, is COVID something you can joke about, the loss of the icon Sean Lock, and his first ever gig which is so unbelievably cringeworthy you've got to hear it to believe it. Please like, subscribe - and help us take on the right wing media here: https://patreon.com/owenjones84 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Oct 08, 2021•52 min
