As the Queen celebrates her Platinum Jubilee, those of us who support an elected head of state are expected to shut up. But if we don’t make the case - then when? We are joined by Republic’s Graham Smith. In the aftermath of the Johnny Depp - Amber Heard libel trial, where does the verdict leave women who’ve survived the pandemic of male violence who aren’t believed? We’re joined by brilliant feminist writer Lucia Osborne-Crowley. Please subscribe - and help us take on the right-wing media here:...
Jun 06, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Keir Starmer won the Labour leadership by offering radical domestic policies combined with party unity. As reports emerge that Starmer intends to abandon his solemn pledge in the election to hike income tax on the top 5% of earners - literally his first pledge - I ask a very basic question. If you care about Boris Johnson's dishonesty, but not Keir Starmer's dishonesty, do you really care about dishonesty at all? And what happens to our democracy when our leaders engage in such rampant dishonest...
May 31, 2022•12 min
A few months ago, Boris Johnson's political fate seemed sealed: after revelations of rampant illegal partying in No. 10 during the pandemic, his personal polling collapsed and Tory MPs began demanding his resignation. But after the Sue Gray report, will the Tories commit regicide - or is Johnson leading the Tories into the next election? We're joined by the Financial Times' Sebastian Payne Please subscribe - and help us offer an alternative here: https://patreon.com/owenjones84 Support this show...
May 30, 2022•1 hr 1 min
As over 200 monkeypox cases are reported in 21 countries, many are having flashbacks to early days of the Covid pandemic. How worried should we be? Oxford Professor Aris Katzourakis gives a masterclass on everything you need to know: what monkeypox is, whats its relationship with smallpox, what the symptoms are, how deadly it is, has it mutated or could it, will it spread to our pets, why the outbreak is disproportionately affecting gay and bisexual men, and can we eradicate monkeypox altogether...
May 28, 2022•19 min
George Monbiot is one of Britain's most eloquent, intelligent and wise writers, a relentless defender of social justice and a fighter against the climate emergency and the human-made threat to our only planet, Earth. We talk about his epic new book Regenesis: Feeding the World Without Devouring the Planet - from the truth about soil ecology, to whether plant-based diets are the way forward, to new protein substitutes, to new farming methods, to the threats to our food systems and how we can figh...
May 20, 2022•37 min
The Israeli state not only killed iconic Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aqla - the police force then attacked her funeral procession. Much of the world is shocked - but governments continue to arm and back the Israeli state, disregarding the conclusions of Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and B'Tselem that it is guilty of Apartheid. Is the Israeli state overreaching so much that Western public opinion will shift decisively against it? We talk to Salem Barahmeh, Executive Director of ...
May 16, 2022•50 min
Noam Chomsky is one of the world's pre-eminent intellectuals, and an icon of dissent going back literally generations. I speak to him about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and what anti-war activists should be saying. What does he think about the role of NATO? Should the left supporting arming Ukraine on the basis this is a naked war of aggression? What are Russia's war aims? What would a peace deal look like in these circumstances - and how would it last? And most of all - does he think a nuclear...
May 12, 2022•1 hr 8 min
The Tories took a battering in the local elections, losing even more seats than they feared, including nearly collapsing as a political force in London, as well as suffering a drubbing across the South. Has a cost-of-living crisis and a scandal-ridden Conservative government defined by deceit and corruption finally collided with electoral reality? But there is little cheer for Labour here: outside of the capital, the party's support has fallen in England compared to 2018, and important wins - li...
May 09, 2022•1 hr 6 min
First the Mail on Sunday launched a crude misogynistic attack on Angela Rayner; then Tory MP Neil Parish was caught watching pornography in the House of Commons. What does this say about misogyny in politics - and how should we discuss misogyny and pornography? We’re joined by Shaista Aziz - Labour councillor and campaigner against male violence against women - and Ivy Maddox from United Sex Workers. Please subscribe - and help us take on the right wing media here: https://www.Patreon.com/owenjo...
May 02, 2022•59 min
Nish Kumar is a brilliant comedian and an all-round lovely guy, and we have a lot to chat about: his experiences working at the BBC, whether there's any truth to 'cancel culture', how monsters who've caused so much damage ended up being turned into national sweethearts, whether comedy has been dumbed down and become less fearless, and confronting racism. Please subscribe - and help us take on the right-wing media: https://patreon.com/owenjones84 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-o...
Apr 28, 2022•49 min
Boris Johnson's whole career has been about defying the laws of political gravity, often aided and abetted by a supine media. But as both him and his government are convulsed by scandal - and the country is gripped by a cost of living crisis - has his luck finally run out? We are joined by two brilliant commentators: LBC's Iain Dale and the New Statesman's George Eaton! Please subscribe - and help us take on the right-wing media here: https://www.patreon.com/owenjones84 Support this show http://...
Apr 25, 2022•49 min
With an epic showdown between the far-right's Marine Le Pen and neoliberal Emmanuel Macron in the second round of the French presidential election - is this really a done deal? How has the far right come closer to winning power in a Western European nation than at any time since 1945? What will those who voted for the left-wing insurgent Jean-Luc Mélenchon do? Why did five years of so-called 'moderate' rule leave France more divided and polarised than it was before? And what is the future of Fra...
Apr 23, 2022•30 min
As the French people are now forced to choose between the neo-liberal Emmanual Macron and the far-right Marine Le Pen in the second round of the presidential election, we talk to the fascinating young French intellectual Edouard Louis - about what this means for France, for the left, and what hope there is in a bleak political landscape. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Apr 14, 2022•12 min
On both sides of the Atlantic, the war on trans people is escalating - from Republican legislation in the United States, to an increasingly feverish moral panic in the UK. What can be done, including by cis allies - and what are the stakes? Joining us are three brilliant trans activists from both the UK and US: Arden Hart, Felix F. Fern and Arthur Webber. Help us take on the anti-LGBTQ media here: https://patreon.com/owenjones84 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast...
Apr 10, 2022•58 min
Much of the world were relieved when Donald Trump was defeated back in 2020 - but as Joe Biden's administration plunges new depths of unpopularity, how much of a mess is it in? Whose fault is the stalling of the domestic agenda? How serious are his gaffes on Russia's invasion of Ukraine? What hope of a progressive fightback - not least as midterms loom, and Trump is ahead in the polls? We're joined by brilliant commentators from across the Atlantic. Please subscribe - and help us take on the rig...
Apr 04, 2022•50 min
Rishi Sunak's ill-deserved popularity has finally crashed. His positive approval ratings were entirely fuelled by furlough in the Covid era - but now policies which are hammering working people who have suffered the longest squeeze in wages since the Napoleonic era have come to bite. Just how bad are his economic policies - and what is the alternative? We are joined by Gary Stevenson - former Citibank trader and campaigner against inequality. Please subscribe - and help us take on the right wing...
Mar 28, 2022•47 min
As P&O sack 800 staff - many by video message, others marched off ships like criminals - and reportedly replace them with Eastern European workers on £2.60 an hour, what does this say about Britain's woefully unjust economic model - and how do we fight back? We are joined by Mick Lynch - general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union. Please subscribe - and help us take on the right-wing media here: https://patreon.com/owenjones84 Support this show http://supporter.acast.c...
Mar 21, 2022•51 min
At least 1,200 Ukrainians are believed to have died in Mariupol alone - killed by Putin's brutal invasion of the country - while thousands of Russian soldiers may be dead. As Russia becomes bogged down in Ukraine, the war is becoming increasingly violent - and a horrific siege of Kyiv may be imminent. Rumours abound too that Putin may resort to chemical weapons. How badly is the invasion going for Russia, what happens next - and what lengths could Putin resort to? We're joined by Tom Burgis, inv...
Mar 14, 2022•1 hr 26 min
At the end of 2013, a letter apparently setting out an Islamist extremist plot take over schools was set to Birmingham City Council: it prompted a massive national scandal, official inquiries and changes to the law. One small problem: it was fake. The viral hit Trojan Horse Affair podcast - presented by Serial's Brian Reed and Hamza Syed - brilliantly set out the astonishing truth about this scandal, which reveals damning truth about British society, our media and our politics. But since the pod...
Mar 11, 2022•1 hr 4 min
As Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine continues with catastrophic human consequences - just how bad can things get? What sort of atrocities could Putin's regime inflict to subjugate the nation, including conquering its cities, not least Kyiv? And with siren voices in the West calling for a No Fly Zone - which would entail war with a nuclear armed power - is an apocalyptic scenario unthinkable? We're joined by Ukrainian social scientist Volodymyr Ishchenko and by Beatrice Fihn, executive direct...
Mar 06, 2022•1 hr 13 min
This isn't just any strike: it's a story of modern Britain, of workers suffering a cost of living crisis but with no major political party willing to champion them. These Coventry bin drivers are striking against a Labour council, and the Unite union is threatening to pull the plug on their funding for a cash-strapped Labour over the dispute. With the social crisis only set to escalate - this is a sign of things to come. Please subscribe - and help us take on the right wing media: https://patreo...
Mar 03, 2022•18 min
As Russia launches a war of aggression against Ukraine - has it backfired? There are signs the invasion may not be going to plan as Ukrainians courageously put up resistance, while anti-war sentiment has been expressed in surprising sections of Russian society. What are Putin's prospects, what happens next - and how is it all likely to end? We're joined from St. Petersburg by researcher and anti-war activist Ilya Matveev and Paul Rogers, Emeritus Professor of Peace Studies. Please subscribe - an...
Feb 27, 2022•1 hr 21 min
As Jeffrey Epstein's associate Jean-Luc Brunel is found hanged in a prison cell - after being accused of rape and supplying underage girls to the late US financier - we discuss the latest in this scandal. What does Prince Andrew's settlement with Virginia Giuffre really mean? What about the victim blaming against Virginia and other survivors? With Epstein and Brunel both dead, will we ever finally get the truth? What does this tell us about power on both sides of the Atlantic - and wider issues ...
Feb 20, 2022•44 min
Afghanistan is now in the midst of the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Why? The US froze billions of pounds worth of its assets, and is now moving to steal half of it and give it to 9/11 victims' families. The country is languishing under punitive Western sanctions. The result: Afghanistan faces mass starvation. We are joined by Afghan lecturer Obaidullah Baheer and Iyad el-Baghdadi to talk through exactly what is happening - and what can be done. Please subscribe - and help us take on the ri...
Feb 14, 2022•54 min
This whole saga is completely infuriating. Kate Clanchy is an author who piled on a reviewer who called out racist and bigoted passages in her book; Clanchy denied she'd written them (actually, she had, except she'd written "Ashkenazi nose" rather than "Jewish nose", which is if anything worse), and called on everyone to report the review. What happened next? Women of colour who spoke out about it - not least what it said about the publishing industry - were vilified and abused, while Clanchy wa...
Feb 08, 2022•27 min
Oh good grief. Nadine Dorries - who is actually a Cabinet minister, with actual power - keeps being wheeled out to TV studios to defend the indefensible, with catastrophic consequences. If you didn't laugh, you'd cry - but what on earth does this tell us about the behaviour of the people running the country, who apparently have no shame at all? 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-j...
Feb 08, 2022•14 min
he Equalities and Human Rights Commission is supposed to be Britain's official equalities watchdog, but after u-turning on trans rights - after a series of Tory appointments and its former chair warning it was under political pressure to back the government agenda - it's been engulfed in scandal. Investigative work by journalist Ben Hunte has uncovered private meetings between the EHRC and anti-trans rights organisations, while whistleblowers have told him about an anti-LGBTQ culture at the orga...
Feb 07, 2022•1 hr 23 min
Despite overwhelming evidence of No. 10 parties, the Met refused to investigate them for weeks - until a last minute u-turn at just the right moment to sabotage the Sue Gray report. But is this behaviour really out of the ordinary for the Met? We're joined by Kevin Maxwell - a former Met police officer who detailed being abused for his race and sexuality in 'Forced Out' - and Alastair Morgan - the brother of Daniel Morgan, murdered in 1987 after investigating police corruption. Please subscribe ...
Jan 31, 2022•1 hr 10 min
Is this finally the end of Boris Johnson? As his polling collapses, Sue Gray's report looms and Tory MPs plot, could this be the week when the Prime Minister's hubris meets its nemesis? More broadly, what next for the Tories - and what of the politicians and pundits who made him Tory leader know exactly what and who he was? We're joined by Adam Bienkov, Chief Westminster Correspondent at Byline Times. With the Ukraine crisis escalating, we are joined live from Moscow by journalist Ilya Budraitsk...
Jan 24, 2022•1 hr 13 min
As Boris Johnson's government is convulsed by scandal and crisis, could this be not just the end of him - but the end of the Conservative party, too? That's what Peter Oborne - a longstanding Conservative supporter - thinks is entirely possible. Please subscribe - and help us take on the Tory 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....
Jan 18, 2022•3 min
