Vivian Gornick joins me to talk about her classic book, 'The Romance of American Communism'. We spoke about her experience of growing up amongst communists and socialists in the Bronx in the 1930s, how she sought to counter simplistic depictions of the lives of American communists and how - in spite of its authoritarianism - the American Communist Party enabled ordinary men and women to feel connected to a larger human project.
Nikhil Pal Singh joins me to discuss the massive protests against police violence in the United States that emerged in response to the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. We talked about why the protests are so large and so diverse and the movement's demands for the abolition or defunding of the police.
Adam Hanieh joins me to talk about the challenges Covid-19 and the debt crisis pose to countries in the global south, how western economic and military intervention has undermined state capacity needed to combat the pandemic, and finally we discussed Adam's argument that the crisis may paradoxically be in certain respects beneficial for the oil majors and the richest oil producing countries - in spite of last month's collapse in oil prices. Our conversation was prompted by two articles by Adam f...
Troy Vetesse joins me to discuss the sixth mass extinction event and how Karl Marx's concepts of real and formal subsumption are relevant to the ecological crisis. We also spoke about how the Covid19 pandemic illuminates Troy's argument. Our conversation was prompted by Troy's essay, 'A Marxist Theory of Extinction' from issue 7 of the journal Salvage.
Holly Buck joins me to discuss her new book, After Geoengineering: Climate Tragedy, Repair, and Restoration. We talked about why we may have little choice but to undertake geoengineering to avert the worst of the climate crisis. We also discussed the question of whether climate change is innately difficult for human beings to comprehend, and whether avoiding the worst effects of climate change will entail moving beyond capitalism.
In the latest episode of #RedHacks Joana Ramiro talks to Novara Media co-founder Aaron Bastani about the importance of independent grassroots media.
Philip Mirowski, joins me to discuss why the Covid-19 pandemic is more opportunity than threat to neoliberals and whether - as in the wake of the financial crisis - neoliberal doctrines will survive, and even thrive in the wake of the coronavirus-induced global economic crisis. We also discussed how Philip defines neoliberalism and why the worst political and economic consequences of the Covid-19 crisis are yet to come.
Narges Bajoghli and Arron Merat join me to discuss the coronavirus crisis in Iran, what the Covid-19 pandemic means for the stability of the Iranian regime, how US sanctions have compounded the suffering of ordinary Iranians, and what relations between China and Iran might look like after the end of the lockdown.
#RedHacks returns with Joana Ramiro in conversation with Suzanne Wrack. They spoke about Suzanne's experience of entering journalism via architecture, football as a socialist sport and turning her passion into a career. You can listen to other episodes of #RedHacks here: https://soundcloud.com/poltheoryother/sets/redhacks
Adam Tooze joins me to discuss what covid-19 means for the world economy, how the Trump administration has missed the boat on containing mass contagion in the United States, and why the row in the Eurozone over so-called coronabonds reveals an existential threat to the survival of the European Union.
Will Davies joins me to discuss whether or not the coronavirus crisis heralds the break with neoliberal capitalism that many expected in the wake of the financial crisis, why the Anglo-American response to the covid-19 pandemic seems to differ from the response seen in mainland Europe and East Asia, and we also talked about how the media has covered the government's approach to the crisis. You can read Will's recent article in the London Review of Books, which we discussed in the interview here:...
Paul Mason joins me to discuss the COVID-19 crisis, the UK government's response, the failure of senior journalists to hold the government to account and why the crisis may lead to a profound transformation of the global economy. We also discussed an article he published today -Day One of the UK's suppression strategy: https://paulmason.substack.com/p/day-one-of-uks-suppression-strategy?fbclid=IwAR2IZCzgpr9-gw23yDNugVaJd6tN2E2xJ_B06S_ossyCrlHCwe4SZFSBRrUc
Judith Butler joins me to discuss her new book, 'The Force of Nonviolence'. We spoke about how the concept of self-defence raises the question of what the individual sovereign subject is, how some populations are interpellated as grievable - whilst others are not - and finally we spoke about the relevance of Sigmund Freud's 1918 essay, 'Mourning and Melancholia' to a utopian, militantly nonviolent politics.
Milan-based journalist Antonella Serrecchia, and Jacobin's Europe editor David Broder join me to discuss the lockdown in Italy - imposed by the Italian government in response to the escalation of the coronavirus outbreak. We discussed the pressure on the Italian health system, the economic consequences of the crisis, and how the far-right Lega have instrumentalised the situation for their anti-migrant politics.
Jodi Dean and Adom Getachew join me to chat about Super Tuesday, whether the left underestimated Joe Biden, and the implications of Biden's comeback for Bernie Sanders' campaign.
Owen Hatherley joins me to discuss his recent article on Keir Starmer and the Labour leadership contest. You can read the piece here: https://medium.com/@owenhatherley/theres-a-starmer-waiting-in-the-sky-f2d26a9c4e97
Leo Panitch joins me to chat about the causes of Labour's defeat in the 2019 general election, the weaknesses of the labour movement beyond the party, and whether a Keir Starmer victory in the Labour leadership contest would portend a march back to the so-called political centre.
Lisa Wedeen joins me to discuss her new book, Authoritarian Apprehensions: Ideology, Judgment, and Mourning in Syria. We spoke about the strategies the Syrian regime has adopted in order to maintain a degree of public support, the neoliberal turn of Syrian society under Bashar al-Assad, how authoritarian leaders exploit digital media to create uncertainty, and the relevance of Louis Althusser's concept of interpellation to the regime's endurance. To get the extended version of this interview ple...
The New Left Review's Daniel Finn joins me to discuss Sinn Féin's electoral breakthrough in the Irish general election. We spoke about the decline of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, why Ireland's economic recovery did not help Leo Varadkar and Fine Gael, and why Sinn Féin's association with the republican cause in Northern Ireland no longer puts off young Irish voters. To get access to this episode become a $5 supporter on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/poltheoryother
Len McCluskey joins me to talk about his new book, 'Why You Should Be A Trade Unionist'. We spoke about his own experience of becoming involved in the labour movement, what the unions could be doing to combat the conservative press, and we also talked about the Labour leadership contest and Len's position on freedom of movement.
Thea Riofrancos joins me to discuss the shambolic Iowa caucus, the significance of the strong showings of Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders, and Joe Biden's poor performance. We also chatted about media narratives and centrist panic at the prospect of Sanders winning the nomination. To get access to this episode become a $5 supporter on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/poltheoryother
Achin Vanaik joins me to discuss Hindu nationalism in India, the BJP's anti-Muslim Citizenship Amendment Act, the lockdown in Kashmir, and India's economic slowdown.
Lara Friedman joins me to discuss the so-called Trump peace plan and the Israel-Palestine conflict. We spoke about the extent to which the plan diverges from previous American policy, and the ideological framework of its creators. Lara is the President of the Foundation for Middle East Peace based in Washington DC.
Financial Times journalist Tom Hancock joins me from the city of Wuhan - the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. We spoke about the situation in the city, the response of the Chinese government to the crisis and how it compares to the SARS outbreak of 2002. We also discussed the broader political significance of the outbreak and the public mood in Wuhan and China more broadly.
Tom Blackburn joins me to chat about the Labour leadership contest, why Keir Starmer is the front runner, the importance of open selection, and what Jess Philipps' brief campaign tells us about the Labour right. If you'd like to hear the full interview please consider becoming a $5 PTO supporter on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/poltheoryother
Rhian Jones joins me to discuss her article in Tribune Magazine, An Enterprise Allowance of the Left: https://tribunemag.co.uk/2019/10/an-enterprise-allowance-of-the-left which looks at the disappearance of working class voices from the arts and how the left might rebuild working class culture. We talked about how Britpop positioned working class people as uneducated and hostile to musical experimentation, the creation of institutions of cultural production and care by working class communities ...
Maya Goodfellow joins me to discuss her new book, 'Hostile Environment: How Immigrants Became Scapegoats'. We talked about the historical roots of the hostile environment policy, the punitive, cruel and deliberately confusing character of Britain's immigration system, how viewing migrants as 'economic assets' feeds into anti-migrant politics, and we also chatted about how New Labour's policies on migration and asylum laid some of the basis for the Conservative's migration policies.
Phil Burton-Cartledge joins me to discuss the Conservative's electoral victory and why he believes that the 2019 election result does not simply cancel out the long term problems the Conservatives face.
International security expert Paul Rogers joins me to discuss why the United States carried out the assassination of Qassem Suleimani and whether the attack will spark a broader regional war. We also discussed the historical roots of Iran's defence doctrine of hybrid, asymmetric warfare, and why Britain would be very likely to assist the American military in any large scale military confrontation.
Richard Seymour joins me to discuss the reasons for Labour's electoral defeat and why the left overestimated Labour's chances. We also chatted what we can expect from Boris Johnson's government and the broader issue of 'disaster nationalism'. Finally, we spoke about the likely outcome of the Labour leadership race.
