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 […]
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
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
To unwrap the politics of A Christmas Carol, Eleanor Penny is joined by James Butler, co-founder of Novara Media and a contributing editor at the London Review of Books. Together they discuss the hungry 1840s, deflationary economics, Scrooge’s miserly capitalism and why Charles Dickens’ conversion story is our most enduring ghost of Christmas past.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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
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 […]
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
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
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. __________________________________________ […]
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, […]
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
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 […]
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
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
