21st-century British writer and activist
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Support us as we expand our challenge to our broken media here: https://www.patreon.com/owenjones84 or here: https://ko-fi.com/owenjonesYou can pre-order my new book THE FALL OF THE WEST now: https://bit.ly/FallOfTheWestSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are Labour minister James Frith, Conservative Shadow Transport Secretary Richard Holden, Novara Media's Ash Sarkar, plus the Daily Telegraph's Annabel Denham.
Can Keir Starmer survive this political crisis after all?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are Labour minister James Frith, Conservative Shadow Transport Secretary Richard Holden, Novara Media's Ash Sarkar, plus the Daily Telegraph's Annabel Denham.
British journalist and Senior Editor at Novara media, Ash Sarkar, joins Bad Faith to unpack the UK Green Party's huge successes last week under the new leadership of Zack Polanski. After winning big, Polanski declared that Britain's two party politics are "dead and buried," and that Green vs Reform has replaced the old Labor vs Conservatives dynamic. What techniques might translate into lessons for the US Green Party which hopes to displace Democrats in our two party system, and what obstacles are unique to the US? Will Polanski be derailed by anti-semitism allegations, or will he continue to succeed where Corbyn failed? How should the left handle bad faith attacks from establishment media? Should we take a cue from Trump and simply never apologize or back down? Subscribe to Bad Faith on YouTube for video of this episode. Find Bad Faith on Twitter (@badfaithpod) and Instagram (@badfaithpod). Produced by Armand Aviram. Theme by Nick Thorburn (@nickfromislands).
The Labour Party is in crisis following a disastrous set of local election results. Plus: Reform UK's latest slate of racist councillors, and we discuss whether the Green Party is ready for power. With Michael Walker & Ash Sarkar.
Donald Trump survives a third shooter assassination attempt. Plus: Green MP Hannah Spencer ignites an almighty row over MPs' drinking culture, Russell Brand gets lost in the bible on Piers Morgan's show, and we ask: can stealing be an act of political resistance? With Steven Methven & Ash Sarkar.
As the American empire teeters, China gains dominance, and war spreads across Eastern Europe and West Asia, questions arise as to Europe's place in this rapidly changing world order. On Downstream this week, Ash Sarkar speaks to Roderick Beaton, former Koraes Professor of History at King’s College London, about his latest book Europe: A New History. How did the boundaries between Europe and Asia come to be drawn in the first place? How were immigration and borders managed by the ancients in Greece and Rome? How do the stories we tell about our collective history in Europe shape contemporary political thought? And in an age of mass migration, who gets to be European today – and why?
Aaron Bastani sat down with Novara Media's own Ash Sarkar, to celebrate the paperback release of her bestselling book, Minority Rule. ‘Minority rule' is the term Ash used to describe the irrational fear that minorities are trying to overturn and oppress majority populations. She revealed how minority elites rule majorities by creating the culture wars […]
As the illegal U.S-Israeli war on Iran spreads violence throughout the Middle East, oil exports from the region have ground to a halt. Plus: Why Trump's war aims are looking increasingly untenable, and we ask whether Israel would use its nuclear weapons. With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar & Annelle Sheline.
Ash Sarkar is a writer, journalist, lecturer and political commentator, and a contributing editor at Novara Media. She's written for The Guardian, The Independent and HuffPost, and you might've seen her on British TV and radio shows like Question Time and Good Morning Britain.
Today Seán is joined by none other than Ash Sarkar as her book Minority Rule hits paperback. After a turbulent 2025 and an utterly batshit start to 2026, Ash reflects on the permacrisis as it continues to warp and destabilise the fabric of society, and reality as we know it.Subscribe to How to Rebuild Britain now: https://linktr.ee/howtorebuildbritain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week Nish and Coco are joined by friend of the pod, Ash Sarkar from Novara Media to talk about political scandal, trust and compromise. Ash's book, Minority Rule, has a new afterword which talks about two progressive movements which have tried to build different kinds of relationships with voters. Is that the way forward - or are we stuck in an endless cycle of broken promises from our leaders? One of those leaders - Keir Starmer - seems to be lurching from crisis to nightmare, so can he rise above the latest headlines about Peter Mandelson's arrest and the Labour Together scandal?Plus Reform's new immigration policies, the new proposals to change the SEND system - and some good news about two protest groups.CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS BABBEL: https://www.babbel.com/PSUKWISE: https://www.wise.comSURFSHARK: https://www.surfshark.com/podsave CODE: PODSAVE GUESTS Ash Sarkar, Contributing Editor at Novara Media and author of Minority Rule: Adventures in the Culture War - out now in paperback.USEFUL LINKSJumaane Williams' thoughtful response following the outcry about the handling of a racial slur at the Baftas.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgaqKIxS4Hs&t=1sCREDITSDaily Express - YouTubeNigel Farage - YouTube@sendra.uk - InstagramNida JafriPod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.Get in touch - contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukLike and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUKInstagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukX: https://x.com/podsavetheuk
Reform, Greens and Labour, neck and neck in by-election Plus: We speak to one of the six Palestine Action members acquitted by a jury, and Trump's showdown with Anthropic is reaching worrying levels… With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar
In 2001, Eric Schlosser published Fast Food Nation: an investigation into the toxic depths of America's food industry. Twenty five years later, the book remains an urgent intervention, as much for what it says about workers' rights as for our agricultural systems and dietary health. On Downstream this week, Ash Sarkar talks to Eric Schlosser […]
The latest Epstein files revelations. Mandelson, Prince Andrew, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk, among others, have been exposed in the recent release of Epstein files. With Michael Walker & Ash Sarkar. Buy tickets for Downstream IRL with Ash Sarkar: Downstream IRL: Aaron Bastani in Conversation With Ash Sarkar
Alex Forsyth presents political debate from St Paul's Church in Fazeley, near Tamworth
A second US citizen has been killed by ICE. Plus: Andy Burnham blocked from by-election race, and Suella Braverman defects from the Conservatives to Reform UK. With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar & Branko Marcetic.
Trump gives speech at WEF as tension builds Plus: Mark Carney's powerful speech, Scott Bessant on the aims of sanctions in Russia and Iran, and John Mearsheimer is back to expose Piers Morgan. With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani & Caitlín Doherty Downstream IRL: Aaron Bastani in conversation with Ash Sarkar: https://dice.fm/event/wwrypg-downstream-irl-aaron-bastani-in-conversation-with-ash-sarkar-16th-feb-earth-london-tickets Downstream Newsletter: novara.media/downstreamnewsletter
Trump's tariff punishment for Europe. Plus: Netanyahu and Putin among the names for Gaza's “peace board,” America's right-wing influencers partying to Ye's banned song. With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar & Jonny Ball.
Protests in Iran reach day 16. Plus: ‘Hypocrisy' as everyone from Tommy Robinson to JK Rowling speaks out on Iranian protests, and Donald Trump vs the Federal Reserve's chief. With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar & Arash Azizi.
The US is threatening regime change in Iran amid anti-government protests. Ayatollah Khamenei has tried to dismiss these as the work of outsiders. Plus: Donald Trump tells the New York Times that international law won't restrain him, and Keir Starmer threatens to ban Elon Musk's X over abuse images. With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar and […]
Russian oil tanker seized by the US Plus: Trump says he'll use force to take Greenland, and what does the future look like for Venezuela? With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar & Gabriel Hetland
Ash Sarkar and Aaron Bastani joined each other on 17th December for a special end-of-year Downstream, wrapping up the year in politics.
Starmer calls The Doctor strikes “Utterly irresponsible” Plus: Former Labour elected Mayor Jamie Driscoll joins the Greens, yet ANOTHER bad day for Keir Starmer, and GMP vow to clamp down even more on Pro-Palestine protesters. With: Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar, Dr Thomas Cheliotis-James & Jamie Driscoll
Whether you love or loathe his tactics, it's hard to deny the disruptive impact that Roger Hallam has had on British politics via the activist organisations he has led, Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil. He joins Ash Sarkar fresh from his latest stint in prison, where he wrote a treatise for Your Party that […]
Your Party members are in favour of collective leadership. With: Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar and Steven Methven.
A revised Ukraine peace plan has been announced. Plus: Looking at Wednesday's budget – tax rises might be inevitable, Zack Polanski and Andy Haldane trade blows on the BBC, and Trump's alliance with Mamdani is the only surprise from the weekend… With: Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar & Daniela Gabor.
Investigative journalist Paul Holden has spent the last four years digging into the political machinations that brought Keir Starmer's Labour Party into office – findings that propel his powerful 2025 book, The Fraud: Keir Starmer, Labour Together and the Crisis of British Democracy. He tells Ash Sarkar about the cache of leaked emails that revealed the […]
BBC Director General resigns after “error of judgement” over Trump speech. Plus: Jailed climate activist faces deportation, and Lisa Nandy stands firm on her stance surrounding the banning of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans. With Kieran Andrieu, Ash Sarkar and Simon Lewis.
Zohran Mamdani Elected NYC Mayor Plus: Bhaskar Sunkara on the work that Mamdani can do now, and, would Labour have given Mamdani the chance to run for London Mayor? With: Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar, and Bhaskar Sunkara
Trump rejects Israel's plan for West Bank annexation. Plus: New polling shows that ‘wealth tax' is gaining momentum, KCL withdraws a student's visa sponsorship after pressure from a pro-Israel lobby group, and Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo clash in the final Mayoral debate With NoJusticeMTG , Ash Sarkar & Harriet Williamson.
Trump urges “fast” Gaza deal as famine and airstrikes intensify. Plus: French PM resigns after less than a month, Greta Thunberg deported from Israel, and the Trump goon squads the UK Right wants to copy. With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar, Daniel Levy and Olly Haynes.
Keir Starmer has labelled Reform UK's pledge to abolish indefinite leave to remain for migrants as “immoral” and “racist”. Plus: The latest from Labour conference, including the arrest of 66 people demonstrating in support of Palestine Action. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Plus: Reform's plan to cancel indefinite leave to remain for migrants, Yanis Varoufakis on Israel's attempt to smear the flotilla, TikTok replaces its entire UK safety team with AI, and Corbyn & Sultana hint at unity after legal row With: Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar & Yanis Varoufakis Support Novara Media through purchasing merch. shop.novaramedia.com
Andy Zaltzman is joined by Daliso Chaponda, Susie McCabe, Geoff Norcott and Ash Sarkar to break down the week in news. Expect discussion on the Labour Deputy Leader Election, the return of the Mandelson, strikes on Qatar, Russian drones in Poland and telepathic Google searches. Written by Andy Zaltzman. With additional material by: Simon Alcock, Carwyn Blayney, Ruth Husko and Alex Kealy. Producer: Rajiv Karia Executive Producer: James Robinson Production Coordinator: Caroline Barlow Sound Editor: Marc Willcox A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.
This week Mark continues his conversation with Ash Sarkar. If you haven't heard the first part then do go back and listen now but for the rest of you here is the second half of the interview. Want to get access to the full video interview before anyone else? why not join us on Patreon? For £4 a month you can listen to the whole interview straight away – and you'll also be able to watch it! https://www.patreon.com/wtfisgoingonpod For media, press & guest enquiries please email mikey@carouselstudios.co.uk Follow What The F*** Is Going On? with Mark Steel on Twitter @wtfisgoingonpod Follow Mark Steel @mrmarksteel Follow Ash @ayocaesar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
There are some new (and old) faces on the left of British politics hoping to challenge Keir Starmer's struggling Labour government, but could a party to the left of Labour ever win power? His predecessor Jeremy Corbyn has setup a new party with another former Labour MP, Zarah Sultana, who has declared that “Labour is dead”. And the Green Party of England and Wales has elected eco-populist Zack Polanski, who is urging left-leaning voters to back him rather than waiting around for Corbyn's party to get off the ground. The journalist and political commentator Ash Sarkar has written a book called ‘Minority Rule', which argues that the Left has become bogged down in identity politics and needs to stop fighting the culture wars so it can focus on building a broad coalition of support.A contributing editor at left-wing media organisation Novara Media, Ash discusses the radical potential for a Marxist approach to contemporary British politics and why she thinks Karl Marx would've loved Twitter. She also talks to Amol about why she can't think of a ‘dumber group of people' than Keir Starmer's cabinet and what lies behind the recent success of Nigel Farage's Reform UK. GET IN TOUCH * WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480 * Email: radical@bbc.co.uk Episodes of Radical with Amol Rajan are released every Thursday and you can also watch them on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002f1d0/radical-with-amol-rajan Amol Rajan is a presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. He is also the host of University Challenge on BBC One. Before that, Amol was media editor at the BBC and editor at The Independent. Radical with Amol Rajan is a Today Podcast. It was made by Lewis Vickers with Grace Reeve and Izzy Rowley. Digital production was by Gabriel Purcell-Davis. Technical production was by Mike Regaard and Dafydd Evans. The editor is Sam Bonham. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.
Mark is joined by journalist Ash Sarkar as they discuss anti-racist activism, Ash's political family background, building solidarity through shared struggles, Labour under Starmer - and Optimism in grassroots organising. You can hear the second part of the interview in next week's episode – but if you can't wait, why not join us on Patreon? For £4 a month you can listen to the whole interview straight away – and you'll also be able to watch it! https://www.patreon.com/wtfisgoingonpod For media, press & guest enquiries please email mikey@carouselstudios.co.uk Follow What The F*** Is Going On? with Mark Steel on Twitter @wtfisgoingonpod Follow Mark Steel @mrmarksteel Follow Ash @ayocaesar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are former Labour deputy leader Baroness Harriet Harman, non-affiliated peer and former Conservative Cabinet minister Baroness Nicky Morgan, plus the journalists Lionel Barber and Ash Sarkar.
Protests outside migrant hotels continue as a spate of racist violence is being documented on social media. Plus: Manchester Mill journalist Jack Walton explains his investigation on a ‘raise the flag' activist with a prior conviction for illegally smuggling migrants. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
Since the government's decision to proscribe the group Palestine Action, arrests have mounted across the country, raising questions not only about the group's tactics but also about the government's handling of free speech and protest rights.On today's special edition of Coffee House Shots, Michael Simmons is joined by The Spectator's James Heale and journalist Ash Sarkar to debate whether this is evidence of an increasingly authoritarian bent to Starmer's Labour. Has the ban made prosecutions easier, or has it created a chilling effect on freedom of expression? And is this further evidence of the overreach of the attorney-general, Lord Hermer?Also on the podcast, with Keir Starmer's majority secured but his party's membership dwindling, is there space for a new populist party to Labour's left? Ash defends Jeremy Corbyn and Zara Sultana's efforts to establish Your Party. Should they be taking a leaf out of Reform's playbook?Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Patrick Gibbons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Since the government's decision to proscribe the group Palestine Action, arrests have mounted across the country, raising questions not only about the group's tactics but also about the government's handling of free speech and protest rights.On today's special edition of Coffee House Shots, Michael Simmons is joined by The Spectator's James Heale and journalist Ash Sarkar to debate whether this is evidence of an increasingly authoritarian bent to Starmer's Labour. Has the ban made prosecutions easier, or has it created a chilling effect on freedom of expression? And is this further evidence of the overreach of the attorney-general, Lord Hermer?Also on the podcast, with Keir Starmer's majority secured but his party's membership dwindling, is there space for a new populist party to Labour's left? Ash defends Jeremy Corbyn and Zara Sultana's efforts to establish Your Party. Should they be taking a leaf out of Reform's playbook?Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Patrick Gibbons. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Owen Jones is a journalist and the author of ‘Chavs', ‘The Establishment', and ‘This Land'. He has spent the last 21 months relentlessly reporting and commenting on Israel's genocidal war on Gaza. He joins Ash Sarkar to talk about how media bias actually works, the history of the West's support for Zionism, and how to […]
Zelenskyy and EU leaders prepare for a crucial meeting with Trump. Plus: UK CEOs offered their third pay rise in a row, Zarah Sultana's opinion on Labour under Corbyn, and Sally Rooney vows to use BBC royalties to back Palestine Action. With: Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar, Anatol Lieven & Luke Hildyard.
Ash Sarkar sat down at EartH Hackney with acclaimed historian and author William Dalrymple. Picking up where they left off last time they spoke on Downstream, Sarkar and Dalrymple had a wide-ranging conversation at the crossroads of empire, resistance, and the long shadows of colonialism. From the rich histories traced in The Golden Road to […]
Novara FM was Novara Media's first show – it's now coming to an end. On the final episode, Richard Hames sat down with Aaron Bastani, James Butler and Ash Sarkar to talk about 15 years of Novara Media. What have we learned from a decade and a half fighting a media landscape that insists nothing […]
Dr Eliza Filby is a historian and author of the bestselling book Inheritocracy: It's Time to Talk About the Bank of Mum and Dad. In conversation with Ash Sarkar, Dr Filby draws on her own life story, growing up in South London with parents who went from communists to Thatcherites in the 1980s. She debunks […]
This interview would once have been illegal to broadcast in the UK. For many, Gerry Adams is a peacemaker, but for others he remains inseparable from the violence and trauma of the Troubles. Ash Sarkar travels to the James Connolly Centre in West Belfast to talk to Adams about the slow rise of his party, […]
Today's episode is the recording of our recent panel Ctrl, Alt, Delusion: Resetting Reality in the Manosphere, live at SXSW London, in partnership with Sage & Jester. Sage & Jester is an impact-led arts production company that exposes manipulation and misinformation. At Sage & Jester, entertainment sparks critical thinking. Their work blends wisdom and wit to entertain, enlighten, and help you harness your internal BS detector. They're not just storytellers, they are catalysts for a more informed, more engaged society. For this panel, host Sophia Smith Galer was joined by journalist Ash Sarkar, Cambridge University social psychologist Sander van der Linden and documentary filmmaker Matt Shea to shed light on how influencer culture weaponises masculinity, transforming isolation and insecurity into a misinformation powerhouse. Exploring how key figures such as the infamous Tate brothers thrive on grievance and viral distortions, the panel discussed the specifics of misinformation in the manosphere, and how to ‘inoculate' against these falsehoods. Click here to find out more about Sage & Jester and their mission to fight the misinformation crisis. (https://sageandjester.com/) If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ahmed Alnaouq is a Palestinian journalist and author. In October 2023, while he was in the UK, an Israeli airstrike hit his home in central Gaza, killing 21 of his immediate family, including his father, two brothers, three sisters and their children. He joins Ash Sarkar to talk about Israel's dehumanisation of Palestinians, Britain's continuing […]