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On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at a bank that holds an unconventional asset that has come a cropper with rising temperatures (0:38), the growing commercial opportunity for new freight routes due to melting ice in the arctic (5:59), and how data centres are struggling to keep up with the demands of AI training (10:27).Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station
On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how British supermarkets warn of the looming food crisis (0:34), how Japan could be the canary in the economic coalmine (7:24), and how extreme heat is making nuclear power unreliable (14:48).Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station
The idea of a Jewish Nakba, that parallels the Palestinian one, is the subject I'll be exploring in this episode. Did it take place in the way described? And if so, what bearing does that have on Palestinian refugees and their ‘Right of Return? You won't be surprised to hear that those two questions receive entirely different answers depending on whom you ask. Notes The Forgotten Expulsion: Jews From Arab Lands, produced by the Canadian broadcaster, Vision. https://www.visiontv.ca/shows/forgotten-expulsion/ The Forgotten Refugees - One million Jews from Arab countries https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GggzquzuuSE Arab Jews: The Hidden History | Ash Sarkar meets Avi Shlaim, Novara Media https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMJJiZlXOi0 Three Worlds: Memoirs of an Arab-Jew, by Avi Shlaim https://amzn.eu/d/02H6FBSX Arab States Never Ordered 'Expulsion' of Jewish Inhabitants, w/ Prof. Joseph Massad, BreakThrough News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STHD4JRItaE To get the footnoted books associated with this series: https://www.deepstateconsciousness.com/writing/ziontology Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/dsconsciousness Become a subscriber: https://payhip.com/b/Sq0ZB Rain and Tears by Neutrin05 / neutrin05 Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/2PKvY28 Music promoted by Audio Library • Rain and Tears – Neutrin05 (No Copyright) matt2131@hotmail.com
On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at who new prime minister Andy Burnham has chosen to be his Chancellor of the Exchequer (0:42), how wildfire season is increasingly becoming a wider phenomenon driven by rising global temperatures (9:01), and how the collapse in the market of lab monkeys is impacting biomedical research around the world (14:03).Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station
Recorded at the Battle of Ideas festival 2025 on Sunday 19 October at Church House, Westminster. ORIGINAL INTRODUCTION Tinder, Grindr, Bumble, Hinge, Feeld – whatever your dating preference, there's an app for it. Gone are the days of hitting the town in the hopes of catching someone's eye in a busy bar. People moan about their problems, and some want to leave digital dating behind, but for today's generation, the first spark often happens over a keypad. Should we be worried about the prevalence of online dating? For some, the game-like approach to virtual romance, with love thwarted or given a chance with a swipe of the thumb, is degrading. Novara Media's Aaron Bastani recently called for a ban on dating apps, as they ‘encourage the worst possible behaviour towards other people'. Others argue that the addictive nature of online dating, where multiple partners can be found at the touch of a button, has fed the addictive and attention-deficit qualities of an already fidgety generation. When love is always just a click away, why would anyone stick with just one partner? On the other hand, without online dating many argue that finding love would be near impossible. Pub closures, lockdown-hangover regulation on social spaces and less intergenerational mixing means it can be hard out there to meet someone the old-fashioned way. Many argue that panics about online dating foget that the app is just a tool to facilitate what people continue to do – meet up in person and carry on as normal. Building a profile online is no different to a lonely-hearts advert in the paper, or wearing your best dress and standing by the bar. Is love only worthwhile if it's found in the flesh? Is the boom in hook-up apps merely the straight world catching up with what gays have been enjoying for some time? Should we loosen up about online dating? Or is there something lost when it comes to romance if the story we tell our kids of how we first met starts with a ‘swipe right'? SPEAKERS Elliot Bewick host, The Next Generation; former producer, TRIGGERnometry Ella Dorn journalist, New Statesman; creator, Fairyland! Substack; project assistant, Academy of Ideas Ralph Leonard author, Unshackling Intimacy: Letters on Liberty; contributor, UnHerd, Quillette, New Statesman and Sublation Magazine CHAIR Beverley Marshall AoI Parents Forum; working mum of three young adults
On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at the impact of the unholy pairing of the El Nino phenomenon and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz (0:46), how one hedge fund is looking to capitalise financially on disruption caused by El Nino (7:00), and how the European heatwave continues to underline the need for climate adaptation (9:41).Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station
The idea of a wealth tax has never been more popular in Britain, and while many have campaigned for it, none have done more to boost the demand than one man: Gary Stevenson. The former city trader first joined us on Downstream four years ago. A lot has changed since then. This week, after a bruising round of media including attacks from Piers Morgan and the Guardian, Gary sat down to give his side of the story to Novara Media's Aaron Bastani. What are the fair critiques of a wealth tax, and how does Gary engage with them? What would he say to Andy Burnham? What does he think needs to be done to keep out Farage and Reform? And do the recent spate of attacks in the media show that Gary's actually winning the argument?
On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how heatwaves are breaking data centres (0:33), how Trump is refusing to renew his own North American trade deal (5:44), and a listener question all about Modern Monetary Theory (9:50).Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station
Amid scrutiny over his finances, Nigel Farage has announced his resignation from parliament. Can a by-election victory clear his name? Plus: French far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen has been ordered to wear an ankle tag, Trump's FIFA favours have done no good for the US team, and the proposed UK Media Bill threatens to stifle independent creators – is Novara Media at risk? With Aaron Bastani & Michael Walker.
On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how the cost of extreme heat requires urgent attention from our political leaders (0:36), if Andy Burnham's speech this week laid out more of his economic vision (4:43), and how the straight of Hormuz may well be reopening, but the impacts are still to come (10:30).Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station
On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at likely next prime minister Andy Burnham and his economic agenda for Britain (0.43), the current heatwave gripping the UK and large parts of the rest of Europe (9:30), and the daft idea of putting data centres in space (13:00).Heatstrike: heatstrike.notion.siteSubscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station
This week Balder defends his own people. A YouTube video titled "Economists are full of shit" and the hundred-plus likes underneath it sparked this episode, and the underlying complaint is understandable: a generation that was promised growth has watched that growth show up everywhere except their own bank accounts. But the target of that anger is wrong. Economists study economic behaviour. Politicians decide what to do with that knowledge. The neoliberal consensus that dominated policy from the 1980s onwards was a political choice, not an inevitable conclusion handed down by the discipline of economics itself.The data makes the disconnect impossible to miss. GDP and median household income moved together until the 1990s, then diverged sharply. Productivity and hourly compensation tell the same story from 1970 onwards. Nearly 40 percent of Americans could not cover an unexpected expense without significant strain on their savings, despite a quarter century of consistent GDP growth. None of that is a failure of economics as a science. It is a failure of politics to ask economists the right questions, namely how do we improve human wellbeing, rather than how do we maximise growth and assume the rest follows.We also dig into Gary Stevenson's viral critique of how economics is taught, which gets the methodology problem mostly right while building an oversimplified enemy out of an entire profession, and a Novara Media clip on China that shows exactly the same instinct from the opposite political direction: reaching for a tribe instead of an analysis. Economics is a soft science. It will sometimes get things wrong. That does not make it worthless, and confusing the discipline with the politicians who misused it is its own kind of Western Bubble thinking.This podcast is an individual project between us, Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. We are supported by our producer Stefani Obradovic from Western Bubble Insights & Strategy. If you would like to get in touch with us, write us an email at thewesternbubble@gmail.com.
Camilla is joined by Aaron Bastani, journalist from left-wing organisation Novara Media and self-confessed “luxury communist”.The two argue the case about how much tax is too much, whether China can be classed as a success story for communism when the regime has overseen extensive human rights abuses as well as surveillance of it's own citizens, and why Bastani thinks fracking isn't the solution for cheaper energy.We want to hear from you! Email us at thedailyt@telegraph.co.uk or find @dailytpodcast on TikTok, Instagram and X► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditorStudio Operator: Andy WatsonProducers: Georgia Coan and Emma WilliamsVideo Producer: Will WaltersSocial Media Producer: Nada AggourSenior Producer: John CadiganExecutive Producer: Charlotte SeligmanEditor: Camilla TomineyHighlights:How much tax is too much tax?Can China seriously be called a success story for communism? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
James is away this week so we have for you an event recording from Norwich Transformed, a festival of socialist ideas and culture.Joining James is Jonas Marvin, author of the forthcoming book, the Breaking of the English Working Class. Together, they discuss the economics affecting food in a changing global climate, why so many are struggling to eat well, and what to do about it.Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station
On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how the first signs of the incoming “Godzilla” el nino (6:29), how the big tech market crash could finally be arriving (0:47), and a listener question on what public investment looks like in a high-interest world (12:17).Chuang (18 May 2020), “Free to move, forced to move: The present state of the hukou system”. http://chuangcn.org/2020/05/free-to-move/Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station
We are all subject to manipulation campaigns all the time: advertising, political campaigning, social media. You don't know what's true and you can't stop watching slop. And the technology is getting better all the time – there are now systems that predict what your brain state will be when you see a particular video on the internet. We're living in a jungle of manipulative media objects: sycophant chatbots, military disinformation, “flooding the zone with shit,” and conspiracy theories that either capture people and drag them into derangement or, sometimes, turn out to be true. So where did these manipulative systems come from? Trevor Paglen is one of the most important artists of our era. He took Richard Hames on a journey that weaves between art, technology, cognitive science, the history of CIA experiments, magic, military psy-ops and UFOs to explain why the world feels so confusing – and why that might have been the point all along. Do Your Own Research is a show from Novara Media about the systems that make the modern world possible. The video version contains a map, which you can view in full here: https://novaramedia.com/category/video/do-your-own-research/
On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how tech firms are cutting back AI spending after blowing budgets on it (0:42), how progressives are taking on the UK political culture of bond market fear (6:23), and how a recent change in China's welfare system will have global consequences (10:06).Chuang (18 May 2020), “Free to move, forced to move: The present state of the hukou system”. http://chuangcn.org/2020/05/free-to-move/Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station
In this episode of Varn Vlog, we welcome back British anthropologist and activist Dr. Chris Knight, author of Decoding Chomsky, to discuss the startling revelations surrounding Noam Chomsky's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. We go beyond the headlines to examine the deep-seated contradictions in Chomsky's career, his historical ties to the military-industrial complex, and what these scandals mean for the future of the American Left.Key Topics Covered:The Epstein Revelations: Analyzing the surprising extent of emails and mutual involvement between the Chomskys and Jeffrey Epstein, including claims of financial advice and legal support during family disputes.The "Two Chomskys": Dr. Knight explains the "firewall" between Chomsky's public persona as an anti-militarist critic and his decades-long career at MIT, working within Pentagon-funded laboratories alongside figures he regarded as war criminals.Science vs. Politics: A deep dive into how Chomsky's linguistic theories—specifically Universal Grammar and the "language module"—may have served the interests of military command and control systems.The Cognitive Revolution's Legacy: How the shift toward "mind over matter" in the human sciences served as a counter-materialist program that undermined traditional Marxist and scientific analysis on the Left.About Our Guest:Dr. Chris Knight is a renowned British anthropologist and a leading critic of Noam Chomsky's scientific and political legacy. His book, Decoding Chomsky: Science and Revolutionary Politics, has seen a massive resurgence in interest as scholars and activists seek to understand the collapse of Chomsky's reputation.Supplementary ReadingGrandin, G. (2025, December 15). What the Noam Chomsky–Jeffrey Epstein e-mails tell us. The Nation. https://www.thenation.com/article/society/noam-chomsky-jeffrey-epstein-emails/Brown, Justin (2026, February 17). In defence of Noam Chomsky. (2026, February 11). Countercurrents. https://countercurrents.org/2026/02/in-defence-of-noam-chomsky/Knight, C. (2026, February 6). The Chomsky/Epstein puzzle. CounterPunch. https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/02/06/the-chomsky-epstein-puzzle/Knight, C. (2026, February 9). There are two Noam Chomskys: The one you love, and the one that was friends with Jeffrey Epstein. Novara Media. https://novaramedia.com/2026/02/09/there-are-two-noam-chomskys-the-one-you-love-and-the-one-that-was-friends-with-jeffrey-epstein/Structural silence: Chomsky, Epstein, and the architecture of elite immunity. (2025, December 8). UniLiterate. https://uniliterate.com/2025/12/structural-silence-chomsky-epstein-and-the-architecture-of-elite-immunity/Vadrot, F., & Giudice, F. (2026, February 15). The moment critical capital meets financial capital. Substack. https://substack.com/home/post/p-187860978Hedges, C. (2026, February 14). Noam Chomsky, Jeffrey Epstein and the philosophy of despair.Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to BitterlakeSupport the showCrew:Host: C. Derick VarnIntro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesArt Design: Corn and C. Derick VarnLinks and Social Media:twitter: @varnvlogblue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.socialYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeCurrent Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic,Julian
AI progress isn't slowing down. The bubble doesn't seem to be popping. And who in power actually cares about the environmental impacts anyway? All that is to say: AI is here to stay. And what will be its fruits? Greater control of workers or even their brutal repression, some say. So, is there a positive future for AI at all? Garrison Lovely is the author of Obsolete: The AI Industry's Trillion-Dollar Race to Replace You—and How to Stop It. And surprisingly, his answer is “yes”. He told Richard Hames about the dangers of AI, and how to get off the path to dystopia. Do Your Own Research is a new show from Novara Media about the systems that make the modern world possible. Music by Iglooghost.
On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how the question of adaptation to our changing climate has returned amidst Britain experiencing another heatwave (0:58), and how market-led solutions to adaptation will only entrench further inequality (6:48).Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station
It’s a dizzying set of allegations. A trove of leaked voice notes and call recordings — published by the anonymous outlet Hondurasgate.ch and Spain’s Canal RED — allege that Israeli money helped secure US President Donald Trump’s pardon of former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who was serving 45 years in a US prison for trafficking some 400 tons of cocaine. The recordings point to an alleged plot involving Trump, Netanyahu and Argentina’s President Javier Milei to return Hernández to power and destabilise the left-wing governments of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. But how do we know whether allegations on an unattributed website are true? And does it even matter if they are? David Adler, co-general coordinator of the Progressive International and an expert in Latin American politics, joins Richard Hames to dig into the story, explain its imperial backstory, and what it means to live in an age where claims arrive faster than we can verify them. Do Your Own Research is a show from Novara Media about the systems that make the modern world possible. Music by Iglooghost.
On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how talk of the bond markets is back after Andy Burnham announced his byelection candidacy and ambitions for Number 10 (0:44), a note on “Godzilla El Nino” - as the world is set to be hit by the mother of all weather disruptions (5:49), and reports that the UK government is pushing to cap the price of essential foods (9:36).Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station
It has been a seismic week in British politics. The two-party system has collapsed. Keir Starmer is digging in at Downing Street, while Labour leadership contenders line up outside, and Reform clouds gather overhead. Now: the most important by-election in more than a century looms. How did we get here? And what happens next? On this week's Downstream, Aaron Bastani is joined by James Butler, contributing editor at the London Review of Books and co-founder of Novara Media, to make sense of the paradigm shift underway in British politics. How has first past the post, long promoted as a source of political stability, become the background for systemic chaos? Why is there such a democratic deficit in Britain, and what can be done about it? Have two lost decades on the economy simply killed both historic parties? And where should progressives position themselves, as we now begin the slow march towards the final general election of the 2020s?
This week, as Labour reels from a brutal set of election results, Nish and Coco try to make sense of Keir Starmer's fight to stay in Downing Street, a story moving faster than political journalists can refresh their phones. They're joined by Helena, aka NoJusticeMTG, Twitch streamer, YouTuber and Novara Media contributor, to break down Labour's post-election meltdown, the rise of Reform, and whether the Greens' surge points to a more hopeful progressive future. They also dig into who might replace Starmer, from Angela Rayner to Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting.Plus, what should we take from Plaid Cymru's win in Wales, Reform's new foothold, and the Greens breaking through in places Labour once took for granted?And former Google executive Mo Gawdat joins to discuss Chasing Utopia, the new documentary asking whether AI is about to transform our lives, our politics, and possibly the future of humanity itself.Watch Mo Gawdat in Atlantic Studios new release Chasing Utopia from Friday 15th May 2026 at Everyman Cinemas. Book tickets at everymancinema.com"GUESTS Mo GawdatNoJusticeMTGUSEFUL LINKSRaphael Behr https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/13/labour-battle-of-ideas-no-10-keir-starmer-leadership CREDITS BBC ONE: Sunday with Laura KuenssbergYoutube: Novara MediaPod Save the UK is an Intelligence Squared production for Crooked Media.Like 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
On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how the political turmoil around Starmer's ailing premiership is affecting the UK's economic outlook (0:38), and how governments around the world will respond to the current chaotic state of the global economy (7:04).Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station
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.
While James Meadway is away for the local elections, this week's Macrodose is guest-hosted by Kojo Koram - author of the upcoming book 'The Next Fix: The Winners & Losers In The Future Of Drugs'.For today's episode, Kojo explores the changing world of psychedelics - and how we're on the cusp of a wave of corporate interests ready to sweep in to monopolise a new market.Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Purchase a copy of Kojo's new book 'The Next Fix' here:https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/kojo-koram/the-next-fix/9781399807715/Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.Event Tickets: The Break—Down Issue #3 Launch Party!Event Tickets: Political Economy in a Time of Monsters To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station
A decade and a half ago, the British far right was a fringe concern. But since then, the ruling party – whether it be The Conservatives or Labour – has played into their hands over and over again. Whether through appeasement or ineptitude, more than a decade of rightward drift has put Reform within reach of Downing Street. Can anyone stop them? Is anyone actually in control? Or are the emotional forces that the far right have unleashed in the UK now too powerful for them to rein in? Daniel Trilling is the author of If We Tolerate This: How the British Establishment Made the Far Right Respectable. He argues that to understand the ever-worsening political state of Britain, we have to look not just to the far right themselves, but to the systems of establishment power that have enabled them. Do Your Own Research is a new show from Novara Media about the systems that make the modern world possible. Music by Iglooghost.
On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at BP's mega-profits - this time as an inevitable result of the war on Iran (0:42), whether or not we could be on the verge of another 2008-style financial crisis (3:26), and the shock announcement that the UAE is leaving OPEC (9:57).Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.Event Tickets: The Break—Down Issue #3 Launch Party!Event Tickets: Political Economy in a Time of Monsters To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station
It's the question that will come to define our lives: is our society going to collapse? But the field of collapse research is fragmented, chaotic, and often plain deranged. Who can you trust? Luke Kemp is the author of Goliath's Curse and a research affiliate at the Cambridge University Centre for the Study of Existential Risk. He's also a political radical. He told Richard Hames about how close we are to the same tipping point that brought down every other empire in history, why states are criminal gangs in disguise, and why Rome was the Isis of its day. Do Your Own Research is a new show from Novara Media about the systems that make the modern world possible. Music by Iglooghost.
On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how Europe now has only six weeks' worth of jet fuel supplies left (1:52), how the big six investment banks are making record profits on the back of the Iran War (7:22), and some positive news around the decline of fossil fuels, and the future of our energy markets (11:48). James also pays tribute to the life and work of economist and biographer of Keynes Robert Skidelsky.Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.Event Tickets: Break-Down Issue #3 Launch PartyEvent Tickets: Political Economy in a Time of Monsters To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station
Welcome back to After Order - a series from Macrodose and the Alameda Institute - exploring power, sovereignty, and crisis in today's unstable world.Event Tickets: Political Economy in a Time of Monsters In this week's show, host James Meadway is joined by Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla - political strategist, activist, Co-General Coordinator of the Progressive International, and Executive Secretary of the Hague Group, a coalition of Global South nations launched in 2025 to hold Israel accountable for its crimes in Palestine.Varsha's work sits at the intersection of law, empire, and resistance - as both an organiser and an intellectual, grappling with what it might mean to build a decolonial internationalism rooted in the Global South.From Honduras, where a US corporation is suing the state for billions in a secret tribunal, to Ecuador, where an authoritarian regime with the direct assistance of the US is crushing democracy in the name of the War on Drugs, to the bombs falling on Gaza - in flagrant violation of international law - it's clear we are living through a rupture in the global “order”. But Varsha argues that “order”, the so called “rules-based international system”, was always and fundamentally a veneer, one that masked the systems of coercion, extraction and exploitation that uphold global capitalism. In the context of war on Iran, it's a particularly prescient argument. The veil has lifted, we are seeing the return of hard power across the world, and an open defiance of international institutions, from Cuba to Palestine. But we're also seeing something else. A wave of solidarity with the victims of colonial oppression, and new forms of coordination among states seeking to resist through the cracks of disorder.So the question at the heart of today's conversation is this: as the old fiction of order breaks down, what comes next? And what would it mean to build a different kind of sovereignty - and a different kind of internationalism - in a world After Order?Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media.
On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at some changing rhetoric from Keir Starmer on the changing world we live in, and how it affects our economy. But does he really get it? (1:02), And second: how the surge in energy prices is prompting a jump in home installations of renewable energy generation (5:52). Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.Event Tickets: Political Economy in a Time of Monsters To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station
To accompany our podcast series, Death in Westminster, hosts Kojo Koram and Dalia Gebrial met with investigative journalist Peter Geoghegan and former private wealth lawyer Stephanie Brobbey at EartH in Hackney last month. Digging into the dark money that flows through Westminster, Kojo and Dalia find out what made Stephanie quit her job hiding rich people’s assets, why Peter couldn’t find anyone to publish his story about Labour corruption, and what normal people can do to challenge the global system of wealth extraction. Listen to Death in Westminster, hosted by Dalia and Kojo Koram, in the Novara Media podcast feed. Follow Peter’s work through the Democracy For Sale newsletter.
Fill in our audience survey: https://novara.media/survey For fifty years, Alfred McCoy has exposed covert operations. In 1972 he uncovered the CIA and French intelligence's complicity with the heroin trade during the Vietnam War – research that the CIA tried to suppress. He's the author of many books, most recently Cold War on Five Continents, which gives a comprehensive account of late 20th century geopolitics, decolonisation, and covert operations. But now he's warning of a New Cold War. Is it over for the US empire? He talked to Richard Hames about the strange parallels between the 1956 Suez Crisis – a turning point in global British influence – and the 2026 war on Iran and the new Chinese World Order. Do Your Own Research is a new show from Novara Media about the systems that make life possible. Music by Iglooghost.
TICKETS: Political Economy in a Time of Monsters On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at a surprising side effect of the war on Iran. As shares in arms manufacturers take an unexpected dip, has this conflict actually damaged the Western arms industry?Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station
On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at the latest economics fall-out from the war on Iran (2:25), oil thieves in East Anglia, and how they are a harbinger of the near future (11:14), and Verdant - a new think tank launched by James himself (14:22).Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-stationUK Food resilience: https://www.uea.ac.uk/about/news/article/uk-food-needs-radical-transformation-on-scale-not-seen-since-second-world-warhttps://nationalpreparednesscommission.uk/publications/just-in-case-7-steps-to-narrow-the-uk-civil-food-resilience-gap/Verdant's first report on government efficiency sacings:https://www.verdantthinking.org/publications/wastenot
On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how the ongoing Iran war forms part of a longer story of US decline (0:45), why a direct consequence of the war is higher borrowing costs for government (7:50), and what the UK government actually doing in response to the crisis (12:22).Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media: https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station
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 […]
On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at the disruption to global food supplies that surge in oil prices is now causing (2:01), how fossil fuel companies are profiteering from the crisis (5:51), and why the fresh enthusiasm for motorhome ownership is an unexpected side-effect of climate change (10:40).Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.Apply for Planet B's Digital Content Lead job opportunity: https://planet-b-productions.homerun.co/digital-content-lead/enListen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media: https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-stationCome to the 'Dark Money' launch event on March 19th:https://dice.fm/event/oevl5r-dark-money-how-billionaires-destroyed-britain-and-how-to-make-them-pay-19th-mar-earth-london-tickets
On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at the how the US-Israel war on Iran will impact global food prices (3:07), and how data centres are the newest target in modern warfare (9:47).Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.Apply for Planet B's Digital Content Lead job opportunity: https://planet-b-productions.homerun.co/digital-content-lead/enListen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media: https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station
Britain has turned its capital into a global money laundering machine. The pavements of central London are home to a soaring number of rough sleepers, yet its streets are lined with empty mansions. Who owns these houses? Often, no one knows – because the wealthiest people in the world have built the perfect system to hide their assets. In this explosive new podcast series Death in Westminster Professor Kojo Koram (author of Uncommon Wealth: Britain And The Aftermath Of Empire) and Dr Dalia Gebrial (Novara Live co-host) will uncover how secret offshore billions are ruining Britain. Produced by Planet B Productions and released by Novara Media in March 2026. Available wherever you get your podcasts. More details here: https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/
Events in Iran have led news bulletins, alongside ongoing wars in Ukraine and Sudan. As crises compete for attention, questions are being raised about whether reporting captures a wider shift in global power or centres on immediate developments. Christina Lamb, Chief International Correspondent at The Sunday Times, Aaron Bastani, co-founder of Novara Media, and Sir John Tusa, former Managing Director of the BBC World Service, discuss the media's role in uncertain times. The Green Party's victory in the Gorton and Denton by-election in the north of England, overturning a previously safe Labour seat, has prompted debate about political reporting in the UK. Rachel Cunliffe, Associate Editor at The New Statesman, explains her approach. At the age of 90, Sir John Tusa has launched a new interview podcast, The Best is Yet to Come, featuring conversations with public figures in their nineties. The series enters a crowded podcast market and raises questions about how older voices are represented in the media. Production credits Presenters: Katie Razzall Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Content Producer: Lucy Wai Researcher: Ruth Waites Technical Coordinator: Margot Campanaro Sound: Pat Sissons
Katie Razzall hears how the conflict in the Middle East is being covered across the region with staff from the BBC Monitoring Unit. Christina Lamb, Chief Foreign Correspondent at the Sunday Times, Aaron Bastani from Novara Media and broadcaster Sir John Tusa discuss whether day to day crisis reporting is crowding out the deeper story of geopolitical realignment. We also discuss whether the were media blind spots behind the Green Party's shock win in Gorton and Denton. And Sir John Tusa returns to talk about his new podcast The Best Is Yet to Come - why he's interviewing the over 90s, and what a lifetime in broadcasting has taught him about how the media should evolve.Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Content Producer: Lucy Wai
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
Ex-Prince Andrew was the tip of the iceberg. The latest trove of Epstein files reveals new details about former UK envoy Peter Mandelson's ‘best pal’ relationship with the convicted sex offender that have pushed Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour into a new crisis. Is this the scandal that defines Labour? In this episode: Kieran Andrieu (@kieran_andrieu) Political Economist and Novara Media contributor Episode credits: This episode was produced by Melanie Marich, with Sarí el-Khalili, Chloe Li, Spencer Cline, Maya Hamadeh, Tuleen Barakat, Sonia Bhagat and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Tamara Khandaker. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhemm. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube
Alexei Sayle and Talal Karkouti enjoy some alone time to revel in Keir Starmer's difficult week, give conspiracy theorists their flowers, discuss upcoming live events and remember tandem bicycles. Read the mentioned Novara Media article here!Be a comrade and support the show by becoming a Patron and getting access to full video versions of the podcast, live episodes and more - patreon.com/AlexeiSaylePodcastSend your fan art, thoughts and questions to alexeisaylepodcast@gmail.comPlease consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.Subscribe to Alexei's YouTube channel here and join him for his Bike Rides.The Alexei Sayle Podcast is produced and edited by Talal KarkoutiMusic by Tarboosh RecordsPhotograph from the Andy Hollingworth Archive
Sir Keir Starmer's next big test is the Gorton & Denton by-election in three weeks' time; commentators are calling it a three-way race between the Greens, Reform and Labour. But how is this vote a microcosm of the national picture, and what does it tell us about the direction of travel in British politics and the key issues that really sway voters?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Darryl Morris, journalist, Times Radio.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Olivia Case.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: In Gorton, where Labour is counting on long memories to see off ReformFurther listening: Who is the real Melania Trump?Clips: BBC, Channel 4, Manchester Evening News, Novara Media, The Green Party, Reform UK, The Spectator.Photo: Getty Images.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sir Keir Starmer has seen off a potential leadership challenge by blocking his rival – Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham – from returning to Westminster. But many Labour MPs have been deeply critical of the move, accusing the PM of orchestrating a “stitch up”. So was it worth it? And might Starmer face a leadership challenge anyway? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Aubrey Allegretti, chief political correspondent for The Times.Host: Manveen Rana. Producers: Micaela Arneson, Harry Stott. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: What happens next for Labour and Keir Starmer?Further listening: Who will move first: Streeting or Burnham?Clips: Sky, Times Radio, BBC, Novara Media. Photo: Getty Images.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.