Politics Theory Other

Communiqué #1

Dear PTO supporters,

First off, a huge thank you to all of you for your support - the show simply couldn't happen without you. When it was launched a little over a year ago the show wasn't remotely sustainable and was started with the hope that over time it might gain enough support to be viable. As things stand, the show is only just about scraping by, so your continued support really is extremely important and appreciated. Secondly, an apology - I had intended to write a regular email...

#51 Ralph Miliband and The State in Capitalist Society w/ Leo Panitch

Leo Panitch joins me to discuss his recent article in Tribune Magazine on Ralph Miliband's classic work, The State in Capitalist Society. We discuss Miliband's theory of the state, his criticism of liberal pluralist accounts of the industrialised democracies, his debates with Nicos Poulantzas, and the relevance of his work to the Corbyn project. You can read Leo's article here:

...

#50 The Thatcherite Offensive w/ Alexander Gallas

Alexander Gallas, author of The Thatcherite Offensive: A Neo-Poulantzasian Analysis joins me to discussed the degree of popular support for the political and economic project of the Thatcher government, the debates between Stuart Hall and Bob Jessop on the nature of Thatcherite hegemony, and we also chatted about  the way in which the New Labour era can be seen as a consolidation of Thatcherite neoliberalism.

#49 Roger Hallam on Extinction Rebellion

Extinction Rebellion co-founder Roger Hallam joins me to discuss the organisational model of XR and how it's succeeded in mobilising so many people to take part in direct action. We also chatted about the booklet Roger has written on the strategy of XR - Common Sense for the 21st Century: Only Nonviolent Rebellion Can Now Stop Climate Breakdown and Social Collapse. And we also discussed the criticism XR has come in for regarding it's tactics of mass arrest and a perceived failure to ...

#48 Christine Berry on preparing for a Corbyn government

Christine Berry discusses 'People Get Ready: Preparing for a Corbyn Government' a new book authored by Christine together with Joe Guinan. We spoke about the likely backlash a Corbyn government would face from the business class and transnational finance and what strategies the Labour movement can adopt to defeat its opponents. We also chatted about the possible lessons for the left from the Thatcher government's victory over the unions and the labour movement in the 1980s as well as Labour's...

#47 Adom Getachew on 'Worldmaking after Empire: The Rise and Fall of Self-Determination'

Adom Getachew joins me to discuss the liberation struggles of anti-colonial movements in Africa and the Caribbean in the twentieth century and the way in which they sought to construct a new global order that might secure real independence in the international system. We spoke about those efforts, as well her characterisation of the League of Nations, and associated figures, such as US president Woodrow Wilson, as essentially racist and counter revolutionary in nature, as well as the way the ...

#46 Owen Hatherley on Scott Walker's strange musical journey [PATRONS ONLY]

Owen Hatherley joins me to discuss the music and life of the late Scott Walker. We spoke about his journey from teen heartthrob with the Walker Brothers, to the creator of some of the most challenging music in the history of pop. We discuss the big band, crooner tradition that Walker emerged from, the radical break in his work with 1978's Nite Flights and the political pessimism of his later records.  To accompany the episode here is a playlist of Walker's work:

2019-05-01 12:43:02 +0000 UTC View Post

#45 Love thy Neighbour? Dawn Foster on religion and the left

In the first episode in partnership with Tribune magazine, Dawn Foster discusses her Tribune article on religion and socialism. We spoke about the relationship between Marxism and religion, how secular and religious leftists can work together in the fight against poverty, and the legacy of so-called 'new atheism.'

#44 Hilary Aked on Islamophobia and the ‘counter-jihad’ movement [PATRONS ONLY]

Hilary Aked joins me to discuss Islamophobia and the European counter-jihad movement, its entwinement with state run counter extremism programmes, and its relationship with the traditional far right. Hilary is the co-author of a recent report on the topic from Spinwatch.org:

http://powerbase.info/images...

#43 Ash Sarkar on understanding Brexit [PATRONS ONLY]

Ash Sarkar joins me to discuss the causes of the Brexit vote, the case for Lexit, the strategy of the People's Vote campaign and the prospects for Change UK.

#42 Corey Robin on understanding conservatism - from Edmund Burke to Donald Trump [PATRONS ONLY]

Corey Robin joins me to discuss the history of conservative thought, the significance of Donald Trump's presidency, and Ayn Rand's contribution to conservatism and the reasons for her immense popularity in the United States.

#41 Bridget Anderson on the case against borders [PATRONS ONLY]

Bridget Anderson joins me to talk about how the idea of the migrant is mediated through race and class, the case for No Borders, and the way in which the mobility of populations within nation states was viewed as a threat in the pre-capitalist era. We also touch on Brexit and the case of Shamima Begum.

#40 David Edgerton on Britain and the declinist narrative [PATRONS ONLY]

David Edgerton joins me to discuss his new book, 'The Rise and Fall of the British Nation: A Twentieth-Century History'. We spoke about British declinism, the way declinist narratives structure understandings of modern British history and the political uses to which declinism has been put, both on the left and the right and by the architects of the Brexit project. 

#39 Kojo Koram on the politics of the Tory Brexiteers

Kojo Koram joins me to discuss the politics of the Tory Brexiteers. We spoke about why it is that the prospect of trading on WTO terms is so attractive to the European Research Group, and the strange parallels between Tory Brexiteers and bourgeois nationalists in the global south during the colonial era. We also discussed the idea of a progressive English nationalism.

Our conversation was prompted by Kojo's articles in Dissent Magazine, the Guardian, and the Nation:

2019-03-03 14:50:47 +0000 UTC View Post

#38 Phil Burton-Cartledge on the Independent Group [PATRONS ONLY]

Phil Burton-Cartledge joins me to discuss the newly formed Independent Group, the politics of the MPs that make up the new organisation, the role of anti-semitism in the resignation of the ex-Labour contingent, and how the Labour leadership ought to respond to the creation of the group. 

#RedHacks - Jess Hurd on photojournalism, police harassment and witnessing revolutions

In the second episode of #RedHacks, Joana Ramiro talks to campaigning photojournalist Jess Hurd.

Listen to other episodes in the series here: https://soundcloud.com/poltheoryother/sets/redhacks

#37 Bruce Fink on Lacanian psychoanalysis [PATRONS ONLY]

Bruce Fink, the world's leading authority on Lacanian psychoanalysis joins me to discuss the work of Jacques Lacan, the nature of the Lacanian project and the 'return to Freud', and his perspective on the medicalisation of mental distress. 

#36 David Wearing on 'Anglo Arabia: Why Gulf Wealth Matters to Britain' [PATRONS ONLY]

David Wearing joins me to discuss the strategic and economic relationship between the UK and the states of the Arabian Gulf, the role of Britain in Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen, and the role of the west in the emergence of monarchical authoritarian rule in the region.

#35 Sophie Lewis on 'Full Surrogacy Now: Feminism Against Family' [PATRONS ONLY]

Sophie Lewis joins me to discuss her new book, 'Full Surrogacy Now: Feminism Against Family' and her recent article in New Socialist, ‘Labour Does You’: Might thinking through pregnancy as work help us radicalise the politics of care?

We spoke about reproductive technologies, the surrogate nature of all pregnancies, the need to reconceive of pregnancy as work, and the demand for the abolition of the nuclear family.

You can read more about Sophie's new book on the Verso Books w...

#RedHacks - Paul Mason on ideology, fake news, and making it as a left-wing journalist

In the first episode of #RedHacks, a series of conversations about journalism in the neoliberal world, Joana Ramiro chats with renowned broadcaster and author Paul Mason.

Sound by @japinto

#34 Dan Hind on 'The Constitutional Turn: Liberty and the Cooperative State' [PATRONS ONLY]

Dan Hind joins me to discuss his essay, 'The Constitutional Turn: Liberty and the Cooperative State'. We spoke about the need to reform Britain's unwritten constitution, what a project to democratise British society might look like, and even whether that might be desirable in the era of so-called populism.

You can read Dan's article here:
https://thenextsyste...

#33 Joni Alizah Cohen on anti-semitism, transmisogyny, and the value form [PATRONS ONLY]

Joni Alizah Cohen joins me to discuss the relationship between transmisogyny and anti-semitism in Nazi ideology and the theoretical work of the Marxist historian Moishe Postone.

Our conversation was prompted by Joni's article, 'The Eradication of “Talmudic Abstractions”: Anti-Semitism, Transmisogyny and the National Socialist ProjectI':

2019-01-11 12:35:54 +0000 UTC View Post

#32 James Butler on the EU and the Brexit endgame

James Butler of Novara media joins me to discuss Brexit, the likelihood of a no deal, what a second referendum might look like, and how the left should theorise the European Union. 

If you would like to hear the extended version of this episode and other PTO shows, please consider becoming a supporter:

www.patreon.com/join/poltheoryother

#32 James Butler on the EU and the Brexit endgame [PATRONS ONLY]

James Butler of Novara media joins me to discuss Brexit, the likelihood of a no deal, what a second referendum might look like, and how the left should theorise the European Union. 

#31 Thea Riofrancos on populism, left and right

Thea Riofrancos joins me to discuss her review in n+1 of Chantal Mouffe's new book, 'For a Left Populism'. As well as discussing Mouffe's work we talked more generally about populism in the United States and Europe, the nature of the Trump project, and the necessity of a left populism.

You can read Thea's review of Mouffe's book here:

https://nplusonemag.com/on...