Can Class Consciousness Overcome the Culture Wars? - Ash Sarkar

Mar 23, 2026

Ash Sarkar, British political activist and writer of Minority Rule, joins to debate culture wars versus class politics. Short takes on immigration salience, class definitions, who leftists should organise, and whether organising models can rebuild broad coalitions. Quick-fire discussion on social media’s role, cultural loss, and practical grassroots tactics to reconnect people and build institutions.

01:24:26

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ANECDOTE

Finding Electable Outsiders In Local Profiles

Maine organisers found Graham Plattner by mapping informal local leaders to a profile: veteran, trade unionist, blue-collar background.
Ash recounts he even had a problematic teen tattoo, illustrating trade-offs in unconventional candidate searches.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

Local Cafe Closed By Remote Landlord And Costs

Ash describes a North London cafe owner closing because national insurance hikes and a Miami-based landlord kept jacking rents.
The owner refuses to pass the business to his son since the economics no longer make it a viable life.

insights

INSIGHT

Why Identity Politics Replaced Materialism

Identity politics rose because materialist explanations weakened after deindustrialisation, privatisation, and union decline.
Sarkar argues cultural preoccupation is engineered by media and political choices, not just grassroots attitudes.

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Ash's Thesis: Culture Wars vs Class Politics

20:50 • 3min

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Immigration: Coverage, Control, and Political Salience

23:38 • 3min

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Triangulation: Electoral Strategy and Credibility

26:12 • 3min

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Why Promises on Immigration Fail to Convince

28:48 • 2min

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Constitution, Class Forces, and Political Accountability

31:03 • 2min

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Class Definitions: Assets, Debts, and Petty Bourgeoisie

33:14 • 5min

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Downward Mobility, AI, and Organising Targets

38:36 • 4min

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Organising Models: DSA vs PTB Service-First Strategy

42:10 • 5min

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Grassroots Rules: Meet Real People, Build Institutions

46:51 • 2min

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Learning from Other Organisers and Evangelical Models

49:17 • 4min

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Identity Politics: Limits for Electoral Majority Building

53:26 • 3min

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Cultural Loss vs Immigration: Misplaced Blame

56:53 • 5min

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Class Aspiration, Superiority and Social Friction

01:02:07 • 5min

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Universalist Policies That Build Coalitions

01:07:28 • 3min

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Social Media, Fragmentation, and Incentives

01:10:22 • 4min

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Reconnecting Offline: Addiction, Community, and Organising

01:14:52 • 5min

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Optimism of the Will, Pessimism of the Intellect

If We Burn (reference to Vincent Bevins)

Vincent Bevins

Vincent Bevins's 'If We Burn' examines protest movements across the 2010s, exploring why many spontaneous uprisings failed to translate momentum into lasting institutional change. Bevins argues that durable movement success requires organisation, strategy, and institutions that persist beyond viral moments. Combining reporting and analysis, the book traces different movements' internal dynamics and strategic choices to highlight common pitfalls. It advocates disciplined organising and institutional building as the route from dissent to political power. The work is a call for learning from past movements to build sustainable social change.

The Life of Thomas Wolsey

George Cavendish

George Cavendish's 'The Life of Thomas Wolsey' is a primary historical account documenting the rise and role of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in the court of Henry VIII. Written by a close attendant, the work provides detailed observations on Wolsey's administrative skill, political strategy, and personal character, illuminating Tudor-era governance and factional politics. The biography is valued for its firsthand perspective and rich anecdotal detail, often used by historians to understand the period's power dynamics. Cavendish blends narrative with moral reflection, portraying Wolsey's ambitions and eventual downfall as instructive about the dangers of courtly power. The book remains a classic source for students of Tudor history and political biography.

Marxism without guarantees

Stuart Hall

#2490

• Mentioned in 18 episodes

Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism

Vladimir Lenin

In this work, Lenin builds upon Marx's theories to propose a stage of capitalism characterized by the dominance of finance capital and the formation of monopolies. He argues that imperialism is a result of the concentration of capital, the growth of industrial and banking monopolies, and the export of capital to colonies. Lenin provides empirical evidence and statistical data to support his analysis, highlighting the predatory and anticompetitive behaviors of cartels and the inevitability of war arising from the contradictions of imperialism.

#2454

• Mentioned in 18 episodes

Minority Rule

Ari Berman

In 'Minority Rule', Ari Berman chronicles the long history of white conservatives using various tactics to counter the democratic effects of a diversifying country. The book exposes the conflict between white supremacy and multiracial democracy, highlighting antidemocratic strategies like voter suppression, gerrymandering, and the takeover of the courts. It also tells the inspiring story of resistance to these efforts.

#3714

• Mentioned in 13 episodes

The Purpose Driven Church

Rick Warren

In 'The Purpose Driven Church', Rick Warren provides a framework for church growth by emphasizing the importance of balancing five New Testament purposes: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and mission. The book shares insights from Warren's experience in growing Saddleback Church and offers practical strategies for church leaders to create a purpose-driven community. It emphasizes that healthy growth occurs naturally when a church is built around these biblical purposes.

#5928

• Mentioned in 8 episodes

If We Burn

The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution

Vincent Bevins

JOIN US ON SUBSTACK: substack.com/@wtfisleft Early Access to Ad-Free Extended Interviews Ask our Guests Questions LIVEs with Jovan + Freddie WL Book Club + Community Discussion Articles + Exclusive Content **********************************************

Ooooo yesss it's another WL x Novara crossover, as Ash Sarkar joins us in the studio! You know there's nothing we love more than a chaotic chat about political theory with a few gags mixed in – you are certainly entitled to question whether any of it is useful beyond a collective intellectual ego massage. We hope it is lol.

Ash joins us following the paperback launch of her latest book 'Minority Rule' which explores how the left is losing the culture wars, and needs to get serious about political organising if it is to resist the surge of the radical right.

In this convo, we drill into the deep fissures in class consciousness and whether there needs to be more than the condition of downward economic mobility to unite a political program that challenges the status quo. It's bleak reading on the current electoral map, where the left looks splintered and is tearing lumps out of itself, and any number of unpredictable outcomes could result from our first past the posts electoral system. So don't expect any prophesies from us...

But what we defend is the important work of getting out into your community, meeting real people and searching for common ground. Getting organised is the only way real change becomes possible - and if the upshot of this conversation is that you open communications with people who think differently, then that is a good thing for our democracy whatever your political stripes.

As always, the one thing we're striving for here is more intellectual curiosity, a willingness to learn and the courage to change your beliefs if challenged with good evidence. None of us claim perfection and we're all on this maddening journey together.

Chapters

00:00 Intro

00:26 Rating the Political Class

07:07 Selecting Better Candidates on the Left

14:34 Local vs. Global Business

19:57 Ash’s Thesis in ‘Minority Rule’

27:10 Immigration and Identity

31:10 Constitution vs. Capitalism

36:12 Marx and the Middle Class

42:30 Identity Politics and Class Consciousness

49:40 Turning Critique Into Political Organisation

54:40 Cultural Loss in Britain

1:02:20 Reform, Restore and the Politics of Home

1:10:10 Your Party’s Capitulation

1:15:20 Do We Need To Get Offline?

1:19:40 Optimism of the Will

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