Novara Media

Yanis Varoufakis, author of 'Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism', explores the battle over digital real estate, the rise of tech giants, and the US's fear of China. They discuss cloud capital and techno-feudalism, the influence of big tech, the shift of power from the West to the East, and the loss of privacy.

Jay Owens, an expert on the impact of tiny particles and environmental devastation, discusses the scale of our impact on the planet through dust. They explore the historical origins of air pollution, the destructive cost of Los Angeles' growth, the environmental devastation of water extraction in Uzbekistan, the transformation of Uzbekistan into a tourist destination, the efforts to bring back water to damaged land, the impact of airborne dust particles, and the complexity of restoration and repair.

Renowned journalist and author Naomi Klein discusses being constantly confused with another author, Naomi Wolf. They explore the mix-up, the rise of conspiracy theories, and the appeal of figures like Steve Bannon. They also delve into co-opting revolutionary symbols, the challenges of getting recognition in capitalism, and the role of Jewishness in Israel. Overall, they emphasize the importance of collective action and organizing to combat oppressive systems.

For the second episode of our series on class, writer and broadcaster Kenan Malik takes us through three centuries of thought to explain the origins of identity politics. It all starts with Haitian Revolution and its contribution to the radical Enlightenment – a movement that sought to overcome the racism inherent in the other, liberal Enlightenment. Malik explains how this schism is at the root of our present day confusion about race, and makes the anti-racist case against identity politics in conversation with hosts Juliet Jacques and John Merrick. Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support Music by Matt Huxley. Produced by Richard Hames and Chal Ravens.

Nick Dearden has been an economic justice campaigner for over 20 years, and his attention was on the pharmaceutical industry when Covid-19 hit. But as the world began to sing the praises of pharmaceutical companies, Nick saw an unprecedented PR coup. Giant corporations capitalised on the crisis, tightening their stranglehold over the health of the poor. Nick sat down with Aaron Bastani to explain how ‘Big Pharma’ is run like a hedge fund, why the contracts between the government and Pfizer were redacted, and who’s scrambling to patent magic mushrooms. Help us build people-powered: http://novara.media/support

The politics of ‘deep adaptation’ is as intriguing as it is controversial. Jem Bendell, a former professor of sustainability leadership, launched the Deep Adaptation movement in 2018 by claiming that social collapse is not just a plausible outcome of climate change, but an extremely likely one. He sat down with Richard Hames in Berlin to talk about the impact of his ideas on the movement, the promise of eco-libertarianism, the necessity of gallows humour in a crisis, and whether there is a climate politics beyond “doomerism”. Jem’s new book is ‘Breaking Together: A Freedom-Loving Response to Collapse’. Help us build people-powered media: http://novara.media/support

Rory Stewart has led a colourful life: diplomat in Indonesia, governor in post-invasion Iraq, founder of an NGO and a Member of Parliament. He’s also run for London Mayor and leader of the Conservative Party. But his latest occupation is podcaster, hosting ‘The Rest is Politics’ with Alastair Campbell. Rory sat down with Ash Sarkar to discuss his admiration for Jeremy Corbyn, why Tony Blair was wrong about Iraq and Afghanistan, and what makes the left think all conservatives are ‘evil’.

We’re going back to basics on Novara FM this autumn with a series about the big one: class. What does it mean to look at the world through the lens of class in the 2020s, an era of precarious work, rising inequality and elusive social mobility? Three classy thinkers join FM to investigate: political researcher Nihal ElAasar, cultural critic Juliet Jacques and writer and Verso editor John Merrick. They begin the series with an introspective session on the meaning of class today, drawing on their very different upbringings in Egypt, the home counties and the north of England. The series continues in two weeks with writer Kenan Malik exploring the clash between class and identity politics. Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support

Most people know that the game is rigged. Those who set the rules – win the game. Grace Blakeley has made a career of studying the rules, exposing the exploitative ways in which powerful institutions govern our lives and figuring out ways in which we can beat the banker and resist the game itself. Grace is an economist, writer and media commentator. Her work can be found in Tribune Magazine, Jacobin and Novara Media.

Sam Bright, author of Bullingdon Club Britain: The Ransacking of a Nation, joins the speaker to discuss the ruling class and their shift towards extracting wealth from the nation. They explore encounters with privileged backgrounds, foreign ownership in football clubs, contradictions of Brexit, perception of conspiracy theories and corruption in media and government, private corporations and government contracts, corporate manipulation and media distortion, and the analysis of responsibility and objectivity.