What's Left? With Jovan + Freddie

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.

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 ********************************************** YouTube OG, Josh Pieters, joins us for a deep cut into the ethics and cultural impact of YouTube and what has sustained his success through different eras of online culture. All of those questions stored up from spending hours and hours of our early teen years parasocially connecting with these slightly older teenagers, finally saw the light of day. We discuss why Josh has given up on his pranking days, moving into a journalistic role with his documentaries, and the perverse incentives of gaming attention on YouTube and other social platforms. Is it possible to come up in today's saturated media landscape just by being optimistic and positive, with a slightly inflated personality? Or do you have to be a joke or have an enemy? The one thing money can't buy is clout. But clout can definitely buy money. And you best believe that most kids understand this instinctively. No wonder they all want to be YouTubers. Big thanks to Josh for his honesty in such a wide ranging conversation and to guest host Sophie Peachey for coming through!! Chapters 01:21 Intro 04:22 Truth About Lily Phillips Documentary 14:27 Talking to the Blokes in Lily Phillips’ 100 Men Challenge 20:03 Who Is Taking Advantage Of Young Men? 32:44 Why did Josh Switch from Pranks to Documentaries? 38:53 YouTube + Internet Has Changed Radically 49:11 Will Josh change the 'Goon Squad' Name? 52:00 The Fame of the Brit Crew 1:03:07 Does Josh Regret the Just Stop Oil Prank? 1:13:08 Are Billionaires the Problem? 1:17:10 How f*cked is the UK? 1:20:49 In Defence of Josh's Pranks 1:26:09 Archie Manners Joining Reform UK 1:33:05 Josh’s One Piece of Advice for Lefties Online

BONUS MINI-EPISODE!After Labour's worst case scenario loss in the Gorton and Denton by-election, Freddie asks who still votes Labour and why?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

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 ContentJoe Biden’s Tech Adviser (2020-2) Tim Wu joins us for a deep dive into the ‘Age of Extraction’. Wu is a Columbia Law Professor who writes regularly for the Financial Times, The New York Times and The Economist. He’s published an array of literature that focuses on big tech, monopolies and how the attention economy has restructured modern economic life. In this episode, we discuss what went wrong with the Biden administration, how big tech giants are extracting value from our economic system and what Progressives must do to win. Too often, our discussions centre on everything going wrong with the world. Yes, there are myriad critiques we could make about our system based on the evidence available. But if there’s one thing we need to be better at, it’s coming up with a vision to fix things. What is our alternative? And it’s at this juncture that the Left splinters into a kaleidoscope of political imagination. We believe there is space to unite factions that have been economically disempowered, perhaps with a more agnostic form of liberal social politics that respects different groups’ competing rights. An anti-polarisation, pro-economic populism politics without all the purity tests. A boy can dream. Tim's latest book, 'The Age of Extraction' contributes greatly to this discussion, diagnosing a new strain of crony capitalism and prescribing a return of political power to the people not corporate interests. We want real democracy. And most of us want the same things.Chapters00:00 Intro 02:28 Starmer + Biden Parallels 13:28 Why We’re Living In The ‘Age of Extraction’ 24:15 The Corrupting Power of Billionaires 33:45 Are We Returning To Feudalism 44:06 Is This Capitalism? 59:15 Europe Needs Sovereignty 1:10:04 How The Democrats Lost Their Way 1:21:50 Big Tech Is Too Powerful 1:25:30 Democrat Nominee For 2028 1:30:52 We’re Living Through A Revolution 1:38:01 The Death Of Neoliberalism

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 ********************************************** Dr. Andrew Lownie has been vindicated. After putting his reputation on the line with his investigations into rogue members of the British Royal family, Lownie faced a barrage of criticism aimed at discrediting him. A well-respected academic historian, he trusted the veracity of his sources and stood by their claims with regards to the disgraced royal, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Lownie's latest book, 'Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York', has been flying off the shelves. It documents arguably the greatest crisis to grip the British Royal Family, following claims of corruption, criminal associations and cover ups. In this interview, we explore the wider ramifications of the Epste1n files on the state of liberal democracy. When elites are not held to the same accountability as the rest of society, what happens to the legitimacy of our systems? Where are the checks and balances? What can be done to regain trust? This really feels like a moral reckoning, where justice must be meted out for the victims and accountability must be returned to public life. Our leaders must be beyond being bought. Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:55 Lownie's Investigations Into The Royals 07:12 Shocking Allegations Against Prince Andrew 11:15 Russian or Israeli Assets? 16:30 Royals Are Above The Law 21:27 Elites and Societal Breakdown 25:50 Royal Narcissism and Psychological Disorders 30:23 Globalisation and Elite Corruption 35:05 Are We Tending Toward Revolution? 39:15 How To Save Liberal Democracy

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 ********************************************** Steve Tsang is a political scientist, Director of the SOAS China Institute and the author of 'Xi Jingping's Political Thought'. On Tuesday 27th January, We sat down with Steve as Keir Starmer landed in Beijing for the first visit of a British Prime Minister in China since 2018. With the Davos consensus of globalisation and free seamless trade becoming a relic of modern history, how should Britain hedge its strategic bets in a bipolar world of Chinese and American competition? Does a third way even exist between these two undeniable superpowers? In the UK and the West more broadly, we suffer from a paucity of understanding when it comes to the world's second largest economy. China is enormous, deeply complex and hidden behind a veil of propaganda and posturing from the ruling Communist Party. Over the past decade, China's president Xi Jinping has consolidated absolute power in the executive, undoing many of the consultative reforms under previous regimes. But has this move, while making Xi omnipotent, actually made China vulnerable? On the day before Starmer set off to Beijing, it was reported that General Zhang Youxia, one of Xi's most loyal acolytes, had been purged. The official story from the CCP was that he had passed on state secrets about China's nuclear deterrent to the United States. What seems more likely is that Zhang had a base of power that would not be tolerated by the supreme leader... China's irrepressible rise to superpower status has been driven by its ruthless execution of long-term modernising policies. It's not merely a story of manufacturing dominance. Half a billion people have relocated from the countryside to the cities in 25 years. In 2025, they amassed a trade surplus over $1 trillion. And now they lead the world in electrification with giant leaps in solar technology, much to the chagrin of European counterparts who devised the 'Green New Deal'. Indeed, there is much to admire about China, and with its economic dominance, much to fear. So what lessons should we learn from China's rise and what caveats must we bear in mind, when forging a path forward for Britain as a middle power in a world without rules... Chapters00:25 - Intro 01:16 - What Starmer Must Know About China 05:21 - Xi Jinping’s Total Control of China 16:36 - Have We Forgotten The Post-War Lessons? 24:42 - Is Freddie Chinese In The Eyes of Xi Jinping? 32:20 - The Two Tories Accused of Spying for China... 40:26 - What Western Narratives of China Get Wrong 51:05 - Xi's Purges + Chairman Mao's Cultural Revolution 1:04:41 - Inequality From China's Economic Supremacy

Dan Neidle, tax lawyer and investigative journalist known for probing financial secrecy, walks through the Mandelson–Epstein links. He explains how emails tied Mandelson to Epstein, possible forwarding of sensitive material, and connections to the 2009 bank bonus tax. The conversation highlights legal risks, lobbying dynamics, and what further revelations might still surface.

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 ********************************************** Now this is cricket. Horatio Gould, comedian + podcast virtuoso (and OG fan of What's Left), joins us in the studio with author James Bloodworth (Hired, Lost Boys) guest-hosting. Post Davos, Western elites are checking their bank accounts and stock portfolios, considering the premium paid for their unerring loyalty to the market. Their rationale is clear: follow the wind and back the military 'might-is-right' agenda of Donald Trump, or argue with the sails and be blown off course. They don't need any invitation to make hay while the sun shines. But amongst the more seaworthy, there was cause for reflection. Mark Carney, the Canadian PM, had done the unthinkable: made a relatively memorable Davos speech. That's harsh. It was actually a very good speech – a candid indictment of the hypocrisy of the Western liberal 'rules-based' order, who better to tell it than one of the lead hypocrites. Accepting that the US and its allies had told the world a useful fiction to advance its interests, Carney argued that such a narrative can no longer stand up to scrutiny. The 'new' rules are dead. Long live the old rules: bully and win. Of course, there is a rejoinder. Cowering to bullies keeps their fiction alive. But standing up to them, collectively, offers another path. Carney made it clear to the elites, deep into their thus-far profitable hedge, that a choice remains on the table. Middle powers must stand side by side if they are to have any collective bargaining power. We've been making this argument since September (please see our episode with Hassan Damluji). And we should be clear, the costs are real: decoupling from the US and taking on a world of hard power alone will be very dangerous. But what is at stake is bigger than us as individuals. It's about Britain being in charge of her own destiny. It's about sovereignty; the power to choose at all. And it's at this juncture that every Brit should be considering what makes us British and how we stand stronger together. Yes, it's incredibly trite to talk about how divided our society is. But I think it's a edifying to be anti-polarisation. We're on an island, wouldn't it be better if we all got along? Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:30 - Politics and comedy 22:55 - Most right-wing views as a leftie35:29 - What is masculinity? 39:56 - Do other world leaders have Trump's charisma? 50:41 - Who would join Trump's Board of Peace? 60:22 - Tories defecting to Reform and Trumpism in the UK 74:02 - Britain is a heritage trail for tourists 86:58 - What is the guiding light for left-wing politics?

*** 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 ***Hey What’s-Leftists, We’re back for season 2 and finally doing paid content so we can keep the lights on. So, if you’re a fan of the show and want early access to ad-free extended cuts and much more, THIS is the product for you. We had planned to take some more time to recharge before season 2, but the amount of mental sh*t that’s happened recently made this virtually impossible. So here we are with a rapid 30 min catch up on Trump dictating an emerging multipolar world order and a 1hr interview with the contrarian British political commentator Lin Mei. As you know, we’re passionate about being a home for debate from across the political spectrum and thought it was time to host a someone from a minority community who is interested in voting for Nigel Farage. Yes, they do exist. Lin is a fascinating character, often reposted by the UK BAME Culture gossip pages on Instagram as a minority conservative voice, who is never shy to critique issues or people regardless of their popularity. So is she just another tabloid ragebaiter or is there a discernible and consistent politics that underlines her views? And how does it contrast with our own? While the conversation was limited to an hour, we managed to cover various topics from the diversity of politics within the Black British community, to the state of community decline and the appeal of landlordism for aspirational wealth creation. We also address Lin’s beef with popular IG influencer Bouncer, and why she “looks down” on some members of the Black culture podcasting community. It’s juicy. We were so busy talking about these broader topics that we forgot to discuss the spate of defections to Reform UK, including one Robert Jenrick. As the dust settles this week after some punchy comms from the Tories, it appears the commentariat are waking up to the old wisdom that defections (it’s not exactly a sacking) tend to be a sign of party weakness, rather than strength. Naturally, the evidence is piling up of Reform being a retirement home for failed Tories. But as Ailbhe Rea of the New Statesman pointed out: you can’t really attack Reform for being an ‘unprecedented new threat’ while also claiming they are made up of ‘the same old Tories’... Chapters 00:00 Intro 03:27 Multipolar World Order 10:03 US Plans To Dismantle Europe 17:48 Iran Protests + US Intervention 34:15 Who is Lin Mei 38:05 Slavery, Reparations + Intergenerational Trauma 47:14 Left Wing vs Right Wing Politics 1:00:04 Bouncer + Black British Entertainment Culture 1:11:15 Should Minorities Be Capitalists? 1:20:15 Welfare + Future of Multiculturalism

In this conversation, comedian and writer Grace Campbell dives into her unique comedic persona shaped by her political upbringing in Downing Street. She candidly shares her journey of disillusionment with the Labour Party and the complexities of modern feminism. With humor as her weapon, Grace addresses sensitive topics like cancel culture, the nuances of male-female relationships, and coping with trauma through comedy. Their laughter-filled banter serves as a reminder that amidst chaos, finding humor can be a balm for the soul.