COUNTER•POWER

Paul Mason and Christabel Cooper ... The Coronavirus crisis has turned on its head many assumptions about how politics works. It used to be taken for granted that the Tories want to make the state smaller, and the market bigger. But does that assumption still hold? And if not what is the nature of the new Toryism being formed through the course of the Coronavirus crisis? On this episode hosts Luke Cooper and Zoe Williams are joined by journalist and author Paul Mason and data scientist and Labour councillor Christabel Cooper, to discuss how the centre-right is evolving. They place the analysis in a global and historical perspective and ask if Thatcherism is indeed coming to an end, then what happens next? The alternative, sadly, isn't necessarily better and could even be seen as continuity neoliberalism but with a big dose of nationalism and authoritarianism. This podcast is part of an on-going collaboration between the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and Another Europe Is Possible. For more information on the ideas discussed in this podcast check out these bits of reading: Paul Mason's Clear Bright FutureThe Devastating DefeatThe Dangers Ahead

The killing of George Floyd unleashed a huge global uprising. Black Lives Matter has become a global movement against racism and for social and political justice. In Britain and across Europe discussion of American politics can sometimes serve as a convenient way to avoid discussing the issues faced by people of colour on this side of the Atlantic. In this podcast we set out to challenge this tendency by politely pointing out that black lives often don't matter in Europe too. And mass movements have erupted to demand that we too have a reckoning with the huge injustices faced by ethnic minorities. To explore these linkages we talk to Ndindi Kitonga, a Black Lives Matter activist based in Los Angeles, Quinsy Gario, a performance artist and activist in the movement against Zwarte Piet from Amsterdam. And Shaista Aziz, a Labour councillor in Oxford involved in the Rhodes Must Fall campaign. This podcast is part of an on-going collaboration between the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and Another Europe Is Possible.

As Boris Johnson is set for a video conference negotiation with the EU next week, we look at the sorry state of his Brexit negotiations. Hosts Luke Cooper and Zoe Williams are joined by Laura Bannister of the Trade Justice Movement and Christos Katsioulis, the director of the London office of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung to talk about the state of the Brexit negotiations. As the world is facing multiple, deeply serious crises, Brexit appears as an absurd distraction. But the results of the UK-EU talks will have a huge impact on the future economic prosperity of the UK (and to a lesser extent, the EU too) and the ability to recover from Covid-19. We discuss how the EU's ideas for this trade deal are quite different from their traditional approach to other trade deals such as the failed attempt to strike a deregulating deal with the United States. Laura explains how the Trade Justice Movement have developed a new plan for trade deals that prioritises the public interest and environmental regulations, not the profits of big multinationals. This podcast is part of an on-going collaboration between the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and Another Europe Is Possible.For more information on the ideas discussed in the podcast check out: Sustainable Regulation and Trade Agreements for the EU-UK relationshipAs Brexit talks continue, we need a deal fit for a post-Covid world

We are at a pivot moment in history. The choices we make today could determine the fate of future generations. Coronavirus has been correctly recognised as a giant wake up call to the realities of a failing system. Without question huge opportunities exist to catalyse positive change. But what comes next might well be worse: a much more authoritarian system, with huge inequalities protected by the state and legitimised by political nationalism. In this podcast hosts Zoe Williams and Luke Cooper talk to writer, academic and campaigner for universal basic income, Guy Standing, about his analysis of 'rentier capitalism' and the threat it represents to 'the commons'. He tells the story of the 'free market' myth. At every stage in the development of the system often referred to as 'neoliberalism', state intervention has been mobilised to protect the interests of the hyper wealthy minority. It's time for change. But how? Find out in a great discussion. This podcast is part of an on-going collaboration between the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and Another Europe Is Possible. 

There aren't too many good news stories about. But here's a great one. A new model for financing sustainable development projects in a democratic and participatory way. Hosts Luke Cooper and Zoe Williams talk to democratic finance geeks Bruce Davis and Mark Davis about type of debt they've developed for local councils. It's a whole new mission for local government to put itself at the heart of green sustainable investment. By raising money through local municipal bonds local councils can develop local forms of energy production but also fund other things like social housing. It really could transform our economy. For more on the ideas discussed in the podcast check out their report.  Production: Zoe Williams and Luke Cooper Editing: Ben Higgins Millner 

It seems some things don't change after all. A now familiar row has broken out in the Labour Party over the idea of patriotism and nationality. This has been a continuous theme of the party's travails in the post-Blair era. But as debates go it's pretty thin gruel: lots of angst but little in the way of ideas. In this episode we try to go a little deeper and lay out the pitfalls and power of patriotism as a way of doing politics. To shed light on these topics, hosts Zoe Williams and Luke Cooper are joined by Labour MP Jon Cruddas, who has argued for some time now the left need to engage pragmatically with the politics of land and territory associated with nationality, and Ash Sarkar, Senior Editor at Novara Media, who has repeatedly told the likes of Piers Morgan and David Starkey that criticising your country doesn't mean you hate it. They discuss George Orwell's famous essay, 'notes on nationalism', and the work of Stuart Hall, the founder of Cultural Studies and one of the most eminent figures on the post-war new left. Editor: Camilo Tirado Producer: Luke Cooper The podcast is published as a collaboration between the Another Europe Is Possible team and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung London office. For more information on ideas discussed in today's podcast check out these links: George Orwell's "Notes on nationalism"Stuart Hall interview: "we need to talk about Englishness" Jon Cruddas critque of "cyborg socialism" 

Increasingly it looks like there's a way of doing politics that suits the terrible ravages of capitalism in the twenty-first century. It's authoritarianism spliced with racism. And it rejects the international cooperation needed to put humanity back on the right footing. As the latest moment of this extended crisis grips the planet with the Covid-19 pandemic, hosts Luke Cooper and Zoe Williams are joined by Cambridge scholar and author of Insurgent Empire: Anticolonial Resistance & British Dissent, Priyamvada Gopal. She tells the story of how extreme racism became normalised in India. And draws out the terrible implications this had for the country's Muslim population and the people of Kashmir. It's essential listening for anyone who wants to understand the scale of the reaction that humanity must face down in this century. 

It's quite simply the biggest peacetime crisis capitalism has ever faced. The entire global system has ground to a halt. In this moment of great danger and turmoil, hosts Zoe Williams and Luke Cooper are joined by economist Ann Pettifor, author of The Case for the Green New Deal, and Nick Dearden, regular on the show and director of Global Justice Now. They outline how behind the scenes central banks are undertaking a huge bailout of the financial system to keep it afloat. Will this repeat the mistakes of the 2008 crisis - of socialising the losses but privatising the profits? Or can we radically reform our economy for the challenges of this century? Find out on today's podcast. Editor: Ben Higgins Milner Producer: Luke Cooper 

Italy was the first European country to be hit by the terrible coronavirus pandemic. This week hosts Zoe Williams and Luke Cooper are joined by Andrea Pisauro, Italian leftist and neuroscientist based at the University of Oxford, and Laura Parker, former national coordinator of Momentum, to discuss what Europe and the world might learn from the country's brutal struggle with Covid-19. Laura joins the conversation from the Piedmont region, close to the epicentre of the outbreak in Italy, where she is staying with her Italian family. In the week that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson went into intensive care, they discuss the comparison between the Italian and British responses, give a rough guide to the Italian political landscape, and ask whether the long-awaited reform of the Eurozone area might now finally happen under the huge economic pressures created by Coronavirus.For more information on issues covered in the show, we recommend: The New York Times virtual map on the Italian outbreak The FT feature on how Italy fell out of love with EuropePolitical economist prof Erik Jones on the simple case for Eurozone reform How Britain got it wrong. The Reuters special report on the UK govt response Finally, Andrea Pisauro, one of the guests on the show, drafted this letter to Angela Merkel in advance of this week's eurozone talks.

Hosts Zoe Williams and Luke Cooper are joined by NHS doctor Sonia Adesara and Nick Dearden, director of Global Justice Now, to discuss the enormous challenges facing Britain's underfunded healthcare system. As public anger with the lack of testing and protective equipment for frontline staff mounts, but, at the same time, the extraordinary feat of building whole new field hospitals in a week is achieved, we take a balanced look at whether the NHS can pull through the most serious crisis in its history.  Producer: Luke Cooper Sound editor: Camilo Tirado