Macrodose

Welcome to the After Order podcast - a new series from Macrodose and the Alameda Institute. This series emerges from Alameda’s ongoing After Order research project, which begins from a simple but unsettling proposition, that we may no longer be living through an interregnum between stable systems, but in a period defined by recurring crises - a time after stable orders.Over the coming weeks, host James Meadway will sit down with leading thinkers from around the globe, exploring topics from the decline of American hegemony and the rise of a multipolar world, to the struggle to reclaim digital sovereignty from Big Tech, and the geopolitical tensions emerging from the global energy transition under green capitalism.We’ll ask, where does power actually lie in a world after order, and what new pathways might still be opened within it?In today's episode, James meets with Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff to discuss their new book, Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed.Using Elon Musk as a lens, Quinn and Ben unpack what they call Muskism - a new political-economic logic emerging out of the ashes of neoliberalism, and one that might - just as Fordism did a century earlier - provide a roadmap to the ideological terrain of our present moment.If the neoliberal era is coming to an end, can Muskism help us interpret the ensuing disorder? And what can be done to push back against it?

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at the latest economics fall-out from the war on Iran (2:25), oil thieves in East Anglia, and how they are a harbinger of the near future (11:14), and Verdant - a new think tank launched by James himself (14:22).Subscribe to support the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at ⁠macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk⁠.To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to ⁠planetbproductions.co.uk⁠.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-stationUK Food resilience: https://www.uea.ac.uk/about/news/article/uk-food-needs-radical-transformation-on-scale-not-seen-since-second-world-warhttps://nationalpreparednesscommission.uk/publications/just-in-case-7-steps-to-narrow-the-uk-civil-food-resilience-gap/Verdant's first report on government efficiency sacings:https://www.verdantthinking.org/publications/wastenot

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how the ongoing Iran war forms part of a longer story of US decline (0:45), why a direct consequence of the war is higher borrowing costs for government (7:50), and what the UK government actually doing in response to the crisis (12:22).Subscribe to support the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at ⁠macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk⁠.To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to ⁠planetbproductions.co.uk⁠.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media: https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at the disruption to global food supplies that surge in oil prices is now causing (2:01), how fossil fuel companies are profiteering from the crisis (5:51), and why the fresh enthusiasm for motorhome ownership is an unexpected side-effect of climate change (10:40).Subscribe to support the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at ⁠macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk⁠.To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to ⁠planetbproductions.co.uk⁠.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media: https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-stationCome to the 'Dark Money' launch event on March 19th:https://dice.fm/event/oevl5r-dark-money-how-billionaires-destroyed-britain-and-how-to-make-them-pay-19th-mar-earth-london-tickets

Discussion of how a US-Israel conflict with Iran could choke fertiliser flows through the Strait of Hormuz and push up farm input costs. Exploration of the lagged effects on harvests and spikes in fertiliser prices. Examination of drone economics giving Iran leverage and the new vulnerability of cloud data centres to attacks. Consideration of policy responses like rebuilding domestic fertiliser capacity and regenerative farming.

Alyssa Battistoni, a political theorist at Barnard who studies climate, political economy, and feminist thought, explores how capitalism treats nature and unpaid labor as 'free gifts'. She discusses how markets hide consequences, the limits of pricing ecological harm, and rethinking freedom as collective decision making in a finite world.

An analysis of recent US and Israeli strikes on Iran and Iran's military responses. A look at munitions economics and how cheap drones strain defence supplies. Discussion of regional attacks targeting refineries, ports and shipping chokepoints. Examination of energy, insurance and trade disruptions and the political and resource limits on a prolonged military campaign. A focus on the UK's international financial and material vulnerabilities.

A deep dive into the US Supreme Court striking down Trump’s global tariffs and the immediate legal and economic fallout. A look at how tariffs could reshape trade winners and hit the UK financially. A corporate climate warning as a major hotel chain flags weather-driven demand shifts and operational risks. Early signs of a UK economic rebound are discussed, alongside strong caveats.

A look at how climate-driven droughts, storms and export restrictions are disrupting supermarket supplies and spiking prices for staples like olive oil. Discussion of the UK’s growing reliance on imports and the national assessment warning of ecosystem and supply risks. A spotlight on India’s solar boom and how clean energy expansion can let countries industrialize without repeating fossil-fuel paths.

David Edgerton, historian of science and technology and author, challenges techno-optimism with crisp historical perspective. He critiques vague talk of 'technology', exposes how innovation stories can excuse inaction, and unpacks China’s double role as polluter and green producer. He questions nostalgic industrial revival fantasies and reframes AI hype as political, not inevitable.