Downstream

Downstream is an in-depth interview show featuring conversations with activists, authors, economists, politicians, scientists, philosophers and thinkers of all stripes.

The History of Israel’s War on Palestine. Ash Meets Rashid Khalidi

Rashid Khalidi is the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University and the author of several books focussing on the Middle East including The Hundred Years’ War On Palestine. He explains some of the basic facts of the struggle for Palestinian independence and the history of the creation of the Zionist project […]

The Grim Reality of Being a Muslim MP in the Labour Party | Ash Sarkar Meets Zarah Sultana

Zarah Sultana is one of the youngest MPs in Parliament and has faced intense hostility from the right of her party since Keir Starmer’s ascent to leader. The MP for Coventry South sat down with Ash Sarkar to talk about the grim reality of being a Muslim woman in the Labour Party.

The Future of Money Is Terrifying | Aaron Bastani Meets Brett Scott | Downstream

Many people around the world are already living in a cashless society. With the dominion of Visa and Mastercard showing no sign of shrinking, it’s vital to scrutinise exactly what this shift means. Brett Scott is an author and former banker, who is deeply committed to evaluating the grave dangers surrounding the removal of cash […]

We Must Get Ready for an Emergency | Aaron Bastani Meets Slavoj Žižek | Downstream

Slavoj Žižek is perhaps the most famous living Marxist philosopher. In 2023, he has written 3 books with topics ranging from the nature of freedom to his intensely pessimistic view of the future. He sat down with Aaron to talk about Israel and Palestine, Deep Fakes and the legacy of Stalin.

How Protest Movements Fall Apart. Ash Sarkar Meets Vincent Bevins

The 2010s saw a new era of mass protest, from Arab Spring uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Syria, to Occupy Wall Street, EuroMaidan and Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement. Many of these movements shared a “horizontalist” or leaderless approach and most of them ended in failure. Vincent Bevins experienced some of these movements up close. In […]

Everything You Know About the Future Is Wrong | Aaron Bastani Meets John Gray

John Gray’s writing on political philosophy is not easily pigeonholed. Over the last 50 or so years, he has favoured ideas that span the political spectrum and pissed almost everybody off – his central thesis being that growth and progress are not inevitable. In his latest book The New Leviathans, his attention turns to the […]

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Rory Stewart on Empire, Austerity & Why Corbyn Was Right About Iraq

Ash Sarkar Meets Rory Stewart

Rory Stewart 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’.

This Is How Power Really Works. Aaron Bastani Meets Grace Blakeley

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 […]

Oligarchs Are Ruining This Country. Ash Sarkar Meets Sam Bright

Who exactly are the ruling class? The conspicuous top hat and tailed Bullingdon Club still exert dominance, but their era is waning and new folks are in town. They can’t beat the obscene wealth of petrostate oligarchs, so they’ve joined them – ransacking the country. Ash is joined by Sam Bright, author of: ‘Bullingdon Club […]

A History of Sex Scandals

The media and the public seem to be fixated on sex scandals this year, from household names in the headlines to salacious rumours spread on social media. But haven’t we always been intrigued by the private lives of those in power? Ash Sarkar is joined by Novara Live researcher Steven Methven to delve into the […]

Social Mobility Is a Lie. Aaron Bastani Meets Dan Evans.

With more strikes taking place and ever rising inequality, you’d think the left would be well-placed to talk about class with authority. But what if the movement had made a disastrous error when trying to understand the state of our nation? And what if we’re still missing a fundamental bit of understanding? Sociologist and trade […]

Going Undercover With Neo-Nazis. Aaron Bastani Meets Julia Ebner

Since 2016 we’ve seen mainstream politics take a turn for the weird, epitomised by the surprise success of populist projects like Brexit and the election of Donald Trump. And fringe views have continued to muscle into the middle ground, with conspiracy theories and far-right talking points trickling into political discourse. Julia Ebner has been charting […]

What Have We Got Wrong About Antiracism? Aaron Bastani Meets Arun Kundnani

After the summer of 2020, the liberal consensus was that in order to tackle racism one had to look inwards. White people had to look inside themselves and ‘do the work’. In 2023 this ethic has spread from well-meaning allies on Twitter to the HR departments of corporate behemoths like BlackRock, all while institutions that […]

Is It Time for a Universal Basic Income? Aaron Bastani Meets Will Stronge

Most peoples lives are defined by the exchange of labour for a wage – but what if they weren’t? What if the state gave us a regular wage with zero strings attached, to spend as we wish? Proponents of this idea call it ‘Universal Basic Income’. Aaron is joined by Will Stronge, Director of Research […]

Downstream is an in-depth interview show featuring conversations with activists, authors, economists, politicians, scientists, philosophers and thinkers of all stripes.

The History of Israel’s War on Palestine. Ash Meets Rashid Khalidi

The Grim Reality of Being a Muslim MP in the Labour Party | Ash Sarkar Meets Zarah Sultana

The Future of Money Is Terrifying | Aaron Bastani Meets Brett Scott | Downstream

We Must Get Ready for an Emergency | Aaron Bastani Meets Slavoj Žižek | Downstream

How Protest Movements Fall Apart. Ash Sarkar Meets Vincent Bevins

Everything You Know About the Future Is Wrong | Aaron Bastani Meets John Gray

Starmer Is Defying Common Sense. Ash Sarkar Meets Gary Younge

American Big Tech Has Enslaved Us. Aaron Bastani Meets Yanis Varoufakis

How Conspiracy Theories Gain Their Power | Ash Meets Naomi Klein

“There Is No Money in Helping Poor People”. Aaron Bastani Meets Nick Dearden

Rory Stewart on Empire, Austerity & Why Corbyn Was Right About Iraq

Ash Sarkar Meets Rory Stewart

This Is How Power Really Works. Aaron Bastani Meets Grace Blakeley

Oligarchs Are Ruining This Country. Ash Sarkar Meets Sam Bright

A History of Sex Scandals

Social Mobility Is a Lie. Aaron Bastani Meets Dan Evans.

Going Undercover With Neo-Nazis. Aaron Bastani Meets Julia Ebner

What Have We Got Wrong About Antiracism? Aaron Bastani Meets Arun Kundnani

Is It Time for a Universal Basic Income? Aaron Bastani Meets Will Stronge

Build a
      new
      media
for a
      different
      politics.

Build a new media.

Downstream is an in-depth interview show featuring conversations with activists, authors, economists, politicians, scientists, philosophers and thinkers of all stripes.

The History of Israel’s War on Palestine. Ash Meets Rashid Khalidi

The Grim Reality of Being a Muslim MP in the Labour Party | Ash Sarkar Meets Zarah Sultana

The Future of Money Is Terrifying | Aaron Bastani Meets Brett Scott | Downstream

We Must Get Ready for an Emergency | Aaron Bastani Meets Slavoj Žižek | Downstream

How Protest Movements Fall Apart. Ash Sarkar Meets Vincent Bevins

Everything You Know About the Future Is Wrong | Aaron Bastani Meets John Gray

Sign up to The Downstream Newsletter

Starmer Is Defying Common Sense. Ash Sarkar Meets Gary Younge

American Big Tech Has Enslaved Us. Aaron Bastani Meets Yanis Varoufakis

How Conspiracy Theories Gain Their Power | Ash Meets Naomi Klein

“There Is No Money in Helping Poor People”. Aaron Bastani Meets Nick Dearden

Rory Stewart on Empire, Austerity & Why Corbyn Was Right About Iraq

Ash Sarkar Meets Rory Stewart

This Is How Power Really Works. Aaron Bastani Meets Grace Blakeley

Oligarchs Are Ruining This Country. Ash Sarkar Meets Sam Bright

A History of Sex Scandals

Social Mobility Is a Lie. Aaron Bastani Meets Dan Evans.

Going Undercover With Neo-Nazis. Aaron Bastani Meets Julia Ebner

What Have We Got Wrong About Antiracism? Aaron Bastani Meets Arun Kundnani

Is It Time for a Universal Basic Income? Aaron Bastani Meets Will Stronge

Build a new mediafor a different politics.

Build a new media.

Build a
new
media
for a
different
politics.