Downstream: Is the Left Failing on Free Speech? | Interview With Ronan Burtenshaw
Does the right actually care about free speech? Why should free speech matter to the left? Aaron Bastani speaks to editor of Tribune Magazine, Ronan Burtenshaw.
Downstream: Maybe Don’t Defund the BBC? | Interview With Nish Kumar
This week on Downstream Ash Sarkar met with Nish Kumar - comedian and host of The Mash Report - to talk about how he became the accidental face of the Defund the BBC movement, and why rightwing comics are the real snowflakes.
Downstream: Can Capitalism Solve Its Crises? | Interview With Mariana Mazzucato
What can the Apollo Missions teach us about dealing with the major crises of the 21st century? And why are politicians so eager to dwell on caricatures of the public rather than engage in problem-solving – from climate change to housing and education? Aaron Bastani speaks to author and academic Mariana Mazzucato to find out.
Downstream: Why Has Britain Failed on Covid? | Richard Horton
A year after the World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 a pandemic, with Britain enduring more than a 100,000 deaths since, a number of major questions remain unanswered. Why was the response of the UK among the worst in the world? How is it possible that the death toll of countries in Europe and North America […]
Downstream: The Influencer Industrial Complex | Interview With Moya Lothian-McLean
The last few years have heralded the rise of the influencer: social media users who have, in essence, found a way to get paid for being themselves on the internet. But has this commodification of the self poisoned the public sphere? Or are we witnessing the end of gatekeeping – and the beginnings of a […]
Downstream: ‘A Red Flag and a Silver Dress?’ | Interview With Divina De Campo
RuPaul has turned drag into a multi-million dollar industry and a global TV franchise, but has that meant that the art of drag has lost its claim to being punk? Ash Sarkar was joined by Divina De Campo, first runner up from RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 1, to talk about drag, gender identity, and the […]
Downstream: Can the Left Trust Keir Starmer? | Interview With Richard Burgon
Was the Corbyn leadership a complete failure for the left – and what can be learned for next time? What are the chances of a socialist Labour government implementing the kinds of policies seen in the 2017 and 2019 manifestoes? And can the left trust Keir Starmer as party leader after a disappointing first year? […]
Downstream: Does the US Want Julian Assange Dead? | Interview With Yanis Varoufakis
On Monday a British judge ruled that Julian Assange should not be extradited to the United States on charges of espionage and computer hacking. Yet despite that verdict the judgment arguably represented a blow to freedom of the press – with the judge accepting the substance of the case made by the US state department. […]
Downstream: Can Lab-Grown Meat Save the World? | Aaron Bastani Meets Michael Selden
On this week’s Downstream, Aaron Bastani meets Mike Selden, co-founder of Finless Foods - a cellular agriculture business in California - to find out whether lab-grown meat can live up to the hype.
Downstream: Can You Change the Police From Within? | Ash Sarkar Meets Leroy Logan
20 years after the Macpherson Report, the Metropolitan Police is still dogged by accusations of institutional racism, while the Black Lives Matter movement has forced a reckoning with police brutality and inequalities in the criminal justice system. But should Black and Asian people protest from the outside to force change, or join the ranks of […]
Downstream: Can Britain Become an ‘Innovation Superpower’ After Brexit? | Aaron Bastani Meets David Edgerton
For Brexiteers Britain’s departure from the EU offers a shot at national renewal, with the country once more becoming a free trade and innovation superpower. But how likely is that, and are the Tories really serious about a break with the politics of the last 40 years? Aaron Bastani interviews Professor David Edgerton, author of […]
Downstream: Every Nihilist Is Really an Optimist | Ash Sarkar Meets Frankie Boyle
Ash Sarkar spoke to comedian Frankie Boyle about his new book ‘The Future of British Politics’ and whether there’ll actually be one.
Downstream: Welcome to the Intersectional Empire | Ash Sarkar Meets Naomi Klein
Ash Sarkar is joined by Naomi Klein to discuss what Biden in the White House means for the world, whether Trumpism has a future, and what next for the left.
Downstream: Make America Normal Again | Interview With Adam Tooze
Joe Biden is President-elect of the United States. But what might his Presidency mean for working class Americans, US foreign policy and perceived national decline? Does his victory represent a return to political ‘normality’ after 4 years of the Trump White House? And what might Trump’s legacy be within the Republican Party? Joining Aaron Bastani […]
The Brutish Museums W/ Dan Hicks
Britain’s museums are filled with objects from around the world which were stolen. Should they be given back? And what would a ‘decolonised’ museum actually look like? Aaron Bastani is joined by Professor Dan Hicks to discuss his new book “The Brutish Museums”.
Coronavirus: Is This the End of Free Market Capitalism?
While it has already led to more than one million deaths, the consequences of Covid-19 go beyond just public health with 2020 experiencing the sharpest economic downturn in history. Of course much of that was intentional, with demobilisation seen as necessary to control the virus, but what are the longer term economic impacts? Will some […]
The Rise and Fall of the Corbyn Movement | An Interview with Owen Jones
Was Corbynism doomed from the start? That’s the question posed by Owen Jones in his new book, This Land.
Is a Radical England Possible?
For author Alex Niven the “break up of Britain must also be the break up of England” – but what does that mean? And if progressive Englishness is not possible, then what is the alternative? What should be the foundational left politics as Britain fragments in the years and decades ahead? Aaron Bastani interviews the […]