Novara FM: Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again
James Butler is joined by Katherine Angel to explore the politics of bad sex, consent culture - and how we might think better about the difficulty of sex and power.
Tag: neoliberalism
Opinion: The Tories’ Levelling Up Agenda is Just Thatcherism for Towns
Joe Duffy
A new report by a rightwing thinktank on "unleashing investment" in the north of England provides a grim insight into how the government may convert its Brexit majority into an even more sinister political settlement under the guise of concern for regional equality, writes Joe Duffy.
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.
The Bastani Factor: Britain Is Now Fyre Festival
During the Covid pandemic the failures of Britain’s model have become painfully clear, from 80,000 deaths to a test and trace system which isn’t good enough. The latest shambles on free school meals demonstrates that these aren’t the result of a few bad individuals, or random mistakes, but the result of forty years of privatisation […]
Opinion: Marcus Rashford is Bringing Politics Back to Football
Joe Duffy
As the wages of elite footballers have skyrocketed, philanthropy has become the norm within the sport. But Marcus Rashford's willingness to challenge the political status quo has revived a proud tradition of football as a hub of communal solidarity and exposed the hollow nature of such neoliberal giving, argues Joe Duffy.
Opinion: The Tories Treat Britain’s Regions Like Dirt Because They Think They’re Still Governing an Empire
Aaron Bastani
On Tuesday, following a stand-off, Downing Street imposed a tier 3 lockdown on Greater Manchester without agreeing a support package with local leaders. Aaron Bastani argues the government's contempt for regional defiance is a vestige of Britain’s imperial past.
Analysis: Revenge Spending Won’t Save Us From Capitalism in Crisis
Max Haiven
Neoliberal capitalism produces a spirit of vengeance that we see play out culturally, politically and economically - and which most harshly impacts the young and racialised. Revenge shopping is an expression of this vengeance, writes Max Haiven; the same system that causes our sufferings offers us false fantasies and practices of toothless revenge that, ultimately, simply reproduce that very same system.
Opinion: Coronavirus Has Had a Devastating Impact on Mental Health, but It Didn’t Have to Be This Way
Harriet Williamson
Coronavirus was always going to be difficult for people with mental health conditions, but political decisions rooted in Tory ideology have made things much worse, writes Harriet Williamson.
Opinion: Rave Culture Is Culture: Instead of Starting a Moral Panic, the Government Should Make Them Safe
Marie Avril Berthet
As lockdown lifts, experiments have shown that raves can be run safely. Despite this, the government will inevitably allow them to happen last, due to raving posing a challenge to the Tories’ staunchly neoliberal economic and moral agendas, argues academic Marie-Avril Berthet.
Opinion: Cyclone Amphan and Coronavirus Have Exposed the Failings of Neoliberalism in India and Bangladesh
Grace Blakeley
With India and Bangladesh forced to face the combined fallout of Cyclone Amphan and coronavirus, the failings of decades of neoliberal reforms have been duly exposed, writes Grace Blakeley.
The Burner: The Burner Episode #231: Lessons in Winning, Right-Wing Leninism?
As the left wonders how to make a better world out of the crisis, Aaron Bastani asks: are there lessons we can learn from how the right does politics? Plus, James Butler on the politics of freedom.
Opinion: No Wonder Priti Patel Is a Bully, She’s Just Practicing Her Politics
Harriet Williamson
Priti Patel has been accused of bullying staff in several government departments. But news of the home secretary's bad behaviour should come as no surprise; abuse is an inherent part of the Conservative ideology, argues Harriet Williamson.
Protesters in Chile Aren’t Angry About 30 Pesos. They’re Angry About 30 Years of Neoliberalism
Barbara Fernández Melleda
Ongoing protests in Chile have been reported around the world, but the international media has failed to really analyse why Chileans are so angry. In the second of two articles, Dr Barbara Fernández Melleda explains what protesters mean when they use the slogan 'it's not 30 pesos, it's 30 years'.
Bring on Labour’s National Education Service, Ending Ofsted Means Ending a System That Fails Children
James McAsh
Until recently Labour’s flagship education policy was as vague as it was exciting. This changed at last month's Labour Conference when a full picture of the party's proposed National Education Service emerged for the first time: it will be a full throttled attack on neoliberalism in education, argues teacher James McAsh, including the scrapping of Ofsted.
The Imagined Genius of Dominic Cummings
Joe Duffy
While there seems to be no stopping the obsession with Dominic Cummings we must not join the establishment media in embracing the mythology of his genius, writes Joe Duffy.
How the Long, Slow Death of Neoliberalism Sent the Conservative Party Into Crisis
Eleanor Penny
Long read: In a matter of weeks the Tories have lost their flimsy grip on parliament, a historic six votes, any remaining confidence of EU negotiators and the plot entirely. But while it's difficult to look beyond Boris, Eleanor Penny argues the problem has far deeper roots.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson Is the Ultimate Expression of Neoliberalism in Collapse
Aaron Bastani
By tomorrow, newly-elected Conservative leader Boris Johnson will be Britain’s prime minister. Aaron Bastani argues the Johnson premiership will be the final, macabre act of the Thatcher supremacy - and whether it is replaced by something better is down to us.