Boondoggle

In this episode, recorded on the evening of the 8th October when there were still three candidates in the Tory leadership race and everyone expected James Cleverly to make the final two, Jim and Chris discuss the degree to which the British political system may be showing signs of realigning. With Reform functioning as an apparently irresistible magnet dragging the Tories ever further to the right and Labour seemingly moving into the centre right ground being abandoned by the Conservatives, do we just have a shift rightwards of the two party system or a fracturing of that system? And does this open up space for a new party or grouping of the left? To what degree does the situation in the UK mirror that happening in Europe? And could a similar thing happen in the US? Questions, questions. We might not have the answers, but we sure can fill an hour talking about them.

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BoondogglePodcast2020

Chris talks to Jim about his recent relocation to Birmingham to start an MA in Global Conflict and Cooperation, and his fifteen-and-a-half day journey from Oxford to Birmingham by narrowboat. What does taking so long to travel such a small distance do to your conception of time? How do you steer the thing anyway? And will Chris ever learn how to pronounce the name of the city properly?

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BoondogglePodcast2020

Jim and Chris discuss themes arising from the recent Democratic Convention in Chicago - how, beyond the schmaltz, nothing much changes; how the centrist project leads to the triumph of the right; and how we are living in a decadent democratic culture. Also, Chris sings a number made familiar (but not written) by Woody Guthrie, The Hobo's Lullaby.

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@Boondog44421386
BoondogglePodcast2020

With Chris back from his secret mission for the mysterious figure known only as 'Toolmaker', and in an episode recorded in the hours before Kamala Harris gave her speech, Jim and Chris briefly discuss the strange experience of watching a Democratic convention full of hope and energy at the same time as US-funded atrocities continue in Gaza.
They then move on to assess the performance of the Labour government in the UK after its first seven weeks. During the course of this discussion, Chris makes a brave and foolhardy attempt at a Scottish accent. It is fair to say, of both accent and government, that it is remarkable how quickly something can go so utterly wrong.
This episode is brought to you by Crab Tut Beer - it'll keep you going all night long!

We'd love to hear from you -
@Boondog44421386
BoondogglePodcast2020

Following the restructuring of our corporate sponsor, Crab Tut Beer (the best beer you've ever seen), Boondoggle is amending its offer by incorporating various modalities of speech-based content into a new magazine-style format designed to appeal across various demographics that engage with the podcast space. That's what the brief said, anyway, but who reads that crap? Forced to present the podcast alone due to co-host Chris Floyd being stranded on the South coast engaged in a secret mission detecting small boats on behalf of a mysterious individual known only as 'Toolmaker', and with the planned launch show in front of thousands of paying subscribers at a secret venue somewhere in the Home Counties consequently redesigned as a five-hour banjo concert, Jim is forced instead to interview Sasha Abramsky, the Boondoggle North America correspondent, about recent developments in US politics ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (Apologies for the background noise in this segment of the show - on reflection, the choice of a cutlery factory as the venue to record the interview was not an entirely sensible one. Oh well, you live and learn.)

For anyone who listens to the end, there are no details in the description.

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@Boondog44421386
BoondogglePodcast2020

Chris and Jim begin by discussing recent developments in the Middle East, with tensions running high and fears of escalation after Israel reserves the right to respond to Iran's launching of drones and missiles at Israel (itself a retaliation for Israel's attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus). 
The bulk of the episode consists of a discussion of the notion of fragility, introduced in the previous episode, but developed here in relation to the climate emergency. Chris and Jim explore how political and cultural fragility, exemplified by the unresponsiveness of political systems to reality and the wishes of the population and the prevalence of disinformation in the public sphere, prevent productive debate around specific responses to the climate emergency, using the polarised debate around the introduction of LTNs (low traffic neighbourhoods) in their hometown of Oxford and the absurd misrepresentation of the notion of a 15-minute city as examples. The discussion then broadens out into a consideration of the way the climate movement has begun to engage with wider political and social justice issues, and the magnitude of the task of achieving the kind of profound social change required in a non-violent fashion.

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@Boondog44421386
BoondogglePodcast2020

Political discussion with Jim Driscoll and Chris Floyd.
In this episode, Jim begins by asking Chris about his experiences growing up in rural Tennessee during the Civil Rights era. They then use these experiences to explore the relationship between cultural anxiety and economic stability, and to begin to develop a notion of 'fragility', a feature that societies can have that renders them more liable to conflict and vulnerable to shocks. They then discuss ways in which society has become more fragile in recent years and think about why that may be the case.

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@Boondog44421386
BoondogglePodcast2020

Chris and Jim discuss the several concerning developments in Gaza over the Easter weekend and ask why it is that the West sees fit to continue arming Israel even as its actions are condemned in ever stronger terms.

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@Boondog44421386
BoondogglePodcast2020

After catching up on some of the recent developments with respect to Gaza, Jim and Chris discuss possible ways in which those on the left can deal with the political situation as it confronts us. The focus in this episode is mainly on the UK, with discussion of a campaign for a hung parliament and the idea of a progressive alliance, before getting on to the topic of the importance of a new political party to occupy the large space to the left of Labour and the requirement to reconnect politics with the people via grassroots organising.

We'd love to hear from you -
@Boondog44421386
BoondogglePodcast2020

Jim and Chris discuss parallels between the current moment and the post-9/11 situation, and what the Iraq War can teach us about now.

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@Boondog44421386
BoondogglePodcast2020