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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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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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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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.

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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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In this episode, Chris and Jim discuss the increasing extremism of the political establishments of the US and the UK in relation to the continuing horrors in Gaza. They talk about the Uncommitted movement in Michigan and the degree to which it might have influenced Biden's 'ice-cream' ceasefire announcement; the continuing fallout of the chaotic ceasefire vote in the UK, most recently exemplified by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's hijacking of the airwaves on 1st March to blether on about dangers to democracy (ie people marching in support of a ceasefire); and the election of a Communist MP to the House of Commons.

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In this epsode, Chris and Jim discuss the absurd weakness of the Labour Party in the UK in the face of criticism, before moving on to the way in which democracy has been hollowed out by the adoption by the political class of a narrow consensus which seems to move ever rightwards . Chris introduces his idea that we are living in the 'Age of the Unsayable' as a way of explaining how this has happened.

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What is artificial intelligence? Is it going to take over the world, or is it just coming for our jobs? Chris and Jim discuss the political issues raised by AI and how they relate to the crisis of Western democracy.

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Chris and Jim discuss the situation at the Texas border and the UK government's  Rwanda scheme, and what the dire state of the immigration debate in the two countries says about the crisis of democracy.

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Political discussion with Chris Floyd and Jim Driscoll.
This series of Boondoggle will be providing commentary on the run-up to the 2024 US and UK elections.
In this first episode, we provide a broad prospectus of how we see the political scene in both countries at the current time.

0.00-3.15 introduction
3.15-6.25 the situation in Gaza
6.25-52.25  the US
52.25-1.17.50 the UK
1.17.50-1.18.05 outro

Chris Floyd has been a journalist and columnist for nearly forty years and has written for the Nation, the Moscow Times, and Il Manifesto (Italy), amongst others. He has a long-running political blog, Empire Burlesque, and writes a regular column for Counterpunch. He is also a musician and song-writer and is the singer for The Holy Fools. His twitter handle is @empireburlesque.
Jim Driscoll is a musician and recovering philosopher, currently working on his third unpublished novel. He plays guitar for The Holy Fools and folk duo The Hex Collective.

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