Alex Kularatnam joins Alasdair and Jacob to discuss Trump’s recent election win. We discuss why Trump’s MAGA Republican movement won, why Kamala Harris’ Democratic Party lost, and the future of leftist organising in a country where reactionary politics now unites the government, social media, and the oligarchy.Alex is a recent graduate of Birkbeck, University of London’s MA Psychoanalytic Studies program, and former Parliamentary Assistant at the UK House of Commons.

Rob Topinka joins Jacob and Alasdair to discuss the recent US election, reactionary internet culture, the global oligarchy, and more.Dr Rob Topinka is Senior Lecturer in the School of Creative Arts, Culture, and Communication at Birkbeck, University of London. His specialties are reactionary politics, race and racism, digital culture and the city.

Links

Rob Topinka’s staff profile: https://www.bbk.ac.uk/our-staff/profile/9151496/robert-topinka

Racing the Street by Rob Topinka: https://www.ucpress.edu/books/racing-the-street/paper

‘“Back to a Past that Was Futuristic:” The Alt-Right and the Uncanny Form of Racism” by Rob Topinka: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/28019

In this episode, Alasdair finishes our exploration of the rise of neoliberalism, concluding Season 1 of our audio episodes.

Alasdair continues our exploration of the rise of neoliberalism, from its beginnings in the Mont Pelerin Society to its capture of academic departments around the world.

Mada Al-Zoabi joins Alasdair and Jacob to discuss Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the German state’s suppression of free speech, and German police brutality.

Correction notice 15/10/2024 - at approx. 36 minutes, Mada Al-Zoabi claimed that Germany had not officially acknowledged the 20th century genocide in Namibia. Germany officially recognised this atrocity in 2021, over a century after the genocide finished, committing to pay reparations of €1.1bn over the following 30 years. See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-57279008

Tom Fielder joins Alasdair and Jacob to discuss the recent far-right riots in the UK, racism in the British political imaginary, and more.

Links

* Tom Fielder’s Research Profile: https://birkbeck.academia.edu/TomFielder

* Channel 5 News Interviews with 2024 UK Rioters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C8G6dRAqUU

* David Starkey and the 2011 riots: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2011/08/david-starkey-black-powell

* Death toll for post-9/11 conflicts: https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/figures

We come together to discuss dramatic recent events - the failed assassination attempt on Donald Trump, JD Vance becoming Trump’s VP pick, and Kamala Harris’ emergence as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.

Alasdair explores the rise and fall of the Bretton Woods system.

Alasdair and Nick complete their exploration of Bowie’s fascist period.

Alasdair and Jacob are joined by Nivedita Nair to chat about Barbie, David Foster Wallace, irony, and fascism in cinema.