LEFT/OVER Podcast

With the UK government seeing more changes in personnel than an average season at Chelsea FC and the economy on the verge of total collapse, we bring you a little update on the cornucopia of clownery that is British politics in 2022. After the announcement of former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng's neoliberal wet dream of a Growth Package sent the value of the Pound hurtling downwards, we have seen several weeks of unabated chaos, and of course the resignation of PM Liz Truss which happened in the time between the recording of this episode and its release. Happy times!

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Since the dissolution of Estonian cultural collective ZA/UM, the minds behind 2019's hit indie video game Disco Elysium after being forced out by the money men, in a story that could very well have come from the game itself, we take a look at the quagmire that is the video games industry. Rife with abusive practices ranging from sexual assault and cover-ups to crunch culture and predatory practices such as microtransactions, video games as the biggest entertainment industry in the world has no shortage of things to talk about. 

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In the wake of riots between Hindus and Muslims in Leicester that were frightfully reminiscent of some of the worst scenes of violence from the Subcontinent, we take a look at Hindutva as a global force. We are joined by legendary activist Amrit Wilson in order to discuss the way in which the Hindu far right has gone about influencing politics in the UK, exporting its ideology with tactics from a familiar playbook, as well as the way in which the very inception of Hindutva was the result of the history of colonial rule. 

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In light of a three-part documentary series by Al Jazeera detailing the various ways in which the Corbyn project was sabotaged from within the Labour Party there is a great deal to discuss. We are joined by one of left Twitter's most prolific polemicists Archie Woodrow to discuss everything from the lack of Labour's democratic processes, the seemingly never-ending antisemitism 'crisis' and the firmly established hierarchy of racism within the party. Apologies in advance for the audio quality for this episode - we had some major technical issues!

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We recorded this discussion about Spike Lee's classic 1989 film Do The Right Thing 2 months ago around the time of the heat wave. A story of rising racial tensions in a multi-ethnic Brooklyn neighbourhood on the hottest day of the year which lead to tragedy and police violence, it is a film which became quickly adopted into the canon of great American cinema. It has also unfortunately gained even more relevance through the years as we all witnessed the murders of Eric Garner, George Floyd and so many more. We discuss all the events around Sal's Famous Pizzeria as well as Spike Lee's wider filmography and unique aesthetic style and much more. 

Subscribe at patreon.com/leftoverpod for £5 a month (or more if you are  feeling generous) for the full episode as well as lots more exclusive  content coming your way soon!

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It has been nearly 2 months now since our wonderful, talented and forever hilarious co-host Rory tragically passed away and it has been very difficult to resume the podcast since. However we are finally back, joined by our long-time collaborator and friend of the show Jack Frayne-Reid to discuss the passing of the late Queen Elizabeth II, an event that has predictably led to the nation collectively losing its mind. We discuss everything from the Shadow Cabinet's choreographed change of social media profile pictures to why everyone's favourite immigrant animal might in fact have a secret fascist pas, as well as the new monarch's close association with various noted paedophiles and much more. Thank you all so much for your patience and support through what has been a very difficult time.

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We are back again with a good old dunking episode, this time on one of Aarjan's personal heroes - renowned Canadian psychologist Jordan B. Peterson. Joined by longtime adversary of the IDW Eiynah, also known as NiceMangos, we discuss everything from Peterson's recent troubles on Twitter, his medically induced coma in Russia, his bizarre relationship with his daughter, and more broadly the state of the IDW in 2022. Content warning for one of the worst dreams you have ever heard of narrated in JP's own voice. 

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Fresh off the heels of the biggest rail strike in over three decades, we are joined by RMT rep Tony Collins to discuss how we got here and what we might be in store for over the summer. We discuss everything from the media's predictably hare-brained response to the strikes, how the unmitigated disaster of railway privatisation led us to this point, and how the movements across various sectors from teachers to postal workers may play out in the coming months. Solidarity to all workers, join a picket line, support strike funds!

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June is a month in which it has become increasingly apparent that we are in the midst of tectonic changes to our society, whether with landmark court cases being reversed, or with people across multiple industries saying enough is enough and organising. We take a look at some of the highlights from this month, including the cocaine-addled mind map of a certain intelligence adjacent journalist, and some inspiring scenes of people power.

Subscribe at patreon.com/leftoverpod for £5 a month (or more if you are feeling generous) for the full episode as well as lots more exclusive content coming your way soon!

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At a time when discussion around organised labour is finding newfound fervour in the face of a summer of strikes across the UK, we are joined once again by podcasting brother in arms Jack to discuss acclaimed screenwriter and long-time Martin Scorsese collaborator Paul Schrader's directorial debut, 1978's "Blue Collar". Starring Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel and Yaphet Kotto as Detroit auto workers at the tail end of the era of Reaganomics which destroyed the backbone of the American unions, the film takes a rather more jaded look at organised labour than the current Mick Lynch mania would suggest, as the three friends decide to rob their own union, and everything goes wrong. An uncompromising look at the daily hardships of American working class and the tragedy of how the insidious structures of capitalism find their way to undermine worker solidarity, Blue Collar is also something of an anomaly within Paul Schrader's filmography, as Jack and Connor get deep into.

Subscribe at patreon.com/leftoverpod for £5 a month (or more if you are  feeling generous) for the full episode as well as lots more exclusive  content coming your way soon!

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