LEFT/OVER Podcast

Nostalgia is a potent emotion, as well as a ubiquitous presence in our lives, both as an advertising tool as well as an ideological principle in politics. Britain in 2022 celebrates the queen's Platinum Jubilee by spending £1 billion in the midst of the worst living standards crisis in decades, desperately nostalgic and yearning for the lost glories of imperial domination in the past, where history has become a hotly contested ideological battleground in the wake of the toppling of Edward Colston's statue, and where the World War 2 callbacks are simply inescapable. We are joined by historian Hannah Rose Woods whose latest book takes a look at how societies throughout history have in fact looked to the past when faced with unprecedented change.

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The long-protracted Partygate sage has, if anything, proven that the popular liberal conception of the law as being a neutral arbiter is deeply flawed, and it is easy for us as leftists to become increasingly cynical of it. However the law is still a very real thing which is being instrumentalised by right-wing governments around the world to strip people of basic civil liberties. We are joined by barrister and activist Zehrah Hasan to discuss four recent pieces of legislation in the UK, as well as how they exist as part of a global phenomenon from the US to India to Israel.

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After the horrific shootings at both Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York, the debate around gun control in the US has found itself once again in the spotlight. We are joined by returning guest Sam Knight this week to discuss these shootings, the role of the police, the deeper underlying causes of US gun culture, and crucially, if there is any hope whatsoever of breaking this vicious cycle of often racialised violence. 

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For the second of our Patreon episodes for this month we are bringing an update to some of the topics discussed recently, considering how the news cycle seems determined to give us many addendums daily. From the continued phenomenon of sexual misconduct in Westminster to Elon Musk's continued antics in trying to buy Twitter as well as quash certain allegations, May has been full of incident, and it is simply our job to chronicle it.

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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This week we are joined again by frequent collaborator and friend of the pod Jack Frayne-Reid from Reel Politik to discuss the long-awaited album by Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar, Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers. This episode covers the context for the album as well as Kendrick's discography and back catalogue, while the second half, available with the full episode on the Patreon feed, goes into the album itself and covers it from track to track. We discuss everything from Dr. Dre's influence over a lineage of West Coast Hip Hop to the similarities in the careers of Kendrick Lamar and Bob Dylan 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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After renowned Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was murdered at the hands of IDF forces, the whole world witnessed not only Israel's immediate disinformation campaign but even more horrifically the way in which her funeral procession was attacked. Aarjan is on the ones again this week joined by writer Hamza Ali Shah to discuss not just this incident but also Israel's ongoing war on journalism as well as the parallels to the dangers under which journalists in India also operate.

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In the wake of the recent local elections we are joined by friend of the pod Sinan to touch base with the goings on in UK politics after a few weeks which have given us no shortage of things to talk about. From all the worst people in the commentariat losing their minds over the result of the Tower Hamlets election to Keir Starmer 4d checkmating himself into potentially resigning over the Partygate scandal to the pervasive culture of sexual abuse in Westmister, we hold our noses as we dive into the Eldritch horror that is living in Britain in 2022.

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Aarjan by himself this week joined by none other than returning champion Amardeep Singh Dhillon to touch base on the motherland of all content, India. A year on from the Kisan Andolan, or Farmer Protests, that were the subject of our previous collaboration, we take a look at its historic victories, as well as the present political landscape in India. After a year in which Modi's stranglehold on Indian politics seemed to have begun to buckle, it seems back on track once again with a resounding BJP victory in the recent Uttar Pradesh state elections. The recent attacks in Jahangirpuri and the hijab ban in Karnata have also shown the extent to which, 8 years into Modi's rule, Muslims have effectively become second class citizens in India. With the backdrop of Boris Johnson's visit at the end of April, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the governments of the UK and India are on some very similar trajectories. 

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As the Amber Heard vs Johnny Depp court case heats up we take a look at its spiritual predecessor: David Fincher's 2014 adaptation of Gillian Flynn's novel Gone Girl. Joined by recent exile from Elon Musk's new hellsite, friend of the pod Joseph joins us from all the way across the Atlantic to discuss the story of Amy and Nick Dunne, which has achieved something of a cult status over the past years and inspired an entire generation of Girlbosses.

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This week we take a deep dive into the weird and wonderful world of wrestling, sports entertainment and combat sports, and its intersection with politics. From looking at the origins of UFC as a means for a notorious Brazilian family to show the world they can beat anyone up, to the antics of Japanese wrestler Antonio Inoki, particularly when he entered politics, to how the inane performative stupidity of the British political class can essentially be viewed as kayfabe, nothing is left off the table. Or ladder, or chair.

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