Novara Media Podcasts

Lula has shocked the world by snatching election victory from Bolsonaro in Brazil, how did he do it?

Plus: After greenlighting work to commence on the Jackdaw oilfield, is the government about to do the same at Rosebank? Finally, a Labour MP admits he doesn’t know the meaning of Zionism, but only after reporting the Greens to the police for calling it racism. 

With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar, Rodrigo Nunes & David Adler.

Buy tickets for Downstream IRL with Owen Jones

In Brighton, for a special recording of Downstream IRL, Ash Sarkar sat down with Naomi Klein, and organiser, writer and co-founder of the Debt Collective, Astra Taylor. They gathered to discuss their new book, End Times Fascism: And the Fight for the Living World.

An apocalyptic alliance of religious fundamentalists, billionaire Silicon Valley tech kings and ethno-nationalists is gathering momentum. They aren’t just exploiting collapse, they’re provoking and accelerating it, whilst protecting themselves from the fallout. The world’s fate is increasingly in the hands of men who are ambivalent about its survival and betting money on the end.

Already, anger at the building of data centres is cutting across left and right, in a way that climate politics rarely has – but how do we make sure that anger is heard? How do we separate necessary alarm from fatalism? And what can we prepare for the impending AI crash? 

End Times Fascism (2026) by Naomi Klein & Astra Taylor: https://shop.novaramedia.com/products/end-times-fascism

No one is disputed like Mao. Was he a mass murderer, a Communist hero, a charlatan, or a great poet? The saviour of the peasants, or the man who extracted from them all that he could?

Mao’s biography is a nest of contradictions. He led the largest revolution in world history, then presided over its largest famine – and even then, life expectancy rose 20 years over the course of his rule. He launched rebellions – against a government he already controlled. He purged his enemies and friends alike.

Some 50 years after his death, he remains a central figure in Chinese politics. The Communist Party of China posthumously declared him to be 70% right and 30% wrong, but his face still hangs over Tiananmen Square.

In this second episode on China’s history, Rebecca Karl – author of China’s Revolutions in the Modern World – returns to tell Richard Hames about the Mao era, with all its promises, contradictions and catastrophes.

Watch the previous episode with Rebecca, on China’s century of revolutions.

Explore the map we’re making throughout this series of DYOR, of all the people, events and ideas of the Mao era.

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We talk to a top economist and former advisor to Gordon Brown about the challenges and opportunities facing John Healey’s first budget announcement.

With Michael Walker & Michael Jacobs.

Protests are erupting all over Europe against high costs of living and conditions for students and workers. Where is the UK in all of this?

Plus: The IMF’s attack on welfare, big tech’s stranglehold on governments and infrastructure, and Dalia defends Sally Rooney on Politics Live. 

With NoJusticeMTG, Dalia Gebrial & Harriet Williamson.

Read Harriet Williamson’s exclusive report on Palantir.

Labour have approved the controversial Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea.

Plus: A deep dive into the conditions which created the riots that have engulfed France.

With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani, Tessa Khan & Cole Stangler.

The UK is set to deploy fighter jets to defend Saudi Arabia from Houthi attacks.

Plus: We speak to Ashok Kumar about the Green Party’s Zionism is Racism motion, and Andy Burnham announces new fines for noisy train passengers.

With Aaron Bastani & Banseka Kayembe.

A weird interaction on the dancefloor gets Ash thinking about ambiguity. How do we balance the need for clear consent with the perks of mystery and uncertainty? Has growing up online increased our need for clarity? Plus: a friend who’s been separated from her besties.

Send us your dilemmas: [email protected]

French prime minister Sebastien Lecornu has called for curfews after hundreds of thousands of protesters across the country took to the streets, with incidents of violence & looting.

Plus: Amnesty International have released a new report on the silencing of pro-Palestine students by universities.

With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar, Alice Cappelle, Danièle Obono & Hannah Stokes.

Three years ago, just weeks after the genocide began, writer Omar El Akkad posted a tweet, attached to some footage showing the extent of the ruin that Israel had already visited on Gaza. The compelling thought, crystallised in that viral tweet, would go on to become the name of his bestselling book: One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. 

Steven Methven, editor of Novara Live, steps in for Aaron Bastani while he is on parental leave. He sat down with Omar to try to make sense of three years of horror. 

Why did Omar write his book focusing on the West’s role in the violence, rather than centring Palestine? What would meaningful accountability and justice for Palestinians look like? How does he think Hamas will be remembered? And has he found any source of hope amid the events he describes?