Podcast
Novara Media
Hosted by Novara Media · EN
Media for a different Politics.
30episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Downstream: Governments Do Capitalism Wrong. Here's How We Fix It w/ Mariana Mazzucato
Jun 2901:08:06Tap to summarizeMariana Mazzucato is a towering figure in contemporary economics, known best for her work on the entrepreneurial state and mission-oriented, ‘moonshot’ economics. Her congregation is broad, ranging from an ascendant Andy Burnham, to the Pope, to the organisers of Brazil’s carnival, and Marco Rubio on the right of US politics. Ash Sarkar sat down with Mariana Mazzucato in front of a live audience at EartH Theatre in Hackney, to test out the ideas in her new book, The Common Good Economy.
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ACFM Trip 61: Resilience
Jun 2801:38:28Tap to summarizeA weird-left look at the magical properties of resilience, from the colonial legacy of the stiff upper lip to contemporary narratives of trauma and victimhood. Nadia, Keir and Jem wonder whether humans and animals can flourish in the ruins of capitalism, and what a left politics of resilience could look like in an era of constant economic and climate shocks. No tunes in this show, but plenty of ideas from Catherine Liu, Sheryl Sandberg, Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing and more. Find the books mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfm Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters Follow our ever-expanding playlist on Spotify by searching 'ACFM'. Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
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118: Can a hen party ever be chic?
Jun 2300:55:56Tap to summarize* We'll be at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July! Final tickets: https://crossedwires.live * 'Tis the season! Moya and Ash explore the etiquette of the modern wedding, from cringey hen do to lavish ceremony to nightmare groupchat. And how does anyone afford it?! Plus: are we expecting too much from single straight men? Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
Transcribe →117: Is screen addiction ruining our connection to art?
Jun 1601:03:52Tap to summarize* We'll be at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July! Final tickets: https://crossedwires.live * Moya has a big theory about why wealthy elites seem to have stopped caring about culture, which leads to wondering if addiction and dependency are the best framework for understanding modern society. Plus: when you're body-shamed by a much younger hook-up. Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
Transcribe →Downstream: ‘They Want Racial Holy War’ – the truth About the US Military w/ Matt Kennard
Jun 1501:51:38Tap to summarizeThe War on Terror ended in 2021, with the US and British militaries’ catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan. But the consequences of that decade of conflict in the Middle East continue to play out both overseas and at home. On Downstream this week, Aaron Bastani sits down with investigative journalist and author Matt Kennard, to discuss the updated findings in his book Irregular Army: How the US Military Recruited Neo-Nazis, Gang Members, and Criminals. Matt is the founder of Declassified UK, and an expert on the US and British war machines. What happened to the US military when recruitment standards were abandoned, in the early 2000s? What do Pete Hegseth’s tattoos tell us about his fanatical far-right beliefs? How did such a person rise to become Secretary of War (formerly Defense)? What do the Trump administrations' actions in the Middle East tell us about the status of the US empire? And how has the US government been captured by Netanyahu, in his pursuit of a so-called Greater Israel?
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Do Your Own Research: Israel Is Literally Burying Evidence of Its Genocide w/ Eyal Weizman
Jun 1301:21:43Tap to summarizeThe so-called ceasefire in Gaza has not ended the genocide. The bombing runs may be quieter, but the bulldozers roar on. Israel is tearing up homes, orchards, schools and hospitals, then flattening the rubble to erase the memory that Palestinian life was ever there. To understand this architecture of death, Richard Hames spoke to Eyal Weizman, author of Ungrounding: The Architecture of Genocide and founder of Forensic Architecture. His team builds meticulous 3D reconstructions from the scattered traces of an event – phone footage, survivor testimony, documented shrapnel – to prove what really happened, even when states want it covered up. Their work is rigorous enough to have been submitted in South Africa's case against Israel at the ICJ. Get the map here: https://novaramedia.com/category/video/do-your-own-research/ Music by Iglooghost.
Transcribe →116: I can't stop worrying about money. Is there a way out?
Jun 901:08:38Tap to summarize* Come to see us at Crossed Wires in Sheffield on 4th July! Final tickets: https://crossedwires.live * Moya tunes into the background hum of money worries. Does our upbringing predict our attitude to finances? And does more money always equal more freedom? Plus: when to let go of a long-term romantic hangup. Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.
Transcribe →Downstream: AI Billionaires Want to Control Every Aspect of Your Life w/ Karen Hao
Jun 801:16:57Tap to summarizeIt has been a year since Aaron Bastani first met with AI investigative journalist Karen Hao, to discuss her book Empire of AI. A year is a long time, in the fastest growing sector on the planet. To bring us up to date, Aaron and Karen sat down again to discuss the major shifts in the empire – and their impacts on us all. Billions of people now use, AI as it has become more integrated into our lives, from chatbots, Google searches, predictive text, and beyond. At the same time, there has been a groundswell of fear and even anger about the arrival of the most disruptive technology of the 21st century: its impact on jobs, its use of resources, and the reckless behaviour of its billionaire founders. What have been the changes at the top of the major AI companies: OpenAI, Google, xAI and Anthropic? As Elon Musk approaches trillionaire status, how is he making this much money? What impact is the rollout of AI at such speed and scale having on the economy? What forms of resistance to this form of AI are emerging? And why are billionaires all choosing to build their bunkers in New Zealand?
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ACFM Microdose: Gardening
Aug 31Tap to summarizeAre gardens a sanctuary or an enclosure? The ACFM gang sketch out a weird-left history of gardening, from the walled gardens of paradise to the tarmacked lawns of suburban Britain. Find the books, music and Dunmore Pineapple mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfm Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
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ACFM 51: Heroes
May 18, 2025Tap to summarizeThe ACFM crew offer their weird-left perspective on the role of the hero (and heroine) in politics and culture. Nadia, Jem and Keir assess theories of Great Men, the myth of the hero's journey and the lure of the anti-hero with ideas from Weber and Hegel and music from Tina Turner and Sonic Youth. Find the books and music mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfm Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters Follow our ever-expanding playlist on Spotify by searching "ACFM". Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support
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