Bungacast

FROM THE VAULT: PHIL'S PICK (2) The third in our Neoliberal Breakdown series. In which we discuss the late Mark Fisher's Capitalist Realism, 10 years on. Does his analysis still hold? The mood music of the time - the age of 'TINA' and the end of history - was acutely described by Fisher. But did it only really describe Britain? And has the world now entered a new period? Readings: Capitalist Realism http://www.zero-books.net/books/capitalist-realism  'Exiting the Vampire Castle' https://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/mark-fisher/exiting-vampire-castle  Mark Fisher's k-punk blog https://k-punk.org/    Cover image: 📸 Stephanie Jung

FROM THE VAULT: PHIL'S PICK (1) On British decline. Much ink has been spilled over the Britain’s fate since the end of its empire. Could it be that decline has been overstated? And what will happen to Britain as it leaves the European Union? We discuss how the history of the Industrial Revolution and Cold War militarism still shapes British politics today, as David Edgerton joins us to talk about the his latest book, 'The Rise and Fall of the British Nation'. Readings: A misremembered empire, David Edgerton, Tortoise Britain’s 20th-century industrial revolution, Colin Kidd, New Statesman (review of Edgerton's book) Britain's persistent racism cannot simply be explained by its imperial history, David Edgerton, The Guardian

FROM THE VAULT: GEORGE'S PICK (1) On “culture”.   We discuss who produces culture and who consumes it – and what those inequalities reveal about culture today. Also, we ask what’s the ploblem with culture anyway and end up defending “low culture” from Red Hot Chili Peppers (well, sorta) to food guys.   Reading: Culture is Bad for You, Orian Brook, Dave O'Brien and Mark Taylor, Manchester UP

FROM THE VAULT: GEORGE'S PICK (2) On the unexpected origins of neoliberalism. We talk to Quinn Slobodian, author of Globalists, about how neoliberals look back to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the League of Nations. Why does neoliberalism talk about freedom, but promote order? Is neoliberalism about more or less state - or is it about what kind of state? Plus why the genuine neoliberals didn’t care about the Cold War and how Murray Rothbard laid the ground for Trump. Readings: Globalists, Quinn Slobodian Neoliberalism’s World Order, Adam Tooze Why I am not a conservative, F.A. von Hayek The EU is a betrayal of Europe’s exceptionalism, Douglas Carswell Subscribe for access to the Synthesis Session, where the guys discuss the broader implications: patreon.com/bungacast

FROM THE VAULT: ALEX'S PICK (2) On The Economist and the contradictions of global liberalism. Alexander Zevin joins us to discuss his work on the 176 year history of the magazine that has accompanied liberalism's global expansion. Has it just reflected the world or has it actually influenced politics? How has The Economist balanced democracy against the interests of finance and the needs of empire? And is the magazine suffering from N.O.B.S.?  Subscribe: patreon.com/BungaCast Running order: (06:02) Overview & early days (29:52) 19th century & empire (34:18) 20th century, esp 1930s and '40s (48:08) End of the Cold War and NOBS (01:02:19) Liberalism & its enemies  

The podcast discusses Neoliberal Order Breakdown Syndrome (N.O.B.S.), exploring symptoms such as incredulity and denial of political change, catastrophism, nostalgia for the recent past, and the inability to accept election results. It also delves into the impact of neoliberalism on politics and the rise of ineffective opposition.

On contemporary art.   Critic and editor at Art Review, JJ Charlesworth, joins us to talk about why so much contemporary art is bad. We discuss: Why is art no longer about beauty? Are we stuck between art that is either superficial or hyperpolitical? Why has there been a turn towards the mystical and irrational in art? How are ideas of the indigenous and the ecological represented in art today? Is there a romantic revolt against reason and is it new? Links: Criticism, Art and Theory in 1970s Britain: The Critical War, JJ Charlesworth The Return of Magic in Art, JJ Charlesworth, Art Review Gabriel Massan’s Decolonial Games, JJ Charlesworth, Art Review The naked truth about Marina Abramović – her ‘art’ is a joke, JJ Charlesworth, Telegraph

On Ridley Scott's Napoleon.   [Patreon Exclusive]   We couldn't avoid discussing the new biopic about the "world soul" himself, Napoleon Bonaparte. The film isn't great, but what can we learn from it? And how does it sit in a context in which most biopics today are about musicians, business leaders and scientists?   We discuss: Why did Scott choose to focus on Napoleon's relationship with Josephine? What is Scott trying to say, if anything, about Napoleon and the Napoleonic wars? Where are the depictions of youth, revolution and modernity? Are there any redeeming aspects to the film? What do we make of Phoenix's portrayal? Are we seeing the return of films about Great Men of History?

On taking control.   The Netherlands has elected an anti-EU rightist, but he won't take the Netherlands out of the European Union. Britain left the EU, but net migration to the UK has soared to its highest levels. What's going on?   In this special episode, Alex treats Phil and George as interview guests and grills them over their book, Taking Control: Sovereignty and Democracy after Brexit. We discuss: Why all the fuss for Brexit, when things have ended up the same as they were before? Why Brexit when the same politicians are still in charge? Why was no section of society able to lead Brexit with a positive vision of the future? Did Brexiteers need a more concrete proposal beyond "democracy"? What lessons can be learned from Brexit by others in the EU?

On Giovanni Arrighi's Adam Smith in Beijing: Lineages of the 21st Century   [Patreon Tier II & III Exclusive]   We discuss the Part 2 of this landmark book from 2008, debating theories of Western economic decline: Robert Brenner's, and Arrighi's critique of it.   Points discussed: Are you 'Team Brenner' or 'Team Arrighi'? Was neoliberalism a counter-revolution? A passive revolution? A restoration? How does the depression of the 1870s compare to that of the 1970s or the post-2008 period? What are the characteristics of our own Belle Époque (1993-2007) What matters more in explaining the downturn: inter-capitalist global competition? Upward wage pressure? The role of the global South? Links: Adam Smith in Beijing: Lineages of the 21st Century, Giovanni Arrighi, Verso (2008)