Bungacast

[Patreon Exclusive]   We analyse the French presidential election results, the country's geographical and class divides, and what a second term for Macron means for the EU.   Three Articles: Emmanuel Macron Is Forming a New Right-Wing Bloc, Interview with Bruno Amable, Jacobin Why Macron is invincible, Christopher Caldwell, Unherd Le Pen was doomed from the start, Nathan Pinkoski, Compact Other readings: Waking Up from Anesthesia: Decline and Violence in France, Alexis Moriatis, Brooklyn Rail Macron, Le Pen and France’s long battle between order and dissent, Sudhir Hazareesingh, FT Jean-Luc Mélenchon's new supporters: the young, urban working class, Julie Carriat, Le Monde

[Patreon Tier 2 Exclusive] On Frank Furedi's How Fear Works. Following on from last month's discussion of Corey Robin's Fear, we examine a differing attempt to demystify the politics and culture of fear.  To join a local Reading Club where you are, email info@bungacast.com 

On Marxism & the Left. We talk to Elena & Joshua about their new edited collection, The Conformist Rebellion: Marxist Critiques of the Contemporary Left. Who or what is "the Left" today – merely the left wing of Capital? And what distinguishes a specifically Marxist critique of the Left? How has Marxism and the question of exploitation been sidelined in favour of a libera concern with discrimination? Over on Patreon you can hear the second part of the interview, plus our After Party debating the contemporary Left's connection to Marxism, the history of social democracy, and moral versus materialist critique.  Readings: Counterattack journal Counter Attack telegram  Elena's substack Value without Fetish: Uno Kōzō’s Theory of ‘Pure Capitalism’ in Light of Marx’s Critique of Political Economy, Elena Lange

The second part of our double ep on France's presidential election. Ahead of the second round, we discuss how likely a Le Pen victory could be and the effect of Zemmour’s candidacy – which appears to have made her seem more centrist. We also debate how the French deep state and EU might react to a Le Pen victory. We also ask Chris, co-author of Technopopulism, whether this is a classically 'technopopulist' election. Reading: Technopopulism: The New Logic of Democratic Politics, Chris Bickerton The European Union: A Citizen’s Guide, Chris Bickerton

On France's presidential elections.   We talk to Charles Devellennes to digest the first round, which saw centre-right Macron and far-right Le Pen come out on top, with leftist Mélenchon missing out. How similar are Macron and Le Pen's proposals actually? And has Macron's attempts to play statesman over Ukraine affected his chances?   With Le Pen and Macron both going after Mélenchon's 20% of the voter share, how will each approach this challenge?   Readings: Charles' twitter thread on the similarities between Macron and Le Pen Why the French left keeps failing, Charles Devellennes, spiked The Gilets Jaunes and the New Social Contract, Charles Devellennes The Macron Régime: The Ideology of the New Right in France, Charles Devellennes (forthcoming)

[Patreon Tier 2 Exclusive] On Corey Robin's Fear: The History of a Political Idea.  This is March's Reading Club, the third in the Emergency Politics section of the 2022 Syllabus.

[Patreon Exclusive]   On US proxy wars, Russia's elite, Ukrainian neutrality.   'Three Articles' aims to provide serious political discussion on current affairs that we feel is lacking elsewhere, drawing out the logical conclusions of the three pieces' arguments.   Articles: A proxy war in Ukraine is the worst possible outcome — except for all the others, Sam Winter-Levy, War on the Rocks “Now we're going to f*ck them all.” What's happening in Russia's elites after a month of war, Farida Rustamova, Faridaily Zelensky’s muddled neutrality plan is not the answer for Ukraine, James Sherr, FT (attached)

On the fusion of technocracy & populism. Carlo Invernizzi Accetti talks to us about his book, Technopopulism, co-authored with Chris Bickerton. This is the "new logic of democratic politics". How are all politicians today effectively technocratic and populist at the same time? How does this distinguish our age from a more ideological age in the past? And what can be done to make politics ideological again? Part 2, which includes the rest of the interview, and the After Party where Alex, George and Phil debate why politics are toxic today, is available here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/64729183/ Readings: The Age of Technopopulism? George Hoare, Damage Alex's thread on consensus-through-dissensus The Berlusconi - cocktail recipe

On energy, the material basis for all our politics? Helen Thompson, podcaster and professor of political economy at Cambridge and author of Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st Century, joins us to talk about the geopolitics of oil, stretching from the 1956 Suez Crisis to the Fracking Revolution of today. How does US energy independence help explain shifting politics in Europe and the Middle East? Plus, did the End of History stay afloat on a sea of cheap oil?   Part 2 of the interview, plus our After Party, is here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/251-oil-disorder-64394535 Readings: Profits from fossil fuel energy power Russia's war machine, and Ukraine suffers, Helen Thompson, New Statesman What Is Fueling Our Century’s Global “Disorder”?, Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins, The Nation How Did Europe Get Hooked On Russian Energy?, Paul J. Davies, Bloomberg

On the Freedom Convoy, the indigenous question, and 'anti-socialist socialism'(?) Sociologist and commentator Ashley Frawley is back on the pod to talk about the situation in Canada. With family members involved in the protests, we asked her what she made of the truckers and the way demands were framed as 'anti-socialist'. We move on to debate how to understand popular resistance to 'social engineering' today, as well as the uses of 'emotionalism' to undermine political agency. Readings & Links: How the truckers split indigenous Canada, Ashley Frawley, UnHerd Lecture: Emotion & Reason, Ashley Frawley, The Academy Semiotics of Happiness, Ashley Frawley, Bloomsbury, 2005