The Owen Jones Podcast
Owen Jones
Owen Jones, journalist, author of Chavs and The Establishment, or "that left-wing idiot off the telly", is fed up with the establishment media. After all, it punches down, not up, blames minorities for all the problems in society, and, let's face it, often just parrots the government line. So this podcast is offering something different: speaking truth to power, giving the marginalised a voice, offering hope - and having a laugh along the way. From Michael Sheen to Judith Butler, Prof. Devi Sridhar to Noam Chomsky, Peter Hitchens to Chelsea Manning and Gary Younge to Stewart Lee, the interviewees couldn't be more eclectic. Expect documentaries, too, exposing injustice and going to enemy territory - and discussions with experts on everything from COVID dreams about the pandemic to the history of US-backed coups. We'll learn a lot - but above all else, have our optimism in a better world rebooted. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 4, 2022 • 58min
Is This The End of American Democracy?
Is US democracy in a death spin? That's now an increasingly mainstream debate as a radicalised Republican Party abandon democratic norms, the Supreme Court not only strikes down Roe v. Wade but facilitates the rigging of the electoral system, while an already heavily caveated US democracy increasingly enforces minority rule. Why is the Democratic response to this crisis so dire? What can be done to prevent the slide of the US into right-wing authoritarianism - all under the watch of a Democratic president? And how far fetched is talk of civil war?We're joined by US journalists and podcasts Francesca Fiorentini and Matthew Sitman.Please subscribe - and help us take on the right-wing media: https://patreon.com/owenjones84Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 23, 2022 • 1h 15min
Peter Hitchens on why Boris Johnson leads "a hard left government", English independence and Ukraine
It's another blockbuster interview with Peter Hitchens - this is the best one yet - and we have a lot to cover. What does Boris Johnson stand for, and is he really 'hard left'? How does he think "the traditional family" can be saved? Why would a more punitive justice system work? Why was New Labour "the most radical government" since Oliver Cromwell? Why does he support English independence? And - above all else - why does he think Russia's war on Ukraine was provoked?Please subscribe - and help us take on the right-wing media here: https://patreon.com/owenjones84Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 20, 2022 • 1h 3min
Yanis Varoufakis on Brexit, Keir Starmer, Assange, Melenchon, Ukraine and Paul Mason
Yanis Varoufakis - former Greek finance minister, economist and politician - is one the great intellectual superstars of the left. We have a lot to talk about: Britain's deporting of refugees to Rwanda, how Boris Johnson's 'oven-cooked' Brexit deal is unravelling, Keir Starmer's dishonest leadership of the Labour party, the political situation in Spain, the revival of the French left, how the horror of the Ukraine war can end, the extradition of Julian Assange, and the controversy involving British journalist Paul Mason.Please subscribe - and help us take on the right-wing media here: https://patreon.com/owenjones84Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 17, 2022 • 6min
Stop The Rwanda Flights: The People Fight Back
With Britain in a cost of living crisis, the Tories have turned on their traditional scapegoats - migrants and refugees. The Conservatives’ policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda - a poor country with a bad human rights record - is just the latest stage of a racist campaign.But people are fighting back. We went to a mass demonstration outside the Home Office and spoke to MPs like Zarah Sultana and Richard Burgon, refugees and courageous campaigners - and asked whether this despicable policy can be defeated. Please subscribe and help us take on the racist media here: www.Patreon.com/owenjones84Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 13, 2022 • 38min
Boris Johnson: Dead Man Walking?
After over 40% of Conservative MPs voted no confidence in the scandal-ridden Prime Minister, is Boris Johnson politically speaking a dead man walking? Is it only a matter before he's booted out of office - perhaps after the upcoming by-election defeats, or after a new investigation by the standards committee found he misled Parliament? Or will he once again escape accountability?We're joined by Aaron Bastani!Please subscribe - and help us take on the right-wing media here: https://patreon.com/owenjones84Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 10, 2022 • 7min
Senior Tory ADMITS Party Owned By The Rich
We should welcome some genuine honesty from the Tories. When Cabinet minister Nadine Dorries warned Tory MPs that kicking out Boris Johnson would infuriate rich Conservative donors - who she warned they depend on - she revealed just who her party exists to serve. From the very founding moment of the Tories to Margaret Thatcher to David Cameron to Johnson, the Tories have always championed the interests of those who keep them afloat - and here's the evidence.Please subscribe - and help us take on the right-wing media here: https://patreon.com/owenjones84Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 9, 2022 • 28min
Why The Johnny Depp-Amber Heard Trial Should Worry You
Johnny Depp won his defamation case against Amber Heard, after her 2018 Washington Post article in which she wrote: "I became a public figure representing domestic abuse." But what will the legacy of this trial - and particularly the coverage of it, including on social media - be? Will this fuel an already escalating backlash against the #MeToo movement, in which women who had suffered sustained sexual harassment and violence from men had a moment in which a consensus grew that their voices should be heard? Whatever you think of the verdict, where does this trial - not least the way it was covered - leave women?We are joined by brilliant journalist Lucia Osborne-Crowley, who has covered the trial from the start.Please subscribe - and help us take on the right-wing media here: https://patreon.com/owenjones84Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 9, 2022 • 12min
Massive Polling Scandal Rocks British Politics - YouGov Deny Serious Allegations
Woah! According to a former senior staffer for leading polling company YouGov, his former employer refused to publish polling data that was favourable to the Labour party in the 2017 election - and even manipulated methodology for the same reason - after coming under political pressure from a Tory MP who co-founded the organisation. But this scandal raises major questions about our democracy.YouGov has released a statement denying one of the allegations: https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1534500346093092864Please like, subscribe - and help us take on the right-wing media here: https://patreon.com/owenjones84Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 6, 2022 • 1h 1min
Abolish The Monarchy
As the Queen celebrates her Platinum Jubilee, those of us who support an elected head of state are expected to shut up. But if we don’t make the case - then when? We are joined by Republic’s Graham Smith.In the aftermath of the Johnny Depp - Amber Heard libel trial, where does the verdict leave women who’ve survived the pandemic of male violence who aren’t believed? We’re joined by brilliant feminist writer Lucia Osborne-Crowley.Please subscribe - and help us take on the right-wing media here: https://patreon.com/owenjones84Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 31, 2022 • 12min
Keir Starmer: A Dishonest Man
Keir Starmer won the Labour leadership by offering radical domestic policies combined with party unity. As reports emerge that Starmer intends to abandon his solemn pledge in the election to hike income tax on the top 5% of earners - literally his first pledge - I ask a very basic question. If you care about Boris Johnson's dishonesty, but not Keir Starmer's dishonesty, do you really care about dishonesty at all? And what happens to our democracy when our leaders engage in such rampant dishonesty?Please subscribe - and help us take on the right-wing media here: https://patreon.com/owenjones84Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
