Culture, Power and Politics » Podcast

In this seminar we will talk with Yves Citton about his books Mythocracy: How Stories Shape Our World, Mediarchy, and Spinoza et les Social Sciences: De la Puissance de la multitude à l’économie des affects (co-edited with Frédéric Lordon), and about the myths that dominate contemporary thought, how they are disseminated, and how and understanding of the intersection of affects, attention, and imagination might help us combat the right wing myths of individuality, nation, and race that dominate modern thought. Among many other things, Spinoza was a critic of the superstitions of his time such as the idea of an anthropomorphic god, miracles, and the divine providence of states, revealing where these ideas came from and how they reinforce existing power structures. As astute as his criticisms were, they often seem relegated to a different time in which scripture was the primary source of intellectual authority, and the written word was the means of transmission of superstition. What does Spinoza’s understanding of superstition, imagination, and the affects mean in an age of digital video and social media? This seminar is part of our dedicated sub-series, From Marx to Spinoza: Affect, Ideology, Materiality. For more information about Culture, Power and Politics see: culturepowerpolitics.org If you can support us with a small regular donation, please do so here. If you’d like to make a one-time donation, please do so here. Btc donations: bc1q64590fsdzxe7rmfgp7f2jc97v7rp8fr4n0lspf

A recording of our online seminar with Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Mark Perryman, Alan Finlayson and Jeremy Gilbert, recorded October 8th 2025 We ask: How has it all gone so wrong for a government elected with one of the largest peacetime majorities on record?  How have we got here?  Do Starmer and his political allies even want to win another election?  What would it take for them to do so, and is there any chance of them doing it?  Does all hope of preventing the election of a Reform government now lie outside the Labour Party? In this free online seminar, 3 contributors to the recent book The Starmer Symptom (Pluto 2025) discuss these questions and others raised by their contributions to the volume.  Yasmin Alibhai-Brown is a renowned journalist, author and commentator, author of countless books, articles and columns including her contribution to The Starmer Symptom: ‘Biting the Hand that Doesn’t Feed Us.’. Mark Perryman is the editor of many books about British politics, culture and sport, including The Corbyn Effect and The Starmer Symptom. His keynote contribution to the latter is called ‘Testing the Limits of Labourism’. Alan Finlayson is a political theorist and political scientist. Jeremy Gilbert is an academic and commentator. His contribution to The Starmer Symptom is ‘No Direction Home: the non-politics of Starmerism’. Read Andrew Murray’s review of The Starmer Symptom For more information about Culture, Power and Politics see: culturepowerpolitics.org If you can support us with a small regular donation, please do so here. If you’d like to make a one-time donation, please do so here. Btc donations: bc1q64590fsdzxe7rmfgp7f2jc97v7rp8fr4n0lspf

So, yeah, a listener pointed out that Jem had got some details about Andy Burnham’s career wrong, and he thought it was best to set the record straight, as well as follow up on a couple of other questions left open by the September 2025 Emergency Podcast. So here we are!

Rayner resigned! Mandelson sacked! ‘Mainstream’ launched! Your Party Chaos! Fascists on the Streets! Alan Finlayson and Jeremy Gilbert bring you all the analysis they can fit into two hours of this truly momentous couple of weeks in UK politics… For more information about Culture, Power and Politics see https://culturepowerpolitics.org To book free tickets for ‘The Starmer Disaster’, our upcoming seminar with Yasmin Alibhai-Brown and Mark Perryman, go to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-starmer-disaster-tickets-1685537260319?aff=oddtdtcreator If you can support us with a small regular donation, please do so here. If you’d like to make a one-time donation, please do so here. Btc donations: bc1q64590fsdzxe7rmfgp7f2jc97v7rp8fr4n0lspf

In this episode, Jem offers a critical response to Adam Curtis’ oeuvre: an extraordinary series of fascinating, yet never-fully-satisfying, films about culture, power and politics in the epoch of advanced capitalism. This is something that friends of the show have been requesting for years, so here it finally is! For more information about Culture, Power and Politics see https://culturepowerpolitics.org If you can support us with a small regular donation, please do so here. If you’d like to make a one-time donation, please do so here. Btc donations: bc1q64590fsdzxe7rmfgp7f2jc97v7rp8fr4n0lspf

Professor Alan Finlayson is back to discuss the latest developments in UK politics: the suspension of several Labour MPs and the announcement of a new left party to be led by Zarah Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn (maybe). We also discuss the vexed questions of why Starmer’s government is so unpopular after its first year in office, given the relatively progressive moves that they have made in some areas of policy. To find out more about the podcast and the Culture, Power, Politics project, visit our website.To find out more about the podcast, visit our website. If you can support us with a small regular donation, please do so here. If you’d like to make a one-time donation, please do so here. Btc donations: bc1q64590fsdzxe7rmfgp7f2jc97v7rp8fr4n0lspf

‘Blue Labour’, an explicitly conservative tendency within the politics of the UK’s Labour Party, is said to be one of the few intellectual influences on the government of Keir Starmer.So in this episode, Jeremy is joined by Alex Worrad-Andrews to answer the question on everyone’s lips: what is ‘Blue Labour’?  We discuss the history of the term and concept ‘Blue Labour’, explore its philosophical, political and theological roots, and ask where, if anywhere, ‘Blue Labour’ is going. To find out more about the podcast and the Culture, Power, Politics project, visit our website.To find out more about the podcast, visit our website. If you can support us with a small regular donation, please do so here. If you’d like to make a one-time donation, please do so here. Btc donations: bc1q64590fsdzxe7rmfgp7f2jc97v7rp8fr4n0lspf

Eleanor Janega, a medieval historian and author, dives into the intriguing concept of 'technofeudalism.' She explores how modern economic structures echo historical feudalism, dissecting labor dynamics, social hierarchies, and the evolution of economic obligations. Janega critiques flawed analogies between gig workers and serfs, emphasizing the complexities of contemporary labor conditions. The conversation also touches on the roles of political power and land ownership in shaping modern capitalism, urging listeners to rethink their understanding of both history and economic systems.

Dive into the captivating debate over whether we are transitioning to 'technofeudalism' as tech giants reshape economic power dynamics. Discover how historical feudal systems resemble today’s digital economies, and explore the transition from traditional capitalism to platform capitalism. Listen to insights on the evolution of labor and economic structures in a tech-driven society, while questioning if contemporary conditions truly parallel historical serfdom. This thought-provoking discussion unpacks complex ideas around socio-economic transformations.

Alan Finlayson returns for an in-depth discussion of the crisis of liberalism as an effective and legitimate philosophy of government, as exemplified by the success of the right-wing populist Reform party at the May 2025 UK local elections. If you can support us with a small regular donation, please do so here. If you’d like to make a one-time donation, please do so here. Btc donations: bc1q64590fsdzxe7rmfgp7f2jc97v7rp8fr4n0lspf