Downstream: 2023 Year in Review

FromNovara Media

Start listening View podcast show

Downstream: 2023 Year in Review

FromNovara Media

ratings:

Length:

63 minutes

Released:

Dec 24, 2023

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

For this end-of-year edition of Downstream, the Novara Media team look back on the biggest stories of the year. Ash Sarkar is joined by Moya Lothian-McLean, Michael Walker and Owen Jones to talk about the Labour Party, the climate crisis, the rise of AI and the war on Gaza. From clouds brightening to prospects dimming, […]

Released:

Dec 24, 2023

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Novara Media is an independent media organisation addressing the issues – from a crisis of capitalism to racism and climate change – that are set to define the 21st century.

Skip carousel

TyskySour: Surprising US Midterm Results: Pro-Trump candidates fall short and abortion wins big in the US midterm elections. We discuss the results with Sarah Jaffe. Plus: Gavin Williamson resigns from Rishi Sunak’s government after his abusive texts are leaked; and nurses are set to go on str... by Novara Media
43 min listen
Pro Revolution Soccer: Coming This Friday: On Sunday, the World Cup kicks off in Qatar. How did a tiny dictatorship with a dismal human rights record, deadly summer temperatures and barely any football infrastructure end up hosting the world’s biggest tournament? by Novara Media
1 min listen
TyskySour: Tories Defend Manston Conditions: As Sunak continues to defend Braverman’s decisions over Marston, the Home Office is dumping asylum seekers in London without anywhere to stay. How low can this government go? Plus: Netanyahu is back in power after general elections in Israel; and Matt ... by Novara Media
43 min listen
Pro Revolution Soccer: Should We Boycott the Qatar World Cup?: Welcome to Pro Revolution Soccer, a football podcast that doesn’t leave politics at the turnstile. In the first episode of a five-part series, Keir Milburn and Tom Williams confront the most corrupt, rapacious and deadly World Cup in sporting history. by Novara Media
39 min listen
TyskySour: Lula Wins Brazil Election: After Lula’s close re-election as president of Brazil, we speak to Vincent Bevins in São Paulo about a historic political comeback. Plus: Liz Truss and Suella Braverman are criticised for security leaks; and a migrant detention centre in Kent is hit by... by Novara Media
53 min listen
TyskySour: Supreme Court Rules Against Indyref: The Supreme Court have today confirmed that Scotland can’t legally hold an independence referendum without Westminster’s permission. Will this simply increase the case for independence? Plus: Suella Braverman crumbles under pressure. Meanwhile, by Novara Media
61 min listen
TyskySour: UK-France Deal: Suella Braverman’s headline-grabbing migrant deal is a re-heated version of policies that have already failed. Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar discuss the farcical nature of migration politics in Britain. Plus: Keir Starmer plots to block Jeremy Corbyn f... by Novara Media
39 min listen
Pro Revolution Soccer Ep 3: Should You Support Your National Team?: As Wales crash out of the World Cup after defeat against England, Keir Milburn and Tom Williams question their dedication to international football. After all, how can you support a national team if you don’t believe in borders? by Novara Media
47 min listen
TyskySour: Protests In China: Opposition to zero-COVID policies has sparked the biggest wave of protests in China in decades. We speak to Yuan Yang about their significance. Plus: Rishi Sunak faces Tory rebels, Matt Hancock leaves the jungle and Just Stop Oil’s latest protests. by Novara Media
59 min listen
Downstream: It’s Now or Never w/ Chris Packham: Chris Packham is a national treasure. A naturalist, photographer and author, he’s best known for bringing nature into our living rooms as host of The Really Wild Show, Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch. by Novara Media
74 min listen
Downstream: Labour are as Bad as the Tories on Immigration w/ Maya Goodfellow: We’re told by the Conservatives and their acolytes in the media that the Labour Party is — and always has been — soft on immigration. Little could be further from the truth. Ash Sarkar meets Dr Maya Goodfellow to talk about New Labour’s inhumane immigr... by Novara Media
85 min listen
TyskySour: Hunt Plans Extreme Austerity: Sunak’s flip-flop on attending COP-27 has already embarrassed Britain, but what’s really at stake during at the climate talks? We speak to Simon Lewis at the conference in Egypt. Plus: Keir Starmer says the NHS employs too many foreign workers; and is ... by Novara Media
52 min listen
Novara FM: Havens in a Heartless World: The work that keeps us clean, fed, clothed and ready to go to work each day is known as social reproduction. Without this unwaged labour, capitalism would collapse. Yet the daily drudgery of cooking, cleaning and raising children is underpinned by our ... by Novara Media
58 min listen
Pro Revolution Soccer Ep 4: Why Do We Love Football So Much?: Football elicits some of the most intense emotions we’re capable of feeling, from the hug-a-stranger joy of winning trophies to the phone-in misery of relegation. At the end of the day, it’s only a game – but maybe games are more serious than we think?... by Novara Media
42 min listen
TyskySour: Musk Creates Twitter Chaos: Is Elon Musk trying to kill Twitter? Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar discuss the company’s public meltdown – and what this means for politics. Plus: Kwasi Kwarteng attempts to re-write history and Dominic Raab makes the Westminster pest list. by Novara Media
49 min listen
TyskySour: Tories Defend Immigration Abuses: Tory minister Chris Philp has said it is “a bit of a cheek” or asylum seekers to complain about conditions at processing centres. Plus: Elon Musk’s twitter takeover hits stumbling blocks; and the World Cup sees FIFA try to silence critics of Qatar. by Novara Media
56 min listen
Novara FM: Identity Politics Hijacked w/ Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò: What is identity politics? Recent definitions have strayed some distance from the ideas laid out by the Black radical feminists of the Combahee River Collective. In their original 1977 statement, the Boston collective established a simple but undeniabl... by Novara Media
60 min listen
TyskySour: Nurses To Go On Strike: After a decade of falling pay, nurses have announced dates for their first national strikes in 106 years. Can they take on the Tories and win? Also on the show, the glamorous Tory peer secretly profiting from a PPE company and the latest in Elon Musk’s... by Novara Media
55 min listen
TyskySour: Inflation Highest In 41 Years: Rishi Sunak is using record inflation to justify austerity 2.0. We ask James Meadway if that makes economic sense. Plus: Trump launches his 2024 presidential election bid; and the shameful neglect by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing that led to the death o... by Novara Media
46 min listen
TyskySour: Hunt Won’t Save Britain’s Economy: Jeremy Hunt has blamed tax rises & spending cuts on the war in Ukraine and Covid-19. In reality, it’s the result of 12 years of economic failure. Plus: Twitter in chaos & World Cup controversy. With Michael Walker & Aaron Bastani. by Novara Media
64 min listen
Novara FM: There Was No Theory, It Was All Action W/ Sarah Schulman: The Aids Coalition To Unleash Power, better known as ACT UP, is one of the most effective social movements in American history. New York City author and activist Sarah Schulman has returned many times to the lessons and provocations of this radically d... by Novara Media
58 min listen
Pro Revolution Soccer Ep 2: What Does Qatar Want?: Trophies. Glory. Trade deals. Kudos. What does Qatar really want from the World Cup? In the second episode of Pro Revolution Soccer, Keir Milburn and Tom Williams reflect on the opening week of the tournament and dig deeper into the political and sport... by Novara Media
44 min listen
TyskySour: World Cup Controversy: From bizarre FIFA speeches to LGBT wristband bans, Qatar 2022 continues to be marred by controversy. Plus: Labour’s “corrupt” reselection process and Joe Lycett’s challenge to David Beckham. With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar. by Novara Media
59 min listen
Downstream: The Sexual Marketplace w/ Annie Lord: Dating might seem a trivial subject in an era of rising inequality and climate crisis. But finding romantic love – or learning how to live without it – is a big part of all of our lives, and how that happens, by Novara Media
80 min listen
Novara FM: From Plantation to Platform w/ Dalia Gebrial: After the 2008 financial crisis, a vast number of people were booted from the formal labour market. Many of them ended up in the gig economy: Uber, Deliveroo, Fiverr. Their exploitation at the hands of these platforms is well known, by Novara Media
71 min listen
TyskySour: More Strikes: As Rishi Sunak threatens to crack down on striking workers, he’s giving a bung to millionaires in the city. Plus: renters getting screwed and the right wing backlash to Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary. With Michael Walker & Ash Sarkar. by Novara Media
57 min listen
TyskySour: Labour’s Plan to Abolish House of Lords: Keir Starmer has today committed Labour to abolishing the House of Lords. How radical will Labour be when it comes to the UK constitution? Plus, Nadhim Zahawi hits a new low and we ask Aghileh Djafari-Marbini if Iran will follow through with disbanding... by Novara Media
50 min listen
Downstream: Tories Don’t Think w/ Peter Hitchens: Peter Hitchens is something of an iconoclast. Among his colleagues on the right, the Mail on Sunday columnist stands out as a heterodox thinker – yet he’s perhaps one of the few who could be described as a genuine conservative. by Novara Media
105 min listen
Downstream: Novara’s 2022 Roundtable Review: Ash is joined by Novara’s own Aaron Bastani, Moya Lothian-McLean, Michael Walker and James Butler to talk about what was bugging them in the year 2022. From landlordism to normativity and a nasty turn in identity politics and from the declining fortune... by Novara Media
92 min listen
Novara FM: 1971, the Year Britain Became White: What if all of Britain is stolen goods? In the 1970s and 80s, a series of Acts of Parliament defined who did and who didn’t count as a citizen. ‘The Law of Patriality’ might sound like an obscure detail in a dusty tome, but, by Novara Media
62 min listen

More Episodes from Novara Media

Skip carousel

Downstream: On Gaza, Grammar Schools and British War Crimes w/ Peter Hitchens: Peter Hitchens is an author and journalist whose contrarian takes on drug policy, education and foreign policy have found him occupying a singular place in the British media – with his brand of conservatism often angering audiences who would consider t... by Novara Media
94 min listen
ACFM Trip 41: Trust Your Gut: From fecal transplants to the yoghurt-industrial complex, we’ve never been more absorbed in the workings of our gut. But can we trust it? Nadia, Jem and Keir investigate the mysterious connections between mind and body, reason and instinct. by Novara Media
80 min listen
Novara FM: The Untold Histories of Black Gay Britain w/ Jason Okundaye: Researching Black British history “often feels like a rescue effort, a race against time,” writes Jason Okundaye. In his first book, he narrates the mingled histories of seven astonishing lives in the Black gay community of South London during the 1980... by Novara Media
72 min listen
Downstream: Retired Major-General on Gaza, Iraq and Afghanistan w/ Charlie Herbert: Major General Charlie Herbert has stood out in recent months for his vociferous condemnation of Israel’s war on Palestinians. His media appearances have proven vital in synthesising a moral and strategic critique of war in which civilians are treated i... by Novara Media
78 min listen
Novara FM: Not Westminster’s Whipping Boys w/ Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram: Less than 20% of the promised levelling-up projects for England have been completed. The problem lies not only with the current government, but with the whole way the UK’s political system is set up, with its whips and Lords and not a constitution in s... by Novara Media
56 min listen
Downstream: Britain’s Economy Will Only Get Worse Forever w/ Gary Stevenson: Gary Stevenson went from being Citibank’s most profitable trader to one of the world’s most incisive critics of the financial system. Gary sat down with Aaron to discuss the lightbulb moment that led him away from trading, by Novara Media
118 min listen
Novara FM: Russia After Navalny w/ Tony Wood: As the war in Ukraine enters its third year, the question of what Russia is really thinking remains as crucial, and mysterious, as ever. To paint a picture of the current political climate, Richard Hames talks to Tony Wood, by Novara Media
71 min listen
Downstream IRL: We Are in a New Cold War w/ Yanis Varoufakis: Yanis Varoufakis is an economist and author who served as Greek Finance Minister in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crash. Since then, he has become one of the most sought after public speakers on the left. by Novara Media
70 min listen
ACFM Microdose: Aliens On Screen: Last time on ACFM, the gang explored the impact of UFOs on politics, from deep-state conspiracies to the Posadists. But to really understand how aliens influence our thought – and what our belief in E.T. says about ourselves – we have to go to the movi... by Novara Media
102 min listen
Novara FM: The Nasty Noughties w/ Owen Hatherley & Ash Sarkar: The 2000s in Britain was a decade of education, regeneration, falling inequality and Dizzee Rascal. But beneath the fleeting prosperity lurked a culture of cruelty. It was palpable in politicians’ disdain for single mothers, by Novara Media
59 min listen
The US Must Stop Funding Israel | Bernie Sanders meets Ash Sarkar: Bernie Sanders needs no introduction. Ash caught up with the senator to talk about his new book ‘It’s OK To Be Angry About Capitalism’, the speed of political change and whether what is happening in Gaza constitutes a genocide. by Novara Media
18 min listen
Downstream: Israel Will Never Be Safe While Occupying Palestine w/ Yousef Alhelou: Yousef Alhelou has spent the four or so months since October 7th covering the Israeli assault on Gaza through his Instagram account. In that time, his audience has grown by hundreds of thousands. Aaron sat down with Yousef to talk about international l... by Novara Media
92 min listen
Novara FM: Can International Law Protect Gaza? w/ Rob Knox: As Israel extends its bombardment of Gaza into Rafah – a supposed safe zone where 1.7 million Palestinians are seeking refuge – the limits of the “laws” of war seem horribly apparent. Following South Africa’s case against Israel at the ICJ last month, by Novara Media
90 min listen
Novara FM: How To Be Honest About Empire w/ Sathnam Sanghera: Certain historians and politicians like to claim that the British Empire was “on balance” a good thing. Slavery was evil, they admit, but abolition was good. Racism was wrong, but free markets are desirable. In his new book Empireworld, by Novara Media
57 min listen
Downstream: Why No One Should Have More Than £10 Million w/ Ingrid Robeyns: Should there be a cap on how much wealth one person can have? If we’re serious about tackling poverty, the answer can only be yes, says Ingrid Robeyns, author of Limitarianism: The Case Against Extreme Wealth. by Novara Media
58 min listen
ACFM Trip 40: UFOs: Should the left care about the existence of aliens? The ACFM gang explore the impact of UFOs on political thought in this Trip. Keir, Jem and Nadia discuss the connections between UFO conspiracies and right-wing thought, by Novara Media
86 min listen
Downstream: Would the World Be Better Without Religion? w/ Aaron Bastani and Ash Sarkar: Twenty years ago, it was taken for granted that on average, people globally were shrugging off the shackles of organised religion. The world was destined for secularism. But with demographics trends in many countries pointing towards a growing religiou... by Novara Media
100 min listen
Novara FM: Who Dares To Rewrite 40,000 Years of History? w/ David Wengrow: This episode was first released in November 2021. In the bestselling book The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity, archaeologist David Wengrow and the late anthropologist David Graeber offer a radically different story of our social evolution... by Novara Media
85 min listen
Downstream: Everything You Know About The Global Economy is Wrong w/ Philip Pilkington: We are in a drastically different world from the one most of us grew up in. This has been proven by the rapid escalation in the events in the Middle East over the last six weeks. No longer are we in a world where, essentially, the US run the show. by Novara Media
89 min listen
ACFM Microdose: Plugged-in Protest w/ Jeremy Gilbert: Music has the uncanny power to stir up big feelings, which makes it an obvious vehicle for political statements of hope, anger, despair, or how to cast your vote. In this Microdose episode to accompany ACFM’s recent Trip on Protest, by Novara Media
72 min listen
Novara FM: The Novels That Inspired Class War w/ Mark Steven: What role does literature play in revolution? If the question seems bizarre to you and the answer obvious, you’re not alone. Yet some of the most important revolutionaries in history have turned to literature in times of crisis. by Novara Media
61 min listen
Downstream: We Are in the Post-Climate Change World w/ Gaia Vince: Discussion of climate change mainly focuses on mitigating rising temperatures, de-carbonising and getting to ‘net zero’. Author and broadcaster Gaia Vince argues that we also need to focus on how we’ll deal with with’s already happening and about to ge... by Novara Media
85 min listen
Novara FM: Escaping the Tourism Trap w/ Dean MacCannell: January is historically the busiest month of the year for holiday bookings. But if you’ve ever felt uncomfortable with the idea of being a tourist, you’re not the first. Back in 1976, anthropologist Dean MacCannell theorised both our drive to see the w... by Novara Media
53 min listen
Novara FM: The People Vs Football w/ Juliet Jacques & Tom Williams: Is football the place for political struggle? Is there a limit to the success of fan-owned clubs? How disappointed can we be when pundits and players turn out not to be comrades? Cultural critic Juliet Jacques and Pro Revolution Soccer host Tom William... by Novara Media
57 min listen
ACFM Microdose: A Festive 50 For 2023: The ACFM gang get together for the last time this year to deliver a Festive 50. Keir, Jem and Nadia select the best bits of culture and politics from 2023, from music, films, books to games, strikes and actions. Unwrap to find sci-fi blaxploitation, by Novara Media
56 min listen
Downstream: The Plan To Privatise Everything w/ Brett Christophers: Asset management companies like Blackrock, Vanguard and Macquarie have avoided real scrutiny for decades, but their secretive activities are starting to attract attention from political researchers and academics. What do these companies do, by Novara Media
79 min listen
ACFM Trip 39: Protest: Millions have protested against the bombing of Gaza by taking part in marches, boycotts, sit-ins and other demonstrations. But what difference does it make, either to the world or to ourselves? The gang confront a contentious topic in this Trip. by Novara Media
104 min listen
Novara FM: Palestine 2048 w/ Basma Ghalayini: Science fiction isn’t a mode usually associated with Palestinian literature, perhaps because dreams of the future seem like a luxury when you can barely hold onto your past, or even present. In 2019, translator and editor Basma Ghalayini asked 12 Pales... by Novara Media
54 min listen

Related podcast episodes

Skip carousel

Downstream: The British Media Is Broken w/ Moya Lothian-McLean & Michael Walker: For a Downstream family special, Ash Sarkar is joined by Moya Lothian-McLean and Michael Walker – both contributing editors at Novara Media – to discuss their lives as journalists, the combustion of media companies Vice and gal-dem, by Novara Media
81 min listen
Netanyahu Gears up for Ground Invasion, How Israel Suppresses the Media: Israel has carried out a ground raid as “preparation for the next stages of combat”. But how likely is an imminent full-scale ground invasion? Plus: how the media in Gaza are under threat; and trade unionists demonstrate at an Israeli weapons facility ... by Novara Live
71 min listen
why I'm all-in on growth stocks: <p>This week, we kick things off by talking about “the weaponization” of finance in the Russo-Ukrainian war, specifically economic sanctions. How does our weapon of choice affect the global economy? ? Most of all, will it work? Going deeper, Aaron and... by Hypergrowth Investing
62 min listen
"Woo Woo Culture" (with Priyanka Aribindi) by Hysteria
77 min listen
Downstream: Novara’s 2022 Roundtable Review: Ash is joined by Novara’s own Aaron Bastani, Moya Lothian-McLean, Michael Walker and James Butler to talk about what was bugging them in the year 2022. From landlordism to normativity and a nasty turn in identity politics and from the declining fortune... by Novara Media
92 min listen
Special Release: Mark Willacy - On ‘Killing Field‘ and ‘Rogue Forces‘: Today, I spoke with Mark Willacy, the journalist behind the ABC report ‘Killing Field’ as well as the recently published book ‘Rogue Forces: an explosive insiders’ account of Australian SAS war crimes in Afghanistan’. Even though I stated that I will rec... by The Voices of War
87 min listen
The Brewing Storm: What's Next for the Global Economy? by Earn Your Leisure
7 min listen
Your Broccoli Weekly Special: GENERATION WINDRUSH Part 2 by Your Broccoli Weekly
24 min listen
Summer thunderstorms and the dangers of lightning by Across the Sky
50 min listen
How Russia is dividing us again by 1 big thing
11 min listen
Planet Hope: Forecasting volcanic eruptions with Andrew McGonigle by The Story
41 min listen
Is the current Gazan ceasefire a mirage?Jason Pack on Qatar, Iran, Biden, Hamas, Israel and the road to order in the disordered Middle East by Keen On
38 min listen
Wins For Actual Democracy - Plus Batya Ungar-Sargon on the Working Class by The Monica Crowley Podcast
75 min listen
TyskySour: Musk Creates Twitter Chaos: Is Elon Musk trying to kill Twitter? Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar discuss the company’s public meltdown – and what this means for politics. Plus: Kwasi Kwarteng attempts to re-write history and Dominic Raab makes the Westminster pest list. by Novara Media
49 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

Downstream: 2023 Year in Review

Downstream: 2023 Year in Review

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Novara Media

Related podcast episodes