The Owen Jones Podcast

We were promised sunny uplands and a oven ready deal: instead we've been served extra helpings of cow excrement. As Nigel Farage admits Brexit is a disaster, car manufacturers threaten to walk and Keir Starmer calls for a renegotiation, it's time to accept reality.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eeeeeeeeesh. What on god's name are you about to listen. Adopt the brace position - because this could be your country's future.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the leaked Labour report revealed damning truths about the behaviour of the party's Right, Keir Starmer commissioned leading barrister Martin Forde to conduct a report. Some - myself included - feared a whitewash: but the conclusions were damning, including on factionalism and perceptions of a hierarchy of racism. But Labour have almost entirely failed to engage with Forde over his report - and now he's broken his silence.We speak to Richard Sanders - one of the makers of Al Jazeera's 'Labour Files' - and award winning investigative journalist Peter Oborne.Please read alongside this episode:In July 2020, the Labour party apologised 'unreservedly' and paid a six figure sum to 7 former Labour employees and the BBC journalist who made the 2019 Panorama programme 'Is Labour Anti-Semitic'.Labour said: 'The Labour party is here today to publicly set the record straight, and to apologise to the claimants for the distress and embarrassment it has caused them.'To the BBC journalist: 'The defendant is here to set the record straight and to apologise unreservedly to Mr Ware.'Al-Jazeera was also told: 'The BBC told us it stands by its reporting. John Ware said that he did not recognise Mr Forde's characterisation of his communications. He described Mr Forde's criticisms of Panorama as misleading and inaccurate. Mr Ware also said that Ben Westerman claimed that the 'are you from Israel' comment was made at the end of his meeting with Rica Bird and was not therefore recorded.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There we have it: a smoking gun, a confession of guilt. Jacob Rees Mogg has admitted the Tories are de facto trying to rig election. Here's what it means - and how we respond.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob Burley was long one of the most powerful men in broadcasting, charged with running the live political shows which grill our frontline politicians. In his new book - Why Is This Bastard Lying To Me - he details everything from the art of the political interview, to revelations about the BBC's relationship with government. Fascinating stuff, I thought, which helps us understand how power works in modern Britain.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This tells us so much about modern Britain. The brilliant actor Adjoa Andoh remarked on the contrast between the diverse crowds at the Coronation - and the whiteness of the Royal Family. The result? Thousands have complained to Ofcom. This is white fragility: a certain type of white person who feels angrily resentful at racism being challenged, and relishes any opportunity to turn the tables.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An entire plank of Tory ideology has collapsed. They promised privatisation would deliver efficiency, cheaper prices, better performance, and modernisation. It did the oppose - and in a humiliating u-turn, they've started having to start nationalising what they flogged off.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is grotesque: as Donald Trump was found guilty of sexually abusing a columnist, a GB News show hosted by Jacob Rees Mogg featured a panel composed exclusively of Trump apologists. This whole episode exposes the hypocrisy of right-wingers like Mogg - who grandstand on moral issues when it means opposing civil rights, but having no words of condemnation for the most morally corrupt figures of our time.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So this is how freedom dies. As peaceful protesters are arrested with no legitimate cause at the Coronation, we can see the impact of the Tories' repressive policies. Our democracy is dying - and unless we do something fast, we will end up in a very dark place indeed.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the day of the Coronation, amidst all the pomp and ceremony, predicting the fall of the monarchy might seem far fetched. But the evidence is overwhelming: time is running out for the House of Windsor.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the Coronation beckoned, indigenous leaders in 12 Commonwealth nations have demanded an apology for monstrous crimes committed by the British Empire. And do you know what? Good. We haven't had a reckoning with our past - and we will never understand our present until we do.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If this was happening in Putin's Russia - but it's happening here, and it should terrify you. Here's the law the Tories don't want you to know about.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the few promises remaining from Keir Starmer's leadership campaign was to abolish tuition fees: and now his team have briefed the Murdoch press that they're abandoning. This serial dishonesty is the enemy of democracy itself.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The campaign of hatred which has been unleashed against trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney exposes the truth. These people simply do not want trans people to exist - and they won't just stop there: they are coming for the rights of other LGBTQ people and women. We either stand together - or we are all going to fall together.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Richard Sharp is forced to resign as BBC Chair, this whole episodes sums up just how rotten our Establishment is - and why they all have to go.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Capitalism, we're told, has lifted billions out of poverty and is the driver of prosperity for humanity. Here's why it's a total nonsense.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

These are the truths about the media they don't want you to know: why they serve the interests of the rich, and act not as a means to educate and inform - but to lobby for powerful vested interests.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oh spare me: every time Theresa May criticises the government, a bunch of liberals applaud her like seals. Yaas queen Theresa! I don't think so. As she criticises the Tories' repulsive Illegal Migration Bill, a reminder that no politician has done more to whip up the anti-migrant and anti-refugee hate campaign which has caused so much misery and suffering as May. Stop rehabilitating monsters!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everyone's talking about it: but how much of the hype around Artificial Intelligence is justified, and how scared should we be?Michael Wooldridge - Professor of Computer Science at Oxford University - tells you everything you need to know!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Look, my comfort zone is sticking it to the Tories who have wrecked the country. But Starmer's job is to offer a compelling alternative - and instead keeps reneging on his promises. The latest one shows how unprincipled he is - and why his ratings are plummeting.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Diane Abbott's letter was wrong - and I explain why. It should be understood as coming from a place of hurt, not bigotry - and the complete hypocrisy of her treatment should be seen for what it is.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There can be no doubt: Suella Braverman's rhetoric is racist, and it's putting minorities at risk. Don't listen to me: listen to Tory Baroness Sayeeda Warsi who has spoken out: this is a damning indictment of a party infested with racism from the bottom up.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Britain is in a right old mess - but economist Daniel Chandler, author of new book FREE AND EQUAL, offers a range of practical solutions that could turn it all around.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keir Starmer became Labour leader based on a pack of lies, and after promising party unity, waged a ceaseless war on the left. But given our electoral system - and the choice being a Tory or a Labour government - do we have no choice but to support the main opposition?Matt Zarb Cousin is Jeremy Corbyn's former spokesperson and recently defected to the Green Party. Here he sets out why he thinks disillusioned Labour supporters should do the same - and why nothing will change if they don't.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The junior doctors are striking to have their pay restored - after being robbed by the Tories for years - and this one was not having any of it on TV. She underlines that doctors aren't just striking for themselves - they're striking for all of us.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You'd think she'd have some shame after crashing the economy, wouldn't you? But Liz Truss has gone to US and given a totally unhinged speech to a right-wing foundation - where she blames lefties for her downfall, and completely rewrites why the West is in such a mess: free market capitalism.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor Mariana Mazzucato is one of the world's most exciting economic thinkers, and her new book - THE BIG CON - exposes how consultancy firms are eating up billions upon billions of pounds. You won't think of our economic system the same way again.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oh dear oh dear: as Tory MP Scott Benton is embroiled in scandal - after being caught out by a newspaper sting - there is a much wider issue to look at: how our so-called democracy is in total crisis.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You probably didn't think Suella Braverman could shock you - but look at the absolute state of this.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is absolutely disgusting. Labour's new attack ad shows that both political parties are going to drag our democracy into the sewer - and underline that our politicians don't have any real answers to the crises affecting the country.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In new incredible data, the British public give a resounding thumbs down to Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer - and here's why it has a lot to do with Nigel Lawson, the Tory Chancellor who died this week. Trust me - it makes sense!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This attempt by the Tories to rig elections in their favour is an outrage: so why is it being so widely ignored?Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

She can't get away with this: Suella Braverman's latest hatred taken apart.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oh dear, oh dear. Not looking good, is it Rishi?Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Macron has pushed the French people to the brink - and now an uprising has shaken the very foundations of the country. What's the situation on the ground - and what happens next? We're joined live from France by journalist Cole Stangler.Plus: with Jeremy Corbyn being kicked out of Labour by Keir Starmer, what happens to both him and the Labour left? We're joined by Jess Barnard, member of Labour's National Executive Committee.Plus: we'll be joined by historian Rory Scothorne and journalist Steph Paton discuss the election of Scotland's new First Minister.Help us keep the show on the road here: https://www.patreon.com/owenjones84Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeremy Corbyn hasn't been Labour leader for 3 years, and journalists are still screaming at him outside his house. Where do you see the powerful subjected to this relentless treatment? But on the day he is purged from the party he's been a member of his entire life, there is a wider lesson - this is about making an example, and purging anyone who believes in redistributing wealth from those at the top.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeremy Corbyn faces the boot from a party he's been a member of almost as long as Keir Starmer has been alive. Park whatever you think about Corbyn: after the 2019 election defeat, Starmer was singing his praises because he wanted to win Labour members' votes. This is part and parcel of a leadership defined by deceit and duplicitousness - and anyone who cares about honesty and democracy should object.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oh boy, does Matt Hancock have a humiliation kink or something? Along with some of his Tory colleagues, he"s been stung by Led By Donkeys, who posed as a South Korean firm offering to purchase his services: and this man does not come cheap! But rather than just bash Hancock, as fun as that is, this latest episode is indicative of a political system which is totally broken.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So the French are not taking this lying down: the country is convulsed by mass protests after right-wing President Macron tried to drive up their pension age. Meanwhile our pension age has been hiked much higher, and our state pensions are much lower - but not a peep. Why aren't we kicking off, too? The truth is we do have a courageous history of fighting back - and if we want to avoid being screwed over, then maybe we should reclaim it.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sunak really is a cheeky so and so: after months of promising to release his tax return, he finally did it when Boris Johnson was having his public meltdown, hoping noone would notice. It reveals an absurdly rich man paying a stupidly low percentage of tax - and personally benefiting from a tax cut he voted for. This just sums up how broken and ridiculous our tax system is.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is excruciating beyond belief. Boris Johnson - the guy who repeatedly broke the lockdown rules he was in charge of imposing - today testified to MPs that, yes, he misled Parliament, but he didn't do so recklessly or deliberately. What a complete joke: his entire defence rests on him being irredeemably thick. There is a darker truth: not only is Johnson defined by his own crass selfishness, his trenchant belief that rules are for the little guy, not for him - but in so many ways his behaviour sums up our rotten Establishment.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's 20 years since the invasion of Iraq opened the gates of hell - and the former UN Weapons Inspector Hans Blix has sensationally said Blair and Bush should be put on trial for war crimes in principle. Here's why this matters - and why trying to airbrush the calamity of Iraq will lead us to even more horror.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The right-wing media in this country has successfully long peddled a lie: that the BBC is somehow left-wing. Nothing could be further from the truth. The BBC has long promoted pro-Establishment coverage - but in the last few years, it's been Torified. Leaked emails and WhatsApps show how the Tories successfully pressured the BBC to do its bidding. In doing so, it may well be that the BBC has dug its own grave.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if we told you socialism does exist - but only for rich people? The acclaimed Pulitzer Prize-winning author Matthew Desmond has a new book - Poverty, by America - and it answers big questions. Why do we spend lots on dealing with poverty, but without solving it? How has poverty become a profitable industry? Why is it so expensive to be poor? And can we really abolish poverty?Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mehdi Hasan is second to none when it comes to debating, and so his new book - Win Every Argument - is a must read. Here, he talks to me about why the left can be so bad at convincing people of its arguments; he tears Tory racism to pieces; points out the outrageous hypocrisy of the BBC over Gary Lineker - and warns that US democracy may yet succumb to fascism.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You've heard this claim peddled by conservatives time and time again - that the Nazis weren't really right-wing, but were actual socialists. The latest example appears in the Daily Mail, and it is a ridiculous nonsense. As I show, the Nazis were driven by a burning hatred of what socialism is commonly understood to mean. They were helped to power by right-wing parties and big business, and their policies were right-wing ideas taken to extreme conclusions. This pernicious myth needs to be taken to pieces once and for all.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You're going to hear a lot of nonsense about the Tories' latest Budget - so here is the truth. Brilliant economist James Meadway clearly explains why this Budget offers bungs to the rich, leaves Britain with stagnating growth and falling wages, and explains why further crisis looms on the horizon. Everything you need to know in less than 14 minutes!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The BBC's attempt to silence Gary Lineker - undoubtedly under pressure from the government - has ended in a humiliating climbdown. Lineker will return to air, without having to offer a retraction or an apology for damning Tory rhetoric towards refugees. But what does this say about the political nature of the BBC - as well as how we confront the vicious war against some of the most vulnerable people on the planet?Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The BBC doesn't have a leg to stand on. As the Corporation reels from the consequences of its decision to suspend Gary Lineker for speaking out about the Tory attacks on refugees, more and more evidence has come to the fore: what they did wasn't about impartiality, but about policing and suppressing progressive opinions. This is part and parcel of a sinister political project - to make Britain a hostile political environment for anyone who doesn't have raging right wing opinions.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The BBC's decision to suspend Gary Lineker for exercising his free speech has plunged the Corporation into crisis. Fellow pundits, commentators and sports staff have refused to work, collapsing its sports coverage. But this whole episode is so, so important - it exposes the right-wing bias of the BBC, and the absurd lie that it was ever left-wing.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.