The Owen Jones Podcast

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.

After Gary Lineker's attack on the Tories' despicable war on migrants and refugees, the British Right are demanding the BBC fire him. What a bunch of raging hypocrites. The same crew who constantly bleat about 'cancel culture' and the 'woke mob' attack on free speech, who said nothing when an actual flagship BBC political journalist - Andrew Neil - promoted right-wing ideas. This whole episode tells us so much about modern British society - and it is very, very ugly.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This sums up so much horribly wrong with British society.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Matt Hancock leaked WhatsApps saga gets grubbier and grubbier. Now we discover he discussed threatening to pull disability funding in an MP's constituency if he didn't back lockdown rules. You don't have to sympathise with the Tory rebel's cause to be repulsed. But is there anything unique about this gruesome behaviour? This actually lifts a lid on how our grubby system of government works - and as I show, it goes back many many years.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just when you think Boris Johnson can't shock you anymore with his general moral depravity, here's there to surprise you! The disgraced former prime minister has nominated his own father for a knighthood: yes, the Stanley Johnson who stands accused of sexual assault and domestic violence. This sums up not just the moral corruption of Johnson - but how rotten our entire honours and peerage system is - and indeed our entire Establishment.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a truly disturbing episode: Labour MP Apsana Begum was elected in 2019, the first hijab-wearing MP. But she has spoken out about her experience of domestic abuse, and has said that this abuse has been weaponised against her in an attempt to remove her as an MP. Labour stands accused of a terrible failure in their duty of care - while Begum is being hounded.On International Women's Day, we speak to Begum about the horrendous ordeal she is continuing to suffer.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's all kicking off: Matt Hancock's incredibly stupid decision to give Isabel Oakeshott tens of thousands of WhatsApp messages has led to them being splashed all over the Telegraph. But what's this really about? Here is a right-wing newspaper trying to rewrite history about what really happened in the pandemic - and it must be resisted.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On his big visit to Britain, I met Bernie Sanders and we had a lot to chat about: capitalism, about working class struggle, personal freedom, the 4 day week, how we can all do our bit to change the world - and what he thinks about the UK Labour party's direction.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Has Rishi Sunak managed what some believed to be impossible: won meaningful concessions from the EU over the Northern Ireland protocol? What does the deal mean - and is it workable? And where now for Brexit?We're joined by former diplomat and Brexit expert Dmitry Grozoubinski, and Colin Murray, Professor of Law and Democracy.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seriously, what on earth is Matt Hancock on, handing his WhatsApp history to Isabel Oakeshott, a right-wing journalist whose previous source ended up in prison for perverting the course of justice? Both Oakeshott and Hancock come out really badly - but what does this all tell us about the catastrophic handling of the pandemic, and how the British Establishment works?Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rishi Sunak's 'Windsor Framework' agreement with the EU has been promoted with great fanfare. Finally - or some senior Tory figureheads boast - Brexit has been done. But here's the thing: Sunak has unintentionally publicly declared that his Tory Brexit has been a disaster. And he's absolutely right.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your hangover could soon be a thing of the past. Want to socialise with your friends, elevate your mood without damaging your health, packing on calories and feeling worse for wear the next day? Prof. David Nutt is one of the world's leading specialists on all things related to drugs, and he's developing a substance which could replace alcohol. He talks to me about why we get hungover, why alcohol is such a killer - and his extremely exciting project.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rishi Sunak has promised over and over again to publish his tax return. He promised to do it last summer, he then promised to release it by Christmas, he then promised at the start of February to do it soon. So where the hell is it? What's he got to hide? And what does this say about a prime minister sinking without a trace?Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shamima Begum should be tried in her own country for her alleged crimes: why? Because she's British. That she was groomed, trafficked and then placed in a forced marriage has been erased, because it means dealing with an unavoidable fact: she was radicalised here, and she is our problem. Instead the government has announced that millions of Britons have citizenship which is conditional - because someone like myself would not have citizenship revoked if we committed a serious crime. This is a truly horrendous precedent.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. Kate Forbes was the anointed successor to Nicola Sturgeon as Scotland's First Minister - by much of the media, anyway - but her campaign immediately went into meltdown when she revealed she'd have voted against equal marriage. How can a social conservative possibly be leader of an ostensibly progressive party - and how can someone who opposes civil rights for same-sex couples lead one of our nations?Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you're not keen on things like poverty and bigotry, this has not been a great few years, let's be honest. You're probably feeling resigning to things being generally grim. So cheer up! This research shows the British public is becoming more left-wing - and that boosts those of us who think transformative policies and an inspiring vision is what the country needs.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keir Starmer's speech this week had a very clear message: if you believe in things like the rich paying a fair share of tax, that utilities such as energy should be publicly owned, or young people should be punished with student debt, then you're not welcome in the Labour party.A lot of the focus has been on Jeremy Corbyn - and that issue does underline Starmer's lack of integrity. But his dishonesty is much more far reaching - and it represents an attack on democracy itself.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This lifelong Tory has spoken the truth. Iain Anderson is a Tory donor who has been a party member for nearly 4 decades. He's friends with Liz Truss and Michael Gove. Now he's left the party - and in doing so, he's told a key truth, in fact one of the biggest truths of British politics - without which you can't understand it.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a national catastrophe we can no longer ignore. We've just had a whole load of new evidence about just how disastrous the Brexit deal negotiated by Boris Johnson really is. But there's a conspiracy of silence over it - from the Tories to Labour, in newspapers, the BBC. That has to change. So how do we talk about fixing this disaster without a new culture war?Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Throughout history, bigots have used terrible crimes committed by individuals to justify targeting entire minorities. When I pointed this out, anti-trans activists have, for the billionth time, demanded that I'm fired. But, as I show, it's the truth - and it's also the truth that far right extremists have massively infiltrated the anti-trans movement. The truth needs to be heard.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As far-right extremists rioted in Knowsley over the presence of asylum seekers at a Merseyside hotel, it's time to ask: when can those responsible be held accountable? It's politicians and media outlets who've made this possible - and if their rhetoric continues to escalate, far uglier scenes beckon.We're joined by refugee and campaigner Kolbassia Haossou, and anti-fascist youth organiser Benny Hunter.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People on the left are often denounced as Putin's 'useful idiots'. But while the left is nowhere near power, the likes of Tony Blair played crucial roles in legitimising Putin and - long after leaving No. 10 - even advocated an alliance with him. He's been rehabilitated in the Labour party, his acolytes run Keir Starmer's operation - and yet people nowhere near power, who have never advocated an alliance with Putin, are castigated with far more vitriol. What does that tell us about power in Britain?Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oh dear: this writer has really set them off! Mic Wright wrote a detailed exposé of the British media's 'nepo babies' - that is, how so many journalists are related to other famous media types. The result was a fair bit of anger. But the British media on a national level is one of the most privileged industries in the country. It distorts and damages our democracy - and this is why it matters.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We all knew Rishi Sunak's government was a state - from scandals to Britain's disintegrating social fabric - but things are even worse than they look. By appointing Lee Anderson - a glorified troll, as I show - as Conservative vice-chair, Sunak tells us everything we need to know.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How was the first time for you? Well bad luck, because Boris Johnson is set to return as Prime Minister. Rishi Sunak is toast, and Tory MPs know it, and when the Conservatives get a kicking in the May election, they'll come to conclude they have nothing to lose. Johnson is in full campaign mode, and will claim he's the only one with a mandate to replace Sunak. Brace yourself: the Johnson era mark 2 beckons.Note: apologies - I meant the OLDEST millennials are 42!!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You're probably losing track of Tory scandals right now - understandable, there's a lot of them! - but deputy prime minister Dominic Raab is under investigation for no less than 24 complaints by civil servants alleging bullying. The allegations include being regularly reduced to tears, being physically sick before meetings - and even worse. How can Rishi Sunak not have known about this? And - more importantly - what does this tell us about a culture where this behaviour can allegedly run rampant?Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ok sure, Liz Truss crashed the economy with her unhinged right-wing policies, but who are we to hold a grudge? Apparently she's plotting a comeback with a big public intervention lauding her catastrophic policies, and supportive MPs are mobilising. But here's why Truss' arguments are bull - because history shows they are a failed experiment.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Shell makes massive profits because of war while millions struggle British Gas have been employing debt collectors to smash their way into the homes of pensioners, single mums and disabled people. It sums up our broken system - and why the calls of the likes of Bernie Sanders for a peaceful political revolution are more pressing than ever. Seriously, how much of this can you take?Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is this guy and his publicist thinking? Matt Hancock has been engaged in a massive 'please rehabilitate me tour' in an attempt to deflect from a) mass avoidable death under his watch and b) resigning in disgrace after canoodling against regulations and - as we see here - quite possibly the law. This humiliation on national television, however, offers an important lesson.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On 1st February, from teachers to train drivers to civil servants, a mass strike is taking place across the country. It's a fightback against plummeting living standards and an assault on working people - while the Tories are driving through a law to try and make strike action all but illegal.I'm joined by Henry Chango Lopez, general secretary of the Independent Workers of Great Britain, to talk through why it matters so much - and how we can all fight back.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well, this is catastrophic: the latest IMF projections have Britain suffering the worst economic growth than any major economy - and also Russia, which is involved in a massive war and hit by huge sanctions. And by worst economic growth, I mean recession. Tory excuses of 'well, everyone is suffering' have been demolished. Here is how the country has been taken to its knees.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is this guy serious? In the midst of a massive housing crisis, this landlord thinks he has the solution - why didn't anyone think of this?This came up in a new podcast by Michael Walker - Crash Course - and I discuss it with him here. Support it if you can!: https://www.patreon.com/crashcoursepodSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the Tories lurch from scandal to crisis, I'm discussing all the latest government horror stories with Michael Walker - plus, talking about his new amazing podcast about the housing crisis!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the big controversies enveloping the Tories - I know, you've probably lost count! - focuses on allegations that the man who became BBC Chair helped secure a loan for Boris Johnson. But this just underlines a much bigger problem - the cosy relationship between the Conservatives and Auntie Beeb.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well, Nadhim Zahawi had a defence - that being forced to pay a huge penalty on his tax affairs was just a careless error. Slight hiccup: the head of HMRC has said that "innocent" mistakes aren't penalised. So where does that leave us? But there is a broader point - why we should talk about social harms rather than crimes, because our justice system is rigged in favour of the rich against the poor.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I never thought Carol Vorderman would become the de facto Leader of the Opposition, but that's the timeline we're in! Watch her shred the Tories over the Nadhim Zahawi scandal - and look at how she's doing a job which should belong to others, taking on the Tories' gruesome behaviour.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why isn't this leading the news bulletins? This news story is so shocking that when you hear the details, you'll find yourself asking why: 200 child asylum seekers are missing from hotels run by the Home Office. What on earth has happened to them? How could this be allowed to happen? And how has government policy made it possible?We speak to the anti-trafficking social worker Lauren Starkey who has all of the details.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Nadhim Zahawi embroiled in a storm over his tax affairs, we talk to the tax expert Richard Murphy about the truth, including Zahawi's defence. This exposes a tax system rigged in favour of the rich - at everybody else's expense.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's fair to say I'm not a fan of any Tory MP, but good grief, this one. Lee Anderson's latest contribution is to use his researcher as social media fodder to suggest people who use food banks are simply bad at budgeting. Here's the truth - and what it says about Toryism and the state of the country.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Finally, the truth is coming out: Tory minister Nadhim Zahawi has admitted reaching a tax settlement with HM Revenue and Customs over a supposed 'error' worth million. Even more remarkably, he negotiated the settlement when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer. What on earth is going on, what's the truth - and what does it tell us about our broken tax system? Tax expert Richard Murphy joins us to explain all.As the anti-trans moral panic escalates with the showdown over Scotland's reform of the gender recognition process, we're joined by trans writer, vlogger and activist extraordinaire Katy Montgomerie.Plus: with horrific news that dozens of child asylum seekers have been abducted by gangs, we talk to anti-trafficking social worker Lauren Starkey.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.