On cash welfarism and state investment. Plus regionalism in Belgium & the UK.
Anton Jäger is back on the pod to discuss the emerging 'transfer state'. We examine Biden's massive trillion-dollar spending plans and ask if this means we're leaving neoliberalism. What are the limitations to the 'cashification of welfare'? Also comparisons with cash transfers or lack thereof in the UK, Brazil and Belgium.
Plus Anton talks us through recent Belgian history and why its immobilism a...
2021-04-20 06:01:00 +0000 UTC
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On Covid state failure + responses to listeners.
We start off by discussing listener points and criticisms – e.g. is PMC a useful category? Is a counterculture a terrible idea? Were we wrong on Deleuze? More on the lockdown debate... – before featuring the second part of our discussion with Lee Jones on the coronavirus and state failure (from 45:30)
We look in depth at what went wrong in Western state responses to the pandemic, why they didn't follow their own plans, and ...
2021-04-13 06:00:03 +0000 UTC
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On the uprising in Myanmar, plus Covid state failure.
Southeast Asia scholar (and Bunga recidivist) Lee Jones joins us to talk about the coup in Myanmar (and why the word “coup” can be misleading), and explains the nature of the forces opposing the military, in the context of the country’s recent transition to civilian rule.
Then, from 40mins, we discuss how the UK failed in dealing with the pandemic, and how this applies across the West. Lee's recent work looks at the neoli...
2021-04-06 06:01:00 +0000 UTC
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On memes and the counter-culture.
Theorist and curator Mike Watson advances the argument for "acid leftism". What is this, and why do we need a new counter-culture? Is contemporary leftism lacking a utopian imaginary?
Plus: slow memes and fast memes; the democratisation of art and media; and generations: which ones became conservative, which one might not?
Running order:
- (00:04:15) - Interview with Mike Watson
- (01:02:00) - 'Afterparty' discussion on what...
2021-03-30 06:00:03 +0000 UTC
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In this latest Three Articles, we examine the rise of 'techno-populism', look at the EU's vaccine debacle, and question whether cinema - and popular culture in general - is being desexualised and pornified at the same time.
Readings:
As we're starting a new cycle of Reading Clubs, we've decided to give livestreaming them a go, so that you guys can follow along live and make points/ask questions as we go.
On Thursday 1 April we'll be discussing Perry Anderson's essay, The European Coup (attached as pdf 2021-03-19 18:53:41 +0000 UTC
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On the socialist case for Scottish independence.
David Jamieson and Cat Boyd, writers and hosts of Conter, the Scottish anti-capitalist website and podcast, join us to to talk about the prospects for Scottish independence in advance of the Scottish parliamentary elections in May. Would an independent Scotland within the EU be a contradiction in term? How would an independent Scotland fare - and what would it mean for the "national question" across Europe? And what's up with the factiona...
2021-03-16 07:00:02 +0000 UTC
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On gay liberation and sexual politics.
After big advances over the past decades, we can now ask, did the gays win? And if so, so what? Mark Simpson in the UK and River Page in Florida join us to discuss whether something was lost in that victory.
We ponder whether gay politics was the original identity politics and what happens when a narrow focus on equality triumphs over liberation. Do sexual liberation politics have any future? Plus: how Blairism was the biggest drag act of all...
2021-03-09 07:00:02 +0000 UTC
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How to address the political problems of leftwing parties today?
Liverpudlian historian David Swift argues that the problem is hobbyism - people for whom politics constitutes their identity rather than expressing their interest in social and political change. He joins us to take us through his arguments about hobbyism, and how he thinks the Left might change for the better.
Readings:
George responds to the discussion in February's Reading Club with some further thoughts on Deleuze's notion of "societies of control"
Subject to ever-greater technological tracking and surveillance while we pass through the city (at least prior to Coronavirus) frictionlessly with our smartphones, the idea of a society of constant control and monitoring seems to correspond to our exp...
2021-03-01 16:07:50 +0000 UTC
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We respond to your questions and comments from the past two months. Plus a continuation of our chat with Catherine Liu (from 55mins onwards) - on PMC unions, PMC child-rearing and the culture industry.
Readings:
2021-02-23 07:01:00 +0000 UTC
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On the Professional-Managerial Class.
Catherine Liu joins us to talk about the worst class in history (the PMC), and how and why they hoard all forms of secularised value. We discuss the development of the PMC as a class, figure out when it stopped being "heroic", and debate who the PMC'S leader might be.
We conclude by asking whether the Left needs the PMC (or vice versa?).
The discussion will continue next week – focusing on recent unionising in professional work...
2021-02-16 07:01:00 +0000 UTC
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Hi everyone, we've now defined our Reading Club list for the rest of 2021, so you get can planning and reading. The recordings happen at the end of each month, specific dates TBC.
It's a good mix of politics, society and culture, and all of the works are accessible. Plus the majority are essays or book chapters, so the reading isn't too onerous. There are only three full books (**) and none of the readings exceeds 200pp in one month, with most being around 20 pages.
Happy readi...
2021-02-09 19:03:10 +0000 UTC
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Reminder that our next Reading Club will be recorded on 25 Feb, on Deleuze's (rather short!) "Postscript on the Societies of Control". The downloadable pdf can be found here https://www.patreon.com/posts/41524278
We'll also be announcing the reading list for the rest of 2021 shortly, so keep an eye out for that.
UPDATE:
This is a reminder to send in any questions and points you may have. It'...
2021-02-09 11:41:28 +0000 UTC
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On American breakdown.
Editor of Damage Magazine, Benjamin Fong, joins us to talk about the lack of shared narratives in contemporary America. We discuss QAnon and conspiracy theories, Biden's authoritarian liberalism, and "pro-worker" conservatives.
We also interrogate the use of psychological analyses of politics and reaffirm the value of psychoanalysis, in a preview of a more detailed forthcoming discussion on our 2021-02-02 08:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Our next Reading Club is being recorded this Friday (8pm GMT), on Richard Tuck's The Left Case for Brexit. Please do send us your questions/comments/points about the book.
If you haven't had a chance to read it, many of the essays in the book were published separately. If you want to read some/several of thes...
2021-01-27 17:46:25 +0000 UTC
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On Uber, class war among the rich, and its political consequences
Articles:
If liberal democracy has been dethroned, what next?
Francis Fukuyama famously declared the "end of history" in 1989. Has he been misunderstood? Should we understand the declaration in a geopolitical sense - liberal democracy triumphant - or in a more philosophical sense? We discuss what capital-H History means and what Fukuyama's career trajectory can tell us about our times. Is it capitalism realism or the end of history?
2021-01-19 08:01:01 +0000 UTC
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On the Biden administration and Trumpist reaction.
We discuss the riot at the US Capitol and why it was not a (failed) coup attempt. How serious was the event, and what next for Trumpist reaction - will it lead to a split in the Republican Party?
Our guests - journalist Amber Frost and political science academic Daniel Bessner - help us preview what the Biden administration has in store for the US. With Democratic control of both houses, it should be able to pass legislation - but...
2021-01-12 08:01:04 +0000 UTC
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On the 'war communism' solution
As we enter the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic and its attendant turmoil, suffering and lockdown, inevitably the search for systemic causes and systemic responses grows more intense. Swedish ecologist and social theorist Andreas Malm joins us to discuss one possible response - a crisis communism modelled on the War Communism of early Soviet rule, as discussed in his new book ‘Corona, Climate Chronic Emergency: War Communism in the Twenty Firs...
2021-01-05 08:01:01 +0000 UTC
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On freedom, authority and responsibility.
Theorist Todd McGowan joins us to talk about the End of History, what Hegel can teach us about emancipation, and why Slavoj Zizek’s reinterpretation of Hegel is so important. If contradiction is the basis of modern politics, what is its link to freedom? And what is the connection between freedom and authority? Are stable sources of authority even possible in modernity? We also put some listener questions to Todd, as we learn that the Right, ju...
2020-12-21 15:47:44 +0000 UTC
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Our "December" Reading Club is on Wolfgang Streeck's latest book, Critical Encounters. The episode will actually be recorded on 14 January, so plenty of time to read and get your questions in by then. Plus, as the book is a compilation of book reviews, it's a breezy read (and if you're pressed for time, you can pick and choose). We'll try to elaborate on some of the themes we di...
2020-12-18 13:53:32 +0000 UTC
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We round off the year by previewing The End of the End of History and responding to your questions and criticisms, including Strasserism or left-conservatism, revolutionary memories, more on Covid and lockdowns, and other bits.
2020-12-15 08:00:02 +0000 UTC
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On Toussaint L'Ouverture.
CLR James’s electrifying 1938 history of the 1791-1804 Haitian Revolution, The Black Jacobins, has long been a staple of many radicals’ libraries. But we now know a lot more about the life of the Haitian revolutionary leader Toussaint L’Ouverture. How does this new knowledge impact our understanding of the Haitian Revolution, and on revolution in general? Sudhir Hazeeresingh, the author of a gripping new biography based on new archival research, ...
2020-12-08 08:00:02 +0000 UTC
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On censorship, platform capitalism and the Left.
We talk to Douglas Lain of Zer0 Books about YouTube taking down their video as a result of the algorithm flagging its content – and what this means for free speech.
Then, this month's Three Articles on war, conspiracy theory, and Covid (patrons only - sign up at patreon.com/bungacast)
Links for part 1:
Game writer & designer Jonas Kyratzes joins us to talk about the art of games, the culture of gaming, the gamification of society, and the identity politics of gamer culture. How far has Jonas’ own philosophy influenced his writing for games, such as “The Talos Principle”?
We also talk politics in Greece, focusing on Syriza's failure. Plus, could Bunga co-host Philip Cunliffe’s book ‘Lenin Lives!’ ever be made into a game?
Readings:
On “culture”.
We discuss who produces culture and who consumes it – and what those inequalities reveal about culture today. Also, we ask what’s the ploblem with culture anyway and end up defending “low culture” from Red Hot Chili Peppers to food guys.
Reading:
Culture is Bad for You, Orian Brook, Dave O'Brien and Mark Taylor, Manchester UP
2020-11-17 07:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Reminder that the next Reading Club will be on Christopher Lasch's The Culture of Narcissism. It will be recorded on 3 December, so please get your questions and points in by then. This is a book whose arguments will be familiar to many, even if you haven't read it yourself, so there'll be plenty to discuss. If you find you won't have time to read it before the recording, check out our episode 2020-11-16 21:49:42 +0000 UTC
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On Germany, the hegemon of Europe.
We are joined by leading German public intellectual Wolfgang Streeck to discuss the role of Germany at the end of the End of History. How is it and the EU faring under the assault of Covid-19? We cover Germany’s economic miracles - postwar and post-2008 -, Merkel’s tactical brilliance and strategic ignorance, and how France retains more of a sense of history.
Also: why democracy sometimes needs an AK47.
Readings:
