Boondoggle

In this episode, recorded on the evening of the 8th October when there were still three candidates in the Tory leadership race and everyone expected James Cleverly to make the final two, Jim and Chris discuss the degree to which the British political system may be showing signs of realigning. With Reform functioning as an apparently irresistible magnet dragging the Tories ever further to the right...

Chris talks to Jim about his recent relocation to Birmingham to start an MA in Global Conflict and Cooperation, and his fifteen-and-a-half day journey from Oxford to Birmingham by narrowboat. What does taking so long to travel such a small distance do to your conception of time? How do you steer the thing anyway? And will Chris ever learn how to pronounce the name of the city properly? Follow us o...

Jim and Chris discuss themes arising from the recent Democratic Convention in Chicago - how, beyond the schmaltz, nothing much changes; how the centrist project leads to the triumph of the right; and how we are living in a decadent democratic culture. Also, Chris sings a number made familiar (but not written) by Woody Guthrie, The Hobo's Lullaby. Follow us on Bluesky and Substack  

With Chris back from his secret mission for the mysterious figure known only as 'Toolmaker', and in an episode recorded in the hours before Kamala Harris gave her speech, Jim and Chris briefly discuss the strange experience of watching a Democratic convention full of hope and energy at the same time as US-funded atrocities continue in Gaza. They then move on to assess the performance of...

Following the restructuring of our corporate sponsor, Crab Tut Beer (the best beer you've ever seen), Boondoggle is amending its offer by incorporating various modalities of speech-based content into a new magazine-style format designed to appeal across various demographics that engage with the podcast space. That's what the brief said, anyway, but who reads that crap? Forced to present...

Chris and Jim begin by discussing recent developments in the Middle East, with tensions running high and fears of escalation after Israel reserves the right to respond to Iran's launching of drones and missiles at Israel (itself a retaliation for Israel's attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus).  The bulk of the episode consists of a discussion of the notion of fragility, introduced...

Political discussion with Jim Driscoll and Chris Floyd. In this episode, Jim begins by asking Chris about his experiences growing up in rural Tennessee during the Civil Rights era. They then use these experiences to explore the relationship between cultural anxiety and economic stability, and to begin to develop a notion of 'fragility', a feature that societies can have that renders them...

Chris and Jim discuss the several concerning developments in Gaza over the Easter weekend and ask why it is that the West sees fit to continue arming Israel even as its actions are condemned in ever stronger terms. Follow us on Bluesky and Substack  

After catching up on some of the recent developments with respect to Gaza, Jim and Chris discuss possible ways in which those on the left can deal with the political situation as it confronts us. The focus in this episode is mainly on the UK, with discussion of a campaign for a hung parliament and the idea of a progressive alliance, before getting on to the topic of the importance of a new politic...

Jim and Chris discuss parallels between the current moment and the post-9/11 situation, and what the Iraq War can teach us about now. Follow us on Bluesky and Substack  

In this episode, Chris and Jim discuss the increasing extremism of the political establishments of the US and the UK in relation to the continuing horrors in Gaza. They talk about the Uncommitted movement in Michigan and the degree to which it might have influenced Biden's 'ice-cream' ceasefire announcement; the continuing fallout of the chaotic ceasefire vote in the UK, most recent...

In this epsode, Chris and Jim discuss the absurd weakness of the Labour Party in the UK in the face of criticism, before moving on to the way in which democracy has been hollowed out by the adoption by the political class of a narrow consensus which seems to move ever rightwards . Chris introduces his idea that we are living in the 'Age of the Unsayable' as a way of explaining how this h...

What is artificial intelligence? Is it going to take over the world, or is it just coming for our jobs? Chris and Jim discuss the political issues raised by AI and how they relate to the crisis of Western democracy. Follow us on Bluesky and Substack  

Chris and Jim discuss the situation at the Texas border and the UK government's  Rwanda scheme, and what the dire state of the immigration debate in the two countries says about the crisis of democracy. Follow us on Bluesky and Substack  

Political discussion with Chris Floyd and Jim Driscoll. This series of Boondoggle will be providing commentary on the run-up to the 2024 US and UK elections. In this first episode, we provide a broad prospectus of how we see the political scene in both countries at the current time. 0.00-3.15 introduction 3.15-6.25 the situation in Gaza 6.25-52.25  the US 52.25-1.17.50 the UK 1.17.50-1.18.05 outro...

Jim and Chris talk about Chris's time in Moscow in the mid-90s working as a journalist for the Moscow Times and his experiences of the new post-Soviet society. They then look at the similarities and differences between the situation in the USSR in the mid- to late-80s and the situation in the US today. This discussion is prompted partly by the rash of articles discussing Barbara Walter's...

In this episode, Jim and Chris discuss the recent hearing in the Supreme Court on the Mississippi abortion case, and what it might mean for the future of abortion provision and more in the United States. The article by David Gans mentioned by Chris is here - https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/10/mississippi-abortion-birth-control-lgbtq-scotus.html You might also find the following interestin...

In this first episode of the new series of Boondoggle, Jim Driscoll and Chris Floyd discuss the recent verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, what it says about American politics in this moment, and how we got into this mess. The discussion proceeds from consideration of Patrick Blanchard's article on Gawker, 'Kyle Rittenhouse is an American' (available at https://www.gawker.com/new...

In this episode, recorded on 17th February 2021, Sasha Abramsky (The Nation), Chris Floyd (Counterpunch), and Jim Driscoll discuss the difficulties of democratic discourse in America given that one party has gone off the authoritarian deep-end, and possible ways in which the Democrats might seek to get politics back on an even keel. Follow us on Bluesky and Substack  

In this episode, recorded on 30th January, Chris Floyd (Counterpunch) and Jim Driscoll discuss the first ten days of the Biden administration and the future of the Republican Party as it binds itself ever tighter to Trumpist Q-Anon lunacy. Follow us on Bluesky and Substack  

What does the future hold for Trump, the Republican Party, and the American Republic? With Sasha Abramsky (The Nation), Chris Floyd (CounterPunch) and Jim Driscoll. Read Sasha's most recent article for The Nation is here . The article by Timothy Snyder from which we derive the terminology of 'breakers' and 'gamers' that structures much of our discussion is here . Follow us...

In this episode, recorded 24 hours after the events of Wednesday 6th January, Sasha Abramsky (The Nation), Chris Floyd (Counterpunch) and Jim Driscoll discuss what should happen next, the prospects for Trumpism and the Republican Party going forward, and their thoughts on the way forward for the incoming administration. Follow us on Bluesky and Substack  

In this episode, with Trump's legal challenges grinding on under the tender care of court jester Rudy Gulliani (see this helpful video for a good discussion of their slender prospects), Chris, Sasha, and Jim discuss what the future might hold for Trump, Trumpism, and the GOP, with reference to Sasha's latest article in the Nation ( here ). They also discuss the prospects for the senate r...

In this episode, Chris, Jim, and Sasha discuss the post-election situation, unprecedented in modern times, with Trump and increasing numbers of Republican officials refusing to accept the results of the election and crying fraud. Is this a mark of desperation or a serious escalation of anti-democratic strategising? Or perhaps both? All three of us are more pessimistic than a lot of the media seem...

In this episode, recorded on Tuesday 27th October, Chris, jim, and Sasha discuss the recent confirmation to the US Supreme Court of Amy Coney Barrett and its implications for the election. In the second half of the episode, Chris and Jim talk about their hopes and fears for a possible Biden administration. Earlier in the day, Sasha discussed many of the same topics on act.tv - you can watch that i...