Novara Media Podcasts

Andy Burnham has won the Makerfield byelection by a landslide, and Keir Starmer is weighing up his future as Prime Minister. With Michael Walker & Aaron Bastani.

Voters go to the polls in Makerfield for a byelection that could lead to Andy Burnham becoming the Prime Minister. Plus: Donald Trump signs a peace deal with Iran. With NoJusticeMTG & Steven Methven.

Starmer “intends to fight” any potential leadership challenge, could he bribe his way out of it instead? Plus: A holidaying English couple are startled by live-fire from a Russian warship off the coast of the Isle of Wight. The French want to build their own AI and we speak to a Tech CEO who built […]

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has called on Keir Starmer to resign after the Makerfield by-election, with Andy Burnham ahead in the polls for the seat. Plus: Trump claims the US-Iran peace deal will leave the Strait of Hormuz open and “toll-free”, and FIFA tells Iranian monarchists to hide their colours at the World Cup. With […]

* We’ll be at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July! Final tickets: https://crossedwires.live * Moya has a big theory about why wealthy elites seem to have stopped caring about culture, which leads to wondering if addiction and dependency are the best framework for understanding modern society. Plus: when you’re body-shamed by a much […]

The court of appeal has ruled that the Home Secretary’s decision to ban Palestine Action as a terrorist group was lawful. We speak to Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori about what’s next for the organisation. Plus: A school-girl suggests an innovative source of entertainment after Starmer announces new social-media restrictions. And finally, Iran confirms that […]

The war on terror ended in 2021 with a catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan, but the consequences of that conflict continue to play out both overseas and at home. Aaron Bastani sat down with investigative journalist Matt Kennard, founder of Declassified UK, to talk about the status of the American empire, Trump’s war-hungry administration, and how […]

The so-called ceasefire in Gaza has not ended the genocide. The bombing runs may be quieter, but the bulldozers roar on. Israel is tearing up homes, orchards, schools and hospitals, then flattening the rubble to erase the memory that Palestinian life was ever there. To understand this architecture of death, Richard Hames spoke to Eyal […]

Elon Musk has become the world’s first trillionaire, what does it mean for the rest of us? We bring you the latest updates from the Palestine Action sentencing hearing as it happened. Plus: A GB News presenter refuses to believe her own eyes.  With Michael Walker, Banseka Kayembe & Mathew Scherer.

Ignited by a knife attack in Belfast on Monday, racist violence continued in Northern Ireland while spreading to Glasgow, as minorities of many denominations were forced to flee for their lives. Plus: Defense Secretary John Healy falls on his sword, or lack thereof, citing insufficient defence spending. The Southampton rioters are read the riot act […]

Anti-immigrant violence erupts in Belfast following a horrific knife attack. Plus: The US launches multiple strikes on Iran in response to the downing of an Apache helicopter, and we speak to the mother of a Palestine Action activist, who was herself held in solitary confinement for five days. With Steven Methven, Aaron Bastani, Amanda Ferguson […]

A horrific knife attack in Belfast threatens to trigger unrest in the city. Plus: The latest on the upcoming Makerfield byelection, a top referee has been denied entry to the US ahead of the World Cup, and a viral Jennifer Lopez clip sparks debate on who gets to be a New Yorker. With Aaron Bastani […]

* Come to see us at Crossed Wires in Sheffield on 4th July! https://crossedwires.live * Moya tunes into the background hum of money worries. Does our upbringing predict our attitude to finances? And does more money always equal more freedom? Plus: when to let go of a long-term romantic hangup. Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com […]

Iran & Israel exchange missile fire for the first time since April, in direct contravention of Trump’s orders. Plus: JD Vance has waded into the debate around Henry Nowak’s death, and following his ban from the UK, Hasan Piker goes head-to-head with Lewis Goodall on LBC. With Steven Methven, Ash Sarkar & Richard Sanders.

It has been a year since Aaron Bastani first met with AI investigative journalist Karen Hao, to discuss her book Empire of AI.  A year is a long time, in the fastest growing sector on the planet. To bring us up to date, Aaron and Karen sat down again to discuss the major shifts in […]

The ACFM crew gather for a close reading of Walter Benjamin’s foundational contribution to 20th century cultural and media theory. Download the short text and follow along as Nadia, Keir and Jem consider The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, published in 1935. Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters Help us […]

We are all subject to manipulation campaigns all the time: advertising, political campaigning, social media. You don’t know what’s true and you can’t stop watching slop. And the technology is getting better all the time – there are now systems that predict what your brain state will be when you see a particular video on […]

Four Palestine Action activists could be sentenced as terrorists under legislation being used for the first time. We speak to the author of a new report who’s fighting back.   Plus: Zelenski attempts to call out Putin for a face to face meeting on neutral ground.   Finally, the Question Time Makerfield special has a […]

1 fatality & 63 injuries are recorded in an Iranian attack on America’s staunch ally Kuwait.    Plus: Reform continue to stoke the two-tier policing debate, inspired by the tragic death of Henry Novak.   How enforceable is the NHS’s new ban on political symbols in the workplace?   And Finally, the Global Justice Report […]

Details of Henry Nowak’s fatal mistreatment by police are seized on by far-right agitators, culminating in violent unrest in Southampton. Plus: Peter Thiel’s latest attempts to construct a parallel justice system and what you can do to fight back. If Thornberry’s comments on Gaza weren’t enough to send your eyeballs rolling into the back of […]

Henry Nowak lay bleeding in Police custody after they callously cuffed him, ignoring his pleading dying breath. As the British political establishment lines up to apportion blame along predictable lines, we take you through the facts. Plus: While Trump & Netenyahu bring out the handbags, Israel pledges to take over even more territory in Gaza. […]

* Come to see us at Crossed Wires in Sheffield on 4th July! https://crossedwires.live * Ash talks to Moya about falling birth rates and the ‘crisis of association’ that’s stopping people from connecting with each other. It’s a big theory that touches on trust issues, getting offline and the coming backlash. Plus: a dilemma about […]

A tranche of declassified files throw light on Mandelson’s time as US ambassador, revealing his true opinions on the “beleaguered & bereft” Prime Minister. Plus: Maitlis & Goodall clash over Tony Blair’s assertions over the inevitability of an AI revolution. Finally, after being banned by the UK government from attending SXSW Festival in London, we […]

The far right holds power in the US, inflaming tension along racial lines. ICE agents terrorise the streets, while Black history is erased from school curricula. In the UK too, Nigel Farage’s far right party Reform is on the ascendancy, riding a tide of anti-immigrant sentiment that he himself helped to stoke. Our guest on […]

AI progress isn’t slowing down. The bubble doesn’t seem to be popping. And who in power actually cares about the environmental impacts anyway? All that is to say: AI is here to stay. And what will be its fruits? Greater control of workers or even their brutal repression, some say. So, is there a positive […]