The Owen Jones Podcast

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 dishon...

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 . Ho...

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://suppo...

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...

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 H...

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 a...

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. Sup...

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...

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...

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...

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-jo...

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...

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 htt...

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...

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:...

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/crashcoursepod Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/...

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.c...

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....

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 mo...

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 h...

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.c...

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 ex...

This country is a burning skip, and not since the aftermath of World War II has there been a more desperate need for transformative policies. But after Labour leader Keir Starmer abandoned his leadership promises, there is a massive vacuum. RMT leader Mick Lynch has shown courage and determination in fighting the Tories - and without more of that, the danger is of a Labour government which causes...