What's Left? With Jovan + Freddie

• Wokies Against Cancel Culture – Jordan Stephens, George Gilbert

  George Gilbert, the Gen-Z Farage fan recently kicked off Big Brother, joins us for a chat on cancel culture, young men and the radical right, with guest host Jordan Stephens!As you know, What’s Left aims to stick its head above the culture wars. But we can’t avoid the magnetic pull from controversial personalities that keep the digital news cycle churning. We’re just as human as you.Following our interview with the Oxford Union’s George Abaraonye, it appears we’ve found a new theme: interviewing cancelled Georges. Indeed, George Gilbert is a very different phenomenon - a young Parish councillor, recently booted off one of the UK’s biggest reality TV shows for voicing contrarian and inflammatory views, which included an allegation of antisemitism which ITV decided not to broadcast.When I asked Jordan Stephens to guest host, we agreed we wanted to make something fresh. How rare is it to see a healthy conversation of three lads with very different politics, discussing challenging topics? George had already been on the circuit of right-wing anti-woke podcasts with Dan Wootton and Andrew Gold. We wanted to show that the Left are equally as up for these chats. Yep, some ‘Wokies’ are, in fact, against culture.This is not to absolve George from the framing of his questions, but to show that civil society must explain to young people why some views and questions are considered beyond the pale. Just shutting down the conversation is clearly not working. If anything, it pushes some young people further down the rabbit hole. Jordan and I believe that openness and dialogue is key to dissolving animosity and encouraging compassion in our politics. Hopefully this conversation is a step in the right direction.Chapters00:00 Intro, Waffle + Housekeeping09:54 Greens vs. Labour20:15 George Gilbert Arrives25:50 Why George Got Kicked Off Big Brother36:00 The Right-Wing Rabbit Hole51:55 Tommy Robinson Is A Grifter58:05 Stop and Search Racism Allegations1:06:42 George’s Dating Challenges1:15:13 Post-Christian West1:22:15 How Social Media Creates Populists1:35:20 Has Brexit Destroyed the UK?1:42:13 Wealth Inequality Is Out of Control1:50:41 George’s National Identity Mission

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• Reform Can't Reverse Britain's Decline - Sam Freedman

  UK's biggest politics substacker, Sam Freedman, explains the deep rot at the heart of British politics. In this episode we address the big questions: why is Keir Starmer's Labour government failing and what would Reform do differently? After winning a swathe of councils at the last local elections, Reform have struggled with the realities of governing. Indeed, a majority of Reform councils look set to raise council tax by the maximum after winning power by promising millions in cuts to spending. Freedman argues that this is the result of the failure of state capacity, devolution and the brittle British economy which is at the mercy of foreign capital. With few levers to change the underlying fundamentals that incapacitate Britain, Freedman thinks that Reform would govern like chaotic populists - borrowing directly from Trump's MAGA playbook. It's starting to look existential for the Labour Party. If the brutal budget and Welsh and Scottish elections in May go as badly as expected, pressure will inevitably mount to change leader. But what would a new boss actually do differently? Is there really such a thing as 'not being in hock to the bond markets' without growth or a budget surplus? Or is this just 'good vibes' comms that will rub up against reality... We are staring down a bleak future, where a politics of false promises and resentment could turbocharge Britain's malaise. Progressives need to get real about our political project: what is the radical antithesis to nativist populism? We need a positive vision to unite the left and create a future worth fighting for.CHAPTERS00:00 Intro01:49 Dominic Cummings Lost The Plot12:10 Reform Are Moving Further Right20:28 Remigration vs. Integration28:17 Will Farage Copy Trump’s Playbook?49:42 Why Labour is Losing1:01:20 Disaster of Privatisation and Zero Growth1:15:30 Economic Populism vs. Bond Market1:22:04 Labour’s Budget Dilemma1:34:00 Should Labour Replace Starmer?

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• Policing Palestine Action vs Tommy Robinson - UK’s top Terrorism Lawyer, Jonathan Hall

  Jonathan Hall, the Independent Reviewer of Terror Legislation, was in the room when the UK Govt decided it would proscribe Palestine Action as a terror group, alongside the likes of Al-Qaeda and ISIS.Since then, we’ve seen anti-war activists, including pacifist priests and grandmothers (even both!) arrested for carrying placards, as the police enforce the letter of the law. A recent Guardian article revealed that the home office was advised that proscribing Palestine Action could make the organisation more popular. Over a thousand arrests later, it appears the advisors have been proved right.Simultaneously, Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom marches have taken place in the capital with far fewer arrests, despite now-viral footage of some attendees calling for racist violence (see Niko Omilana!). Moreover legal responses to the Southport Riots last year found swift convictions without one terror law invoked, despite the threshold seemingly being met.So is there really two-tier policing going on or is it all just a game of optics and perspective… and has the government’s use of terror laws undermined trust in terror law itself?National security expert Jonathan Hall addresses:Why the Home Office chose proscription of PA as a ‘terror group’ over other means2-tier policing accusations + Tommy Robinson’s ‘Unite the Kingdom’ marchesWhether Elon Musk’s call for revolution in the UK is foreign interferenceHall’s concerns about the government’s ineffective communication with the publicIranian, Chinese and Russian interference in the Culture WarsThe threat of AI, deepfakes and tech deregulationHow to protect democracy via a ‘Blitz’ resilience spiritDeep concerns re the far-right narrative against multiculturalismThe likelihood of civil war or mass civil disobediencePrisons crisis and the threat of islamist violence vs far-rightIn times of grievance politics, subversion and widespread cynicism about politics and government, how do we ensure the protection of our civil liberties? We hope this episode, discussing some of the most controversial issues of the day, helps elucidate the challenges in applying the law equally to all. Chapters00:00 Intro02:13 Palestine Action Proscription 10:47 Is this Chilling Dissent in a Democracy?19:45 Two-Tier Justice and the Far-Right25:36 Failures in Political Communication33:42 Undermining Democracy and Foreign Interference44:21 Subversion, Culture Wars and Free Speech51:42 Generative AI + Big Tech’s Deregulation Threat1:02:28 Algorithms, Revolutions and Civil Unrest1:14:11 Islamist Extremist vs Far-Right Threat

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• TechnoFascism Rising – Trump Whistleblower, Miles Taylor + More

  Miles Taylor, the Trump whistleblower, is now an enemy of the state.Latest WL? dispatch comes from McGill University's conference on big tech's threat to democracy. We’ve stitched together four interviews with leading thinkers on whether the AI bubble will burst and how to confront mass manipulation in the digital age.The first half is a deep cut with Miles Taylor, the author of the explosive NYT ‘anonymous’ op-ed, which revealed the chaos inside the first Trump administration. A vociferous critic of Trump and MAGA, Taylor is now experiencing the regime’s nefarious tactics to quell dissent.Currently under investigation by the deep state, Miles is convinced the US has slid into techno-authoritarianism. We discuss:- Dissent = treason for Trump, a crime punishable by death- Threat of Martial Law under the Insurrection Act- Stephen Miller’s “shock and awe blitz” of Executive Orders- Taylor’s fears for the safety of his family- Trump using tech & AI to silence critics- Why Taylor believes the rule of law is dead in America- Mass mobilisation = chance to save American democracy- The Real Matrix: war of pro-tech vs anti-tech humansThe second half of the episode explores the big questions around free speech, big tech accountablity, and European competition with political heavyweights:- Sasha Havlicek, CEO of Institute for Strategic Dialogue, on owning our data and how algorithms profit from polarisation- Imran Ahmed, CEO of Centre for Countering Digital Hate, explains how the free speech argument distracts from the perverse incentives of the digital attention economy.- Alexandra Geese, 🇩🇪 Green MEP, on whether Europe can compete with big tech America and find some backbone to enforce good regulation.It’s striking how age-defining these issue are and how little air time they get – it’s almost like big tech’s lobbying efforts are working…When the AI bubble inevitably pops, which politicians will stand up and say ‘I told you so’? Time’s running out.Huge thank you to Taylor Owen, John Matheson and the folks at the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy for the invite. Was also great to meet some listeners of the podcast at McGill!----------------------00:00 Intro01:20 Republicans Against Trump09:08 MAGA’s Authoritarian Plan16:55 Dissent = Treason21:50 The Rise of TechnoFascism31:07 Corruption in America39:02 How To Save Democracy44:42 The Real Matrix50:24 Sasha Havlicek on Digital Radicalisation56:12 Control Over our Data1:02:46 Imran Ahmed on Free Speech Online1:08:29 Imran’s Triggernometry Interview1:14:52 The Ragebait Economy1:23:35 Green MEP on Tech Accountability1:34:15 Can Europe Rival American Tech?1:43:25 Outro

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• The Left's Immigration Failure - Aaron Bastani

  Aaron Bastani, co-bossman ⁨@NovaraMedia⁩ just burnished our leftie credentials!!!Super gassed to share this episode with one of our absolute favourite political commentators. We filmed this on August 20th (2 months before release) so we didn't manage to get into the Your Party in-fighting / capitulation nor the rise of eco-populist Zack Polanski. Sorry about that.But we still managed to get into the weeds on immigration, identity politics and why Aaron thinks the Labour Party is failing to win over the public!!! You're welcome. In a time of insurgent politics, commentators like Bastani have taken the risk of meeting audiences where they are. While mainstream media continues to flounder, Novara has grown to new heights, breaking audience records month on month. Given the way digital is now dominating electoral politics, it's hard to see how Novara's coverage isn't shaping the weather for Leftist audiences in the UK and further afield.That said, Bastani often appears as a bug bear amongst leftist comrades, exasperated at his heterodox takes, pushed from his marxist-futurist, self-confessed socially conservative vantage point. He is not afraid to think for himself nor challenge those who disagree with him. That's why he's at the frontier of what's left.Chapters00:00 Intro02:25 Digital Political Communication10:50 Corbyn’s Labour Failures20:22 Why Labour is Losing34:30 End of 2 Party Politics43:40 Reform’s Immigration Plans54:00 Labour’s Comms Problem1:05:35 Britain’s Managed Decline1:16:08 Identity Politics and Race1:25:00 Can Leftist Politicians Capitalise1:35:45 Strategic Autonomy and US-UK RelationsCome hang @wtf_is.left

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