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a guide to the omnicrisis
with Jim Driscoll and Chris Floyd
62 Episodes
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In an episode recorded before Trump raised the stakes in LA, and before Israel kidnapped the crew of the Madleen, Jim and Chris discuss the recommendations by some Democratic strategists to play possum and not react to Trump's outrages. We explain why we think that is a terrible idea. We also discuss whether socialists in the UK should join the Green party, where leadership candidate Zack Polanski is adopting some very encouraging policies. Follow us on Bluesky and Substack
After a brief introductory foray into fashion, Jim and Chris return to the topic of artificial intelligence. What is the situation with the regulation of AI systems? How transformative is the technology going to be? Will AI save humanity or condemn us to oblivion? Follow us on Bluesky and Substack
In a busy news week (is there any other kind these days?), in this episode, recorded on Tuesday evening, Jim and Chris discuss first the terrible ongoing situation in Gaza, and the shamefully belated way in which the genocide is finally being acknowledged by political leaders. They then move on to talk about a chilling article equating protest and dissent in the UK with subversion, and the frightening repercussions that could have. Follow us on Bluesky and Substack
Where was the episode last week? Jim confesses to participating rather too enthusiastically in Oxford's May Day celebrations and him and Chris swap musical stories before getting into criticisms of Labour's approach to immigration in the UK. Follow us on Bluesky and Substack
In this episode, Jim and Chris discuss whether the Russia-Ukraine war could have been avoided, in the course of which they cover the history of NATO expansion and the wrong turn taken in relations between Russia and the West in the early years of this century. Follow us on Bluesky and Substack
Has the much anticipated constitutional crisis finally arrived? Chris puts this question into a historical context by remembering some of the egregious actions of the Bush administration, which was, let us not forget, basically installed in a judicial coup that bypassed the will of the people. Still, even against that dreadful standard, there is something extraordinary about the Trump regime, currently encouraging a confrontation with the judicial branch over the question of whether it ...
Talking just a few hours after Trump had announced a 90-day pause of tariffs, Jim and Chris discuss the purpose of his roller coaster tariff policy, which has very little to do with economic policy. Follow us on Bluesky and Substack
In this episode, Jim and Chris discuss the woeful response of Columbia University to Trump's aggressive attempt at control and crackdown on academic freedom and free speech. They discuss the letter organised by friend of the podcast and journalist for The Nation, Sasha Abramsky, recently published in the Guardian and available here. (Incidentally, the question was raised in the episode as to the level of Columbia's endowment. It is $14 billion.) Other institutions are also crumbling, with maj...
Freedom of speech is a fundamental right, but it is not unrestricted. There are things that you do not have a right to say, even when a broad free speech right is in place, as in the US. The classic example is shouting 'fire' in a crowded theatre when there is no fire. But how is this restriction to be understood in a democratic society? Jim and Chris discuss a possible answer to this, that speech that seeks to prevent others from participating in the discourse, from speaking, should not be p...
Free speech is, supposedly, a right-wing issue and yet the Trump administration is engaging in the most severe crackdown on political speech since McCarthy, and they may shortly surpass even that dismal nadir. Jim and Chris discuss freedom of speech, and how the right, even when they are nbot cracking down on it, often misunderstand what it is. They enjoyed their discussion so much that we've had to split it into two parts. In this first part, the strange story of when the Heterodox Academy c...
Chris describes watching Mississippi Burning with his son, how that brought back memories of his time as a local reporter in Mississippi in the 1980s, and how the themes of the film resonate with today. The social norms that have been in place since the 90s that have, piecemeal and to an incomplete degree, made overt expressions of racism and sexism unacceptable are in the process of being swept away for a far darker set of norms. In the second half of the episode, Chris and Jim discuss the f...
Trump and Musk and their enablers and acolytes are busy dismantling the entire American system of government. As the US hurtles towards a constitutional crisis, with the Trump administration preparing the ground to ignore the rulings of courts (which they are already doing in certain cases), what can be done to resist? Jim and Chris discuss this question. It is not surprising that they find the Democratic Party wanting in the face of this crisis. It is not only that they seem to be unable to ...
Jim and Chris welcome back Guido Haefli to hear about his time working at the Swiss Embassy in India. We hear some details of the Swiss relationship with India, before discussing the history of the situation in Kashmir, where it currently stands, and prospects for the future. We also discuss current relations between India and Pakistan, and India and China, all three of them nuclear-armed powers who have border disputes of varying intensity. We talk about India's role in global affairs, which...
Is what is happening in the US a coup? The short answer is yes. By rummaging around in the digital plumbing of various government departments and shutting down funding to those he disapproves of, private citizen, I beg your pardon, 'special government employee' Elon Musk is subverting Congress' power of the purse and acting in violation of the constitution (as well as breaking a whole bunch of other laws). And yet (regular Boondoggle theme alert) the response of the Democratic opposition and ...
What is it like to be a military peacekeeper? What do military peacekeeping missions actually do, and do they make any difference? Jim and Chris are joined by Swiss national Guido Haefeli, who prior to studying in Birmingham was a peacekeeper in Kosovo and Western Sahara. He talks about the relevant histories of both places, what it is like to work as a military peacekeeper (whether as part of KFOR or under the auspices of the UN), his personal views on the future prospects of both places, an...
After marking the death of The Band's Garth Hudson, Chris and Jim get in to the dark spectacle of the Trump inauguration. Unconstitutional policies, barely veiled threats of invasion and territorial expansion, plans for economic terrorism, baseless calumnies against political opponents, and of course blatant lies, all normalised by the media commentary. 'A remarkably policy heavy speech', as described by the BBC. What political alchemy is this that seemingly spellbinds the very institutions t...
Chris and Jim are joined in this first episode of 2025 by old friend of the podcast, author and journalist Sasha Abramsky. Sasha talks a little bit about the situation in LA which he visited at the weekend (see his photo essay for The Nation here). We then move on to think about the state of the Democratic Party and the US in general in the last few days before the inauguration of Trump. Me and Chris plan to talk again on Tuesday night, in the aftermath of the inauguration. If you enjoy this ...
Our final instalment with Luke Doherty, where we cash a couple of cheques that were issued in the past two episodes - the role of AI in politics, and the prospects of a 'new cold war' between the US and China. We're going to take a break for Christmas and be back in the new year. If you enjoyed this episode, then do subscribe to be notified as soon as a new episode is uploaded. Follow us on Bluesky and Substack
The second part of what is now going to be a trilogy of episodes featuring Jim, Chris, and Luke Doherty. In this wide-ranging discussion, the trio begin by considering the US role in international politics in the run-up to and immediate aftermath of the end of the Cold War. They also consider the role of morality and populism in politics, before ending on a bombshell question of the role of AI in politics. Next week, in Part 3 the trio will discuss that question about AI and other disruptive ...
In this episode, Jim and Chris are joined by Luke Doherty, a fellow student with Jim in Birmingham. After talking for a little bit about what Luke was doing before he came to Birmingham, and what brought him back to studying, they consider the reasons for and possible lessons of the Trump victory. We had intended to discuss many more topics, but thought that since we had been going for an hour and a quarter, it might be sensible to postpone those to next week. There is much agreement between ...
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