Boondoggle

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 in the previous episode, but developed here in relation to the climate emergency. Chris and Jim explor...

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 more liable to conflict and vulnerable to shocks. They then discuss ways in which society has become more ...

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.We'd love to hear from you -@Boondog44421386BoondogglePodcast2020

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 political party to occupy the large space to the left of Labour and the requirement to reconnect 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.We'd love to hear from you -@Boondog44421386BoondogglePodcast2020

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 recently exemplified by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's hijacking of the airwaves on 1st March to blether on about danger...

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 has happened.We'd love to hear from you -@Boondog44421386BoondogglePodcast2020

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.We'd love to hear from you -@Boondog44421386BoondogglePodcast2020

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.We'd love to hear from you -@Boondog44421386BoondogglePodcast2020

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 introduction3.15-6.25 the situation in Gaza6.25-52.25 the US52.25-1.17.50 the UK 1.17.50-1.18.05 outroChris Floyd has been a journalist and columnist for nearly forty years and has written for the N...

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 book How Civil Wars Start, see for example the review in the New York Times here, and this more scept...

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.htmlYou might also find the following interesting - https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/12/09/what-can-be-done-protect-womens-abortion-rig...

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/news/kyle-rittenhouse-is-american).In the next episode, we will be discussing the impact on politics of the climate ...

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.We'd love to hear from you -@Boondog44421386BoondogglePodcast2020

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.We'd love to hear from you -@Boondog44421386BoondogglePodcast2020

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.We'd love to hear from you -@Boondog44421386BoondogglePodcast2020

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.We'd love to hear from you -@Boondog44421386BoondogglePodcast2020

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 run-offs in Georgia, with the whole team expressing cautious optimism regarding the Democrats' chances.We'd lo...

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 to be. (See for example this headline in the Washington Post.) But Trump has been signalling his ...

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 interview here.There is an interesting article from the Washington Post discussing in some detail B...