Our third guest hosted episode of the summer comes from Kevin O'Koth - author of Red Africa: Reclaiming Revolutionary Black Politics.
Reading an extract from his book, he takes a look at the Bandung Conference – a pivotal 1955 gathering of leaders from Asia and Africa, united in their resistance to colonialism and their vision for a new, non-aligned world.
This week on The Curve, Faiza Shaheen is in the hosting chair and is joined by Laurie Macfarlane - co-director of Future Economy Scotland. They discuss the latest research on UK unemployment and whether or not we can confidently trust the figures coming out of the Office for National Statistics.
In the extended episode, available to Macrodose members on Patreon, Faiza and Laurie discuss Trump's brand of authoritarian capitalism and it's implications for other economies.
Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.
This week on The Curve, Grace Blakeley is hosting chair and is joined by Faiza Shaheen - executive director of Tax Justice UK and visiting Professor in practice at the London School Of Economics. They discuss the latest rumours of new tax rises being considered by the chancellor Rachel Reeves and what they would mean for the UK economy
In the extended episode, available to Macrodose members on Patreon, Grace and Faiza also discuss whether or not the recent boom in artificial intelligence is actually just a bubble.
Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.
Our second guest hosted episode of the summer comes from Nat Dyer - author of Ricardo’s Dream: How Economists Forgot the Real World and Led Us Astray.
Reading an extract from his book, he takes a look at how conventional economics developed, and why many of its ideas have wrecked such havoc on society and the living world.
For exclusive content - including our new chat show, The Curve, and Macrodose’s monthly newsletter, The Fix - visit: https://www.patreon.com/macrodose.
Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.
To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.
Our first guest hosted episode of the summer comes from Emily Kenway, former carer, doctoral researcher and author of 'Who Cares: The Hidden Crisis of Caregiving And How We Solve It',
Today she is reading an abridged excerpt from her book which explores why conventional assumptions about solving the so-called ‘care crisis’ are founded on deep misunderstandings. She invites you to rethink your assumptions around care - what kind of care counts, the solutions which are appropriate and how it is organised.
For exclusive content - including our new chat show, The Curve, and Macrodose’s monthly newsletter, The Fix - visit: https://www.patreon.com/macrodose.
Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.
To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.
FULL EPISODE: patreon.com/macrodose
With James Meadway away this week, we're bringing you another conversation from our State Of The Nation live event earlier this month.
Kwajo Tweneboa is a housing activist confronting the worst living conditions people are having to experience in the UK, who sat down with Dalia Gebrial - Lecturer in Geography and Social Justice at Kings College London.
Together, Tweneboa & Gebrial explore what's at the heart of Britain's housing crisis, what falsehoods explanations are being peddled by the right, and what change is required to create safe & healthy living conditions for all.
Subscribe on patreon to hear the full discussion.
FULL EPISODE: patreon.com/macrodose
James Meadway is away this week, so in place of The Curve we're bringing you this exclusive conversation between Gary Stevenson and Kojo Koram, recorded live at London's Union Chapel earlier this month.
Gary talks about his 2025 so far and together with Kojo, they discuss how Britain is broken, and what to do to fix it.
Subscribe to hear the full discussion and support the show.
On this week's MACRODOSE, James continues our economics history series with a look at the life and legacy of one of the most famous economists of the 20th century - John Maynard Keynes.
For exclusive content - including our new chat show, The Curve, and Macrodose’s monthly newsletter, The Fix - visit: https://www.patreon.com/macrodose.
Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.
To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.
This week on The Curve, James Meadway is joined by Jane Hayward - lecturer in China and global affairs at the Lau China institute at King’s College London - to explore the political economy of China.
Together James and Jane discuss: whether the supposed coming collapse of China is real; if China's economy can be considered socialist or capitalist; and will the Chinese be able to move their economic model away from relying on an export surplus and towards a domestic market.
The extended version of this show is available to Macrodose Patreon members. Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.
On this week's MACRODOSE, James kicks off our economics history series with a look at the life and impact of the Polish-German revolutionary and Marxist theorist Rosa Luxembourg, and why her work has renewed relevance today (2:22).
For exclusive content - including our new chat show, The Curve, and Macrodose’s monthly newsletter, The Fix - visit: https://www.patreon.com/macrodose.
Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.
To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.
This week on The Curve, James Meadway is joined by Kate Aronoff - staff writer at The New Republic - to discuss Zohran Mamdani's resounding victory in the democratic primary for New York City Mayor (0.57).
In the full episode, available to Macrodose patrons, James & Kate also break down:
- Attempts by US republicans to take from the poor and give to the rich via Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, set to cut health insurance for those on lower incomes and hand massive tax cuts to the wealthy.
- Starmer’s Labour government coming a cropper over cuts to disability benefits and facing a backlash from the backbenches.
Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.
On this week's MACRODOSE, James unpacks the big news story of the week: the US’ direct entry into the war in the Middle East, the bombing of Iranian nuclear sites, and the potential long term geopolitical and economic fall outs (2:11).
For exclusive content - including our new chat show, The Curve, and Macrodose’s monthly newsletter, The Fix - visit: https://www.patreon.com/macrodose.
Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.
To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.
This week on The Curve, James Meadway is joined by Laleh Khalili - Professor of Gulf Studies at the University of Exeter and author of Sinews of War and Trade and Extractive Capitalism.
Together, James and Laleh discuss the latest developments in the Middle East, with Israel escalating it’s U.S.-backed war on Iran. What are the potential geopolitical and economic consequences of escalating tensions in the region? (1.57)
In the full episode, available to Macrodose patrons, the team also breaks down:
- Trump’s proposed 'Golden Share' deal to control U.S. Steel - and what it could mean for the future of corporate governance and national industrial policy.
- A rare dose of optimism: the New York mayoral primary, where insurgent candidate Zohran Kwame Mamdani is mounting a progressive grassroots challenge to disgraced former governor Andrew Cuomo.
Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.
On this week's MACRODOSE, James unpacks:
First, everything you need to know about today's Spending Review from the Labour government. What cuts are coming, and what does this mean for public services? (0:31) Second, the millionaire exodus that never was - new research debunks the myth that higher taxes are driving the rich to flee the UK (7:45).
For exclusive content - including our new chat show, The Curve, and Macrodose’s monthly newsletter, The Fix - visit: https://www.patreon.com/macrodose.
Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.
To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.
On this week's episode of The Curve, James Meadway and Grace Blakeley discuss Rachel Reeves spending review, expected to mark a miserable return to austerity (1:41).
In the full episode, James and Grace discuss Starmer pledging to increase defence spending to put Britain in a state of ‘war-fighting readiness’, and the Autonomy Institute's report on how maximum temperatures limits will be required for workplaces.
The extended version of this show is available to Macrodose Patreon members. Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.
Autonomy Report: https://www.ier.org.uk/news/autonomy-institute-report-finds-2-3rds-of-uk-labour-force-could-be-working-in-extreme-heatwaves-by-end-of-2020s/
Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk
To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk
Last week, Macrodose returned to SPACE4 for another live show, looking at the future of global political economy under the shadow of Trump 2.0.
We explored where the UK fits into this shifting global landscape, what a radical economic programme could look like, and how green politics can rise to meet the moment.
Speakers:
To celebrate the launch of The BREAK—DOWN ISSUE #1, editor Adrienne Buller was joined by Quinn Slobodian and Geoff Mann for a timely conversation on the afterlives of neoliberalism, the climate crisis, and the global rise of the far right.
ISSUE #1
The BREAK—DOWN is dedicated to exploring the political economy of the climate crisis. We bring together personal stories, cultural critique, expert insight and radical imagination to explore the systems driving ecological collapse — and what it might take to confront them.
In the wake of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, our first issue, RIGHT TURN, explores climate politics in an age of rising authoritarianism, asking what happens when the future of the planet is shaped by a hardening new right.
On this week's MACRODOSE, James Meadway unpacks: First, the UK avoids recession! Where did recent positive GDP figures come from and are they sustainable? (0:48) Second, more news from "The Uninsurable World", as global losses from natural disasters hit $318 billion in 2024 (3:28). And finally, how the Labour government is responding to historic droughts in the UK (12:07).
For exclusive content - including our new chat show, The Curve, and Macrodose’s monthly newsletter, The Fix - visit: https://www.patreon.com/macrodose.
Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.
To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk.
On this week's episode of The Curve, James Meadway is joined by Faiza Shaheen - distinguished policy fellow at the London School of Economics - to discuss the trade deal recently announced between the UK and US (1:49).
In the full episode, James and Faiza investigate the sudden flurry of interest in the term “geoeconomics”, and reports that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is about to review Cash ISAs.
The extended version of this show is available to Macrodose Patreon members. Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.
Macrodose LIVE tickets (May 22nd): https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/macrodose-live-green-futures-in-the-age-of-trump-tickets-1325086472309
Pre-order issue one of The Break Down magazine: https://www.break-down.org/issues/1
Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk
To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to planetbproductions.co.uk
On this week’s MACRODOSE, James Meadway breaks down two big stories. First (0:43), fresh warnings from UK food suppliers about the threat of climate change. Second (3:24), tensions between India and pakistan have seen the dismantling of a key treaty over the supply of water. And finally (10:32), a look at what Reform’s successes in the local elections could mean for England’s flood defences.
🎟 LIVE show tickets! (May 22nd)
Green Futures in the Age of Trump, with James Meadway, Kojo Koram, Adrienne Buller & Nick Dearden:https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/macrodose-live-green-futures-in-the-age-of-trump-tickets-1325086472309
For exclusive content—including our new chat show The Curve and Macrodose’s monthly newsletter The Fix—head to:https://www.patreon.com/macrodose
Got a question or comment? Drop us a line at macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk.
Learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions:planetbproductions.co.uk
