Communism is a classless, moneyless and stateless society. So far, so simple. And so far out of reach. Or, we... more

As smart phone use has soared, Generation Z’s mental health has plummeted. But just how bad is this crisis, and... more

The ACFM crew offer a weird-left perspective on the role of the hero (and heroine) in politics and culture. Nadia,... more

Last week, a terrorist attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir sparked a rapid military escalation: planes were shot down, thousands were arbitrarily... more

Not long ago, Kieren Owen AKA Jimmy The Giant was in the ‘alt right pipeline’. He believed in the tyranny... more

Ash Sarkar, Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani debate: could the Labour Party be heading for a trouncing? Help us build... more

Ash Sarkar, Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani debate one of the most pressing questions of the day: can Reform UK... more

A new Pope has been chosen by the conclave. But how much can one man, even one appointed by the... more

What do Christianity and communism have in common?  Are Nuns missing out on their lives, or living their best one?... more

Aaron and Michael share their first thoughts on the 2025 local election results.

Just Stop Oil has ended its campaign of direct action, yet many activists still face years in prison. In the... more

In episode three, Clare and Rivkah find out what it’s like to see your loved ones locked up. How do... more

Today the leaders of Israel, Russia, and Hamas all stand accused of war crimes. Yet it seems doubtful that these... more

The ACFM gang gather for a springtime reading of a prototype acid-communist text by Russian revolutionary Alexandra Kollontai. Download the... more

Locked in their cells for up to 22 hours a day, how are Britain’s jailed climate activists coping with a... more

In episode one of Committed, Clare Hymer and Rivkah Brown meet the imprisoned Just Stop Oil activists who took direct... more

Aaron Bastani was joined by Israeli historian Ilan Pappé for a live recording of Downstream on 7 April at EartH... more

How does a teenage goodie-two-shoes grow up to be a convicted criminal? On Committed, a new four-part series from Novara... more

Donald Trump has been ripping up the rule book on global trade, implementing huge tariffs and sending markets into a... more

When you think about neoliberal states, maybe you think of the UK, or Russia in the 90s, or Chile. You... more

There are few, true, public intellectuals anymore. But Ta-Nehisi Coates – author of ‘Between The World And Me’ and recipient... more

Forensic Architecture is a research agency that investigates state violence and environmental destruction. It reconstructs events that states worldwide wants... more

In 2024 the Conservative party suffered their worst defeat in two centuries. But while Labour struggles in office, the Tories... more

The gang present a milestone 50th Trip all about acid: a drug, a genre, a political concept, a mental tool... more

We’ve entered a new climate reality. The pace of the energy transition has picked up – and so have the impacts... more

Investigative journalist Matt Kennard joins Aaron Bastani to discuss Britain’s complicity in the genocide of Palestinians, following a series revelations... more

After capitalism comes communism, according to Marxist doctrine. But in the meantime, what should we call our increasingly unequal system?... more

The ‘special relationship’ is central to how Britain conducts its foreign policy and perceives itself as a country. The argument... more

In the wake of Assad’s regime collapse and the call for the Kurdish Worker’s Party to disband, Elif Sarican talks... more

The US is no longer supporting Ukraine, and in response, the UK and Europe are rearming. Germany is taking off... more

When we talk about politics – whether it’s the climate, the economy or constitutional reform – the thing that’s at... more

What’s the point of the arts when the world is on fire? To follow the pipeline from creativity to activism... more

Lockdown was one of the defining experiences of our lives, but it was far from unique in history. Contagion and... more

In 1996 Samuel Huntington published ‘The Clash of Civilizations’. At the time its hypothesis was counter-intuitive. Despite the supremacy of... more

Read any of the mainstream press at the moment and you’ll hear the same thing: unprecedented things are happening in... more

For almost six centuries Europe has been at the centre of world affairs. While the days of Empire are long... more

This part two of our discussion about a new left party. You can listen to part 1 here: https://novaramedia.com/2025/01/30/time-for-a-new-left-party/ James... more

“I’m literally a communist, you idiot”. For almost a decade Ash Sarkar has been one of Britain’s most prominent left... more

Your death should be your own, as much as possible. That’s one of the principles behind the Assisted Dying Bill.... more

It’s official – we’re in the middle of an unprecedented vibe shift. Donald Trump’s second term in the White House... more

Love is supposed to be the most universal human experience after death and taxes. So why do so many people... more

After last week’s ACFM on the meaning and morality of personal debt, Keir and Nadia zoom out to the macroeconomics... more

It’s been five long years since the decisive defeat of Corbynism at the ballot box. How, if at all, should... more

Fourteen years ago Gary Stevenson was one of Citibank’s best performing traders. The bet that brought him success was one... more

The concept of debt is as slippery as it is powerful. In this Trip episode, Keir, Nadia and Jem explain... more

Elon Musk is the most symptomatic capitalist of our era: obsessed with publicity, by many accounts a fanatical workaholic, and... more

The Institute of Economic Affairs is one of the most powerful and secretive think tanks in the UK, known for... more

Donald Trump is the next president. Meta, Walmart and McDonald’s have forsaken their diversity policies. Elon Musk is demanding that... more

The ACFM gang gather for a midwinter reading of one of the most influential political tracts ever written. Download a... more

Having long promised to decentralise power, Bitcoin is looking more and more like it will end up as a tool... more

In Richard Curtis’ Love Actually, a selection of mainly white and middle-class Londoners seem to be living in a parallel... more

On 10 December, Ash Sarkar, Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani discussed an epoch-defining year and its implications for the future.... more

Die Hard is a perennial of festive TV, but is it really a Christmas movie? James Butler and Eleanor Penny... more

Just two months before a general election, Germany finds itself in a precarious position. The European project is fragile, the... more

In the 2010s, we found out that we were all being watched. A series of leaks, from Wikileaks and others, revealed... more

When the Taliban retook all of Afghanistan in 2021, it came as a shock to much of the West. The... more

Which side are you on? Keir, Nadia and Jem consider the ebb and flow of political commitment with ideas and... more

In 1891, the French drew the borders of what became Mali. Like many colonial borders, they were arbitrary, absurd to... more

Humanity has long pursued an elixir of youth and dreamed of eternal life. For the Abrahamic faiths, physical immortality was... more

Imagine a person arrested for keeping a brothel. Who are they? An abusive pimp? Such people exist, no doubt, but... more

While the first modern trains were built in the early 19th century – more people travel by rail today than... more

In October 2024, SpaceX caught a rocket. An astonishing feat of engineering, it took humanity one giant leap closer to... more

Global heating is a serious problem, but the question of just how urgently to fight it is a fraught one.... more

Disruption is a byword for success in the tech industry, but when it affects people’s daily routines – say, when JSO... more

In 2016, the alt-right seemed to come from the internet and infest politics. In 2024, the internet and politics have... more

Everyone knows that the Roman Empire rose, then fell. Historians don’t all agree on the reasons for the collapse, but... more

The rise of artificial intelligence will bring about a planetary-scale shift in human life and politics – and, it seems, a... more

War is spreading throughout West Asia, a situation understood by many observers as an outgrowth of Israeli expansionism. In a... more

In their new book Loving Corrections, adrienne maree brown poses a crucial conundrum for all progressive thinkers: how do we... more

What if instead of talking about history from the perspective of humanity, we told it from the perspective of the... more

Around the world, far-right movements are mobilising support by placing the blame for real catastrophes – Covid-19, the war in Ukraine,... more

From pollinating crops to managing organic waste on a continental scale, insects are vital to life on Earth. They are... more

What does Israel hope to achieve this time, nearly 20 years after its last failed ground offensive in Lebanon? And... more

Stephanie Kelton is an author and economist, and subject of the new film ‘Finding The Money’. Her work as a... more

Of all the unseen forces that shape human society, could death be the most powerful? The ACFM crew take a... more

The English language is full of pejoratives for large groups of people: mob mentality. Herd behaviour. Crowd contagion. Much of... more

Xi Jinping is possibly the most powerful person in the world, but what do we know about his origins, ways... more

The Palestine solidarity movement is the largest movement in British politics for a century. Yet has been vilified and policed... more

The Silk Road has dominated the way we imagine the trading relationship between Europe and Asia to have worked in... more

How can we resist exploitation when the boss has been replaced by a computer? That’s the premise of Cyberboss, a... more

Guy Shrubsole is an author and campaigner whose new book The Lie of the Land seeks to expose the history of... more

Dr. Munther Isaac is the pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, serving a community of Christians that dates... more

A month after racist riots engulfed the country, the ACFM crew ask what fascism – and antifascism – look like in... more

“Don’t mourn, organise” were the final words of American labour activist Joe Hill before his execution in 1915. But sometimes... more

Political scientists agree that we are now living in a “multipolar” world, with power contested by multiple states and blocs.... more

Motherhood was once at the centre of the feminist movement’s demands, from campaigns for reproductive rights to the mobilisation of... more

Everybody hates a tourist, as Jarvis Cocker once pointed out, and the ACFM gang are no exception in this ACFM Trip... more

In 2019, mines expelled 100 billion tonnes of solid waste. Vast and destructive almost beyond imagination, mining is nevertheless essential... more

During 1960s, fears of planetary ‘overpopulation’ became widespread. And yet, in more recent years, an altogether different worry has emerged:... more

People walk around San Francisco in Make America Great Again hats. Major CEOs endorse Trump. JD Vance is a hit... more

The Green Party of England and Wales now has four MPs in Parliament, and even more impressively has doubled its... more

What happens when you lose? In this Trip, the ACFM crew explore the role of humility – and humiliation – in politics.... more

A foundational principle of the state of Israel is that it keeps Jews safe. This principle has been profoundly challenged... more

It’s part of the national myth: the English invented football and to England it will return (next time!). But if... more

Jeremy Corbyn was a Labour MP for almost four decades – and led the party at two general elections. This... more

The French left have played a blinder. Or, at least, the centre-right chaos agent and French President Emmanuel Macron has... more

Tom and Juliet expose the surprisingly rich history of football as a wing of political resistance, from Algeria to Palestine... more

The ACFM crew offer their first reactions to Labour’s landslide election win. Can Starmer’s government rescue the public sector? Where... more

The United States’ impact on British culture and foreign policy is obvious. But its influence on our domestic politics, business,... more

Asked in a recent poll to summarise Britain in a word, ‘broken’ was the people’s top choice. This brokenness is... more

Tom and Juliet are joined by Keir Milburn to take the long view on the Premier League. Juliet explains how... more

If you want to understand how power works in our society, you can’t just examine what journalists say – you... more

This time next week, Keir Starmer will likely be settling into No 10 with a thumping majority. Yet Labour has... more

This week Tom and Juliet are joined by David Goldblatt, author of The Ball Is Round, to answer a seemingly... more

If you mention the Israel lobby in the mainstream media then, more often than not, you’ll face accusations of antisemitism.... more

Mick Lynch is the General Secretary of the RMT. He joined Ash Sarkar to discuss leveraging Keir Starmer, the importance... more

Former chief political correspondent for The Daily Telegraph and self proclaimed conservative, Peter Oborne, speaks to Aaron Bastani about the... more

It’s easy to think that the Labour left is gone for good. But it’s not so certain. From the 80s... more

Was the Iraq War the exception or the rule? Throughout the twentieth century, Labour governments have been involved in some... more

As Euro 2024 gets underway, election results show a surge of support for the far-right across Europe. Can football help... more

What’s it like to be left-wing in an aspiring ethnostate? Israel has swung hard to the right in the last... more

Novara Media’s football podcast returns for another crack at the silverware! Every Wednesday until the Euro 2024 final, Juliet Jacques... more

After investigating the politics of cool on the last Trip episode, the crew turn their attention to another distinctly modern... more

Renewable energy technology is only getting cheaper. And yet it hasn’t increased its share of the energy mix for two... more

The right have ditched climate denial and found something worse. They’re doubling down on the exhaustion of people and planet... more

The Indian election will be one of the largest the world has ever seen, with almost 1 billion people eligible... more

What exactly is cool? Well, if it was that easy to describe, it obviously wouldn’t be cool. In this Trip,... more

The difference between sex and gender is fundamental to how we talk about trans people. But what if it obscures... more

In the pouring rain and 20 points behind in the polls, Rishi Sunak has announced that a UK general election... more

The involuntary celibate community (aka ‘incels’) are often thought to be rightwing, white supremacist, and prone to violence. But how... more

No country has ever changed so fast as China. From the west, we see only the dazzling headline figures – 15%... more

Common sense tells us that free-market economies maximise freedom and that planned economies, typically found under socialist governments, curtail it.... more

George Bernard Shaw once joked that the US and the UK are “two countries divided by a common language.” Can... more

George Galloway has been elected as a member of parliament for four separate constituencies – with only Winston Churchill beating... more

How do mainstream politicians and pundits contribute to the normalisation of far-right ideas, even as they claim to reject racism... more

In the ’00s, animal rights protestors nearly won their battle to ban vivisection in the UK, shutting down multiple breeding... more

Teresa Thornhill is an author and former child protection lawyer. Throughout her long career, working for both local authorities and... more

The exhortation to “read some effing Orwell!” is an old chestnut of the online left, whether ironic or sincere, or... more

It’s not what you know; it’s what you can prove. For years, Forensic Architecture has exposed state crimes against civilians,... more

A lot of people are saying that fascism is on the rise. But what are we pointing to when we... more

London is a foodie metropolis: undoubtedly one of the best places to eat in the world. But eating in London... more

Centuries of colonial capitalism have reordered life on the planet and inside our bodies, from industrial farming and the uneven... more

Abby Martin is an American journalist and activist, host of the interview series The Empire Files, and a co-founder of... more

Why is it so expensive to rent in the UK? In a divisive new book, barrister Nick Bano places the... more

For a special edition of Downstream IRL, Ash Sarkar is joined by philosopher, author, and one of the world’s most... more

With hindsight, the wars waged by the US and Britain in Afghanistan and Iraq look like terrible failures, both strategically... more

We’re living in a world of hurry and shortcuts, of intimacy on tap and just-in-time production. Immediacy, according to Anna... more

Peter Hitchens is an author and journalist whose contrarian takes on drug policy, education and foreign policy have found him... more

From fecal transplants to the yoghurt-industrial complex, we’ve never been more absorbed in the workings of our gut. But can... more

Researching Black British history “often feels like a rescue effort, a race against time,” writes Jason Okundaye. In his first... more

Major General Charlie Herbert has stood out in recent months for his vociferous condemnation of Israel’s war on Palestinians. His... more

Less than 20% of the promised levelling-up projects for England have been completed. The problem lies not only with the... more

Gary Stevenson went from being Citibank’s most profitable trader to one of the world’s most incisive critics of the financial... more

As the war in Ukraine enters its third year, the question of what Russia is really thinking remains as crucial,... more

Yanis Varoufakis is an economist and author who served as Greek Finance Minister in the aftermath of the 2008 global... more

Last time on ACFM, the gang explored the impact of UFOs on politics, from deep-state conspiracies to the Posadists. But... more

The 2000s in Britain was a decade of education, regeneration, falling inequality and Dizzee Rascal. But beneath the fleeting prosperity... more

Bernie Sanders needs no introduction. Ash caught up with the senator to talk about his new book ‘It’s OK To... more

Yousef Alhelou has spent the four or so months since October 7th covering the Israeli assault on Gaza through his... more

As Israel extends its bombardment of Gaza into Rafah – a supposed safe zone where 1.7 million Palestinians are seeking... more

Certain historians and politicians like to claim that the British Empire was “on balance” a good thing. Slavery was evil,... more

Should there be a cap on how much wealth one person can have? If we’re serious about tackling poverty, the... more

Should the left care about the existence of aliens? The ACFM gang explore the impact of UFOs on political thought... more

Twenty years ago, it was taken for granted that on average, people globally were shrugging off the shackles of organised... more

This episode was first released in November 2021. In the bestselling book The Dawn of Everything: A New History of... more

We are in a drastically different world from the one most of us grew up in. This has been proven... more

Music has the uncanny power to stir up big feelings, which makes it an obvious vehicle for political statements of... more

What role does literature play in revolution? If the question seems bizarre to you and the answer obvious, you’re not... more

Discussion of climate change mainly focuses on mitigating rising temperatures, de-carbonising and getting to ‘net zero’. Author and broadcaster Gaia... more

January is historically the busiest month of the year for holiday bookings. But if you’ve ever felt uncomfortable with the... more