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Macrodose

Your weekly fix of everything economics. Hosted by James Meadway.

Planet B Productions

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how nuclear power plants are being shut down because of a rapidly breeding organism invading its systems (0:33), and the striking rise in government borrowing costs right across the world (3:20).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.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.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:⁠⁠https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station

Annual Jellyfish Invasion

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at a bank that holds an unconventional asset that has come a cropper with rising temperatures (0:38), the growing commercial opportunity for new freight routes due to melting ice in the arctic (5:59), and how data centres are struggling to keep up with the demands of AI training (10:27).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.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.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:⁠⁠https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station

New Arctic Trade Routes

"If you go together and if you fight for it, then you are visible."Over the last four episodes of this series, we've heard about the daily struggles, exhaustion, the invisibility, and the structures that keep these burdens in place. In our final episode, we ask cleaners themselves what resistance looks like.From “Justice for Janitors” across the Atlantic, to the Cleaners Parliament in the Netherlands,this episode traces the rise of worker-led organising—and shows how cleaners are turning isolation into solidarity, and silence into a demand for justice that can no longer be ignored.In this episode, we hear from:🗣️Khadija Hiati, who started as a cleaner and went on to serve as President of the Dutch Cleaners' Parliament from 2011 to 2024. She describes the shock of being disrespected on her very first day—and why she decided to fight back, becoming a trailblazer for women with migration backgrounds.🔥Herrie Hoogenboom, a veteran union organiser in the Netherlands who helped shape the Cleaners' Parliament campaign. He explains why the movement "radicalised" his views on politics, why they called it a "parliament" to give workers dignity, and how they organised sit-ins, strikes, and a historic demonstration of 800 undocumented workers.🇺🇸🇲🇽Valery Alzaga, who brought the legendary Justice for Janitors (J4J) organising model from the United States to Europe. She shares the non-negotiable principles of the campaign: workers must lead the decisions, unions must research their opposition better than they know themselves, and when the "nice way" fails, escalation is justified.🇩🇪 Zeynep Bicici (returning from Episode 4), President of UNI Europa Property Services, on Germany's "uprising of the invisibles"—the strike where women dared to make themselves visible and demand proper pay and respect.🎧 Unsung Cleaners is a podcast by UNI Europa, co-funded by the European Commission. The show is produced by Seden Anlar. Interviews and narration by Gail Rego. Project coordination and interpretation by Alessia Mora and Mark Bergfeld. Special thanks to all the cleaners and union organisers who shared their stories and to dubbers Seden Anlar and Alessia Mora.

From the Streets to the Corridors of Power

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how British supermarkets warn of the looming food crisis (0:34), how Japan could be the canary in the economic coalmine (7:24), and how extreme heat is making nuclear power unreliable (14:48).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.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.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:⁠⁠https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station

Looming Food Crisis Warnings

"As a migrant working here… it's not easy, and it has never been easy."In many European countries, a staggering proportion of cleaners come from migrant backgrounds. This isn’t a coincidence. It’s a pattern shaped by discriminatory immigration policies, labour market barriers, and the systematic failure to recognise qualifications and skils gained elsewhere.In this episode, we explore the intersection of migration, gender, labour exploitation, and the fight for dignity. We hear how visa status compounds precarity, how unrecognised qualifications trap skilled professionals in low-paid work, and how migrant workers— women and men—are fighting back against a system designed to keep them invisible.In this episode, we hear from:🇬🇭Kwasi Agyemang-Prempeh, a trained industrial mechanic who cleaned the London offices of Goldman Sachs for over 20 years—at night. He describes the psychological landscape of navigating immense wealth while being treated as disposable—and how his union saved his job when his employer tried to push him out.🇩🇪Zeynep Bicici, President of UNI Europa Property Services. She reveals how structural problems—unrecognised qualifications, language barriers, and low wages—force migrant women into cleaning, and why "equality only really exists when I have an income that lets me live decently."🇸🇪Ewa Edstrom, union officer at Fastighets (Swedish Property Workers' Union) and former cleaner. She explains how rising anti-migrant rhetoric creates fear and insecurity—and why collective agreements are the best defence: "Every worker in Sweden should be covered."🔔Subscribe now and join us every week as we bring to the forefront the hidden stories behind Europe’s most essential workforce who hardly get any credit.🎧Unsung Cleaners is a podcast by UNI Europa, co-funded by the European Commission. The show is produced by Seden Anlar. Interviews and narration by Gail Rego. Project coordination and interpretation by Alessia Mora and Mark Bergfeld. Special thanks to all the cleaners and union organisers who shared their stories and to Seden Anlar for dubbing.

Migration, Gender, and the Fight for Dignity

"The biggest problem is that they choose the lowest bid. That ends up being paid by the worker."Our taxes might be used to exploit cleaners through public contracts. But how does it work, who is responsible for this, and what can we do about it?In this episode, we follow the money. We expose how "public procurement"—the system by which governments award cleaning contracts—has created a race to the bottom. When contracts go to the cheapest bidder, the savings come from one place only: workers' wages, hours, and dignity.In this episode, we hear from:🇫🇮Niina Autio from Finland, a cleaner and team leader who has worked in schools, museums, and police stations. She describes the "ethical stress" of watching colleagues lose negotiated salaries and holiday pay when contracts change hands—and why the "cheapest offer is not the best offer."🇪🇸Natalia Higueras Lopez from Spain, a cleaner for 18 years, always under outsourced public contracts. She explains how Spain's high rate of temporary employment traps cleaners in part-time, precarious jobs—and why the "lowest bid" means fewer staff, no replacements for sick leave, and chronic fatigue.📚Dr. Karen Jaehrling, labour researcher and contributor to the ProcuFair project. She explains how public authorities have the power to set fair conditions—and why simply writing good rules isn't enough; monitoring is essential.🇧🇪Joost Engelaar, Regional Secretary at the Belgian Union ABVV Brussels (FGTB), who led a national campaign to stop the race to the bottom. He describes mobilising cleaners at the airport, in schools, and on small sites—and why collective action can force clients to "procure responsibly."🔔Subscribe now and join us every week as we bring to the forefront the hidden stories behind Europe’s most essential workforce who hardly get any credit.🎧Unsung Cleaners is a podcast by UNI Europa, co-funded by the European Commission. The show is produced by Seden Anlar. Interviews and narration by Gail Rego. Project coordination and interpretation by Alessia Mora and Mark Bergfeld. Special thanks to all the cleaners and union organisers who shared their stories as well as Katharine Shaw Nelson for dubbing.

The Downward Spiral of Public Procurement

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at who new prime minister Andy Burnham has chosen to be his Chancellor of the Exchequer (0:42), how wildfire season is increasingly becoming a wider phenomenon driven by rising global temperatures (9:01), and how the collapse in the market of lab monkeys is impacting biomedical research around the world (14:03).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.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.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:⁠⁠https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station

Monkey Market Collapse

"We are the invisibles. We clean when no one is around."Most people work during the day. But for nearly half of Europe's cleaners, the shift begins when everyone else goes home.In this episode, we examine the hidden toll of night work and split shifts—and why daytime cleaning is a proven, humane alternative. We hear from two cleaners living in two different realities: one trapped in the exhaustion of the night, and the other working under a better system but with its own challenges.In this episode, we hear from:🌙Steffi (Stephanie) Wlodraski, who worked as a cleaner in Germany since she was fifteen. She now represents her colleagues as the German representative on the European works council. She describes the physical and social destruction of working while the world sleeps—lost friendships, disrupted family life, and a body that "eventually breaks down."☀️Naemy Aasen, a cleaner and trade unionist from Norway who works continuous daytime shifts. She explains how daytime cleaning allows her to see her children, attend their activities, and have a life outside work—and why her country's model could work anywhere.📊Karin Sardadvar, a sociologist in Vienna who researches split shifts and night work. She reveals how split shifts create "time theft," destroy social integration, and leave cleaners commuting for hours—sometimes not seeing their children all week.🇮🇹Paola Basetti, National Secretary for Cleaning at CGIL (Italian General Confederation of Labour). She explains how fragmented schedules don't just exhaust workers—they make it nearly impossible for unions to organise them, trapping cleaners in a cycle of precarity.🔔Subscribe now and join us every week as we bring to the forefront the hidden stories behind Europe’s most essential workforce who hardly get any credit.🎧Unsung Cleaners is a podcast by UNI Europa, co-funded by the European Commission. The show is produced by Seden Anlar. Interviews and narration by Gail Rego. Project coordination and interpretation by Alessia Mora and Mark Bergfeld. Special thanks to all the cleaners and union organisers who shared their stories as well as dubbers Maureen Hick and Alessandra Giannessi.

The Hidden Cost of Night Work and Split Shifts

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at the impact of the unholy pairing of the El Nino phenomenon and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz (0:46), how one hedge fund is looking to capitalise financially on disruption caused by El Nino (7:00), and how the European heatwave continues to underline the need for climate adaptation (9:41).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.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.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:⁠⁠https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station

El Nino Profiteering

"The only time people notice what a cleaner does is when she doesn't do it."They disinfect hospital wards, scrub office floors, and sanitise the spaces we all rely on. Yet cleaners are among the most invisible workers in Europe.In this first episode, we pull back the curtain on a typical day in the life of a cleaner. From the marble corridors of the European Parliament to a high-dependency hospital unit in Ireland, we hear what it really means to do essential work that almost no one sees.In this episode, we hear from:🧹Hayat Elhore, a cleaner at the European Parliament in Brussels, union representative, and mother who fought for daytime cleaning. She shares what it's like to clean a building that symbolises democracy—while often being treated as invisible.🏥Lisa Stenson, a hospital cleaner in Ireland with over 16 years of experience. She explains the pride of cleaning life-saving equipment like incubators, the terror of being assigned to the first COVID ward, and why cleaners are "skilled workers" who deserve to be paid properly.📖Véronique Achille-Revillod, General Secretary of CFDT Services and author of "Essential, If Essential" (Essentiels si essentiels). She traces how cleaning work has been devalued for centuries—from enslaved people to today's outsourced workforce—and argues it's time to recognise the real skills behind the mop.🇮🇹Giusy Sferruzza, collective bargaining officer at FISASCAT-CISL (Italian Confederation of Workers' Unions). She reflects on how the pandemic briefly made cleaners "essential" in the public eye—and why that recognition failed to translate into lasting economic or regulatory change.🔔 Subscribe now and join us every week as we bring to the forefront the hidden stories behind Europe’s most essential workforce who hardly get any credit.🎧 Unsung Cleaners is a podcast by UNI Europa, co-funded by the European Commission. The show is produced by Seden Anlar. Interviews and narration by Gail Rego. Project coordination and interpretation by Alessia Mora and Mark Bergfeld. Special thanks to all the cleaners and union organisers who shared their stories as well as dubbers Seden Anlar, Alessia Mora and Alessandra Giannessi.

A Day In The Life of Europe's Cleaners

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how heatwaves are breaking data centres (0:33), how Trump is refusing to renew his own North American trade deal (5:44), and a listener question all about Modern Monetary Theory (9:50).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.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.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:⁠⁠https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station

Data Centre Meltdowns

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how the cost of extreme heat requires urgent attention from our political leaders (0:36), if Andy Burnham’s speech this week laid out more of his economic vision (4:43), and how the straight of Hormuz may well be reopening, but the impacts are still to come (10:30).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.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.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:⁠⁠https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station

High Cost Heatwaves

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at likely next prime minister Andy Burnham and his economic agenda for Britain (0.43), the current heatwave gripping the UK and large parts of the rest of Europe (9:30), and the daft idea of putting data centres in space (13:00).Heatstrike: heatstrike.notion.siteSubscribe 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.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.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:⁠⁠https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station

Burnham's Plan For Britain

James is away this week so we have for you an event recording from Norwich Transformed, a festival of socialist ideas and culture.Joining James is Jonas Marvin, author of the forthcoming book, the Breaking of the English Working Class. Together, they discuss the economics affecting food in a changing global climate, why so many are struggling to eat well, and what to do about it.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.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.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:⁠⁠https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station

Food As A Site Of Struggle w/ Jonas Marvin (Norwich Transformed)

Last night, after more than 100 days since the US and Israel went to war against Iran, the US and Iran reached a partial framework for peace. When the war began at the end of February, it was all but impossible to make sense of the irrational explosion of violence. In the months since, that sense of irrationality has hardly ebbed, not least as the economic impacts of the war and resulting closures of the Strait of Hormuz—on food and oil prices, and on the supply of goods like ammonia and aluminium—have begun to bite.The destructiveness of this war is clear. Less clear is what it could mean for the future of an industry at the heart of the region and the conflict: oil.Our guest today is Laleh Khalili, a Professor of Gulf Studies at the University of Exeter and author of several books, including Sinews of War and Trade. In this episode, she breaks down the mess of the US-Israeli war on Iran, shifting relations among the region’s petro-states, the US as an empire in decline, and the future of global energy.

Oil War w/ Laleh Khalili

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how the first signs of the incoming “Godzilla” el nino (6:29), how the big tech market crash could finally be arriving (0:47), and a listener question on what public investment looks like in a high-interest world (12:17).Chuang (18 May 2020), “Free to move, forced to move: The present state of the hukou system”. http://chuangcn.org/2020/05/free-to-move/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.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.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:⁠⁠https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station

Godzilla El Nino Incoming

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how tech firms are cutting back AI spending after blowing budgets on it (0:42), how progressives are taking on the UK political culture of bond market fear (6:23), and how a recent change in China’s welfare system will have global consequences (10:06).Chuang (18 May 2020), “Free to move, forced to move: The present state of the hukou system”. http://chuangcn.org/2020/05/free-to-move/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.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.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:⁠⁠https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station

Hukou Overhaul

We're celebrating the launch of The BREAK—DOWN's spring issue, Airborne! On May 6th, The BREAK—DOWN hosted a live podcast where editor Adrienne Buller was joined by Geoff Mann, Daniela Gabor and Oliver Eagleton to discuss climate crisis through and beyond the contents of AIRBORNE.ISSUE #3: AirborneThe engines of industrial production that power the modern economy release vast quantities of carbon and pollutants into the air, seeping into our soil, our water, and even our bodies. Air pollution alone is responsible for around ten million deaths each year. And yet this everyday emergency has not fundamentally reshaped how we understand our place in the world.This issue explores the tensions between global causes and local effects, between the invisible and the immediate, by looking closely at the air itself: the medium that surrounds us, connects us, and sustains life, even as it is increasingly contested and compromised.Featuring essays by Adam Almeida and Shruti Iyer on the inequalities of air pollution across time and place, from New York to India; Zsuzsanna Ihar on a spaceport in the outer Hebrides; Vera Huwe on the political history of air travel; Mae Losasso on the origins of “the environment” in airborne chemical warfare; Cecilia Rikap on Big Tech and the cloud; Drew Pendergrass on complexity and planning; Natasha Heenan on the politics of climate repair; a photo essay by Amelie David and Ségolène Ragu on the fight for clean air and energy in Beirut under renewed military assault; and an interview with journalist David Wallace-Wells.Go to The BREAK—DOWN's website to ⁠become a member⁠ and get your copy of their latest issue - and follow their ⁠socials⁠.

LIVE: The BREAK—DOWN Issue 3: Airborne w/ Geoff Mann, Daniela Gabor and Oliver Eagleton

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how the question of adaptation to our changing climate has returned amidst Britain experiencing another heatwave (0:58), and how market-led solutions to adaptation will only entrench further inequality (6:48).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.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.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:⁠https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station

Adaptation Economics

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how talk of the bond markets is back after Andy Burnham announced his byelection candidacy and ambitions for Number 10 (0:44), a note on “Godzilla El Nino” - as the world is set to be hit by the mother of all weather disruptions (5:49), and reports that the UK government is pushing to cap the price of essential foods (9:36).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.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.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station

Burnham & The Bond Markets

Today's episode is the final in Season One of AFTER ORDER. It was recorded as a live show in collaboration with the Alameda Institute at the Art House in Bethnal Green, East London, earlier this week. The conversation is hosted by Juliano Fiori (Alameda), featuring James Meadway (Macrodose), Clara Mattei (University of Tulsa), and Aditya Chakrabortty (The Guardian).Together they explore the idea that we are no longer living between stable political and economic systems, but through an era defined by overlapping and ongoing crises.From economic turbulence to geopolitical fragmentation, many of the frameworks that once made sense of the world are breaking down. The discussion asked what might replace them - and how we rethink political economy for a world shaped by uncertainty, conflict, and rapid technological change.Across the evening, the panel reflected on what these shifts mean for power, politics, and the possibilities for building a different future.It is your support that makes this show possible. Pleases consider becoming a subscriber today: patreon.com/Macrodose.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To learn more about the work we do, head to ⁠planetbproductions.co.uk⁠.

LIVE: Political Economy in a Time of Monsters w/ Aditya Chakrabortty, Clara Mattei & Juliano Fiori

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how the political turmoil around Starmer's ailing premiership is affecting the UK’s economic outlook (0:38), and how governments around the world will respond to the current chaotic state of the global economy (7:04).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.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.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station

Starmer's Last Stand?

Event Tickets: Political Economy in a Time of Monsters (May 12th) Welcome back to After Order - a series from Macrodose and the Alameda institute exploring power, sovereignty, and crisis in today’s unstable world.This week, James is joined by Juliano Fiori, Director at Alameda, to look back at the series so far, and discuss its core premise: that we’re not living through what Antonio Gramsci called an “interregnum” - a moment where the old world is dying and the new struggles to be born. Instead, that our world is now one of sustained disorder. In his own writing, Juliano takes this one step further, arguing that the very notion of order as we’ve come to understand it is tied to the system of US hegemony that has dominated global politics since the end of the second world war.For Juliano this “order” is not only conceptual, but material. Sustained first by the unparalleled industrial base of American capitalism, and then by its transformation into the hub of global trade and finance - secured at every turn through military might. He argues that, in losing sight of this, progressives too often take this exception for granted, and with it the belief that its decline will organically precipitate the rise of a new stability - perhaps one governed by a more just or democratic set of institutions. But this is not a mistake we can afford to make. With the dominance of the dollar waning, the US grip on global capital is beginning to slip. And Trump's warmongerings, from Venezuela to Iran, now appear as the violent shocks of an empire in sharp decline.The materiality of what we once called “order” is coming to an end. So what, if anything, comes next? The continued rise of China? A patchwork of competing regional powers? And a world defined by domination without hegemony?All that and more, in this week’s After Order.

Domination Without Hegemony? w/ Juliano Fiori

While James Meadway is away for the local elections, this week's Macrodose is guest-hosted by Kojo Koram - author of the upcoming book 'The Next Fix: The Winners & Losers In The Future Of Drugs'.For today's episode, Kojo explores the changing world of psychedelics - and how we’re on the cusp of a wave of corporate interests ready to sweep in to monopolise a new market.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.Purchase a copy of Kojo's new book 'The Next Fix' here:https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/kojo-koram/the-next-fix/9781399807715/Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at ⁠macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk⁠.Event Tickets: The Break—Down Issue #3 Launch Party!Event Tickets: Political Economy in a Time of Monsters To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to ⁠planetbproductions.co.uk⁠.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station

Psychedelics - The New Frontier Of Profit w/ Kojo Koram

⁠⁠Event Tickets: Political Economy in a Time of Monsters⁠ (May 12th)Welcome back to After Order - a series from Macrodose and the Alameda Institute - exploring power and crisis in today’s unstable world.In this week’s episode, we’re turning to the concept of Popular Sovereignty. At a moment when the old order is breaking down - when states are less able to guarantee rights, stability, or even the basic conditions of life - what does it mean for movements, communities, and working people to build power for themselves?Joining James to explore that question is Gabriel Tupinambá, Senior Researcher at Alameda. In an upcoming paper titled ‘Popular Sovereignties Under Peripheral Conditions’, Gabriel looks to social movements, especially those in Brazil, to understand how communities are attempting to reclaim sovereignty on new terms. Gains that once seemed durable - access to land, political representation, legal recognition - now appeared increasingly fragile. Right-wing forces are reorganising both inside and outside the state, and progressives are too often clinging to outdated institutions that have themselves become unstable. Under these conditions, Gabriel argues that we need to rethink sovereignty from the ground up. Not as a juridical status, or as participation in a national project, but as something more material and immediate, the means of life itself - food, land, shelter, social reproduction - as the basis for any sustained political struggle.Was the stability of the postwar period always more fragile than it appeared? Are the conditions long associated with the global periphery now becoming generalised across the world? And if movements today can still disrupt systems of power, why is it so much harder to build alternatives that last?All that and more, in this week’s After Order.Image Credits:Arquivo e Memória, Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST)Sebastiao Salgado c/o⁠ https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=2560,quality=82,format=auto,fit=contain/filestore/images/after-months-of-occupation-of-the-cuiaba-plantation-by-landless-families-the-peasants-celebrate-the-official-expropriation-state-of-sergipe-brazil-1996.jpg⁠Wellington Lenon c/o ⁠https://www.brasildefato.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/MST-_-Foto-Wellington-Lenon.jpg ⁠Gilvan Oliveria, c/o ⁠https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2024/01/22/lasdless-workers-movement-celebrates-40-years-and-becomes-the-longest-running-peasant-movement-in-brazil/⁠Douglas Mansur, c/o ⁠https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2024/01/22/lasdless-workers-movement-celebrates-40-years-and-becomes-the-longest-running-peasant-movement-in-brazil/⁠Eraldo Peres, c/o ⁠https://www.thenation.com/article/world/brazil-mst-landless-workers-movement/⁠Alf Ribeiro, c/o ⁠https://dissentmagazine.org/article/brazils-landless-workers-rise-mst-land-occupation/⁠Duda Oliva c/o ⁠https://thetricontinental.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/03_Duda-Oliva-2.jpg⁠Judy Duarte c/o ⁠https://thetricontinental.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/02_Juliana-2.jpg⁠Natália Gregorini c/o ⁠https://thetricontinental.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/04_Natalia-2.jpg⁠ArtworksDuda Oliva c/o ⁠https://thetricontinental.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/03_Duda-Oliva-2.jpg⁠Judy Duarte c/o ⁠https://thetricontinental.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/02_Juliana-2.jpg⁠Natália Gregorini c/o ⁠https://thetricontinental.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/04_Natalia-2.jpg⁠

Power in the Periphery w/ Gabriel Tupinambá

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at BP's mega-profits - this time as an inevitable result of the war on Iran (0:42), whether or not we could be on the verge of another 2008-style financial crisis (3:26), and the shock announcement that the UAE is leaving OPEC (9:57).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.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at ⁠macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk⁠.Event Tickets: The Break—Down Issue #3 Launch Party!Event Tickets: Political Economy in a Time of Monsters To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to ⁠planetbproductions.co.uk⁠.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station

BP's Iran War Mega Profits

Event Tickets: Political Economy in a Time of MonstersWelcome back to After Order - a series from Macrodose and the Alameda Institute - exploring power, sovereignty, and crisis in today’s unstable world.In this week’s episode, we turn to Digital Sovereignty in the age of Big Tech. What does it mean that the infrastructures underpinning our everyday lives - from search and cloud computing to communication and logistics - are owned and controlled by a tiny handful of Silicon Valley elites? What does that concentration of power mean for democracy, for states, and for the possibility of political autonomy in the digital age? And what, if anything, can we do about it?Joining host James Meadway to explore these questions are Cecilia Rikap and Paolo Gerbaudo. Cecilia is Professor of Economics and Head of Research at the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose at University College London. Paolo is Senior Researcher at the Faculty of Political Science and Sociology at the Complutense University of Madrid, and author of The Great Recoil: Politics after Populism and Pandemic.In 2025, Cecilia and Paolo co-authored a major report for the Alameda Institute titled Reclaiming Digital Sovereignty: A Roadmap to Build a Digital Stack for People and the Planet. The report sets out a bold vision: to treat digital infrastructure as a public good - one that is democratically governed, ecologically sustainable, and oriented toward social need rather than private profit.Their argument centres on a simple but far-reaching claim, that digital infrastructure is not just technical - it’s geopolitical. From the dominance of US Big Tech to the rise of Chinese platform ecosystems, control over data, computation, and networks has rapidly become a fundamental and contested terrain of global power.But if that’s true, then the challenge is not just to critique existing systems - it’s to build new ones. What would it take to construct a public-interest digital stack? Who has the capacity to do it? And how do you navigate a world shaped both by corporate monopolies and intensifying geopolitical competition?In a moment where sovereignty is increasingly exercised through platforms and protocols, this question becomes unavoidable. So what would it mean to reclaim digital infrastructure?All that and more, in today’s After Order.

Digital Sovereignty vs Big Tech w/ Cecilia Rikap & Paolo Gerbaudo

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how Europe now has only six weeks’ worth of jet fuel supplies left (1:52), how the big six investment banks are making record profits on the back of the Iran War (7:22), and some positive news around the decline of fossil fuels, and the future of our energy markets (11:48). James also pays tribute to the life and work of economist and biographer of Keynes Robert Skidelsky.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.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at ⁠macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk⁠.Event Tickets: Break-Down Issue #3 Launch PartyEvent Tickets: Political Economy in a Time of Monsters To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to ⁠planetbproductions.co.uk⁠.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station

Six Weeks of Fuel in Europe

Welcome back to After Order - a series from Macrodose and the Alameda Institute - exploring power, sovereignty, and crisis in today's unstable world.⁠⁠Event Tickets: Political Economy in a Time of Monsters ⁠⁠In this week’s show, host James Meadway is joined by Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla - political strategist, activist, Co-General Coordinator of the Progressive International, and Executive Secretary of the Hague Group, a coalition of Global South nations launched in 2025 to hold Israel accountable for its crimes in Palestine.Varsha’s work sits at the intersection of law, empire, and resistance - as both an organiser and an intellectual, grappling with what it might mean to build a decolonial internationalism rooted in the Global South.From Honduras, where a US corporation is suing the state for billions in a secret tribunal, to Ecuador, where an authoritarian regime with the direct assistance of the US is crushing democracy in the name of the War on Drugs, to the bombs falling on Gaza - in flagrant violation of international law - it’s clear we are living through a rupture in the global “order”. But Varsha argues that “order”, the so called “rules-based international system”, was always and fundamentally a veneer, one that masked the systems of coercion, extraction and exploitation that uphold global capitalism. In the context of war on Iran, it’s a particularly prescient argument. The veil has lifted, we are seeing the return of hard power across the world, and an open defiance of international institutions, from Cuba to Palestine. But we’re also seeing something else. A wave of solidarity with the victims of colonial oppression, and new forms of coordination among states seeking to resist through the cracks of disorder.So the question at the heart of today’s conversation is this: as the old fiction of order breaks down, what comes next? And what would it mean to build a different kind of sovereignty - and a different kind of internationalism - in a world After Order?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.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.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media.

Order as Fiction w/ Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at some changing rhetoric from Keir Starmer on the changing world we live in, and how it affects our economy. But does he really get it? (1:02), And second: how the surge in energy prices is prompting a jump in home installations of renewable energy generation (5:52). 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.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at ⁠macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk⁠.Event Tickets: Political Economy in a Time of Monsters To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to ⁠planetbproductions.co.uk⁠.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station

Starmer's Shifting Rhetoric

Event Tickets: Political Economy in a Time of MonstersWelcome back to the After Order podcast - a series from Macrodose in collaboration with the Alameda Institute. In our opening episode, host James Meadway spoke with Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff about their book Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed, using Elon Musk as a lens to examine the intellectual contours of our emerging post-liberal moment. Together, they traced how new ideological formations may be taking shape in the aftermath of neoliberalism.In today’s episode, we shift from those ideological roots to something more tangible, the material foundations of contemporary capitalism, and in particular, the accelerating green energy transition.To explore this, James is joined by Thea Riofrancos, author of Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism. As governments and corporations race to decarbonise the global economy, demand for critical minerals such as lithium has surged dramatically. Yet as Thea’s work shows, this transition is not simply a story of technological progress or environmental necessity. It is also opening up new frontiers of extraction - reshaping landscapes, transforming communities, and reconfiguring geopolitical relations in the process.At the centre of this conversation lies a pressing question: can the shift to renewable energy avoid reproducing the same extractive dynamics that defined the fossil-fuel era? And are we witnessing the emergence of a new form of “green capitalism” that carries forward many of the old logics under a different guise?In a world After Order, where crises no longer appear as temporary disruptions but as enduring conditions, the stakes of these questions are difficult to overstate.

The New Age of Extraction w/ Thea Riofrancos

TICKETS: Political Economy in a Time of Monsters On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at a surprising side effect of the war on Iran. As shares in arms manufacturers take an unexpected dip, has this conflict actually damaged the Western arms industry?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.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.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station

Cheaper Drones, Fewer Profits

Welcome to the After Order podcast - a new series from Macrodose and the Alameda Institute. This series emerges from Alameda’s ongoing After Order research project, which begins from a simple but unsettling proposition, that we may no longer be living through an interregnum between stable systems, but in a period defined by recurring crises - a time after stable orders.Over the coming weeks, host James Meadway will sit down with leading thinkers from around the globe, exploring topics from the decline of American hegemony and the rise of a multipolar world, to the struggle to reclaim digital sovereignty from Big Tech, and the geopolitical tensions emerging from the global energy transition under green capitalism.We’ll ask, where does power actually lie in a world after order, and what new pathways might still be opened within it?In today's episode, James meets with Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff to discuss their new book, Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed.Using Elon Musk as a lens, Quinn and Ben unpack what they call Muskism - a new political-economic logic emerging out of the ashes of neoliberalism, and one that might - just as Fordism did a century earlier - provide a roadmap to the ideological terrain of our present moment.If the neoliberal era is coming to an end, can Muskism help us interpret the ensuing disorder? And what can be done to push back against it?

Neoliberalism’s Last Man w/ Quinn Slobodian & Ben Tarnoff

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at the latest economics fall-out from the war on Iran (2:25), oil thieves in East Anglia, and how they are a harbinger of the near future (11:14), and Verdant - a new think tank launched by James himself (14:22).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.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.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media:https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-stationUK Food resilience: https://www.uea.ac.uk/about/news/article/uk-food-needs-radical-transformation-on-scale-not-seen-since-second-world-warhttps://nationalpreparednesscommission.uk/publications/just-in-case-7-steps-to-narrow-the-uk-civil-food-resilience-gap/Verdant's first report on government efficiency sacings:https://www.verdantthinking.org/publications/wastenot

A DOGE For The Left?

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how the ongoing Iran war forms part of a longer story of US decline (0:45), why a direct consequence of the war is higher borrowing costs for government (7:50), and what the UK government actually doing in response to the crisis (12:22).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.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.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media: https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station

The Third Gulf War

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at the disruption to global food supplies that surge in oil prices is now causing (2:01), how fossil fuel companies are profiteering from the crisis (5:51), and why the fresh enthusiasm for motorhome ownership is an unexpected side-effect of climate change (10:40).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.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.Listen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media: https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-stationCome to the 'Dark Money' launch event on March 19th:https://dice.fm/event/oevl5r-dark-money-how-billionaires-destroyed-britain-and-how-to-make-them-pay-19th-mar-earth-london-tickets

Warflation

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at the how the US-Israel war on Iran will impact global food prices (3:07), and how data centres are the newest target in modern warfare (9:47).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.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.Apply for Planet B's Digital Content Lead job opportunity: https://planet-b-productions.homerun.co/digital-content-lead/enListen to Death In Westminster - a new documentary podcast from Planet B Productions & Novara Media: https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/#the-station

Iran, Food & Fertiliser

Capitalism is often defended on the basis of freedom — “free markets”, free choice, as well as being credited with producing the wealth and material abundance that has freed countless people from poverty.Marx, meanwhile, described workers under capitalism as “free in the double sense”: “free” to sell their labour power in the market, and “free” or divorced from the means of production: the land, machinery or materials to sustain themselves on their own. In other words: not particularly free, at all. We can add to this the countless things that are, within market systems, “free” insofar as they are assigned no value, from the free gifts of nature to uncompensated environmental destruction and the unpaid labour that creates and sustains life. What, then, does freedom really mean within a capitalist society? When wealth is so vastly unequal, can it really be argued that market exchange is “free” in any real sense? And when the harms of our economic actions are invisible in the prices we pay—from deforestation to child labour—can we really be said to be making “free choices”? These are the questions at the heart of Alyssa Battistoni’s book Free Gifts. In this episode, she joins Adrienne to talk about value, the politics of nature, and how we might live freely in a finite world. 

Free Gifts w/ Alyssa Battistoni

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at the US and Israel’s illegal war on Iran (1:18), and the stark international economic constraints now facing the UK (9:37).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.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.Apply for Planet B's Digital Content Lead job opportunity: https://planet-b-productions.homerun.co/digital-content-lead/en

The Illegal War On Iran

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at the US supreme court shooting down Trump’s tariff bonanza (1:00), how a global hotel chain is preparing for climate change affecting their business (7:45), and the possible “green shoots” of the UK’s economic recovery (11:14)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.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.

Trump's Tariffs Shot Down

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at fresh warnings that climate change is coming straight for your supermarket shelf (0:40), and a rare piece of good climate news - from India - where a solar boom is helping leapfrog the old, fossil-fuelled path to industrialisation (8:26).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.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.

Climate Change Shakes Food Security

In this episode of The Break–Down, Deputy Editor John Merrick is joined by historian and author David Edgerton to discuss how his historical work has shaped his understanding of the climate crisis, the rise of China as both a major emitter and a green tech powerhouse, the retro revivalism of the British right, and the ubiquity of AI boosterism.The history of the climate crisis is often told as a story about technology. Growing out of the dark satanic mills of the Industrial Revolution and accelerating with new forms of production and consumption in the mid-twentieth century, we are frequently told that it is technological development and innovation that got us into this mess.But technology is also presented as the way out: a new green industrial revolution, expanded nuclear power, or even forms of geoengineering are held up as solutions.In this conversation, Edgerton asks whether a more nuanced history of technology and production might tell us something different about the politics of the climate crisis. And whether it might help us imagine paths beyond fossil-fuelled capitalism altogether.

Beyond Techno-Optimism w/ David Edgerton

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how coal use has now passed it's peak since the industrial revolution (0:41), how far short the world is from adapting to the costs of climate change (6:59), and some dodgy claims being made to support the UK government’s rush to roll out data centres (13:07).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.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.

Past Peak Coal

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at how China is pushing for an end to the dollar’s domination as the global reserve currency (0:35) and how resource constraints in the world economy are pushing governments to build up stockpiles of essentials (10:32).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.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.

China's Global Reserve Currency Push

In the latest episode of The Break–Down, host Adrienne Buller is joined by renowned economist Ann Pettifor to discuss her new book, The Global Casino: How Wall Street Gambles with People and Planet.We’ve all heard the refrain. Whenever a politician proposes a policy that might genuinely improve people’s lives — free and fast buses, affordable housing, large-scale renewable energy — the response is immediate: we can’t afford it. Media pundits and technocrats fixate on national debt, balanced budgets and the need not to “spook” the ever-mysterious bond vigilantes.This obsession doesn’t just dominate public debate — it paralyses action on the very challenges we urgently need to confront, from transforming our energy system to properly funding care for the most vulnerable.As this episode makes clear, it’s also profoundly misleading.The Global Casino traces the extraordinary power of Wall Street, revisits Keynes’s legacy, and asks a fundamental question: what is money, really? For Ann Pettifor, money is an extraordinary human invention — one that could be used to reshape our world for the better, rather than to enrich a powerful few.In today’s episode, she explains how — and why it matters now more than ever.

How Wall St. Gambles on Your Future w/ Ann Pettifor

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s blockbuster speech at the World Economic Forum (0:57), the UK government’s long-delayed report on global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and national security (7:43), and how China’s expansion in the Arctic may well be threatening Russia’s sphere of influence, more than that of the United States (14:47).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.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.Planet B, the production company that brings you Macrodose, is hiring a new Head of Production: https://planet-b-productions.homerun.co/head-of-production/en

Mark Carney Drops Kayfabe

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at the worsening trade and tariff war over Trump’s plans for Greenland (1:24), some positive climate news from India and China, where coal-fired power generation has fallen for the first time in decades (13:13), and an interesting new report on AI productivity (15:23).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.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.Planet B, the production company that brings you Macrodose, is hiring a new Head of Production: https://planet-b-productions.homerun.co/head-of-production/en

Trump's Tariff Tantrum Over Greenland

On this week's Macrodose, James Meadway looks at the climate change context behind the current protests in Iran (1:05), and Donald Trump’s bustup with federal reserve chair Jerome Powell (10:12).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.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.Planet B, the production company that brings you Macrodose, is hiring a new Head of Production: https://planet-b-productions.homerun.co/head-of-production/en

Iran Crisis & Trump vs. The Fed

For the first Macrodose episode of 2026, James Meadway takes a look at US President Donald Trump's operation in Venezuela and the seizure of the nation's leader Nicolas Maduro (1:26). Plus Trump's posturing about his desires to annex Greenland (7:39).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.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.

Venezuela, Greenland, and the New Resource Colonialism

On this week's macrodose - a special lookback at the tumultuous year that was 2025, and the various twists and turns for our global economy.James Meadway is joined by Faiza Shaheen — author, economist and Executive Director of Tax Justice UK — and Kojo Koram, author, Professor at Loughborough University, and host of Death in Westminster, a forthcoming narrative series about inequality in the UK, produced by Planet B Productions.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.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.

The 2025 Review w/ Faiza Shaheen & Kojo Koram

On this week's episode of Macrodose, James Meadway takes a look at how the drive to produce and consume more is creating a monumental trail of waste (0:33), and what the impacts of surpassing ‘peak’ demand in oil will be (5:09).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.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.

Approaching Peak Oil

The Break—Down returns! This week Adrienne returns for a fascinating conversation with Brazilian sociologist, political economist, author, and activist, Sabrina Fernandes. When Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, or Lula, was re-elected as the President of Brazil in 2022, defeating Jair Bolsonaro in a tense election, the Brazilian left and many around the world breathed an almost literal sigh of relief. Under Bolsonaro, Brazil’s ecological and climate record was scorched, with deforestation in the Amazon reaching record highs.Hopes were high, and for good reason: Lula campaigned on the rights of the working class and Brazil’s Indigenous peoples; under his watch deforestation quickly began to fall; and at COP27 in Egypt he declared in no uncertain terms: "Brazil is back." Yet Lula’s record so far is complex, particularly when it comes to the challenges and perceived trade-offs of economic development and the climate, all while managing powerful competing forces in Brazilian politics. As COP30 begins in Belém Brazil, Adrienne is joined by Sabrina Fernandes, an economic sociologist and head of research at the Alameda Institute, to discuss her essay “Lula’s Dilemma”, which she wrote for the second print issue of the BREAK—DOWN, on the complexities of Brazilian ecological politics, the power of big agri-business and what we can expect from Brazil’s leadership of this year’s climate conference. Further reading: Sabrina Fernandes, ⁠Lula’s Dilemma⁠, The BREAK—DOWNSubscribe to the BREAK—DOWN for just £15/year.

The BREAK—DOWN: Lula’s Dilemma w/ Sabrina Fernandes

In a special Budget crossover episode, James Meadway is joined by Carys Afoko, Host of Over the Top and Under the Radar, and Hannah Peaker, deputy chief executive at the New Economics Foundation, and occasional host of their New Economics Podcast.Together, they give their reaction to Rachel Reeves' budget that could seal her and Keir Starmer's future.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.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.

Budget Breakdown Special w/ Carys Afoko and Hannah Peaker

This week on The Curve, James Meadway is joined by Antonia Jennings - chief executive at the centre for London.Together they discuss Rachel Reeves' upcoming budget blunders (1:36). In the full version of the show available exclusively to Patreon supporters, James and Antonia also discuss the series of changes to Britain's asylum system announced this week by home secretary Shabana Mahmood (28:24), and how energy companies have recorded record profits in the UK (42.38)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.

Reeves' Budget Blunders w/ Antonia Jennings

On this week's episode of Macrodose, James Meadway takes a look at the context surrounding the world's climate negotiations as delegates gather in Brazil for COP30 (1:26), and how the world is looking to adapt to a hotter global climate (8:00).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.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.

COP30 & Adapting To A Warming World

This week on The Curve, James Meadway is joined by author and journalist Sarah Jaffe who has covered New York politics extensively.Together, they discuss Zohran Mamdani's momentous victory in New York's mayoral election and what it means for the future of economic populism on the left.In the full episode James and Sarah also discuss UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves signalling that she's planning tax rises in the upcoming budget.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.

Mamdani's Momentous Win w/ Sarah Jaffe

James Meadway is away this week but we wanted to leave you with this important conversation from June 2023, directly relevant to the current fears that the AI bubble is about to burst. It's with Richard Jones - professor of materials physics and innovation policy at the University of Manchester, and a fellow at the royal society - and the conversation is about semiconductors - a material roadblocks to AI expansion.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.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.

Semiconductors & Artificial Intelligence w/ Richard Jones

Overshoot affects everything - where do we start?In this bonus episode, a panel of leading climate thinkers and doers discuss the implications of 1.5C overshoot for law, geopolitics, activism, and more. Host Laurie Laybourn is joined by Arlo Brady (Freuds), Olivia Lazard (Berggruen Institute), Harj Narulla (Doughty Street Chambers), and Clover Hogan (Force of Nature). The conversation was recorded in front of a live audience at the Freuds Group HQ in London. It has been edited for conciseness.***OVERSHOOT is a new four-part audio documentary hosted by climate researcher and policy advisor Laurie Laybourn. OVERSHOOT is produced by Planet B Productions and the Strategic Climate Risks Initiative.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. For essays and bonus content, sign up at overshootpod.com or follow @overshootpod on social media.Writer and presenter: Laurie LaybournResearcher: Ben Shread-HewittProduction coordination: Daniel NormanScript consulting: Daniel TrillingSound design and mix: Ben Heyderman and James FoxOriginal music by HaniellWith special thanks to Freuds for hosting us and Ren Balogun and the team, as well as all those who joined us. Apologies to those whose questions we had to cut from the edit; there just wasn’t enough room! 

[OVERSHOOT] Episode 5: Overshoot LIVE

Today we are posting a bonus episode recorded by our friends over at Transition Security Project. In this fascinating discussion, former Macrodose guests Laleh Khalili and Thea Riofrancos are joined by Stephen Semler, co-founder of Security Policy Reform Institute, and Ilias Alami, Assistant Professor in the Political Economy of Development at the University of Cambridge, to discuss how Western military industrial complexes are threatening the climate transition.Transition Security Project is a new research centre founded jointly by Common Wealth and the Climate and Community Institute, focused on developing alternative approaches to security and collaborating with trade unions on just transition plans for the military industry.Find their work here: https://transitionsecurity.orgChair:* Laleh Khalili is Director of the Centre for Gulf Studies at the University of Exeter, where she researches empire, extractivism and maritime trade. Her books include Sinews of War and Trade, Extractive Capitalism and Heroes and Martyrs of Palestine. Laleh is a fellow of Transition Security Project.Speakers:* Stephen Semler is the co-founder of Security Policy Reform Institute, a think tank that works to align US foreign policy with working-class interests. He is an expert at Forum on the Arms Trade and writes for the Quincy Institute, Security in Context and his newsletter, Polygraph. Stephen is a fellow of Transition Security Project and the author of a forthcoming essay on the class politics of the military industrial complex.* Thea Riofrancos is Associate Professor of Political Science at Providence College, where she works on resource extraction, climate crisis and the global energy transition. She is the author of Extraction and Resource Radicals. Thea is Strategic Co-Director of Climate and Community Institute, which cohosts Transition Security Project.* Ilias Alami is Assistant Professor in the Political Economy of Development at the University of Cambridge, where he writes about state capitalism, geopolitics, and the green transition. He is the author of The Spectre of State Capitalism and Money, Power and Financial Capital in Emerging Markets. Ilias is a fellow of Transition Security Project and the author of a forthcoming essay on AI, imperialism and resource conflicts.Khem Rogaly, Patrick Bigger and Lorah Steichen from Transition Security Project offer brief responses to each speaker. https://www.common-wealth.org⁠

War, Climate Crisis and the Economy w/ Transition Security Project

This week on The Curve, James Meadway is joined by Nicholas Beuret - author of Or Something Worse:Why We Need to Disrupt the Climate Transition⁠.Together, they discuss mounting speculation over the upcoming budget and the longevity of Keir Starmer's premiership.In the extended episode, available to Macrodose members on Patreon, they discuss Nicholas' new book on how the push for net zero has become a new arena for class conflict, and also respond to a listener question on government debt. 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.

Will The Budget Be The End Of Starmer? w/ Nicholas Beuret

How can we be resilient to what comes next?One of Spain’s worst disasters was driven by climate change. But it ended up boosting climate deniers. This episode explores how to avoid this, what it really means to prepare for a world above 1.5°C, and why governments are clinging to fantasy preparation plans. And we hear the stories of how we can stay focused on navigating the growing climate storm. ***OVERSHOOT is a new four-part audio documentary hosted by climate researcher and policy advisor Laurie Laybourn. OVERSHOOT is produced by Planet B Productions and the Strategic Climate Risks Initiative.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. For essays and bonus content, sign up at overshootpod.com or follow @overshootpod on social media.***Writer and presenter: Laurie LaybournResearcher: Ben Shread-HewittProduction coordination: Daniel NormanScript consulting: Daniel TrillingSound design and mix: Ben Heyderman and James FoxOriginal music by HaniellWith special thanks to Aaron Thierry, Mirte Boot, James Dyke, Henry Throp, Stephen Backhouse, Sophia Lennon

[OVERSHOOT] Episode 4: Derailment

On this week's episode of Macrodose, James Meadway takes a look at: First, with warnings from both the Bank of England and IMF this week, the spectre of the AI bubble bursting is looming larger than ever before (0:35). Second, what should we make of renewed escalation in the US-China trade war (10:24).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.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.

Is the AI Bubble about to burst?

What do the people in charge think is going to happen?Sue Owen was enjoying her retirement until she asked her pension fund what it thought catastrophic climate change would do to the economy. Not very much, according to them. This episode follows the campaigners and experts uncovering how pension funds, governments, and the other people in charge are using misleading economics that wildly underestimates the dangers of overshooting 1.5°C - and what to do about it. ***OVERSHOOT is a new four-part audio documentary hosted by climate researcher and policy advisor Laurie Laybourn. OVERSHOOT is produced by Planet B Productions and the Strategic Climate Risks Initiative.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. For essays and bonus content, sign up at overshootpod.com or follow @overshootpod on social media.***Writer and presenter: Laurie LaybournResearcher: Ben Shread-HewittProduction coordination: Daniel NormanScript consulting: Daniel TrillingSound design and mix: Ben Heyderman and James FoxOriginal music by HaniellWith special thanks to Aaron Thierry, Mirte Boot, James Dyke, Henry Throp, Stephen Backhouse, Sophia Lennon

[OVERSHOOT] Part 3: The Minsky Moment

This week on The Curve, James Meadway sits down with Laurie Laybourn, executive director of the Strategic Climate Risks Initiative to talk about his podcast Overshoot - a new series about how we navigate a warming world beyond 1.5C. In the extended episode, available to Macrodose members on Patreon, James and Laurie discuss the recent Labour and Green party conferences, as well as the government's AI bill set to unleash a frenzy of data centre construction across the UK. 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.

A Warming World Beyond 1.5C w/ Laurie Laybourn

Who’s going to clean up the mess?Dangerous amounts of carbon have been dumped in the atmosphere - so someone has to clean up the mess. Enter the dream - or delusion - of sucking carbon out of the sky. We trace how a backup plan for tackling climate change became plan A, why fossil fuel companies love it, and the staggering scale of the carbon sucking that must now be done - and whether it can even work.***OVERSHOOT is a new four-part audio documentary hosted by climate researcher and policy advisor Laurie Laybourn. OVERSHOOT is produced by Planet B Productions and the Strategic Climate Risks Initiative.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. For essays and bonus content, sign up at overshootpod.com or follow @overshootpod on social media.***Writer and presenter: Laurie LaybournResearcher: Ben Shread-HewittProduction coordination: Daniel NormanScript consulting: Daniel TrillingSound design and mix: Ben Heyderman and James FoxOriginal music by HaniellWith special thanks to Aaron Thierry, Mirte Boot, James Dyke, Henry Throp, Stephen Backhouse, Sophia Lennon

[OVERSHOOT] Part 2: Carbon Suckers

If the world didn’t win, then has it lost? The world is overshooting 1.5°C, a level of global heating long seen as the marker of climate safety. But does that mean we’re doomed? In this opening episode, we hear the extraordinary story of how the 1.5°C goal was set, and how it shapes the ways we think about climate change. We learn why some people are now turning to fatalism and what it might really mean to navigate a truly global climate crisis.***OVERSHOOT is a new four-part audio documentary hosted by climate researcher and policy advisor Laurie Laybourn. OVERSHOOT is produced by Planet B Productions and the Strategic Climate Risks Initiative.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. For essays and bonus content, sign up at overshootpod.com or follow @overshootpod on social media.***Writer and presenter: Laurie LaybournResearcher: Ben Shread-HewittProduction coordination: Daniel NormanScript consulting: Daniel TrillingSound design and mix: Ben Heyderman and James FoxOriginal music by HaniellWith special thanks to Aaron Thierry, Mirte Boot, James Dyke, Henry Throp, Stephen Backhouse, and Sophia Lennon

[OVERSHOOT] Part 1: Uncharted Territory

The world missed its goal for tackling climate change. What happens next? In 2015, the world agreed to limit global heating to 1.5°C. Ten years later, temperatures are spiralling beyond this and climate chaos is wreaking havoc across the globe. In a major four-part series, host Laurie Laybourn explores how the world ended up here and uncovers the huge misconceptions and the high-tech fantasies that hold us back. And we meet people with the ideas to navigate what comes next, from protesting pensioners to climate negotiators, Pacific islanders to pre-eminent scientists.Coming soon. Listen from Monday 6th October. ***OVERSHOOT is a new four-part audio documentary hosted by climate researcher and policy advisor Laurie Laybourn. OVERSHOOT is produced by Planet B Productions and the Strategic Climate Risks Initiative.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. For essays and bonus content, sign up at overshootpod.com or follow @overshootpod on social media.Writer and presenter: Laurie LaybournResearcher: Ben Shread-HewittProduction coordination: Daniel NormanScript consulting: Daniel TrillingSound design and mix: Ben Heyderman and James FoxOriginal music by HaniellWith special thanks to Aaron Thierry, Mirte Boot, James Dyke, Henry Throp, Stephen Backhouse

Overshoot: Navigating a world beyond 1.5°C – trailer

Returning from spending the summer writing his new book, James looks back at the key economic stories of the summer along with some important ones you may have missed.Plus: Javier Milei's economic experiment in Argentina has collapsed, leading to his government asking Trump’s United States for a $20 billion bailout.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.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.

The Natural Economy

As public dissatisfaction with the current government deepens & Reform UK lead in the polls, the need for a coherent, credible alternative has become increasingly urgent. To meet this moment, leading think tank the Autonomy Institute and Macrodose hosted some of the UK’s leading, activists, academics and campaigners from across the progressive spectrum, to chart the ideas and strategies needed for a transformative agenda fit for the challenges of the present and the next general election.Speakers:- Asad Rehman (War on Want)- James Schneider (Progressive International)- Ayeisha Thomas-Smith (NEON)- John McTernan (Political strategist & commentator)- Antonia Jennings (Centre for London)

LIVE - The Policies and Politics We Need w/ Autonomy Institute

Our final guest hosted episode of the summer comes from Quinn Slobodian - author of Hayek's Bastards.Reading an extract from his book, he explains some of the surprising connections between the neoliberal intellectual movement and the so-called populist right that we’ve seen on the rise over the past decade.

Hayek's Bastards w/ Quinn Slobodian

This week on The Curve, Nick Dearden from Global Justice Now is in the hosting chair, joined by journalist and author Sarah Jaffe. They discuss the upcoming second state visit of US President Donald Trump and the tech bosses that are accompanying him.In the extended episode, available to Macrodose members on Patreon, Nick and Sarah discuss the massive immigration raid at a Hyundai factory in Georgia.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.

Trump's Second State Visit w/ Nick Dearden & Sarah Jaffe

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.

The Decline of the Bandung Spirit w/ Kevin Ochieng Okoth

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.

Unemployment Peak w/ Faiza Shaheen & Laurie Macfarlane

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 economyIn 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.

Reeves Considers New Taxes w/ Grace Blakeley and Faiza Shaheen

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. 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.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.

Ricardo's Dream w/ Nat Dyer

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.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.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.

Who Cares? w/ Emily Kenway

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 to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. As a thank you, patreon supporting will gain access to the full episode. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.

LIVE: State Of The Nation w/ Kwajo Tweneboa & Dalia Gebrial

James Meadway is away this week, so in place of THE CURVE we're bringing you this exclusive conversation.Earlier this month, former trader Gary Stevenson joined Orwell Prize nominee Kojo Koram for a discussion on the state of British politics, rising inequality, and how economic decline is reshaping the public sphere.Together, Stevenson and Koram examined Britain’s offshore empire, the roots of global inequality, and the prospects for building real alternatives in a failing system.Subscribe to support the show at patreon.com/Macrodose. As a thank you, patreon supporting will gain access to the full episode. Your pledge is a donation supporting free public education; perks are thank-you gifts for your support.

LIVE: State Of The Nation w/ Gary Stevenson & Kojo Koram

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.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.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.

John Maynard Keynes: Saving Capitalism From Itself

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.

China's Economic Future w/ Jane Hayward

On this week's MACRODOSE, James kicks off our economics history series with a look at the life and impact of the Jewish Polish-German revolutionary and Marxist theorist Rosa Luxembourg, and why her work has renewed relevance today (2:22).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.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.

Rosa Luxemburg: Ecological Economist

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.

Zohranomics w/ Kate Aronoff

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). 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.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.

After Peace

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.

War on Iran w/ Laleh Khalili

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). 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.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.

The Millionaire Exodus Myth

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.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠planetbproductions.co.uk

Starmer's Military Keynesianism

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:​James Meadway​Maria Finnerty (Cafod’s economic lead)​Kojo Koram (Author of Uncommon Wealth)​Nick Dearden (Director, Global Justice Now)

LIVE: Green Futures in the Age of Trump w/ Kojo Koram, Nick Dearden & Maria Finnerty

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 #1The 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.Issue ⁠⁠#1⁠⁠ is available now. Buy a print copy ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

LIVE: The Afterlives of Neoliberalism w/ Quinn Slobodian and Geoff Mann

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). 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.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.

UK Avoids Recession (for now)

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/1⁠Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk⁠⁠⁠To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to ⁠⁠⁠planetbproductions.co.uk

US-UK Trade Deal Explained w/ Faiza Shaheen

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-1325086472309⁠⁠Find the Inside Track memo here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tATFmJG0wOtLDHxionMX0qNEXw49tjRl/view?usp=drivesdk 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.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

Fresh Warnings For UK Food Suppliers

On this week's episode of The Curve, James Meadway is joined by Adrienne Buller from The Break Down to discuss the electrical blackouts that hit southern europe, what caused them, and what they mean for climate policy (2:05).In the full episode, James and Adrienne go over the Canadian election results, the latest on international trade after Trump's liberation day, and the launch of The Break Down's first magazine issue.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/1Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at ⁠⁠macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk⁠⁠To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to ⁠⁠planetbproductions.co.uk

Blackout Europe w/ Adrienne Buller

On this week’s MACRODOSE, James Meadway breaks down two big stories. First (0:35), as US investors continue their sell-off, what could de-dollarisation mean for global markets and the balance of economic power? Second (8:41), James reflects on the legacy of Pope Francis following his passing—highlighting the economic themes of his papacy that have been largely overlooked in mainstream tributes.🎟 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-1325086472309⁠Subscribe 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.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

Popenomics

On this week's episode of The Curve, James Meadway and Grace Blakeley are joined by Nick Dearden, Director of Global Justice Now and author of Trade Secrets: The Truth About the US Trade Deal and How We Can Stop It. Together, James, Grace & Nick discuss the continued fallout from Trump's tariff turbulence (2:12).In the full episode, they unpack the big British Steel debate here the UK, and the landmark UN decision to force shipping firms to pay for CO2 emissions. 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.Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at ⁠macrodose@planetbproductions.co.uk⁠To learn more about the work we do at Planet B Productions, head to ⁠planetbproductions.co.uk⁠

Tariff Turbulence w/ Nick Dearden

On this week's MACRODOSE, James Meadway focuses on the one huge story of the week: Trump’s tariffs and the end of globalisation (1:17). As Washington announces a sweeping 10% minimum tariff on all US imports, decades of economic orthodoxy are being upended—and the world economy is being reshaped before our eyes. What do we make of it, and what happens next?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.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.

The End of Globalisation

In a new show from Macrodose:The Curve, James Meadway and Grace Blakeley break down the week’s biggest economic stories and what they mean for all of us.Joining them on this episode is former Greek finance minister and Diem25 secretary Yanis Varoufakis to discuss Trump's so-called 'Liberation Day' of tariffs (1:46).In the full episode, Yanis James & Grace discuss Germany opting for 'military keynesianism' & whether a wealth tax is an idea whose time has come.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.

Liberation Day! w/ Yanis Varoufakis

On this week's MACRODOSE, James Meadway unpacks: the UK's Spring Statement and Labour’s reckless welfare cuts (0:51), how Trump’s America is using dollar swap lines to pressure the EU (7:55), and how global shipping companies are raking in record profits from worldwide trade disruptions (16:55).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.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.

Labour’s Welfare Crackdown & Washington’s EU Blackmail

James is away from the show this week, so we’re sharing a great conversation between him and Paris Marx for the podcast Tech Won’t Save Us - a show offering a critical take on Big Tech and its impact on society.Paris and James dive into the UK’s relationship with tech. Why is Keir Starmer promising to, quote, “mainline AI into the veins of the nation”? Can we do anything about the UK’s dependence on Silicon Valley? And what might an alternative tech future look like?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.Support Tech Won't Save Us ⁠here⁠.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.

The UK’s Misguided Embrace of AI Hype (Macrodose & TWSU)

On this week's MACRODOSE, James Meadway unpacks: Germany’s dramatic break from austerity as the government abandons its balanced budget commitments for the first time since 2009 (1:14), and a look at Rachel Reeves' planned cuts in Britain, sticking to the same old austerity playbook even as Germany goes the other way (10:37).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.MICHAEL BURKE – INCREASING MILITARY SPENDING WILL NOT RAISE LIVING STANDARDS  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.