The Owen Jones Podcast

Will Le Pen Win? How 'Centrism' Turned France Into a Cauldron of Anger

With an epic showdown between the far-right's Marine Le Pen and neoliberal Emmanuel Macron in the second round of the French presidential election - is this really a done deal? How has the far right come closer to winning power in a Western European nation than at any time since 1945? What will those who voted for the left-wing insurgent Jean-Luc Mélenchon do? Why did five years of so-called 'moderate' rule leave France more divided and polarised than it was before? And what is the future of France - and with it, Europe and beyond? We travelled to France to spend time with the Mélenchon campaign and its supporters, we went to Le Pen country to find out why voters who previously opted for the left have defected to the far right, we spoke to Macron supporters - and ordinary people who are angry and disillusioned in a society which is rigged against them. Please subscribe - and if you want us to make more of these documentaries, and tell us what you want us to make, support us here: https://patreon.com/owenjones84Support this show <a href="http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast" rel="payment" target="_blank">http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast</a>. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color:grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Owen Jones, journalist, author of Chavs and The Establishment, or "that left-wing idiot off the telly", is fed up with the establishment media. After all, it punches down, not up, blames minorities for all the problems in society, and, let's face it, often just parrots the government line. So this podcast is offering something different: speaking truth to power, giving the marginalised a voice, offering hope - and having a laugh along the way. From Michael Sheen to Judith Butler, Prof. Devi Sridhar to Noam Chomsky, Peter Hitchens to Chelsea Manning and Gary Younge to Stewart Lee, the interviewees couldn't be more eclectic. Expect documentaries, too, exposing injustice and going to enemy territory - and discussions with experts on everything from COVID dreams about the pandemic to the history of US-backed coups. We'll learn a lot - but above all else, have our optimism in a better world rebooted. Support this show <a href="http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast" rel="payment" target="_blank">http://supporter.acast.com/the-owen-jones-podcast</a>. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color:grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.