Excerpt - Sebastian Budgen on collapsing trust in the French state

Sebastian Budgen returns to provide an update on the political situation in France. If you'd like to hear the rest of this episode of PTO Extra! please consider becoming a £5 supporter at patreon.com/poltheoryother

In December of last year, the then South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol - of the right-wing People Power Party - attempted to impose martial law on the country in what was described as a 'self-coup'. Kevin Gray joins PTO to talk about his recent article in the New Left Review on the Korean far-right. We chatted about the background to the attempted coup and the history of the Korean far-right and broader conservative currents. Kevin explained the far-right's roots in the Japanese occupation of Korea and the role of the United States in supporting those conservative elements that collaborated in Japanese rule. We also talked about how the far-right has developed a capacity for large-scale, militant street protest and why it is that young Korean men are increasingly supportive of the far-right.

Phil Burton-Cartledge returns to PTO to talk about the ongoing crisis of the British Conservative Party and whether there is a way back for the party that has dominated British politics for two centuries. We talked about whether the failings of Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch are particular to her, or merely a reflection of deeper lying structural problems, and we discussed why it is that Nigel Farage's Reform Party has proven more successful in occupying the populist-right space in UK politics.

Sebastian Budgen returns to PTO to talk about the political crisis in France where Emmanuel Macron has appointed his third prime minister in a year. We talked about the political background of the new prime minister, and long-time Macron ally, Sebastien Lecornu and whether the French Socialist Party is likely to prop up the new government. We also talked about the 'Block Everything' protest movement and how the radical left have handled the campaign of demonisation they have been subjected to by the French media. Finally, we talked about the legal troubles of Marine Le Pen and the electoral prospects for the far-right National Rally.

If you'd like to listen to the rest of this episode of PTO Extra! become a £5 supporter at patreon.com/poltheoryother

Juliet Jacques interviews James Schneider (co-founder of Momentum and director of strategic communications during Jeremy Corbyn's time as Labour leader) about the creation of the new left party in Britain, why there's a greater opportunity for a left electoral breakthrough now than there has been in living memory, and about the need to rebuild the left's social institutions.

Adam Hanieh, Rafeef Ziadah, and Robert Knox on their new co-authored book, 'Resisting Erasure: Capital, Imperialism and Race in Palestine'. We spoke about the inadequacy of framing the question of Palestine and the Gaza genocide solely as a humanitarian issue and how the Israeli project of settler-colonialism has been part and parcel of the expansion of European and American capitalism. We also talked about why Israel was so crucial to the creation of a US-dominated order in West Asia and whether there is any prospect of US and Israeli interests significantly diverging. We went on to speak about the so-called Oslo Peace process of the early 1990s and finally Adam, Rafeef, and Robert spoke about the current catastrophic situation in Gaza.

Adam Hanieh, Rafeef Ziadah, and Robert Knox on their new co-authored book, Resisting Erasure: Capital, Imperialism and Race in Palestine. We spoke about the inadequacy of framing the question of Palestine and the Gaza genocide solely as a humanitarian issue and how the Israeli project of settler-colonialism has been part and parcel of the expansion of European and American capitalism. We also talked about why Israel was so crucial to the creation of a US-dominated order in West Asia and whether there is any prospect of US and Israeli interests significantly diverging. We went on to speak about the so-called Oslo Peace process of the early 1990s and finally Adam, Rafeef, and Robert spoke about the current catastrophic situation in Gaza.

In today's episode Cecilia Rikap - an expert in the political economy of science and technology - speaks with Paris Marx (host of the excellent Tech Won't Save Us podcast). Cecilia and Paris discussed the subservient approach that Keir Starmer's Labour government has taken to tech policy and how willing Starmer has been to give tech companies whatever they want. They went on to discuss global dependence on US tech monopolists, and the concept of digital sovereignty in the context of the alliance between the Trump administration and Silicon Valley.

Expert on China-Iran relations William Figueroa joins PTO to talk about the relationship between China and Iran in the wake of the twelve day war between Iran and Israel. We chatted about why China's backing for Iran has been - and is likely to continue to be - relatively limited as China balances support for Iran with its other interest in West Asia. We also talked about the extent to which Xi Jinping and the Chinese leadership are happy to see the US bogged down in the Middle East, and we spoke about whether the scale of Israeli violence and expansionism may lead China to take a more overtly pro-Iran position.