Heart Yoga Radio

TACO? - INTERESTING TIMES 94

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 15:41:40 +0100

In this podcast, I consider president Trump's blood-curdling threats to eliminate the entire civilisation of Iran and his sudden reversal into claiming that Iran's ten-point requirement to cease firing is a basis for future talks and an immediate cease fire. I consider this in the light of a number of actual events, certain expert commentary, and the notion that fascism is the weaponisation of the death instinct. [Free. 34 minutes.]

CONSTITUTIONAL 4

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 15:31:31 +0100

Join me on my constitutional. This episode is a few days out of date but, I believe, still of use. I consider the ongoing global conflict in the context of the economic, cultural, natural and informational systems which sustain human existence. [Free. 52 minutes.]

MISSILES & THE FOG OF WAR - INTERESTING TIMES 93

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 14:44:33 +0000

In this podcast, I revisit the alleged failed missile attack on Diego Garcia. I look at how the story has developed and been disseminated. [Free. 15 minutes.]

MISSILES, STARMER, GAZA - INTERESTING TIMES 92

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 19:24:22 +0000

In this podcast, I attempt to paint a picture of where we are now by drawing on Starmer's two-faced approach to war in West Asia, the on-going genocide in Gaza and the firing of missiles towards Diego Garcia by Iran. I take all of these as signalling the beginning of the end for the hegemon. [Free. 23 minutes.]

EXTERNALITIES

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 20:25:49 +0000

In this podcast, I consider 'externalities' which is the name given to the dumping of waste products into water and air, and onto land by capitalist industrial production, free of charge. I argue this is done under the imperative of 'increasing shareholder value' and in which governments are implicated. This explains, I argue, why governments wait until the last minute to act, even though citizens' health may be severely impacted. I illustrate the thesis with examples from the the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. [Free. 30 minutes.]

CONSTITUTIONAL 3

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 19:57:19 +0000

Join me as I take my constitutional. Again, I consider subtle and not so subtle aspects of propaganda, mostly in the context of the state of the world, and particularly with respect to war in West Asia. I also briefly consider the state's resort to coercion to supress dissent from its viscous psychopathy. [Free. 19 minutes.]

CONSTITUTIONAL 2

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 12:02:44 +0000

Join me as take my constitutional. In this episode I examine information flow and energy flow as primary levers of control for the hegemon. I do this in the context of unrelenting war propaganda by western MSM. [Free. 20 minutes.]

WW3, POLITICAL ASSASINATION & MICROSEMIOLOGY - INTERESTING TIMES 91

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 21:26:11 +0000

In this podcast, I examine some small details of propaganda reactions to the recent assassination of Ayatollah Khamenei by USA-Israel in two interventions in the discourse surrounding this event. These are a BBC report of the event and a tweet by Paul Mason. I attempt to expose how repeated tiny innuendos of language are meant to nudge the collective common sense to produce attitudes and world pictures conducive to the interests of the oligarchic class. I situate this in the situation in which communications infrastructure and actual content are owned and determined by that class. I try to indicate how this unfreedom can be seen through. [Free. 35 minutes.]

IRAN-US-ISRAEL WAR [28-2-26] - INTERESTING TIMES 90

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 23:44:58 +0000

In this podcast, I try to find my way through the fog of the first day of war between US-Israel and Iran to describe and elucidate what is going on regarding the configuration of forces and military capabilities. I also examine briefly the role of the control of oil and of the vast profits made by the military industrial complex in the context of the rise of China and BRICS and the decline of US hegemony. [Free. 33 minutes.]

WW3, AUTHORITARIANISM, ANTI-SCIENCE - INTERESTING TIMES 88

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 23:19:12 +0000

In this podcast I consider (1) Col Wilkerson's assertion that World War 3 is underway, (2) Mick Wallace's claim that, in the global north, governments are against their own peoples, and (3) the irrationality of the US administration's attempt to dismantle cutting edge science projects and scientifically-based public services. I synthesise these interpretations, and though the result is very bleak, I nevertheless describe certain glimmers of hope. NB This was recorded in August 25 but was overlooked for publication. [Free. 48 minutes.]

GREENS WIN IN UK! - INTERESTING TIMES 89

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 22:08:28 +0000

In this podcast, I offer a contextual analysis of the Green Party's resounding win in the Gorton and Denton by-election in which a local working class, female plumber was elected to Parliament with a very decent majority over second place Reform, a fascist party aligned with Trumpism. Labour was relegated to third place having dominated in this region since 1932. I examine the intensifying rhetoric ay tricks aimed at the Greens as a result from both the far right and the technocratic Labour government. I argue that a seismic shift has occurred and celebration is in order, but only for a brief while before intense struggle resumes. [Free. 30 minutes.]

CONSTITUTIONAL 1

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 11:23:12 +0000

Join me on my constitutional. Today I make a rough sketch of the geo-political situation and appraise some past prognostications on chaotic trends. [Free. 11 minutes.]

EMPATHY & CIVILISATION

Wed, 14 May 2025 13:33:19 +0100

In this podcast, I examine Elon Musk's recent take on empathy, which essentially claims that it has to be applied partially for the good of civilisation. I show Musk's take to be incoherent, practically unfeasible, and redolent with MAGA fascism. In the process, I believe that I caste some useful light on empathy itself. [Free. 25 minutes.]

TRUMP STEALS GAZA - "THIS IS THE WORLD NAKED" - INTERESTING TIMES 87

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 14:36:03 +0000

In this podcast, I interpret Francesca Albanese's exclamation, on hearing Donald Trump call for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza in order that it might be reconstructed as desirable real estate, that "this is the world naked". I discuss the proposed annexation of Canada, Panama, and Greenland alongside the psychology of delusions of omnipotence and the MAGA cult. [Free. 29 minutes.]

EXTREME WEALTH, PROPERTY & POWER

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 13:53:59 +0000

In this podcast, I examine the relationship between accumulations of extreme wealth and notions of property and their connection to power. I suggest how these might be re-configured so as to eliminate their current malignant threat to general human flourishing. [Free. 29 minutes.]

STICKING IT TO THE MAN, UBI & DENIAL - INTERESTING TIMES 86

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 12:57:43 +0000

Join me on my constitutional. In this podcast, I examine how wide-spread and justifiable resentment at conditions of life under current power arrangements is channelled by the very agencies causing that resentment into serving their project of concentrating concentrate wealth and power in a very few hands. The result here is that a good many people believe passionately that they are sticking it to the man by cleaving to beliefs, action and politics which that same man devised and paid to propagate. I use the example of some recent debate around the viability of Universal Basic Income (UBI) and the role of the state. [Free. 27 minutes.]

AI, MONEY, TIME

Sun, 12 Jan 2025 20:43:51 +0000

Join me on my constitutional. In a somewhat rambling discourse, I examine an engagement with an AI on the subject of theories of money and, from there, proceed to take issue with 'technological solutionism' which suggests that technological advance of a certain kind is sufficient to solve humanity's pressing problems. Over and against this idea, I claim that technology can be immensely powerful and transformative, but is not sufficient to ensure human flourishing without the appropriate political and structural change to society. I illustrate the case with the empirical case of how massively enhanced technologically-facilitated productivity has not improved the lot of workers but has lead to the concentration of wealth and power in very few hands. I suggest the use of enhanced productivity and the ability to automate drudgery should be used to liberate time for people in general rather than serving the bottom line. [Free. 26 minutes.]

BILLIONAIRES: WHAT ARE THEY GOOD FOR?

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 12:32:10 +0000

Join me on my constitutional. I enquire into the matter of the extreme concentrations of wealth and power in the hands of a small number of billionaires and take issue with a couple of the regular justifications for this status quo. The first of these is the notion that if people can't get hyper-rich without restriction that that would be an affront to liberty. The second is the notion that the ability to accumulate vast amounts of wealth and power by a few somehow makes for dynamism and innovation which benefits everybody via trickle down. Beware! Contains utopian speculation. [Free. 31 minutes.]

LOOKING BACK OVER 2024 AND FORWARD TO 2025 - INTERESTING TIMES 85

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 19:46:59 +0000

In this podcast, I reflect on events of the past year, particularly with respect to ecological, economic, and cultural systems. I compare my forward speculations of January 24 with events of the year itself. I also speculate on how the trends I identify might develop as 2025 unfolds. I ask if there are any hopeful signs and question what we can and should do. [Free. 69 minutes.]

THE SEMIOLOGY OF VICTUALS - INTERESTING TIMES 84

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 20:39:30 +0000

Join me on my constitutional. I discuss the use by right wing culture-warriors of a semiotics of food choices and dietary traditions and habits. An enemy can be signified by a food item! In this vein, just lately, Nigel Farrage MP got annoyed with 'left-wing milk', or at least the absence of proper [fascist] milk. I caste psychoanalytic aspersions on this weird symbolic world as well as translating some of the food signifiers onto stances on ecological issues, especially those deriving from food production. [Free. 18 MINUTES.]

CATCHING UP - INTERESTING TIMES 83

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 14:22:51 +0000

As I take my constitutional, I discuss the intensifying cold war on China, the rise in authoritarianism and state terror in the UK and beyond, and the intensification of military conflict in The Middle East and Ukraine. I also discuss how these elements of current affairs are closely entwined and related to such matters as the steady realisation of the BRICS project, de-dollarization, and the role of the Military Industrial Complex. [Free. 32 minutes.]

RIOTS IN THE UK BECOME ANTI-RACIST TRIUMPH - INTERESTING TIMES 82

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 12:55:41 +0100

In this podcast, I reflect on the recent riots in the UK and the various responses to them. [Free. 51 minutes.]

CONSCRIPTION: SERVICE OR SERVITUDE? - INTERESTING TIMES 81

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 21:30:34 +0100

In this podcast, I consider the grumbling discourse in the UK around conscription, which was raised as a policy by then PM Rishi Sunak in the run up to the General Election. I criticise this proposal from a variety of angles as well as teasing out the ideological ramifications of "a culture of service" which it was meant to engender. [Free. 27 minutes.]

HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE?

Wed, 19 Jun 2024 15:39:22 +0100

In this podcast, I discuss the proposition that "Hell is other people" which is found in Sartre's play Hui Clos (1944). I draw on my own reflections, and the works of Freud and Hegel rather than closely following the original play. [Free. 22 minutes.]

EQUALITY, NIETZSCHE, SOCIAL DARWINISM

Sun, 02 Jun 2024 22:49:21 +0100

In this podcast, I take issue with a range of pleas for inequality in society. I examine the idea that inequality is "natural", and the mobilisation of Darwin's account of evolution to propagandise for that idea and find these wanting. I criticise the notion that equality as a desideratum is inimical to freedom. I examine the way in which Nietzsche draws our attention to the undeniable variation in the endowments humans find themselves with and point the illogicality of what he makes of that fact, which is partly the result of failing to distinguish the variety of phenomena that the term "equality" refers to. I conclude that society should tend towards greater equality, repudiating caste society, eugenics and capitalism, and that this is necessary for human flourishing in freedom, and indeed survival. [Free. 22 minutes.]

OPTIMISM OF THE WILL, PESSIMISM OF THE INTELLECT - INTERESTING TIMES 80

Wed, 22 May 2024 13:10:05 +0100

In this podcast, I apply Gramsci's concepts of optimism of the will and pessimism of the intellect to some recent news items in order to expose the propaganda nature of their reporting by the BBC and other MSM, to expose the "common sense" and natural seeming language of the broadcasters, which however obscures reality whilst pretending to illluminate it. [Free. 31 minutes.]

"LIFE IS ONLY REDEEMED THROUGH ART" - HOW SO?

Wed, 08 May 2024 20:31:27 +0100

In this podcast, I reflect on Nietzsche's apercu that "life is only redeemed through art". I consider social, cultural, political and individual aspects of the question. I ask, what help, if any, such reflections might give us when we are faced with the necessity of changing our brutal reality which is that business as usual is not an option if we are to survive, let alone thrive. [Free. 25 minutes.]

WHAT IS FASCISM? 4 - SATURN EATS HIS SON & THE DEATH INSTINCT

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 19:23:51 +0100

In this wide-ranging podcast, I interpret Goya's painting of the early 1820s, Saturn Eating His Son. This leads me to considerations of Freud's notion of Thanatos or the death instinct, Nietzsche's readings of human cruelty and its relationship to the will to power, current affairs and recent history, particularly with respect to all too common orgies of depraved destruction of life. I describe how the death instinct and the possibility of joy in cruelty are mobilsed by the rich and powerful in pursuit of their own agenda. [Free. 24 minutes.]

CAMPUS BUMS OR HOPE FOR THE FUTURE? ON STUDENT PROTESTS - INTERESTING TIMES 79

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 21:13:24 +0100

In this podcast, I take issue with Professor Steven Pinker's take on the campus protests now spreading through the student body in the USA as revealed by an interview he did with the Radio 4 Today Programme this morning. I also tease out historical resonances with the student unrest that was, like the current protests, also initiated at Columbia University in 1968 and which subsequently spread across the world and signalled the demise of the Vietnam War. For what it's worth, I offer encouragement and advice to students participating in the protests and sketch the argument for their absolute necessity. [Free. 28 minutes.]

DODGY DAVE? - INTERESTING TIMES 78

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 21:38:47 +0100

In this podcast, I engage with the UK's Foreign Secretary's pronouncements on the Iranian missile attack on Israel. I argue that the FS' reflections are contradictory and incoherent and reflect the deep dysfunctionality at the heart of UK politics, culture, social arrangements and education system. [Free. 17 minutes.]

RETALIATION - INTERESTING TIMES 77

Sun, 14 Apr 2024 19:59:42 +0100

In this podcast, I reflect on Iran's retaliatory drone attack on Israel, which we expected in the previous podcast and which subsequently happened. I examine configurations in the region which may lead to further escalation and the ramifications globally should this happen. I also consider the authoritarianism in the West, which is growing rapidly, seemingly as a concomitant of the increasing tension in the Middle East. In particular, I consider the UK Labour Party's disgusting stance on the matter and the twisted response of the German State to pro-Palestinian protest and activism. I conclude that revolution is the only option for ordinary people to secure a decent future for themselves and their children. [Free. 21 minutes.]

THE DIN OF RATTLING SABRES - INTERESTING TIMES 76

Fri, 12 Apr 2024 22:08:44 +0100

In this podcast, I reflect on growing geo-political tensions around Iran's intent to retaliate against Israel's attack on its Damascus embassy in which several prominent members of Iran's military were assassinated. I include in my considerations some of the cultural effects of these developments in the UK, particularly the calls for conscription, Labour's intent to increase spending on the military should it gain power, and its full embrace of nukes. Throughout, I use some previous considerations developed on this channel of the several crucial features of historical fascism as a lens with which to gain purchase on these matters. [Free. 17 minutes.]

MUSIC - UP THROUGH THE WOODS

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 21:43:55 +0000

Guitar improvisation [Free. 4 mins 41 secs]

THOUGHT FOR TODAY - INTERESTING TIMES 75

Fri, 09 Feb 2024 12:57:30 +0000

In this podcast we take a critical look at the output of BBC Radio 4's Today Programme which has an influential position in the distribution of news to the UK. We take a couple of examples for closer scrutiny, the daily homiletic Thought for Today slot, and a particular interview with opposition shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, on her back-peddling on green issues. [Free. 28 minutes. Strong language.]

RULES BASED ORDER? - INTERESTING TIMES 74

Sat, 03 Feb 2024 20:26:30 +0000

In this podcast, I reflect on the ramification of The International Court of Justice's initial ruling on the charge of genocide levelled against the State of Israel by The Republic of South Africa. [Free. 29 minutes.]

CHUANG TZU 3 - CRACKING THE SAFE

Tue, 09 Jan 2024 15:22:06 +0000

In this podcast, we discuss Chuang Tzu's Cracking the Safe [ix. 2.], which outlines the emergence and persistence of kleptocratic states and the operations of their rulers. Chuang Tzu mocks the plethora of 'rules and principles' rhetorically expounded by kleptocrats and characterises them as merely the ideological support for unwieldly bureaucracies. Against this mode of social organisation, Chuang Tzu proposes simplicity and bucolic peace. We discuss the resonances between this passage and 'classical anarchism'. [Free. 46 minutes.]

LOOKING BACK OVER 2023 & FORWARD TO 2024 - INTERESTING TIMES 73

Wed, 03 Jan 2024 07:56:29 +0000

In this podcast, we look aback over 2023 and offer our prognostications for 2024. Amongst themes discussed are war, environment, economy and geopolitics. [Free. 52 minutes.]

TURKEY, DEVOLUTION, GAZA - INTERESTING TIMES 72

Sat, 16 Dec 2023 20:33:26 +0000

In this podcast, we walk into the labyrinth of current affairs discourse surrounding the genocide taking place in Gaza. Considerations include: the possibility of escalation of violence into regional war, the geo-politics of Turkey and NATO, the strengths of the the Turkish army and Hezbollah, the opinions of world governments as reflected by the United Nation Security Council and the General Assembly, the opinions of the worlds' "street" and more. [Free. 43 minutes.]

CHUANG TZU 2 - CUTTING UP AN OX

Sat, 09 Dec 2023 14:53:12 +0000

In this podcast, we discuss the Chapter of the Chuang Tzu entitled Cutting Up An Ox. In this chapter, we see the application of non-doing (wu wei) to a specific practical task and how it enables the highest degree of skill. We expand on Chuang Tzu's phenomenology of this application of wu wei. We discuss the application of this skill to creative as well as artisanal tasks, and also to meditation and living in general. [Free. 53 minutes.]

WHAT DOES THE BBC WANT YOU TO THINK TODAY? RAW THOUGHT

Sat, 02 Dec 2023 18:48:40 +0000

In this podcast, we discuss two recent propaganda offensives that the BBC is engaging in and which the rest of the MSM are parroting. They are the propositions that (1) carbon capture and storage can mitigate climate disruption and we can accordingly go on with business as usual, and that (2) the Israeli state are the good guys. Needless to say, we dispute both of those propositions. [Free. 32 minutes.]

CHUANG TZU 1 - ACTION AND NON-ACTION

Sat, 25 Nov 2023 20:47:17 +0000

In this podcast, we consider a passage from the Chuang Tzu entitled Action and Non-action. We describe how the processes of action and non-action are not stark opposites but mutually dependent phases of a profound meditation on the Tao. [Free. 31 minutes.]

MUSIC - GRACE OF RAIN

Tue, 21 Nov 2023 21:33:24 +0000

Some guitar improvisation. [Free. 3 mins 29 secs.]

A MAD MONDAY IN UK POLITICS & BEYOND - INTERESTING TIMES 71

Tue, 14 Nov 2023 19:56:17 +0000

In this podcast, we discuss three political events reported in the UK on Monday morning [13/11/23]. They are: the sacking of the Home Secretary, the appointment of David Cameron as Foreign Secretary, and the Liberal Democrats call for a cease fire in Gaza. We relate all of these to the unfolding cataclysm in Gaza, and its history and geopolitics. [Free. 52 minutes.]

A PIVOTAL MOMENT FOR OUR FUTURE? - INTERESTING TIMES 70

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 14:17:25 +0000

In this podcast, we reflect on recent events in Gaza. We pay particular attention to huge pro-Palestine marches and demonstrations across the earth, as well as geo-political shifts that are taking place this moment. We plead for immediate ceasefire. [Free. 1 hour 6minutes.]

BALLOTS, BOMBS, BLOWBACK - INTERESTING TIMES 69

Fri, 20 Oct 2023 14:33:11 +0100

In this podcast we reflect on three current events - the Tory byelection defeats in the UK, the crescendo in ongoing violence in Israel-Palestine, and the authoritarian crackdowns on the supporters of the people of Gaza in Europe and beyond. We show how these seemingly disparate events are intimately connected by being a part of the same complex pathology. We touch on the importance of geopolitical, global-economic and historical contexts. [Free. 27 minutes.]

CHUANG TZU - AN INTRODUCTION

Wed, 11 Oct 2023 14:40:22 +0100

This podcast is an introduction to our forthcoming series on the work of Chuang Tzu, and which builds on our long series on Lao Tzu. [Free. 27 minutes.]

TORY CONFERENCE 23 - INCOMPETENCE, FRAGMENTATION AND MADNESS - INTERESTING TIMES 69

Sat, 07 Oct 2023 14:13:14 +0100

In this podcast, we reflect on widely reported items from the 2023 Tory Part Conference, and plug into some of the wider political and philosophical issues they give rise to. [Free. 42 minutes.]

LAO TZU 68

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 18:58:33 +0100

In this podcast, we engage with the final chapter [81] of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching. In this chapter, Lao Tzu is suspicious of book learning and loquacious oratory, instead intimating that knowledge gained through meditation and clear seeing and plain speech are preferable. He also reminds us that non-doing is the way of both the sage and the Tao itself. [Free. 29 minutes.] For details and to book our forthcoming live event - http://peteyates.uk/live-events/

TRAILER FOR ’THE APOCALYPSE & YOU’ LIVE EVENTS

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 11:11:29 +0100

In this podcast, we outline the material we'll cover in our forthcoming series of live talks on zoom. The series starts on 15th October, 1pm BST and four more events follow at weekly intervals. To book, visit http://peteyates.uk/live-events/. [Free. 29 minutes.]

LAO TZU 67

Mon, 18 Sep 2023 19:42:07 +0100

In this podcast, we discuss Chapter 80 of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching. In this chapter, Lao Tzu considers and recommends a life of rural simplicity in a 'small is beautiful' culture. There are many resonances with some strands of current environmental thinking which we draw out. [Free. 28 minutes.] [Find out about our forthcoming live talks on zoom HERE.]

LAO TZU 66

Sun, 10 Sep 2023 14:29:29 +0100

This podcast deals with Chapter 79 of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching. Here, Lao Tzu considers debt and credit, both spiritual and financial. Lao Tzu recommends a spiritual abundance which urges us to forgive what we are owed and to honour what we owe. The trailer for our upcoming zoom events is included at the end of the podcast. For details and to book see HERE. [Free. 30 minutes.]

A SUSPICION - CLIMATE & CULTURE WARS

Sun, 03 Sep 2023 20:00:13 +0100

Join me on my constitutional as I entertain the suspicion that the UK right-wing government is on the brink of refocussing its culture wars on net zero, and eco-concern generally, and throwing everything it can muster at it. I place these speculations in a context of a brief and rough explanation of the hermeneutics of suspicion. The podcast ends with the trailer to our upcoming series of live zoom talks. See http://peteyates.uk/live-events/ [Free. 28 minutes.]

LAO TZU 65

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 21:49:26 +0100

In this podcast, we consider Chapter 78 of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching in the light of current affairs and alignment with the Tao. The theme of the power of the softness of water is a major concern for Lao Tzu here. [Free. 36 minutes.] To book into upcoming zoom event CLICK HERE.

LAO TZU 64

Sat, 19 Aug 2023 15:58:14 +0100

In this podcast, we reflect on Chapter 77 of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching. Here, Lao Tzu contrasts the human way with the way of Tao in a way which is highly apposite for our current condition. The human way, according to Lao Tzu is nothing other than our 'trickle up' economic system in which the few get wealthier and more powerful and the many are increasingly immiserated. The contrasting way of Tao is one of spiritual abundance to which giving and helping are intrinsic. We include a trailer for our upcoming series of events, The Apocalypse and You. [For details and to book a place see - http://peteyates.uk/live-events/] [Free. 28 minutes.]

INTERESTING TIMES 68 - WHERE IS THE WAR ON WOKE GOING?

Fri, 11 Aug 2023 07:45:00 +0100

We devote the first few minutes of this podcast to announcing our forthcoming series of live talks on zoom entitled, The Apocalypse and You. The first of the four weekly talks will be on October 15th, 1 - 3pm. Email me on info AT peteyates.uk if you're interested in the series of talks.

The podcast proper jumps off from a consideration of a peculiarly fervid and florid rant which the UK Home Secretary delivered recently in the UK Parliament and which declared war of the 'tofu eating wokerati'. We demonstrate how this diatribe was a part of a concerted programme of divide and rule propaganda which is intensifying as the reactionary UK establishment experiences considerable push back. [Free. 34 minutes.]

LAO TZU 63

Sat, 05 Aug 2023 14:13:56 +0100

In this podcast, we consider Chapter 76 of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching. The main theme that emerges is that Lao Tzu distinguishes ways of being which are inflexible, rigid and death-orientated from ways of being which a supple, flexible and life-orientated. We draw out how these orientations play out in all aspects of life, including politics and meditation. [Free. 20 minutes.]

MUSIC - HOMAGE

Fri, 04 Aug 2023 18:58:12 +0100

A raw guitar improvisation - no effects, double tracking etc. [Free. 8 minutes.]

LAO TZU 62

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 13:51:13 +0100

In this podcast, we reflect on Chapter 75 of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching. We consider the role of tax and money in various social organisational forms, the notion of surplus product disposed of by a hegemon, anarchism in relation to capitalism and marxism, and resonances with our current state of affairs, and more. [Free. 46 minutes.]

LAO TZU 61

Fri, 21 Jul 2023 14:39:08 +0100

In this podcast, we discuss Chapter 74 of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching. Matters discussed include; the power dynamics involved in social organisation, the relative value of fearful and fearless orientations to life, and the tendency of humans to attempt to enhance life through their ingenuity. [Click HERE to buy me a coffee.] [Free. 34 minutes.]

LAO TZU 60

Fri, 14 Jul 2023 13:26:58 +0100

In this podcast, we discuss Chapter 73 of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching. Themes covered include; the paradoxical and contradictory nature of the text, the practicality and creativity of alignment with the Tao, the meditation on forgetfulness, and more. Particularly, we describe how this chapter is a reminder against dogmatism. [Free. 35 minutes.]

LAO TZU 59

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 10:34:02 +0100

In this podcast, we discuss Chapter 72 of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching. Themes covered include; the nature of the sage and political leadership, the matter of interpreting texts, and the mediation of masks or personae in communication. [Free. 37 minutes.]

LAO TZU 58

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 14:34:05 +0100

In this podcast, we consider Chapter 71 of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching. This chapter is about self-deception, understood as a sickness. We appraise the character of many modern politicians in the light of Lao Tzu's insights on this matter. [Free. 25 minutes.]

SOCRATES & THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 14:39:57 +0100

In this podcast, we discuss the resonances between the question asked by Socrates in Plato's Republic, 'How should life be lived?', and the TV series, The Walking Dead. [Free. 50 minutes.]

BORIS JOHNSON’S PERFECT POST-TRUTH MOMENT - INTERESTING TIMES 66

Sat, 17 Jun 2023 13:34:57 +0100

In this podcast, we reflect on the resignation of Boris Johnson from the UK parliament after having been found by the Commons Privileges Committee to have lied to Parliament. We take it that Johnson's subsequent and immediate appointment on a six-figure salary as a columnist for the Daily Mail is significant as a kind of culmination of the UK's deep immersion in post-truth confusion, which has for some time been an advantageous state for global oligarchs in a time of wide-spread unrest. [Free. 26 minutes.]

AI - THREAT OR PROMISE?

Sat, 10 Jun 2023 21:02:01 +0100

In this podcast, we discuss AI and its recent emergence into the public sphere. We examine four main aspects of AI; what the term 'AI' signifies, the knowledge status of its products, the political and economic ramifications of AI, especially its role in automation, and its position in current affairs public discourse. [Free. 61 minutes.]

NAT-C OR NAZI? INTERESTING TIMES 65

Sun, 21 May 2023 19:19:54 +0100

In this rather long podcast, we analyse various moments from the National Conservatism conference which was recently held in London, and some of the commentary that has ensued. We focus on the ideological substrate of the organising group, The Edmund Burke Foundation which is named after the 18th Century writer and Parliamentarian who is often hailed as the founder of both UK and US conservatism. [This despite Burke belong to the Whigs rather than Tories.] We ask, is this movement fascist and/or dangerous?" [Free. 96 minutes.]

CLICK BAIT, RAGE BAIT & CALM BAIT

Sun, 14 May 2023 22:26:18 +0100

In this podcast, we discuss rage bait and its role in the manipulation of behaviours through news and social media and what seems to be the deliberate arousal of strong emotions. We consider the application of behavioural science in conjunction with massive amounts of data collected by big tech in the persuasion business, especially as applied to nudging election results. The discussion ranges wide and includes a comparison of psychoanalytic approaches to behaviour manipulation with those derived from behaviourism. [Free. 34 minutes.]

GOD SAVE THE KING! SERIOUSLY? INTERESTING TIMES 64

Fri, 05 May 2023 13:34:04 +0100

In this podcast, we take an irreverent look at the forthcoming coronation of King Charles the Third. [Warning: contains profane language.] We conclude, that on balance, it isn't a good thing. We focus particularly on the bizarre onto-theology which attempts to rationalise the event. [Free. 25 minutes.]

OUR BIGGEST DANGER?

Sun, 30 Apr 2023 13:32:20 +0100

In this podcast, we consider Nietzsche's assertion that "Our biggest danger is disgust at man." The discussion ranges wide and includes an appraisal of Nietzsche's counter-insight that life is redeemed by art. [Free. 39 minutes.]

EARTH DAY 2023 - INTERESTING TIMES 63

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 22:43:11 +0100

In this podcast, we discuss the recent earth day demonstrations in London which involved over 200 organisations acting in accord to demand climate justice from the UK Government. [Free. 38 minutes.]

BLUES IN G 5 - MUSIC

Wed, 05 Apr 2023 20:57:28 +0100

Some improvised music. [Free. 4 mins 4 secs]

CENTRAL BANK DIGITAL CURRENCIES - INTERESTING TIMES 62

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 11:38:11 +0000

In this podcast, I examine the development of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) by many of the world's central banks, including the Bank of England, and its possible ramifications. I examine both liberal (in the original sense) and right wing anxieties about the dystopian possibilities of this development and conclude, that though the anxieties are well-founded, they are easily misdirected into culture wares and other divide and rule distractions. [Free. 57 minutes.]

A UNIVERSE OF DISCOURSE?

Tue, 14 Feb 2023 13:30:31 +0000

What is a universe of discourse? In this podcast, I attempt an answer, followed by an appraisal of the uses and abuse the concept might be put to. (Click the link to buy me a coffee.) [Free. 23 minutes.]

STARING INTO THE ABYSS

Sat, 04 Feb 2023 19:21:11 +0000

What did Nietzsche mean when he said, "If you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you."? In this podcast, I attempt an answer. (Click the link to buy me a coffee.) [Free. 18 minutes.]

PROMISES & SLOGANS

Sun, 22 Jan 2023 18:54:33 +0000

In this podcast, we question the simplification involved in the reduction of public discourse to slogans. We single out "free-speech absolutism" in particular and test it against Austin's concept of "performative speech acts" and Nietzsche's account of the importance of the performative speech-acts of making and keeping promises as an institution central to civilised life. We conclude, amongst other things, that over-simplification is a danger and we do do well to remember the complexity of our world. (Click the link to buy me a coffee.) [Free. 25 minutes.]

INDIVIDUAL & COLLECTIVE, (& FARMING)

Thu, 12 Jan 2023 13:41:42 +0000

This podcast is a wide-ranging discussion which ends up entertaining the suspicion that the individual and collective do not make up a stark opposition, as much right-wing propaganda presupposes. The journey includes some thoughts about soil and ecological degradation and cultural shifts taking place regarding struggles over how agriculture should be best conducted. Not to mention, a stab at answering the pressing conundrum, "What is woke, exactly?" [Free. 32 minutes.] (Click on the link to buy me a coffee.)

FESTIVAL DANCE

Tue, 10 Jan 2023 20:27:12 +0000

A slowly intensifying dance improvisation. (Click the link to buy me a coffee.) [Free. 9 mins 267 seconds.]

PATHOLOGICAL IRRATIONALISM IN THE UK AND BEYOND

Sun, 08 Jan 2023 13:00:53 +0000

In this rambling rant, we attempt to outline a mass and individual psychology of Thatcherism and trace its fallout in our current situation. We note that science denial which is prevalent on social media is also often promoted by extreme right wing people. We the move on to a suggestion that Thatcher's denial of the social character of human existence is an example of the same pathological irrationalism that is a core feature of historical fascism. (Click the link to by me a coffee.) [Free. 59 minutes.]

LOOKING BACK OVER 2022 & FORWARD TO 2023 - INTERESTING TIMES 62

Thu, 05 Jan 2023 12:51:26 +0000

In this podcast, I look back over 2022 and check how accurate our prognostications made at the beginning of the year have turned out to be accurate. I then attempt to identify big trends that might manifest in 23. (Click the link to buy me a coffee. ) [Free. 56 minutes.]

ON STRIKES - INTERESTING TIMES 61

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 15:14:07 +0000

In this podcast, I outline the general characteristics of strikes and the structural antagonism between economic classes at the core of capitalism with which they are entangled. I give examples from the current wave of strikes in the UK and the government, gutter press and social media troll responses to them. In the process I identify and analyse a handful of propaganda methods we encounter there. [Click here to buy me a coffee.] [Free. 37 minutes.]

EDEN REVISITED

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 20:08:10 +0000

In this podcast, I examine the Genesis story and the notion of original sin, considered as a kind of foundational myth for "the West". I entertain the suspicion that this foundation myth doesn't provide a viable answer to the question of why we humans suffer and what to do about it. Not only that, it actually inhibits our abilities to use our ingenuity to secure and enhance human life. (Click the link to buy me a coffee.) [Free. 20 minutes.]

LAO TZU 57

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 15:41:52 +0000

In this podcast, we consider Chapter 70 Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching. This chapter shows Lao Tzu in expansive mood, urging on us the absolute immediacy of the Tao and the ease with which it is available to us. Click this link to buy me a coffee :) [Free. 23 minutes.]

LAO TZU 56

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 20:32:00 +0100

In this podcast, we consider Chapter 69 of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching. The theme is strategies for winning that utilise non-doing, wu-wei. [Free. 11 minutes.]

LAO TZU 55

Sun, 16 Oct 2022 20:07:22 +0100

This podcast considers chapter 68 of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching. In this chapter, Lao Tzu deals with the application of non-doing, wu-wei, to combat and warfare. [Free. 10 minutes.]

GROWTH, GROWTH, GROWTH? - INTERESTING TIMES 60

Thu, 13 Oct 2022 19:42:10 +0100

In this podcast, we examine what UK Prime Minister Truss means by the mantra "Growth, growth, growth." We follow by discussing how economic growth is defined formally by The Bank of England. Growth is understood by such institutions as being an increase in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of a nation state over time. We take issue with the notion that GDP is a measure that is useful to facilitate global human flourishing and look at alternative metrics for determining the health and size of an economy. We note that the Bank of England also identifies shortcomings in GDP for getting a good picture of an economy. We take The Happy Planet index as an example of an alternative metric to GDP and tease out some of the features of its threefold desideratum, for a good, healthy economy of "long, happy and sustainable lives". We point out that the GDP measure is useful only to gamblers in the exclusive global casino of finance capital. Click the link to by me a coffee :) [Free. 36 minutes]

LAO TZU 54

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 14:16:45 +0100

In this podcast, we discuss Chapter 67 of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching in which Lao Tzu elucidates the necessity for good leaders to embody compassion, thrift and humility. Click this link to buy us a coffee! [Free. 19 minutes.]

EIE, A GLIMMER OF HOPE - INTERESTING TIMES 59

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 14:08:21 +0100

In this podcast, we appraise the recent demonstrations in 50 UK towns and cities by the Enough is Enough movement, which has largely been instigated by a number of active trade unions to combat the cost of living crisis. We find the broad base of the movement encouraging as well as its grounding in the lived experience of the working class, economically understood. Click BUY ME A COFFEE to make a small donation. [Free. 23 minutes.]

DESTRUCTIVE CONSEQUENCES OF TRUSSONOMIC - INTERESTING TIMES 58

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 18:53:42 +0100

In this podcast we discuss the recent UK mini-budget and its immediate consequences. We draw out the necessity for a wide range of co-ordinated radical activisms to bring about necessary system change, the inter-relatedness of the many crises facing the UK and the world beyond, and the centrality to any cogent analysis of an understanding of economic class-antagonism. [Free. 41 minutes.]

LAO TZU 53

Fri, 09 Sep 2022 21:06:20 +0100

In this podcast we jump off from Chapter 66 of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching into a discussion of the central metaphors that can be used to understand the world and society. We also discuss the notion of trust and the high value accorded to it by Lao Tzu. We explore the role of trust in naturally occurring communism. And more. BUY ME A COFFEE. Click to make a small donation. [Free. 35 minutes.]

ECSTACY AND THE APOCALYPSE

Sun, 04 Sep 2022 18:47:43 +0100

This podcast is a meditation on the contrast between natural ecstasies which affirm the human enterprise and can emphasise our connectedness to all things and the chaos engulfing the world as ecological, economic and cultural systems increase in instability, all at the same time. I arrive at a few practical suggestions which arise directly out of the meditation. Buy me a coffee by following the link. [Free. 18 minutes.]

SUNSET - MUSIC

Sun, 28 Aug 2022 10:59:41 +0100

Some music that I used as the soundtrack for a short video animating a water colour painting. BUY ME A COFFEE! Follow this link to make a small one-off donation.

[Free. 6 mins. 11 sec.]

RIOT AND REFUSAL - INTERESTING TIMES 57

Sat, 27 Aug 2022 21:00:46 +0100

In this podcast we compare and contrast the current situation in the UK, particularly the initiative to produce a mass refusal to pay exorbitant energy bills, with the success that mass action had in getting the 1990 Tory Government to reverse its poll tax policy. The discussion is set in a wide historical/economic context. [Free. 42 minutes]

THE DAY AFTER

Sat, 27 Aug 2022 15:39:21 +0100

In this podcast we entertain the likelihood of an impending sublime moment in which a variety of people's actions bring about some fundamental disruption of the status quo. We think that such an event is highly likely but that it will present revolutionary and civil-disobedience movements with the problem of what to do the day after the sublime moment. This is a point often elaborated by Zizek. We offer the Occupy movement and the Arab Spring as examples. We proceed by way of allowing the ideas in two recent books, both offering some utopian speculations informed to some degree by Marx, to collide in order to produce some analytic tools. Those books are Fully Automated Luxury Communism by Aaron Bastani and Beyond Money by Anitra Nelson. [Free. 44 minutes]

NATURAL LIBERATION

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 13:43:48 +0100

In this podcast, we jump off into the matter of spontaneous, natural liberation from a consideration of the text The Natural Liberation Through Naked Vision. We discuss the practicalities of this way of being, its resonances with Zen, the question of asceticism and Nietzsche's take on it. Amongst other things! [Free. 26 minutes.]

LAO TZU 52

Wed, 27 Jul 2022 14:21:54 +0100

In this podcast, we consider Chapter 65 of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching. Unusually, we take issue with a proposition put forward by Lao Tzu. This manoeuvre proves to be quite fruitful in underscoring the need to retain ones critical faculty, to push for more and better education throughout society and to expose the forces of psychological manipulation at play in our fractured culture. [Free. 14 minutes.]

CORPORATIONS TO RUN CITIES IN THE UK SOON? [PART 1]

Mon, 18 Jul 2022 20:26:07 +0100

In this podcast, we consider the Tory Government proposal to institute eight 'Charter Cities' in the UK. Charter Cities are planned to be areas which are given over to governance by a corporation which is likely to remove workers protections, ban minimum wage laws, dismantle welfare, quash restrictions on working hours and more. All this is thought to be facilitated by Brexit and the subsequent revocation of EU regulations. For its neoliberal proponents, who are universally drawn from the big oil funded right international, this is a utopia which will end world poverty. We argue the contrary, that it will be a monstrously dystopian anti-democratic nightmare in which workers will be treated like disposable things and which must be stopped. For background, a good shortish read is here - https://medium.com/@cormack.lawson/charter-cities-the-real-reason-for-brexit-and-the-bigger-picture-4de80dbb69fbhttps://medium.com/@cormack.lawson/charter-cities-the-real-reason-for-brexit-and-the-bigger-picture-4de80dbb69fb [Free. 58 minutes.]

RESIGNATIONS, CHAOS AND FRAGMENTATION - INTERESTING TIMES 56

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 22:04:10 +0100

MUSIC - LOVE SONG 3

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 21:31:23 +0100

LAO TZU 51

Fri, 24 Jun 2022 21:24:49 +0100

In this podcast, we consider Chapter 64 of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching. Themes we draw out are: the relationship between knowledge and mystery, the dangers of epistemological hubris and black swan events, the tension between caution and care in life-projects and the desirability of spontaneity and freedom from anxiety. [Free. 22 minutes.]

STARMER’S LONG-CORBYN - INTERESTING TIMES 55

Thu, 16 Jun 2022 22:45:17 +0100

This podcast is an analysis of and a commentary on a remark made by Kier Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions in the UK House of Commons on Wednesday 15th June 2022. The remark was, "Boris Johnson is the Conservative Corbyn." The guiding questions are, "How does this work as propaganda?" and, "What does the event reveal about Starmer that the people ought to know?" [Free. 37 minutes.]