Podcast Episodes

A radical history of Liverpool

Liverpool's modern history is one of struggle, adversity and community and today we hear from David Swift, author of Scouse Republic: An alternative history of Liverpool. In the 1980s the city was in…

Published on 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys - exploring the music and the melancholy of pop music's endless summer

This month Brian Wilson, one of the most gifted song writers and composers of the 20th Century passed away. In order to explore his work and the social and cultural context behind it, along with the …

Published on 5 months, 2 weeks ago

The Battle of the Ebro: Part Two

Continued from yesterday's episode, we read again from Adam Hochschild's brilliant book Spain in Our Hearts, about the overwhelming odds faced by the International Brigades in Spain as they crossed t…

Published on 5 months, 3 weeks ago

The Battle of the Ebro: Part One

In 1938, the fascist generals who had launched their insurrection two years earlier had divided the country but had not been able to seize Madrid. The Republican government was running out of fuel, a…

Published on 5 months, 3 weeks ago

The planned break up of Iran

Here’s a polished episode description based on Michael Hudson's blog post:

🎙️ Episode Description:

In this compelling episode, we dive into Michael Hudson’s incisive analysis of the escalating U.S.–Ir…

Published on 5 months, 3 weeks ago

Trump and the lesson of 2008

*****STOP PRESS*****

I only ever talk about history on this podcast but I also have another life, yes, that of aspirant fantasy author and if that's your thing you can get a copy of my debut novel The…

Published on 5 months, 3 weeks ago

Himmler and Auschwitz

The economic realities of a failing war in the east accelerated the timetable for genocide at the highest levels of the Third Reich, but in July 1942 Heinrich Himmler also intended Auschwitz Birkenau…

Published on 5 months, 3 weeks ago

The demise of Britain's post war foreign policy

In the aftermath of the Second World War, as Britain's Empire faded away, British Prime Ministers had few choices than to take their lead from America. Following the disaster of the Suez invasion, Br…

Published on 5 months, 3 weeks ago

Argentina's mothers of the disappeared

On October 6, 1978, Patricia Roisinblit — a young Jewish medical student and leftist activist — was abducted by Argentina’s military junta while eight months pregnant. She was never seen again. But h…

Published on 5 months, 3 weeks ago

African Americans and the Oscars, from Gone with the Wind to Black Lives Matter

In this episode, we hear from with award-winning author, journalist and broadcaster Ben Arogundade about his latest book, Hollywood Blackout.

Drawing on a century of film history, Hollywood Blackout e…

Published on 5 months, 3 weeks ago