What's Left? With Jovan + Freddie

What's Left? With Jovan + Freddie
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Politics

'What's Left?' is a progressive political podcast for the generation tasked with returning order to political chaos. With 'Left/Right' no longer a clear distinction for our politics, what does it really mean to be on the political 'left'? And given the enormous change we're living through, what is left of our values, institutions and political systems? Co-hosts Jovan Owusu-Nepaul and Freddie Feltham are ex-Labour Party staffers, who have scrapped with Nigel Farage and Andrew Tate between them. Through in-depth chats with friends and experts inside Westminster and beyond, we hope to reveal what's really at stake as civilisation crosses the AI Rubicon. This is a show for anyone fed up with the status quo; ready to listen, learn and do in pursuit of a better and fairer future. Oh - and we wanna have some fun with it too. Jovan + Freddie

  1. Eco Tycoon Says 'Scrap Net Zero' - Dale Vince

    19h ago

    Eco Tycoon Says 'Scrap Net Zero' - Dale Vince

    JOIN US ON SUBSTACK: substack.com/@wtfisleft Early Access to Ad-Free Extended Interviews Ask our Guests Questions LIVEs with Jovan + Freddie WL Book Club + Community Discussion Articles + Exclusive Content **** Green Industrialist and Labour Party mega-donor Dale Vince is beefing with Energy secretary Ed Miliband, as speculation around Andy Burnham's Chancellor nomination reaches fever pitch. Vince, in typically bombastic style, intervened in the Times to argue that Labour should 'scrap Net Zero'. Yep, you read that right. Is Britain's most divisive 'Eco Tycoon' reneging on his lifetime commitment to environmentalism? Of course not. Vince is arguing that a number of policies within 'Net Zero' amount to a waste of public money, zeroing in on carbon capture and heat pump subsidies. He says that Reform UK's attack line against Net Zero is cutting through as families face stubbornly high energy costs, which look set to rise after Trump's reckless war against Iran. Conveniently for Vince, this intervention coincided with Burnham's first major speech outlining his policy direction if he becomes Prime Minister. Centring on increasing devolution, Burnham has committed to reindustrialising Britain - which could run into conflict with Labour's highly ambitious green transition to a net zero energy grid by 2030. Subsequently, Miliband has been the subject of unprecedented Union endorsements and denouncements as Burnham weighs up his choice for Chancellor. Not only is Miliband too ideological for the right-wing press, it appears he's no longer the man for Dale Vince either. Their beef hinges on Miliband's failure to fully commit to Vince's flagship policy of 'breaking the link', decoupling expensive gas pricing from all other energy pricing... Let us know what you think in the comments. Chapters 00:00 Intro 03:25 Dale's Beef With Ed Miliband 05:23 'Breaking the Link' between Gas Prices and Electricity 09:05 Carbon Capture Racket 12:30 Dale vs. Nuclear Energy 16:19 In Defence of Nuclear Buildout 20:15 Why Isn't Britain's Grid Working? 24:19 Is Dale Protecting His Business Interests? 28:56 Air Conditioning Rollout vs. Climate Activists 31:21 Does Burnham Have a Mandate for Change? 33:20 Will Vince Remain a Donor if Burnham Reindustrialises?

    35 min
  2. Should Young Women be Angry? - Tilly Middlehurst, Emily Lawford

    Jun 18

    Should Young Women be Angry? - Tilly Middlehurst, Emily Lawford

    JOIN US ON SUBSTACK: substack.com/@wtfisleft Early Access to Ad-Free Extended Interviews Ask our Guests Questions LIVEs with Jovan + Freddie WL Book Club + Community Discussion Articles + Exclusive Content *********** Emily Lawford's viral New Statesman cover story 'Meet the Angry Young Women' created huge waves of online discourse, undulating from the radical TikTok Left to the extreme Right on Elon Musks's brainwashing algorithm. Polling from Merlin Strategies found that Gen-Z women were feeling extremely pessimistic,about their future, young men and our politics. Why? We thought there was no one better to ask than our own resident (self-annointed) angry young woman and friend of the show, Tilly Middlehurst (a.k.a. BlondePraxis). Is the anger justified or misplaced? Is the pessimism motivating or paralysing? Do these two young women agree on the causes... and the solutions? Apologies for issues with the sound/video quality, one of our cameras overheated :( Appreciate your patience with us as we improve over time x Chapters 00:00 Emily's Viral 'Angry Young Women' Article 04:59 Tilly’s Response 10:02 Is the ‘Femosphere’ as Dangerous as the ‘Manosphere’? 16:36 Is Gen-Z Feminist Pessimism Justified? 20:27 Do Young Women Misperceive Injustice? 27:04 Which Gender is More Negative About the Other? 36:42 Biological Essentialism and Reactionary Feminism 44:30 Politicising the Fertility Crisis 51:40 Anti-Feminist Global Conspiracy? 55:26 Gym Influencers vs. Manosphere 1:03:43 Has Social Media Catalysed Polarisation? 1:13:47 Identity, Community and Free Speech 1:21:57 Tommy Robinson’s Unite The Kingdom Rally 1:26:30 Migrant Violence Against Women and Girls 1:36:10 Reaction to Emily’s New Statesman Article

    1h 43m
  3. Will the Left Forgive Itself? – Alastair Campbell

    Jun 9

    Will the Left Forgive Itself? – Alastair Campbell

    JOIN US ON SUBSTACK: substack.com/@wtfisleft Early Access to Ad-Free Extended Interviews Ask our Guests Questions LIVEs with Jovan + Freddie WL Book Club + Community Discussion Articles + Exclusive Content ********************************************** Can the Left forgive the Centre? Can the Centre forgive the Left? This week we are joined by the UK's second biggest politics podcaster on where the Left is going wrong and how it must unite to win. Keeping out Reform will not be enough to fix the country. A consensus must be built around a political economy that works for the majority, rather than a privileged few. So how do we get there? What can be done? Who can tell the right story? Centrist Dads will be delighted to know that we haven't figured it out just yet, and can keep on equivocating in the meantime... Chapters 00:00 Intro 02:29 Is The Rest Is Politics Too Orthodox? 08:59 Short-Form Politics and Short-Termism 16:03 Who Cares About Truth? 21:37 Failure of Globalisation 26:50 Madman Theory and WW3 35:43 What New Labour Got Wrong 43:01 Class Warfare 52:21 Are Greens the Future of the Left? 1:01:30 Has Farage Hit His Ceiling? 1:06:07 Crypto Billionaires Financing Reform 1:11:47 Will The Labour Party Survive the Century? 1:17:45 Is the Left Intellectually Bankrupt? 1:23:55 Is Gen-Z Cooked? 1:28:05 Teamwork Makes the Dream Work 1:31:40 Abuse in Public Life

    1h 35m
  4. Why Won't Labour Talk To Gary Stevenson?

    May 27

    Why Won't Labour Talk To Gary Stevenson?

    In our latest video essay (optimised for YouTube), Freddie breaks down why the Labour Party refuses to engage meaningfully with Gary Stevenson - and why that all might be about to change... ********************* JOIN US ON SUBSTACK: substack.com/@wtfisleft Early Access to Ad-Free Extended Interviews Ask our Guests Questions LIVEs with Jovan + Freddie WL Book Club + Community Discussion Articles + Exclusive Content *********************

    32 min
  5. Labour's Leadership Conspiracy - Phil Tinline

    May 14

    Labour's Leadership Conspiracy - Phil Tinline

    JOIN US ON SUBSTACK: substack.com/@wtfisleft Early Access to Ad-Free Extended Interviews Ask our Guests Questions LIVEs with Jovan + Freddie WL Book Club + Community Discussion Articles + Exclusive Content ********************************************** The Labour leadership crisis has gone nuclear with Health Secretary Wes Streeting resigning this afternoon, after a week of intense speculation of a coup following Labour's local elections drubbing. We sat down with Phil Tinline, author of Ghosts of Iron Mountain and The Death of Consensus: 100 Years of British Political Nightmares, to dive deep into the chaos. Phil is an expert in both Labour history and conspiracy theories - coalescing here for a rich discussion on the polycrisis that has rendered the British state obsolete. How can Labour make the case that they aren’t the Tories, with infighting and psychodrama returning from 2022-3? Do bond market jitters await? Chapters 00:00 Intro 02:48 Britain's Permacrisis 12:09 Starmer's Leadership Challenge 20:53 Burnham's Manchesterism 30:57 Politics Love of Conspiracy Theories 39:04 Breakdown In Political Communication 48:45 Who is Labour for after the AI revolution? 56:35 British Cultural Identity 1:05:40 Conspiracy Theory vs. Reality 1:16:35 The Iron Mountain Conspiracy 1:23:30 Who Believes Conspiracies? 1:31:20 Reinvigorating the Social Contract 1:34:30 Reform, Donations and Accountability

    1h 42m
  6. Gymskin, UK Groypers + Local Elections - Tom Nestor

    May 6

    Gymskin, UK Groypers + Local Elections - Tom Nestor

    JOIN US ON SUBSTACK: substack.com/@wtfisleft Early Access to Ad-Free Extended Interviews Ask our Guests Questions LIVEs with Jovan + Freddie WL Book Club + Community Discussion Articles + Exclusive Content ********************************************** Skit Comedian Tom Nestor and host of podcast All Right Idiots joins us for a chat on livestreamers, chronically online extremists and the upcoming local elections. After calling out Freddie for his cold approach game with viral streamer Gymskin, the boys invited Tom on the podcast to discuss the best way to get non-political audiences caring about the issues of our time... Chapters 00:00 Gymskin + Freddie 09:25 Livestreaming Gone Mad 17:47 Right-Wing Comedians 22:04 Talking To Reform Voters 33:00 Corbyn, Polanski + Tom's Politics 38:00 Cancellations and Conspiracies 45:27 UK Groypers 53:39 Feeling Sorry For Isolated Young Men? 59:55 Jovan's RW Cancellation 1:05:40 Anti-White Prejudice 1:14:30 What Makes English Identity? 1:21:15 Immigration Debate 1:25:10 Greens + Local Elections 1:33:06 In Defence of Labour

    1h 47m
  7. What Comes After Neoliberalism? - Louisa Munch

    Apr 27

    What Comes After Neoliberalism? - Louisa Munch

    JOIN US ON SUBSTACK: substack.com/@wtfisleft Early Access to Ad-Free Extended Interviews Ask our Guests Questions LIVEs with Jovan + Freddie WL Book Club + Community Discussion Articles + Exclusive Content Has political imagination died? Having made a name for herself as a leftist short-form content creator, Louisa Munch has quickly become Instagram’s favourite Critical Theorist. Expert in applying canonical political texts to the chaos we see unfolding today, Louisa joins us for a meandering discussion on higher education, leftist utopia and the how to challenge the insurgent populist right. In this conversation, we explore the concept of ‘nostalgia’ and the mythological way it is deployed by the radical right, to call for a return to a harmonious and tranquil past. This idealised vision of what has come before is a seductive construction for many Brits, who have felt the grandeur and richness of the UK fade over the course of their lifetimes. Who is to blame? Many are deeply dissatisfied with our current Labour government, who have not upended the neoliberal economic consensus, opting for foreign investment given constraints in the omnipotent bond market. But without engaging our economic imagination, it seems that Britain is fatalistically condemned to managed decline, energising populist demands on either flank. Over and over again, elections are being won and lost on which candidate most represents the change that people want to feel to our socio-economic order. Sticking with the devil you know doesn’t seem very attractive if you think you’re on the road to Hell. If neoliberalism is indeed in its final days, then the question is what will replace it? Louisa argues that the Left needs to be thinking in the future, striving to achieve an ideal of worker empowerment that is free from neoliberal constraint. But can critical theory, the analysis of power relations and how to challenge them, tell us what that ‘utopia’ should look like and how to get there in practice? 00:00 Intro 03:45 Alienation and Economic Migration 08:17 Can the Left Use Nostalgia? 16:22 Universalism and the Boomer Class 21:45 Is Critical Theory Just Left-Wing Meta-Ideology? 28:05 Is Questioning Power Emotive or Rational? 31:55 Cross-Cultural Nostalgia 36:45 Is University Delivering What Society Needs? 44:30 Immigration and Integration 49:04 Patriarchy, Misogyny and Grooming Gangs 56:04 Pink Ladies Movement 1:00:29 White Working Class Anxiety 1:07:35 Economic Growth and Zero-Sum Thinking 1:13:05 Solving the Poverty of Ambition 1:17:20 Beware Utopian Idealists? 1:25:04 Gramsci + Cultural Change 1:30:05 Is America Still Democratic?

    1h 35m
  8. Should Marxists Want To Win Elections? Grace Blakeley

    Apr 13

    Should Marxists Want To Win Elections? Grace Blakeley

    JOIN US ON SUBSTACK: substack.com/@wtfisleft Early Access to Ad-Free Extended Interviews Ask our Guests Questions LIVEs with Jovan + Freddie WL Book Club + Community Discussion Articles + Exclusive Content ********************************************** Back again with the biggest quandaries afflicting the modern progressive movement as political canon events unfold at breakneck speed! I don’t think I’ve ever felt more jaded by the perpetual shock and awe chain reaction of geopolitics. We’ve decided to create a little bit of distance from the dizzying mainstream media cycle to consider the wider tensions that are at play, especially for a Left-wing political project. Who better to get in this discussion than Marxist economist Grace Blakeley, author of Vulture Capitalism. Grace is one of the most salient commentators in the British Left movement, after being a key spokesperson during Jeremy Corbyn’s tenure as Labour leader. Having left Labour in 2024, Grace has gone on to endorse her friend Zack Polanski and join the Green Party. But her leftism stands in contrast to some of the Greens most important economic positions, such as its cornerstone project to rejoin the European Union. In this episode, we dive into the great challenges that face modern socialists, including the fear that accelarationism could facilitate a lurch to the hard right, rather than any hope of progressive revolution. We also cast our minds back to the historical conditions that have formed the present: namely capital’s triumph over collective bargaining power (RIP Unions), which was prefigured by Marxist economist Kalecki, a critic of the much revered social democrat economist John Maynard Keynes. We also touch upon one of our favourite topics on this podcast, the deeply polarised working classes in post-imperial nations. Grace laments the lack of a ‘class for itself’, a working class who understands their “real” collective interests. The question, of course, is what are those objective interests - are any of them cultural, what makes them ‘true’, and how do we ascertain them? As always, please don’t forget to drop us a follow on @wtf_is.left and please consider supporting the show on Substack! Chapters 00:00 Intro 03:17 The End of Corbynism 07:47 Should the Greens Want To Rejoin The EU? 14:17 Can You Trust The State? 20:20 Democratic Capitalism vs Democratic Socialism 25:50 How Keynes Led to Thatcher 32:30 Imperialism and Labour Aristocracy 39:40 Progressives and Protectionism 45:10 Can Greens Succeed Where Corbyn Failed? 56:04 How Liberalism Defeated Communities 1:02:10 Manosphere and Neoliberalism 1:06:30 Need for Cultural Revolution 1:10:20 Influence of David Graeber 1:14:23 Is Socialism in its Infancy? 1:18:30 Moving From Labour To The Greens

    1h 25m
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

'What's Left?' is a progressive political podcast for the generation tasked with returning order to political chaos. With 'Left/Right' no longer a clear distinction for our politics, what does it really mean to be on the political 'left'? And given the enormous change we're living through, what is left of our values, institutions and political systems? Co-hosts Jovan Owusu-Nepaul and Freddie Feltham are ex-Labour Party staffers, who have scrapped with Nigel Farage and Andrew Tate between them. Through in-depth chats with friends and experts inside Westminster and beyond, we hope to reveal what's really at stake as civilisation crosses the AI Rubicon. This is a show for anyone fed up with the status quo; ready to listen, learn and do in pursuit of a better and fairer future. Oh - and we wanna have some fun with it too. Jovan + Freddie

Information

  • Creator
    What's Left? With Jovan + Freddie
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    36
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Freddie Feltham 2025
  • Show Website
    What's Left? With Jovan + Freddie

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