Bungacast

/93/ Hot Chile and Other Neoliberal Failures ft. Pablo Pryluka

On Argentina's elections and Chile & Ecuador's revolts. 

Macri's election was heralded by the right across the continent as the end to a sequence of centre-left governments in South America. Now only four years later, he is likely to be thrown out of office by the return of 'Kirchnerismo'. Next door, the supposedly "stable and growing" Chile is in flames as protests and riots challenge the conservative Piñera administration and the country's deep inequality. This follows on the heels of weeks of mobilisations in Ecuador against the ending of a fuel subsidy. What's going on and what does it all signify?

[Chile & Ecuador discussion starts at 46mins]

Readings:

• The Day After Macri’s Downfall, Martín Mosquera, Jacobin
• Lenín Moreno Has Betrayed Ecuador. Now the Country Is in Revolt, Guillaume Long, Jacobin
• Did Chile ditch its authoritarian government 26 years ago? Not quite., Jennifer Prible, WaPo
• If Piñera wants to wage war in Chile he should fight the real enemy: inequality, Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser, Guardian

/51/ Oh, Brazil: What Now?

In which we update the latest from Brazil, post-election. What will Bolsonaro's government look like? We plot best & worst case scenarios and discuss how bad this really is (really, really bad). And is "fascism" the correct term to use? 

Readings:

Bolsonaro Rising (Alex) https://thebaffler.com/latest/bolsonaro-rising-hochuli 

Bolsonaro: more dangerous than Trump (Alex) https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/brazil-presidential-election-who-jair-bolsonaro-popular-candidate-more-dangerous-ncna925011 

What Bolsonaro's election victory means (Ben) https://mg.co.za/article/2018-10-28-what-bolsonaros-election-victory-could-mean 

Fascism has arrived in Brazil (Ben) https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/jair-bolsonaro-brazil-election-results-president-fascism-far-right-fernando-haddad-a8606391.html 

Privilege vs Democracy in Brazil (Alfredo Saad-Filho) https://jacobinmag.com/2018/10/brazil-election-bolsonaro-haddad-lula-pt-democracy 

/48/ Ultra-Politics in Brazil ft. Sabrina Fernandes

Special episode in partnership with Jacobin: Brazil election preview - democracy at stake.

Who is Bolsonaro and why should Bolsonaro be understood as a neofascist? We discuss the #EleNão feminist resistance and the backdrop of 'antipetismo'. How has the political centre and the middle class so easily swung over to vote for such an extremist? The notion of 'ultra-politics' is explained and we look at what might happen should Bolsonaro win - and should he lose. 

Readings:

Essential Chomsky article: https://theintercept.com/2018/10/02/lula-brazil-election-noam-chomsky/ 

Jacobin archive on Brazil: https://jacobinmag.com/location/brazil 

/41/ The Colombian Exception ft. Pablo Medina Uribe

In which we discuss how the Right won this month's election -- in a country that has never seen the Left in power. Is Colombia an exception? The civil war there feels like part of the Cold War that forgot to end. We discuss the fragile peace, the militarisation of politics, and drug cartels. 

/32/ Brazil Moves Right? ft. Sabrina Fernandes

In which we ask who killed Marielle Franco & discuss the shooting at Lula's caravan + Brazil's absent center

Episode 13: Reds Tied Up: On Venezuela

In which we discuss the Bolivarian project in Venezuela and the end of the Pink Tide. Also, loving The Mooch and hating Australia. Ft. guest Benjamin Fogel

Episode 9: An Englishman's Castle: Housing and Protest

Episode Nine: In which we recoil at the horror of the Grenfell Tower Fire and think through its political consequences. Also housing & urban development in Brazil, plus a flashback to the Salad Revolt of June '13

Episode 4: Horsing Around Down South

Episode Four: In which we ask WTF is going on in Brazil, encourage good digestive health, and try to straighten out the horseshoe theory.