Political Eh-conomy: Political Eh-conomy Radio: the left in Greece and Poland

https://politicalehconomy.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/podcast-150123-poland-greece1.mp3   I’ve been visiting family in Poland for the past few weeks so, fittingly, this week’s podcast deals with the situation of the left at two opposite ends of the European periphery: Greece and Poland. My first guest is Yanis Varoufakis, professor of economics at the University of Athens and candidate for SYRIZA

Continue reading

Political Eh-conomy: Political Eh-conomy Radio: Jim Stanford on Canada’s economy

https://politicalehconomy.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/podcast-1411212-jim-stanford.mp3   Today’s episode is the last of 2014 as I’ll be away spending the holidays with family. For a bit of a year-end summary of Canada’s economy, my one guest is Jim Stanford who joins me for an extended conversation. Jim is the chief economist at Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector union, and

Continue reading

Political Eh-conomy: Political Eh-conomy Radio: Climate deals and pipeline steals

https://politicalehconomy.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/podcast-141128-oil-and-climate.mp3 Today’s episode is focused on the economics and politics of climate change, both more globally and locally. To get a global perspective on the state of climate negotiations and the recent US-China climate deal, I speak with Leigh Phillips, a science writer and journalist who has written for Nature,

Continue reading

Political Eh-conomy: Political Eh-conomy Radio: Doug Henwood on US economics and politics

https://politicalehconomy.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/podcast-141114-doug-henwood.mp3   This week, it’s my great pleasure to present a feature interview with Doug Henwood — economic analyst, author of books including Wall Street and host of the wonderful Behind the News radio show and podcast that inspired this show. Doug always introduces his show by saying his guests will be “taking a look at worlds of

Continue reading

Political Eh-conomy: Political Eh-conomy Radio: Looking towards childcare in Canada, with lessons from Sweden

https://politicalehconomy.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/podcast-141016-childcare.mp3   This week, the federal NDP reignited a national debate over childcare by proposing a universal $15 per day childcare program. This is the focus of today’s episode, which features two guests. First up, Angela MacEwen. Angella is an economist with the Canadian Labour Congress and has long been a strong

Continue reading

Political Eh-conomy: Political Eh-conomy Radio: Kshama Sawant

https://politicalehconomy.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/podcast-141001-kshama-sawant.mp3   Last year, Kshama Sawant shocked the continent by winning a seat on Seattle’s City Council. She defeated an incumbent Democrat to become the first openly socialist city councillor in Seattle in a century. Sawant, an immigrant from India with a background as a software engineer and an economics professor,

Continue reading

Political Eh-conomy: Political Eh-conomy Radio: Arun Gupta on climate catastrophism and building a climate movement

This will be a weekend of global climate activism. Marches and forums are planned around the world, with the largest set for New York City: the three-day Climate Convergence and the People’s Climate March on Sunday expected to draw hundreds of thousands. I spoke with Arun Gupta, co-founder of The Indypendent, author and journalist living in NYC for a critical

Continue reading

Political Eh-conomy: Political Eh-conomy Radio: BC teachers and First Nations on the frontlines

My guests today help take a fresh look at two issues where British Columbia is on the front lines of bigger social conflicts: that over the future of public education and that over resource development on First Nations lands. https://politicalehconomy.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/podcast-140905-bc-frontlines1.mp3 My first guest is Helesia Luke, life-long public education advocate and member of the board

Continue reading

Political Eh-conomy: Political Eh-conomy Radio: 1,000,000 and $14, two numbers, two politics

This week’s podcast focuses on two numbers, one million and fourteen, that draw out some interesting links between economics and politics in Ontario and beyond. https://politicalehconomy.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/podcast-140606-ontario.mp3 One million is the number of jobs that Tim Hudak has promised to create in Ontario if elected next week. This one million claim has

Continue reading