All posts tagged: Le Monde diplomatique

Le Monde diplomatique podcast – Greece in Chaos

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In this month’s podcast for Le Monde diplomatique, I speak to Noëlle Burgi about the heavy toll that austerity measures are exacting in her homeland, Greece. Noëlle, who is a researcher at the Centre Européen de Sociologie et de Sciences Politique (CESSP), Sorbonne University, Paris, describes Athens and Thessaloniki as “dying cities”, in which drug use, mental health problems, domestic violence and prostitution are all on the increase. Not least of the Greeks’ problems is a feeling of powerlessness as their welfare state becomes hollowed out and their household incomes plummet. To listen to the interview, click here. And to read Noëlle Burgi’s article, click here.

Le Monde diplomatique podcast – 2011: a “year of awakening” for the UK?

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In this month’s podcast for Le Monde diplomatique, George Miller interviews Tony Wood, deputy editor of the New Left Review, about the wave of protests sparked by the UK coalition government’s planned £80bn public spending cuts. As public anger grows, are we on the brink of the biggest public engagement with politics since the miners’ strike of the mid-1980s? To listen to the interview, click here.

Le Monde diplomatique podcast – Barbara Ehrenreich

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In this month’s edition of Le Monde diplomatique I have a piece about US journalist and campaigner Barbara Ehrenreich and her latest book, called Smile or Die in the UK and Brightsided in the US. I interviewed Barbara on a snowy evening in Bristol last month before she appeared at the Festival of Ideas to explore her thesis that the relentless promotion of positive thinking is undermining America and its effects are being felt all round the world. If you’re unconvinced that positive thinking is creeping into more and more areas of life, here are some facts with which I began my article: “George W Bush was head football cheerleader in his senior year at prep school. The most popular course offered by Harvard University in 2006 was positive psychology. The total US market for “self-improvement products” in 2005 was estimated at $9.6bn. Last month, during the Haitian earthquake, the top international story on happynews.com – which publishes only good news – was “Prince William attracts crowd in New Zealand”. There are at least four …

Burma – Failed state: Le Monde diplomatique podcast

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Burma’s military regime, the State Peace and Development Council, has if anything become more repressive since the scenes of confrontation which the world witnessed on its television screens during the saffron revolution of 2007. In this month’s podcast, George Miller talks to journalist Rajeshree Sisodia about her article on contemporary Burma in the July edition of Le Monde diplomatique. They discuss the Orwellian climate of fear which prevails in the country and life in the refugee camps across the border in Thailand, home to thousands of Burmese who have fled their country. Rajeshree also talks about China’s growing investment in – and consequent influence over – Burma, and assesses the medium-term prospects for change. To listen to the podcast, click here [13:49]. Photo by Sam Hummel.

Le Monde diplo site relaunched

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The English-language edition of Le Monde diplomatique, for which I produce a monthly current affairs podcast featuring an in-depth interview with one of that month’s contributors, has just relaunched its website, and very smart it is too! I’m delighted to say that there is a podcast page, where all the podcasts are archived (click on the screen grab below to visit the page). And it’s always interesting to see how designers respond to the challenge of coming up with a logo that says “podcast”…