Episode 18: More Brexit, Friday the 13th Edition

Episode 18: More Brexit, Friday the 13th Edition

Author: Steve Palley, Pete Newsom December 13, 2019 Duration: 32:33
Much like the well-known horror film franchise (albeit with fewer hockey masks and machetes), Brexit is scary and just doesn’t seem to end. In this latest installment of UK Democracy: Endless Madness, the world will find out who the UK’s next Prime Minister will be on the appropriately (actually randomly) chosen date of Friday, December 13th.Either the right-wing Conservative Party’s controversial bon vivant Boris “BoJo” Johnson or the Labour Party’s Jeremy Corbyn, a socialist doing very little to pretend to be a center-left pol, will be the next resident of 10 Downing Street. And, weirdly, the socialist is in favor of maintaining free trade with the European Union, while the supposedly free-market Tory wants out… which doesn't make sense. But here we are!In this week’s episode of The Elucidators, Steve and Soumi discuss the long and winding road to this election, as well as what the potential outcomes mean for the Brexit process, the United Kingdom (and the peoples of the British Isles more generally) as well as Europe!Further Reading:1.    https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2019/12/infographic-uk-election-191207103305507.html2.    Financial Times: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xi-6rzpFqw3.    https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2019/10/30/brexit-endgame-parliament-agrees-to-december-elections/4.    https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-election-numbers-factbox/factbox-how-will-britains-dec-12-brexit-election-work-idUSKBN1XL1125.    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2019/dec/08/election-polls-uk-2019-latest-opinion-poll-tracker-tories-labour

Navigating the daily deluge of headlines can leave anyone feeling adrift. The Elucidators: Decoding Global News is a weekly conversation designed to provide a compass. Hosts Steve Palley and Pete Newsom don't just recount the events; they unpack the historical context, the political forces at play, and the often-overlooked connections between seemingly disparate stories. Each episode takes a notable global affair and patiently breaks it down, moving beyond the sensational soundbite to explore the 'why' and the 'what next'. You'll hear them analyze the mechanics of government decisions, debate the efficacy of political rhetoric, and offer grounded commentary that prioritizes understanding over alarm. This podcast operates on the belief that being an informed citizen requires more than just consumption-it requires digestion. By tuning in, you're not simply getting a news update; you're getting a framework for thinking critically about power, policy, and the narratives that shape our world. The goal is to leave each discussion with a clearer, more nuanced picture of the forces shaping our collective future.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 48

The Elucidators: Decoding Global News
Podcast Episodes
Episode 17: Arresting Climate Change at COP25 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:35
Q: What annual event is the biggest, most important, and least fun party in the world?A: It's the United Nations' Conference of Parties (COP) to combat climate change.(Fine. It's more of a conference than a party…let it…
Episode 16: Hong Kong (Still) Going Wrong [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:49
Back in August, we checked in on #Hong Kong eleven weeks into the city's millions-strong pro-democracy protests. Fourteen weeks later, those protests are still rolling, with even greater intensity -- and they are now gen…
Episode 15: Iran Into Trouble (Problems of Persia) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:19
Q: What do you get when you raise fuel prices in Iran by 50-300%?A: Major protests all over the country.Q: So then what’s the government do?A: Shut down the internet and attack protesters with live ammo!Iran is two count…
Episode 14: (Bolivia) Coup Story, Bro [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:24
If a nation’s leader loses the support of his military and resigns, but no one steps into replace him… has there been a coup?This is no riddle. It’s one of the main political questions facing Bolivians days after their l…
Episode 13: Narcos vs. Mormons [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:40
This week, a horrific tragedy unfolded in the high desert of Northern Mexico, where three SUVs full of women and children were gunned down with automatic weapons and subsequently burned to ashes. The fact that these folk…
Episode 12: ISIS Loses Its Head [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:25
On October 26, 2019, American special forces raided the compound belonging to Abū Bakr al-Baghdadi (ABaB), the leader of the Islamic State in Syria’s (ISIS) and self-anointed caliph or head of all Muslims, resulting in a…
Episode 11: Red Hot Chile Protests [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:55
On October 17th, Chilean President Sebastian Piñera was bragging to the international media about his country's status as a socioeconomic "oasis" in a sea of instability.Less than 48 hours later, violent protests were ro…
Episode 10: Venezuelan Victimization [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:48
Q: What does a 275% increase in your monthly wage get you?A: If you’re a Venezuelan depending on minimum wage, it gets you the equivalent of $8.That’s enough to buy about nine pounds of meat… for the entire month. And th…
Episode 09: Kurd Stomped! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:39
Q: How do you spell betrayal?A: R-O-J-A-V-A—ROJAVA. That’s the name of the nascent Kurdish state in northern Syria that’s currently being bombed by Turkey.Q: Who are the Kurds?A: The largest ethnic group in the world wit…
Episode 08: Septuagenarian Superpower [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:12
Happy Birthday to the PRC, Happy Birthday to the PRC... it doesn't really flow that well, does it? But if you live in China and you know what's good for you, you were singing along to Xi Jinping's tune this week, when th…