Crash Course With Michael Walker

I'll soon be moving to focus on the UK general election, but first this is a final look at a much bigger democratic contest: India's.In episode 1 and 2 of my mini-series on India's election I looked at Modi's hindu nationalism and his approach to democracy. In this third and final episode I’m taking a look at India’s economy.It's hard to overstate the significance of India's ec

I've been wanting to get more ideological diversity and productive disagreement on Crash Course, and so I was pleased when Albie Amankona agreed to come on for an interview. Albie is a regular commentator on GB News, and vice chair of LGBT Conservatives. We discussed the council election results, how he became a conservative, the legacy of austerity, and whether he thinks his party

**This is a free preview of a longer paid episode. To sign up visit patreon.com/crashcoursepod**Given the local and mayoral elections in England and Wales I've taken a break from my India series to look at politics closer to home. In this episode I speak to George Eaton from the New Statesman about the nature of "Starmerism" and what Labour would do if - as seems very likely - they

India's elections are the world's largest. But in a context in which Modi's political opponents are subject to arbitrary arrest, can we really call the country a democracy?LSE Anthropologist Alpa Shah thinks we shouldn't, and in her new book 'The Incarcerations' she explains how the arrest of 16 intellectuals and activists symbolises India's slide into authoritarianism, and even fa

To mark India's general election, I'll be doing a few episodes on the politics and economics of the world's most populous nation. In this first interview, I speak to the Oxford historian Pratinav Anil about Modi's Hindu Nationalism, and how it came to dominate politics in India.**This is a free preview of a paid episode. To listen to the full interview sign up at patreon.com/crashc

In the second part of my conversation with Vincent Bevins we discussed the arab spring and the fall of the Soviet Union. The conversation includes Vincent giving a really useful explanation of the rise and fall of the Egyptian revolution, and me making a tentative case for small-c conservatism.**This is a free preview of a paid episode. To listen to all Crash Course episodes in ful

Vincent Bevins is one of my favourite authors - and a good friend of mine - so I knew when I got him sat down in a room our conversation good go on for a long time. I wasn't wrong. This is the first part of a three hour conversation where we discuss his latest book "If We Burn: The Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution" . In this episode I tell Vince my doubts about the protest

In my first crossover episode with Novara FM I spoke to Nick Bano about his new book "Against Landlords". Nick also wrote a recent piece in the Guardian which caused controversy due to Nick's unusual claim that Britain doesn't need to build more houses. I fundamentally disagree with Nick on that point, hence this became a bit of a debate!You can read Nick's Guardian piece here ->

**This is free preview of a members only episode. To listen to the full interview sign up at patreon.com/crashcoursepod**As Israel bombards Gaza, the Tory Party have used anti-war protests as an excuse to whip up a moral panic about British muslims. To discuss the long history of Tory animosity towards muslims - and the broader ideology that sees islam as a threat to the West - I s

** This is a free preview of a paid episode. To listen to the full interview sign up at patreon.com/crashcoursepod **Events since October 7th have shown the strengths and weaknesses of international law. On the one hand, differing attitudes to Russia and Israel have shown the West's commitment to international law to be paper thin. On the other, cases brought to the International C