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Porkins Policy Radio episode 199 Matthew Alford on Brexit, Boris Johnson, and Black Rod

October 30, 2019 – 6:39 pm

This week I welcomed Matthew Alford to discuss all things Brexit. We kicked off the show by talking about Boris Johnson’s rise to power. Matt talked about Johnson’s public persona as an “inbred upperclass twit,” and how this has shaped his political career. Next, we dove head first into the ongoing drama of Brexit. Matt updated the listeners on the latest developments, including the announcement of a general election on December 12. Matt also analyzed recent polls, which suggest that Johnson and the Conservatives will most likely win and therefore push forward with his party’s plan to leave the EU. We talked about the wisdom of holding a second election and why Matt advocates for voting Labour. We also touched on complex issues like the border with Northern Ireland and how Brexit could unravel the delicate political architecture of the peace deal in Northern Ireland.

In the second hour we discussed Donald Trump’s false narrative that he is some sort of “peace president.” Matt focused on why so many in the conspiracy culture seem to latch onto this false narrative. We also spoke about Trump’s destructive policies in Venezuela and the deteriorating political situation in Haiti. Matt concluded the episode by talking about what some in the UK are overlooking (e.g., the UK as a major arms dealer) due to a strong focus on Brexit. We ended by talking about some of the positive initiatives such as climate change activism around the world, and various other protests during which individuals en mass speak truth to power.

Download episode 199

Show Notes:

Matthew Alford University of Bath

Writer With No Hands (Facebook)

@WriterWithNo

Union Jackboot: What Your Media and Professors Don’t Tell You About British Foreign Policy

How the Western media support state terror – while millions die

By porkinspolicyreview | Posted in Porkins Policy Radio | Also tagged al baghdadi, black rod, boris johnson, brexit, capitalism, climate change, conservative party, dec 12 election, EU, general election, Haiti, house of cards, ireland, jacob reese mogg, jeremy corbyn, john bercow, labour party, Matthew Alford, michael dobbs, northern ireland, nuclear weapons, parliament, remain party, sanctions, socialism, TJ Coles, trump, UK, UK foreign policy, Union jackboot, university of bath, Venezuela, war, writer with no hands | Comments (0)

This week’s episode was a long time in the making, but it is one that I am especially proud of. I had on Tom Secker and Jon Ryman to discuss Jon’s superb film White Widow- The Samantha Lewthwaite Conspiracy. I would encourage everyone to go and watch the film first, as there is so much detail that Jon goes into. The three of us discuss the origins of Samatha Lewthwaite; from her birth in Northern Ireland during the troubles, to her “conversion” to Islam and subsequent betrothal to 7/7 bomber Germain Lindsay, and later to her supposed place of importance with in Al Shabab in Somalia. We explore the notion that Lewthawaite may not have ever been in Kenya, one of her alleged bases of operations, and instead may be part of a much larger and complex intelligence operations. We also discuss the Westgate shopping mall attack and how Lewthawaite was erroneously connected to it, as well as the geopolitical implications of the recent uptick in violence in Kenya and the African continent in general. We round of the conversation with a look at how the War on Terror has blurred fiction and reality. This is another long podcast that deals with a subject that is little understood and deserves more attention.