European Students Are Revolting… Except in the UK
Summary
This episode examines the surge in European protests against cost-of-living crises, contrasting them with the UK’s suppressed dissent due to restrictive laws and historical amnesia. The discussion also critiques the IMF’s push for welfare cuts over tax reform, highlighting the mental health impacts of Universal Credit and the collapse of the entry-level job market. Finally, the show covers a major PHP security breach that took 32 UK government websites offline and reports on Palantir’s intimidation of MPs critical of its public sector contracts.
Topics discussed
Intro: UK government website outage and big tech concerns
Protests in France and Greece against cost of living
UK protest restrictions and lack of working class history
Global mobilization and the decline of post-war consensus
UK economic outlook, tax debates, and welfare cuts
Universal Credit harms and evidence on youth inactivity
Youth unemployment, dignity of work, and state employment
PHP vulnerability and global government website shutdowns
Data concentration, AI threats, and Palantir intimidation
Palantir contracts, Mandelson links, and state power
Palestine Action prescription and BBC panel debate
Political implications, Green Party, and civil liberties
Listen ad-free on Castria