https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=KaooeJzsRU8
Global politics has profoundly changed in recent years. Russia’s war in Ukraine, Israel’s genocide against Gaza, and the election of Donald Trump for a second time, have all shifted expectations, norms and policies. The ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu; after some of the most punitive sanctions in history the United States now wants rapprochment with Russia. Meanwhile countries around the world, including the UK, are cutting their aid budgets and spending more on defence.
Matt Kennard can speak with authority on all of this. A journalist and author, his work has ranged from how U.S. military recruitment changed during the ‘war on terror’, to the corporate capture of international aid.
In recent years he has examined Britain’s contribution to Israel’s war in Gaza, from the role of RAF airbases in the Mediterranean to intelligence-sharing with Tel Aviv. In this interview he covers a range of issues, from USAID being eliminated to what next for the British left. Central in the conversation, though, are the revelations he has covered in recent years, mostly in his work for Declassified, about Britain’s complicity in the genocide of Gaza. It’s even worse than you imagine.
00:00 Intro 02:48 Trump is right to end USAID - but for the wrong reasons 21:08 US-funded media or American propaganda? 45:10 The British legacy media is compromised 58:26 The need for independent progressive media 01:06:30 The military base on Cyprus: a remnant of British empire 01:14:28 Direct British military involvement in Gaza 01:30:47 Europe remilitarising 01:39:26 Will Russian invade further into Europe? 01:49:40 When is “defence” spending really justified? 01:57:17 Why the UK needs a new progressive party 02:03:16 The future of British politics
Learning a lot here. The RAF flew 47% of recon flights over Gaza in the current genocide. British police raided journalists homes and took their electronics without charging them with anything. Britain retained 3% of Cyprus (for bases) when Cyprus became independent, etc.
I love matt kennard, a serious journalist with a lot of integrity. Declassified is great.
The deep state here refers to the informal network of mates and lobby groups and secret service nut jobs. I don’t see why the right should be the only ones able to criticise informal networks of power! The bourgeoisie are like a hydra after all.
I’m sure that some of the people in high level mi5 and military aren’t operating cynically, they probably believe the ideology. This is Chomsky’s great observation, that those in the ‘deep state’ or whatever are only able to be there because they hold certain opinions. The informal network would always select against those with views contrary to western ideology. It isn’t about some nut job conspiracy.