LF249 Chris Nineham – How the Establishment Lost Control

Chris Nineham discusses his book How the Establishment Lost Control and the political, economic, and social turmoil of our time. From the Scottish independence referendum to the Brexit debacle, and the shock election of Jeremy Corbyn as UK Labour leader and Donald Trump as US President, the post-war consensus is breaking up. This turmoil testifies to an insurgent mood amongst great swathes of the population both at home and abroad. How the Establishment Lost Control attempts to explain these dramatic developments and to show how they question received notions about politics, history, and how change happens. Above all they challenge widespread assumptions about the resilience of elite hegemony, the influence of conventional structures of thought, and the ability of the mass of the population to think autonomously in a post-ideological age. At the close of the 20th Century, we were told and millions of us believed that the neoliberal new world order was here to stay and that it was simply a matter of time before its now incontrovertible benefits touched all corners of the globe. The polarization, upheaval, and often chaotic events of the early 21st Century, however, portend a very different future teeming with threats and uncertainty. But within this flux and deep doubt there also exists the potential for positive change, should we choose to seize the moment. Bumper music: Cliff Martinez ‘Traffic OST’ Listen to more shows on Legalise Freedom Dot Com.