Going Underground Episode Archive

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Dr. Gabor Maté on the Tory leadership election and his opinion on favourite-to-win Boris Johnson, Anti-Semitism allegations against Jeremy Corbyn, crimes of Israel against Palestinians, capitalism and its creation of social problems, the Democratic Party and how it lost to Donald Trump and how it uses Russiagate to escape responsibility for their loss and how mainstream media limits debate. Next we speak to Wang Huiyao, advisor to the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government about the US vs China Trade War, whether the Chinese economy is stagnating, how China has contributed to global prosperity and China’s position on tensions between the US and Iran!

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Japan’s former representative to the IMF Daisuke Kotegawa on the upcoming G20 summits, the West’s hypocrisy on lecturing the East on economics, barriers preventing the nationalisation of banks in the West, Donald Trump’s threats against Iran and why he is escalating sanctions and more! Next we speak to Astronomer Royal Lord Martin Rees on the upcoming Starmus conference, the future of space travel, why the private sector should be more involved in space travel such as Elon Musk's Space-X, the role of robots in space travel, the possibility of a post-human Martian species, nuclear war, bioterrorism and more!

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Charlie Cooke, Deputy Editor of Going Underground about Theresa May’s last week in office and the controversies around her flagship policy-Universal Credit. Next we speak to Sergei Polunin on taking on the ballet establishment, how he was blacklisted from entering his home country of Ukraine, the rise of fascism in Ukraine, his support for Vladimir Putin and Russia, ‘Romeo and Juliet’, how to beat the establishment after being shunned by it and more! Cameramen: -Emil Kunda (@EmilKunda) -Anthony Brown (@Bampfilm) STATEMENT FROM THE DWP: “The UN’s own data shows the UK is one of the happiest places in the world to live, and other countries have come here to find out more about how we support people to improve their lives. “Therefore this is a barely believable documentation of Britain, based on a tiny period of time spent here. It paints a completely inaccurate picture of our approach to tackling poverty. “We take tackling poverty extremely seriously which is why we spend £95 billion a year on welfare and maintain a State Pension system that supports people into retirement. “All the evidence shows that full-time work is the best way to boost your income and quality of life, which is why our welfare reforms are focused on supporting people into employment and we introduced the National Living Wage, so people earn more in work.”

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Notis Mitarachi, the Deputy Minister for Social Security in the New Democracy government in Greece. He discusses why Syriza lost the election, whether austerity is coming to an end in Greece, human rights issues in Greece such as conditions for refugees, how Greece can find its way out of the economic crisis and more! Next we speak to former Minister of State at the Home Office Norman Baker (Liberal Democrat) on this weeks top stories including a poll which has Labour finishing in first place in a hypothetical general election, Diane Abbot’s column in the Independent saying the government’s compensation on Windrush is not enough, mainstream media ignoring continued Yellow Vests protests and an Israeli government minister supporting gay conversion therapy and calling for Palestinians’ right to vote being taken away. Finally we speak to Prof. Seyed Mohammad Marandi on escalating US-Iran tensions, the UK seizing an Iranian tanker allegedly bound for Syria, US sanctions amounting to war crimes and more! STATEMENT FROM THE EMBASSY OF CHINA: July 1st is a day of celebration and festivity for the people of Hong Kong from all walks of life to commemorate the return of Hong Kong and the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HONG KONG SAR). However, on this very day,some ultra-radicals stormed the Hong Kong Legislative Council complex in an extremely violent manner and wantonly damaged facilities inside. Such action has broken the boundaries to freedom of speech and peaceful demonstration, trampled on the rule of law in Hong Kong, undermined social order, compromised the fundamental interests of Hong Kong and challenged the bottom line of "one country, two systems". We strongly condemn such action. The Hong Kong SAR government will press criminal charges against the violent offenders in accordance with the law, and the Chinese Central Government firmly supports the Hong Kong SAR government in pursuing this serious case of offence and handling the incident in accordance with the law. We support the SAR government in restoring public order, protecting the personal and property safety of Hong Kong citizens and maintaining the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong. China is determined to safeguard its sovereignty, national security and development interests. Hong Kong is China's special administrative region and its affairs are purely China's internal affairs that brook no interference from any country, organization or individual. We are determined to reject foreign interference. Any attempts to interfere in the affairs of Hong Kong are doomed to fail.

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to the ex-Attorney General Lord Morris about the prorogation of Parliament and the challenges faced by those who wish to take prorogation of Parliament to the courts, the potential for Boris Johnson to break the law and continue with No-Deal Brexit despite Parliament mandating an extension, to which he says he would resign if he were a part of Boris Johnson’s government. Next we speak to Peter Kennard, one of the nation’s leading visual journalists about Arts Against the Arms Fair and his new book Visual Dissent. He discusses some of his most famous work, including his portrayal of Henry Kissinger as well as governments and elites gambling with children’s lives. He also discusses BAE Systems and the arms industry and how they work hand in hand with governments. STATEMENT FROM BAE SYSTEMS: We trade with legitimate governments and comply fully with all applicable defence export controls, which are subject to ongoing assessment. We provide defence equipment, training and support under government to government agreements between the UK Government and Saudi Arabia".

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to the UN Rapporteur on Housing Leilani Farha on the causes of the global housing crisis, how big finance caused rocketing rents, the corporations behind real estate investment strategies that have caused the crisis and more. Next we speak to Shalini Patel, a public lawyer who represents victims of human trafficking and modern slavery on Theresa May’s efforts to tackle trafficking and modern slavery, alleged incompetence at the Home Office and incredibly low standards for the Home Office’s trafficking department. Finally we speak to Anne-Frederique Widmann, the director of ‘FREE MEN-the life and injustice of Kenneth Reams on Death Row’. She discusses the tragic real life story of Kenneth Reams.

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to the legendary actor Steven Berkoff on Donald Trump, where he calls him one of of the ‘great villains’ of the 21st Century. He also discusses gun violence in the US amid tragic mass shootings, the arms industry and arms sales to Saudi Arabia, Vladimir Putin and Trump’s relationship and why he staunchly opposes Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party. He also discusses barriers women face in the film industry, the American vs European film industries and more

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Carter Page, former Foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign on the collapse of the Trump-Russia scandal and the Mueller investigation, how Christopher Steele’s allegations led to the media buying his misinformation for years, how he has been personally affected by Russiagate and more. Next we speak to Dr. Jason Hickel on climate change, how cutting beef consumption will drastically help efforts in fighting climate change, a Green New Deal, why we must stop focusing on GDP as a measure of progress, why poverty is increasing, despite what Bill Gates says and more

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Shahmir Sanni, the whistle-blower of the Vote Leave campaign on how involved Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson’s new top adviser, was in Vote Leave’s electoral law breaking, evidence he has provided to the Metropolitan Police about Vote Leave illegality, Boris Johnson’s claim that Vote Leave won legally and more! Next we speak to Karim Asad Ahmed Khan, the UNITAD Special Adviser on Iraq, ISIL survivors on the progress made to prosecute ISIS war criminals, the scale of the atrocities during ISIS’ rule, accusations of the UK funding ISIS and more. Finally we speak to actress and #MeToo whistle-blower Rose McGowan on her new album Planet 9, whether America has been broken in the Donald Trump era and more! STATEMENT FROM THE METROPOLITAN POLICE: On Tuesday, 18 June 2019, the Met received a letter requesting an update on the referrals by the Electoral Commission, and proposing a judicial review against the Met for suggested delays in the process. The Met responded strongly refuting the proposed grounds for a judicial review.Three referrals from the Electoral Commission were made in 2018, regarding potential criminal offences under section 123(4) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. The first, received on 11 May, concerned Leave EU, the other two were received on 17 July and concerned Vote Leave and BeLeave. In relation to all three, an assessment of material began on 7 September 2018, when the Met received over 2,400 documents from the Electoral Commission. The Met identified additional material held by the Electoral Commission which may be relevant, and once received launched an investigation into the two referrals. As of today, Monday, 22 July , one investigation, whilst ongoing, is in advanced stages of the enquiry. The other investigation remains ongoing – we continue to work closely with the Electoral Commission to ensure all relevant material is with the investigation team, for us to progress our enquiries.

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Deng Xiaoping’s former translator and Director of the China National Association of International Studies Victor Gao on the Hong Kong protests where he strongly warns against US efforts for regime change in Hong Kong, slams the US’ current efforts at regime change through the National Endowment for Democracy, whether China will directly intervene in Hong Kong, the current US-China trade war and China’s position on India revoking Article 370 for Jammu and Kashmir. Next we speak to legendary polling expert Sir John Curtice about a likely general election this Autumn, he gives his thoughts on whether a general election could be before or after Brexit, why this will be the most unique election in British history, how the Conservatives will need to suppress the Brexit Party for even a small majority, Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour’s chances in an upcoming election and more! Finally we speak to Nasser Arrabyee on the recent developments in the Yemen War, where UAE-backed separatists captured Aden. He goes over an alleged split between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, whether Britain could get involved and how effective British troops would be on the ground and more! STATEMENT FROM THE INDIAN HIGH COMMISSION: The reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir is an internal matter concerning the territory of India. India does not comment on the internal affairs of other countries and similarly expects other countries to do likewise. So far as the India-China Boundary Question is concerned, the two sides have agreed to a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement of the boundary question on the basis of the Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for the Settlement of India-China Boundary Question. Pending such a settlement, both sides have agreed to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas on the basis of the relevant agreements.

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to the BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Subramanian Swamy on the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s Article 370. He discusses why the revocation is about equality and why it needed to happen, Imran Khan’s comments that the BJP and Modi are modern-day Nazis, the terror threat in the Kashmir valley and how India will counter it, allegations of the move being undemocratic, what India plans to do with an integrated Jammu and Kashmir and more! Next we speak to Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Mohammad Nafees Zakaria on how Pakistan will respond to India’s unilateral decision to revoke Article 370, fears of an upcoming genocide by the Indian Army against Kashmiris, alleged attempts to change Kashmir’s demographics, allegations of Pakistan funding terrorism in Indian-Occupied Kashmir, why the international community must intervene in the crisis and more!

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Yemen Mediator at UN-backed talks Ahmed Alshami on the rescinding of his invitation by Lloyd Russell-Moyle MP to the uK Parliament, how he has been confused as a Houthi negotiator when he is a UN Mediator, how the West is isolating all anti-war Yemenis by only concentrating on Houthis, allegations of Antisemitism and more! Next Going Underground’s Farhaan Ahmed speaks to Labour Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry about the climate emergency, what Labour will do to tackle the climate crisis and what the fight against climate change means to her on a personal level. Finally we speak to Vijay Prashad, Chief Editor of Leftward books on his new book ‘Red Star Over the Third World’, the Russian revolution’s impact on the colonised world, the early growing relationship between Islam and revolutionary communism, the growing relationship between the US, CIA and radical Islam and how we must take inspiration from Lenin’s outlook before the 1917 revolution!

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Iran’s Ambassador to the UK Hamid Baeidinejad on the recent escalation of tensions between the US and Iran, the Gulf of Oman tanker accident and Western accusations that Iran is to blame, how Iran can defend itself against the US and other Western powers, the status of the Iran Deal as Iran increases uranium enrichment after the US and other Western powers have violated the nuclear deal, tension with Saudi Arabia across the region, the ability for Iran to defend itself against Israel and if a US-Iran war is looming!

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Donald Trump’s former White House Director of Communications about US taxpayers bailing out the banks, the British Ambassador Sir Kim Darroch’s leaked diplomatic cables calling Trump ‘inept’ and ‘clumsy’ and how this will affect the relationship between the US and UK and the motivation behind the leak. He also discusses a potential future trade deal with the UK, the conflict between Donald Trump and the Federal Reserve, allegations of concentration camps on the US border, his support for Tulsi Gabbard and opposition to US wars and Trump’s Deal of the Century proposal for Palestine and Israel. Next we speak to Marc Wadsworth, activist and former member of the Labour Party about Chris Williamson MP’s suspension from the Labour Party and the letter signed by 100+ members of the Jewish community in support of Chris which was taken down by the Guardian, Trump’s deal of the century and why it effectively tells Palestinians to surrender their national rights and RT being barred from a global conference on media freedom.

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to the Deputy Chair of the Republican People’s Party of Turkey and former Turkish Ambassador to the UK Ünal Çeviköz on the Saudi Aramco oil field bombing and the tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the trilateral Iran-Turkey-Russia negotiations on Syria and their progress, Assad’s strength in Syria and more! Next we speak to former Liberal Democrat MP and ex-Minister of State at the Home Office Norman Baker on the week’s top stories including Sam Gyimah’s defection to the Liberal Democrats, David Cameron’s new book where he writes ‘to do nothing in Libya was to facilitate murder’ and the report that Assange will remain in prison after his sentence expires. Finally we speak to SNP MP Angus Macneil on Jo Swinson’s attempt to rebrand herself as ‘stop Brexit’ when her past shows she was in favor of a Brexit referendum, how the SNP will fight the Lib Dems and Tories at the next election, the Yellowhammer no-deal Brexit government reports and why this isn’t scaremongering and a very realistic scenario

On this season finale special episode of Going Underground, we speak to legendary journalist and film-maker John Pilger on a round-up of all the latest issues. John describes the current state of global affairs as in a state of world war, warning that the ‘coming war on China’ he warned about…has now arrived, he also discusses the Hong Kong protests and why they have grown, along with US involvement in the unrest. He discusses the collapse of the global nuclear arms control framework with the end of the INF Treaty and the beginning of a new arms race with Russia, amid a situation where he describes it as Washington’s goal to break up the Russian Federation under Putin. He also warns of the increased risk of nuclear war as nuclear superpowers such as Pakistan and India are also entering major tensions between each other. John Pilger also discusses his concern with John Bolton being at the ear of Donald Trump, how Brexit has created mass-distraction in the UK from the most pressing of issues at home (such as austerity and the NHS) and abroad. He slams sanctions on Venezuela and Iran and also updates us on the condition of Wikileaks founder and publisher Julian Assange, after he visited him recently in Belmarsh prison.

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Mike Gravel on the firing of John Bolton. He says Bolton was close to starting a war with Iran and is the reason for the current hostility between the US, Russia, and China and also says the only hope for a peaceful US foreign policy is Bernie Sanders and Tulsi Gabbard. Next, we speak to Sir David King about the climate emergency and how fracking is accelerating climate change at an unprecedented rate. He also explains the causes of climate change and reveals that we must also refreeze the poles if we are to have any chance of fighting it. Finally, we speak to economist and head of research at IIPP at UCL, Josh Ryan-Collins on the European Central Bank’s latest measures to bolster the Eurozone, which includes cutting the deposit facility rate and another round of quantitative easing. He also discusses the housing crisis in the West and what governments can do to tackle it.

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad H. Mansour about Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest threat to illegally annex parts of the West Bank and his threat to start a war in Gaza. Mansour looks at the motivations for these escalations, attributing them to Netanyahu’s election campaign and blames the US for allowing this further shift in Israeli policy. Next we speak to David Nevin, the lawyer for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged “principle architect of the 9/11 attacks,” on the likelihood of Mohammed’s prosecution after years of CIA torture and human rights abuses at Guantanamo Bay, arguing that US practices may have made his prosecution more difficult.

We speak to economist and radio show host Professor Jack Rasmus of St. Mary’s College in California. He discusses the causes of inflation in the US and why mega corporations are partly to blame, how the US is using the Russian invasion of Ukraine to pursue its own geopolitical objectives in Europe of driving out Russia, why the Ukraine crisis is not by accident but ‘by design’, his predictions of a major global recession by 2023, and much more. We speak to economist and radio show host Professor Jack Rasmus of St. Mary’s College in California. He discusses the causes of inflation in the US and why mega corporations are partly to blame, how the US is using the Russian invasion of Ukraine to pursue its own geopolitical objectives in Europe of driving out Russia, why the Ukraine crisis is not by accident but ‘by design’, his predictions of a major global recession by 2023, and much more.

We speak to Dr. Ira Helfand, ex-president of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. He discusses how Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has once again brought humanity close to nuclear annihilation, the morbid statistics and reality of what a NATO-Russia nuclear war would look like, the myth of a ‘limited’ nuclear war, what actions the leadership of Russia and NATO must take to prevent nuclear war and much more.

We speak to Prof. Seyed Mohammad Marandi of the University of Tehran. He discusses the ongoing negotiations with the US to restart the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) and the impact of US sanctions against Iran, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, on what grounds Iran opposes the invasion and the consequences for US hegemony and the unipolar world order.

We speak to Luckson Zvobgo, Chapter Scientist to and Author of the 6th IPCC Assessment, Africa. He discusses the findings of the report and the ‘closing window’ of time that the world has to fight climate change, climate change becoming a cause of a growing migration crisis, the role of technology in fighting the climate crisis, the effects of climate change on Africa and much more.

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Ben Aris, Editor-in-Chief of bne IntelliNews and former Moscow Bureau Chief of the Daily Telegraph. He discusses Vladimir Putin’s motivations for recognising the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, NATO expansion causing major security concerns for Russia and resulting Russian aggression, Ukraine’s Zelensky declaring that he won’t implement the Minsk 2 agreements a trigger point for Putin, the Ukraine crisis being the biggest crisis for the West since the Cuban Missile Crisis, the severity and effects of coming Western sanctions on Russia and much more.

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to UN Refugee Agency Spokesperson Peter Kessler. He discusses the multitude of crises facing Afghans in a post-US occupation of Afghanistan including a liquidity crisis severely impacting the economy, a major loss of income wiping out the Afghan middle class and investment and development grinding to a halt. He calls for more international assistance from wealthy countries around the world including Russia and China and also discusses life in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

We speak to Prof. Richard Falk, Prof. Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University and the former UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories. He discusses the severe international reaction against Russia for the invasion of Ukraine, double standards and hypocrisy in the lack of action against the US and it’s NATO allies over the multiple wars in the Middle East, contrasting reactions from the US and NATO over the plight of Ukrainians vs the plight of Syrians and Palestinians and much more.