Interviews
On Brexit and the task of confronting technofeudalism – Interview in The Morning Star
, 03/01/2022
ONE YEAR since the final deal for Brexit was announced, it remains one of the most divisive political subjects for a generation. Perhaps unknown to most, the incendiary B-word had its genesis in the term “Grexit” — coined during tumultuous years after the 2008 credit crunch when a Greek exit from the EU was speculated, […]
MERA25: DiEM25’s new German (!) Party is now a reality
, 27/12/2021
You may have heard of MeRA25, the first political party that DiEM25 created in Greece – and which entered Greek Parliament in July 2019. Well, true to our ambitious transnational agenda, DiEM25 took matters further: We recently established MERA25 as a… German political party that is now legally and organisationally ready and willing to contest […]
Rosemary Bechler (1951-2021) – A wonderful life, a tower of intellect, a beautiful heart and the ideal comrade for all of us at DiEM25 and beyond
, 27/12/2021
“Such a relief to be working on this with you guys … all the best and sleep much better for all this classy political activity! As I will now!” That was the last email I received from her. The campaign that she referred to was DiEM25’s recent, and very successful, crusade to save the NHS […]
Interviewed by Azeem Azhar (Harvard Business Review) on tech, economics, and the future of democracy – audio
, 27/12/2021
In this podcast, I join Azeem Azhar EXPONENTIAL VIEW to discuss my novel Another Now (click here for the English and here for the US versions). [Click here to listen on their site and here for Spotify) We discuss the book’s vision of a world where mass organization, technological progress, and an overhaul of companies and markets have made […]
The Economic Model of ANOTHER NOW, by AFTER THE OLIGARCHY: Video plus interview
, 27/12/2021
In my novel ANOTHER NOW (click here for the English and here for the US versions) I put forward a blueprint for a socialist, decentralised, market society in which the profit-wage nexus, share markets and commercial banks have become extinct. AFTER THE OLIGARCHY were kind enough to produce a 40′ video explaining the economic model of ANOTHER NOW […]
Russell Brand interrogates me on my novel ANOTHER NOW. Sparks fly and fun is had as we discuss what we can replace technofeudal capitalism with
, 27/12/2021
Can the system ever change or are we stuck? Are we condemned to live as modern peasants in a technofeudal order? Or can we create a postcapitalist system that utilises technology to revive socialism as a realistic, attractive, freedom-enhancing prospect? Is my novel ANOTHER NOW (click here for the English and here for the US […]
Τι πρέπει να ξέρεις για το ΜέΡΑ25 και τις ανησυχίες μας, την αυτοκριτική μας, το όραμά μας: Προσυνεδριακή Ομιλία, Δεκέμβρης 2021, Αθήνα
, 27/12/2021
Το 1ο Διαβουλευτικό Συνέδριο του ΜέΡΑ25 ολοκληρώνεται στα τέλη Ιανουαρίου με αποφάσεις για το (υπό εξέλιξη) ιδεολογικό μας στίγμα και την μακρόπνοη στρατηγική μας. Νιώθουμε την ανάγκη ριζοσπαστικοποίησης μας σε μια σειρά κρίσιμων ζητημάτων, όπως π.χ. για την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση, το Περιβάλλον, την Τεχνολογία, τον Νέο Συνδικαλισμό και το Νέο Συνεταιρισμό, την Τοπική Αυτοδιοίκηση, το […]
Why Croatia should NOT adopt the euro PLUS European politics, technofeudalism, US & China – Interviewed by Vecernji List
, 27/12/2021
In an exclusive interview by Nataša Vlašić Smrekar for Croatian media Vecernji List, I explained why it would be a grave error for non-eurozone EU member-states, like Croatia, to adopt the euro. We also talked extensively about European politics, Technofeudalism, my novel Another Now, and the US-China stand-off. Here is the original English language version […]
How should self-managed enterprises work in a postcapitalist setting? Follow the ongoing M. Albert-Y. Varoufakis debate
, 24/12/2021
Tragically, most people take bosses for granted. Capitalist firms have them by construction, by design. But, what of cooperative enterprises that are owned by everyone working within them? Do they also need bosses? A managerial class that tells the rest what to do? Or can we envisage boss-less firms? If so, how do things that […]
Πώς δεν θα πληρώσουν οι μη προνομιούχοι το θεόρατο, όσο και αναγκαίο, κόστος της πράσινης μετάβασης – η πρόταση του ΜέΡΑ25
, 24/12/2021
«Ο πρωθυπουργός, πριν δυο μήνες, πήγε ταξιδάκι στη Γλασκόβη. Εκεί τη Δευτέρα 1η Νοεμβρίου ο κύριος Μητσοτάκης δέσμευσε τη χώρα σε ένα πραγματικά αξιοθαύμαστο στόχο: Μείωση των ρύπων των αερίων του θερμοκηπίου κατά 65% μέχρι το 2030. Δεν μου λέτε, εσάς σας το είπε αυτό πριν το κάνει; Πήρε την έγκρισή σας; Έγινε κάποιος προϋπολογισμός; […]
Σκληρό Μαρκάρισμα Νο.7. Με τον Μιθριδάτη
, 24/12/2021
Χωρίς απαγορευμένες ή υπαγορευμένες ερωτήσεις. Χωρίς ταμπού θέματα ή προσυμφωνημένες ατζέντες. Χωρίς την παραμικρή προσυνεννόηση. Συνεντεύξεις όπως πρέπει να γίνονται. Στο έβδομο «Σκληρό Μαρκάρισμα» με ανακρίνει ο Μιθριδάτης. Στο τέλος της κουβέντας μας μιλάμε ΚΑΙ για την πολιτική κατάσταση (λίγο όμως, έτσι για αλλαγή, για μια ανάσα στο τέλος της χρονιάς). Όμως, το όμορφο μέρος […]
Julian’s extradition marks a Dark Day for British Justice
, 10/12/2021
With its decision to extradite Julian Assange to the United States, Britain’s High Court wasted a precious opportunity to save what is left of the honour of Britain’s courts after so many years of their complicity in the slow murder of a man whose only crime was to reveal our governments’ crimes against humanity. From […]
Μελανή μέρα για την Βρετανική Δικαιοσύνη
, 10/12/2021
Με την απόφασή του υπέρ της έκδοσης του Τζούλιαν Ασανζ στις ΗΠΑ, το Ανώτατο Δικαστηρίο της Βρετανίας έχασε μοναδική ευκαιρία να διασώσει την τιμή και την υπόληψη της Βρετανικής δικαιοσύνης μετά από τόσα χρόνια συνενοχής της στην προσπάθεια εξόντωσης, δολοφονίας ουσιαστικά, ενός ανθρώπου του οποίου το μόνο «έγκλημα» ήταν να μας διαφωτίσει για τα εγκλήματα […]
With Phillip Adams on Late Night Live (ABC RN) talking about the hollow promise of 2021, Merkel, Zuckerberg, DiEM25 and… my dad
, 06/12/2021
End of the year, yes, a perfect time to look back to 2021 and its betrayed, hollow promises. Here, on ABC Radio National’s Late Night Live, I am chatting with Phillip Adams (DiEM25’s honorary member) the motivated fiasco that was Cop26, Angela Merkel’s peculiar failure, China, Zuckerberg and, yes, my… dad. Thanks Phillip
Πρόσωπο με Πρόσωπο Νο.6: Απαντώντας σε 10 νέες βιντεο-ερωτήσεις σας
, 06/12/2021
Στο 6ο «Πρόσωπο με Πρόσωπο» απαντώ σε 10 νέες ερωτήσεις σας για: Το πιστεύει το ΜέΡΑ25 για τα δικαιώματα των ΛΟΑΤΚ+ στον γάμο και την τεχνοθεσία; Πως πρέπει να τιμωρούνται πολιτικοί που δεν κρατούν το λόγο τους προς το εκλογικό σώμα; Υπάρχει ανοχή της τρόικας προς την “Μητσοτάκης ΑΕ”; Ποια η διαφορά θεωρίας και πράξης, ιδίως […]
DiEM25 is radicalising, seizing the moment, upping our game. Join us?
, 22/11/2021
A message for DiEM25 members: We are on the cusp for our paneuropean movement’s second, more radical, terribly necessary phase. Are you in? DiEM25 is your movement. Existing members, please go to https://diem25.org/YESlets to let us know that you’re in. Everyone else, you can get a full membership at https://internal.diem25.org/users/sig…
Visionary realism : Chatting with Noam Chomsky & Ann Pettifor on a green future beyond capitalism
, 17/11/2021
The context is the fraud and fiasco also known as Cop26. The frame is DiEM25’s COP-OFF video chats. And the purpose is to discuss whether there was ever a possibility of Cop26 yielding a significant prospect for a timely green transition. In this discussion Noam, Ann and I agree: Yes, the Green New Deal is […]
LA STAMPA interview on the Italian edition of ANOTHER NOW: From Marinnetti & the Sex Pistols to Hephaestus & favourite books
, 17/11/2021
On the occasion of the publication of my ANOTHER NOW in Italian (Un Altro Presente), La Stampa put to me some quirky and irreverent questions. Just in case you wanted to read them, and my answers, in the English original, here they are. Have fun! Marinetti and the Sex Pistols are milestones for Costa: is […]
Talking to the Bunker about ANOTHER NOW
, 16/11/2021
Renowned economist, politician, and author Yanis Varoufakis stopped by the Bunker to talk about his latest book, Another Now, which is an alternate history in which our world developed into a post-capitalist world after the economic crash in 2008. Yanis shared the story of how he was politicized early after the Greek civil war and his father’s imprisonment, […]
Assessing the Biden Presidency one year after his election – Rick Wolf & Yanis Varoufakis
, 06/11/2021
In this edition of THE INTERNATIONALIST, following news from the global struggle against reactionaries, Rick Wolf and I discuss the US situation (from the 8th minute onwards). Yes, it has been one year since Joe Biden came into office. While he is at COP26 making weak and unconvincing commitments on the climate, the global crisis […]
Explaining to friend & comrade Slavoj Zizek that which why I didn’t get a chance to tell my father: why I think capitalism has evolved into technofeudalism
, 06/11/2021
I must have been no older than five or six when my dad introduced me to the idea that technological progress forces the pace of history. I remember him explaining how written records coincided with humanity’s ability to smelt copper tools. Of how history accelerated when ancient smiths progressed from copper to forging iron tools […]
Can capitalism be fixed? An Intelligence Squared debate between Gillian Tett (Yes!) and Yanis Varoufakis (No!)
, 06/11/2021
Gillian Tett, the Financial Times Chair of the Editorial Board & Editor-at-large, believes that capitalism can be fixed, through copious regulation and institutional interventions. I, on the other hand, not only think that capitalism cannot be fixed but, additionally, that capitalism has made itself irrelevant through a surreptitious transformation into a new version of the […]
Star Trek vs The Matrix: Chatting with Briahna Joy Gray about my ANOTHER NOW on BAD FAITH
, 06/11/2021
Truly enjoyed this chat with Briahna Joy Gray which began with a discussion of my novel ANOTHER NOW, and the question of what a non-capitalist world could look like in the here and now, and drifted nicely to our favourite show, Star Trek – the ultimate depiction of a liberal communism worth working towards; which […]