005 - Grace Blakeley on Power, Inequality, and How Elites Captured Capitalism

My guest today is Grace Blakeley – UK-based political economist and author of three books, including her most recent: Vulture Capitalism. We discuss how political and corporate elites work together to protect their interests, why governments prop up monopolies, and how “the system” isn’t broken – in fact, it’s working exactly as it’s designed. We also touch on the history of capitalism and enclosure, the global legacy of imperialism, and why the struggle for a better future is ultimately a struggle over power.Learn more about Grace, her work, and her books: https://graceblakeley.co.uk/Read Grace’s writing on Substack: https://graceblakeley.substack.com/ Support the Better Future podcast by subscribing:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaelmezzSubstack: https://substack.com/@michaelmezzatestaSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/16K0dkbk35q0mTslKJJ7z0Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-future-with-michael-mezz/id1823942833Follow Grace on social media:Twitter: https://x.com/graceblakeleyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/grace.blakeley/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@graceblakeley000:00 Intro: Rich people don’t create jobs01:16 Introducing Grace Blakeley03:05 The system isn’t broken – it’s working as designed10:46 Keynesianism, Marxism, and dialectical materialism16:45 How state and corporate elites work together22:44 The moral hazard of neoliberal capitalism27:26 Who actually takes risk?31:19 The history of enclosure & primitive accumulation37:09 Capitalism’s expansion through colonialism & imperialism43:40 The myth of “prosperity for all” under capitalism51:28 The myth of innovation under capitalism56:22 Trumpism’s destruction of visions for the future59:08 The importance of unions & collective action1:05:33 The importance of community & mutual aid1:12:12 Diagnosing the recent success of the right1:14:24 Embedding democracy in work & politics1:18:24 ConclusionHost/Creator: Michael MezzatestaGuest: Grace BlakeleyEditor: Nuria SalgadoSound editor: Andre CoreaDesigner: Amea WadsworthThanks for watching episode 005. Lots more on the way :)

There are no comments yet.

Please log in to write the first comment.