Jim Driscoll - Podcast Details

Shows

BoondoggleMay Day DelayWhere was the episode last week? Jim confesses to participating rather too enthusiastically in Oxford's May Day celebrations and him and Chris swap musical stories before getting into criticisms of Labour's approach to immigration in the UK.Follow us on Bluesky and Substack 2025-05-121h 07

BoondoggleHow To Avoid A WarIn this episode, Jim and Chris discuss whether the Russia-Ukraine war could have been avoided, in the course of which they cover the history of NATO expansion and the wrong turn taken in relations between Russia and the West in the early years of this century.Follow us on Bluesky and Substack 2025-04-2753 min

BoondoggleTariff-ologyTalking just a few hours after Trump had announced a 90-day pause of tariffs, Jim and Chris discuss the purpose of his roller coaster tariff policy, which has very little to do with economic policy. Follow us on Bluesky and Substack 2025-04-1359 min

BoondoggleThe Collapse of the InstitutionsIn this episode, Jim and Chris discuss the woeful response of Columbia University to Trump's aggressive attempt at control and crackdown on academic freedom and free speech. They discuss the letter organised by friend of the podcast and journalist for The Nation, Sasha Abramsky, recently published in the Guardian and available here. (Incidentally, the question was raised in the episode as to the level of Columbia's endowment. It is $14 billion.)Other institutions are also crumbling, with major law firms and media organisations also bowing down before the Trump administration's threats. Where are the much vaunted guardrails of...2025-03-281h 03

BoondoggleWarning: Contains Trigger Warnings, part 2Freedom of speech is a fundamental right, but it is not unrestricted. There are things that you do not have a right to say, even when a broad free speech right is in place, as in the US. The classic example is shouting 'fire' in a crowded theatre when there is no fire. But how is this restriction to be understood in a democratic society? Jim and Chris discuss a possible answer to this, that speech that seeks to prevent others from participating in the discourse, from speaking, should not be permitted. They also discuss the recent depredations of...2025-03-1851 min

BoondoggleWarning: Contains Trigger Warnings, part 1Free speech is, supposedly, a right-wing issue and yet the Trump administration is engaging in the most severe crackdown on political speech since McCarthy, and they may shortly surpass even that dismal nadir.Jim and Chris discuss freedom of speech, and how the right, even when they are nbot cracking down on it, often misunderstand what it is. They enjoyed their discussion so much that we've had to split it into two parts. In this first part, the strange story of when the Heterodox Academy came to Birmingham, and why trigger warnings and racial epithets have nothing...2025-03-1837 min

BoondoggleThe Norms They Are A-ChangingChris describes watching Mississippi Burning with his son, how that brought back memories of his time as a local reporter in Mississippi in the 1980s, and how the themes of the film resonate with today. The social norms that have been in place since the 90s that have, piecemeal and to an incomplete degree, made overt expressions of racism and sexism unacceptable are in the process of being swept away for a far darker set of norms. In the second half of the episode, Chris and Jim discuss the fast-moving situation with respect to Ukraine. Whilst Trump has succeeded...2025-03-071h 05

BoondogglePutting It Back Together AgainTrump and Musk and their enablers and acolytes are busy dismantling the entire American system of government. As the US hurtles towards a constitutional crisis, with the Trump administration preparing the ground to ignore the rulings of courts (which they are already doing in certain cases), what can be done to resist? Jim and Chris discuss this question. It is not surprising that they find the Democratic Party wanting in the face of this crisis. It is not only that they seem to be unable to adopt the kind of 'throw sand in the gears' tactics honed by Mitch...2025-02-201h 06

BoondoggleControlling the LineJim and Chris welcome back Guido Haefli to hear about his time working at the Swiss Embassy in India. We hear some details of the Swiss relationship with India, before discussing the history of the situation in Kashmir, where it currently stands, and prospects for the future. We also discuss current relations between India and Pakistan, and India and China, all three of them nuclear-armed powers who have border disputes of varying intensity. We talk about India's role in global affairs, which is even now quite distinctive, given that it is a member, with Russia, of the BRICS group...2025-02-131h 00

BoondoggleKeeping The PeaceWhat is it like to be a military peacekeeper? What do military peacekeeping missions actually do, and do they make any difference?Jim and Chris are joined by Swiss national Guido Haefeli, who prior to studying in Birmingham was a peacekeeper in Kosovo and Western Sahara. He talks about the relevant histories of both places, what it is like to work as a military peacekeeper (whether as part of KFOR or under the auspices of the UN), his personal views on the future prospects of both places, and what the role of the peacekeeper is and ought to...2025-01-311h 02

BoondoggleDarkness VisibleAfter marking the death of The Band's Garth Hudson, Chris and Jim get in to the dark spectacle of the Trump inauguration. Unconstitutional policies, barely veiled threats of invasion and territorial expansion, plans for economic terrorism, baseless calumnies against political opponents, and of course blatant lies, all normalised by the media commentary. 'A remarkably policy heavy speech', as described by the BBC. What political alchemy is this that seemingly spellbinds the very institutions that are meant to provide the much-vaunted guardrails of democracy?Boondoggle hasn't stopped this descent into the darkness but we have been talking about...2025-01-231h 03

BoondoggleFire and FuryChris and Jim are joined in this first episode of 2025 by old friend of the podcast, author and journalist Sasha Abramsky. Sasha talks a little bit about the situation in LA which he visited at the weekend (see his photo essay for The Nation here). We then move on to think about the state of the Democratic Party and the US in general in the last few days before the inauguration of Trump.Me and Chris plan to talk again on Tuesday night, in the aftermath of the inauguration. If you enjoy this episode, be sure to like...2025-01-1855 min

BoondoggleAnd Then There Were Three, Part 2The second part of what is now going to be a trilogy of episodes featuring Jim, Chris, and Luke Doherty.In this wide-ranging discussion, the trio begin by considering the US role in international politics in the run-up to and immediate aftermath of the end of the Cold War. They also consider the role of morality and populism in politics, before ending on a bombshell question of the role of AI in politics.Next week, in Part 3 the trio will discuss that question about AI and other disruptive technologies on the political space, and make sure to...2024-12-051h 21

BoondoggleAnd Then There Were Three, Part 1In this episode, Jim and Chris are joined by Luke Doherty, a fellow student with Jim in Birmingham. After talking for a little bit about what Luke was doing before he came to Birmingham, and what brought him back to studying, they consider the reasons for and possible lessons of the Trump victory. We had intended to discuss many more topics, but thought that since we had been going for an hour and a quarter, it might be sensible to postpone those to next week.There is much agreement between Jim, Chris, and Luke, but also hints of...2024-11-281h 14

BoondoggleUnder The WeatherWith the UK hit by unseasonal snow, Jim and Chris spend a little bit of time discussing the shall we say unusual political approach of the Starmer government in the UK, which seems to involve annoying as many people as possible as quickly as they can whilst telling everyone things are not going to get better for years. They then move on to the main topic of the episode, a consideration of the foreign policy implications of Trump's election win. Whilst resiling not one iota from the likely dire domestic impacts (only made worse by Trump's picks for major...2024-11-211h 13

BoondoggleUnder Conditions Of AnarchyIn this episode, Jim talks with Chris about the course that he is doing on Global Conflict and Cooperation. Jim outlines the various theories of international relations that he has come across so far, realism, liberalism, and constructivism, and discusses with Chris the barriers to and possibilities for peace-building under these theories.Follow us on Bluesky and Substack 2024-11-181h 13

BoondoggleSeries 4 Episode 7: The Property PartyIn this episode, recorded on Thursday 7th November, Jim Driscoll and Chris Floyd discuss the comprehensive Trump victory in the recent US election. Using Gore Vidal's idea that there is only one party in America, the Property Party, as a prompt, they discuss the extent to which so many elements of the US establishment have acquiesced in the dismantling of American institutions, and whether Trump represents a genuine repudiation of the tenets of the Property Party, as his followers in effect believe, or whether we are witnessing the Property Party realising that it no longer needs democracy in order...2024-11-101h 14

BoondoggleSeries 4 Episode 6: What Is Happening Is Not happeningAfter catching up with respect to Chris' Greek odyssey, and discussing his brief career as a cricket correspondent for the Moscow Times, Jim and Chris discuss the impact of the shock doctrine on Russia in the 90s before considering the extent to which it is proposed to be applied to the US if Trump wins the election and appoints Elon Musk to government.The election is on a knife-edge and any predictions will be little more than guesses, but either way, US democracy will continue to be under pressure and increasingly hollowed out, in various ways outlined by...2024-10-311h 02

BoondoggleSeries 4 Episode 5: Misperceiving the DangerIn this episode Jim and Chris discuss the upcoming US election. Bypassing the usual horserace commentary, they talk about the unprecedented nature of the contest, the 'sane-washing' of Trump, possible futures after the election, and one possible reason why the Democrats seem to constantly misunderstand the strategy required to win against MAGA.Follow us on Bluesky and Substack 2024-10-171h 00

BoondoggleSeries 4 Episode 4: RealignmentIn this episode, recorded on the evening of the 8th October when there were still three candidates in the Tory leadership race and everyone expected James Cleverly to make the final two, Jim and Chris discuss the degree to which the British political system may be showing signs of realigning. With Reform functioning as an apparently irresistible magnet dragging the Tories ever further to the right and Labour seemingly moving into the centre right ground being abandoned by the Conservatives, do we just have a shift rightwards of the two party system or a fracturing of that system? And...2024-10-1155 min

The Preconstruction Podcast - Commercial Construction.E118: Jim Driscoll, Director of Preconstruction at Kadean Construction, based out of Kansas City, Missouri.Gareth McGlynn chats with Jim Driscoll, Director of Preconstruction at Kadean Construction, to discuss all things preconstruction. Key Points: Jim's transition from Director of Operations to Director of Preconstruction Delivery methods and design-build in healthcare and industrial projects Building teams through recruitment and internships And a lot more. Catch this episode for more practical insights from the field. Connect with Jim Driscoll via his Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-driscoll-a1911591/2024-10-0749 min

BoondoggleSeries 4 Episode 3: Two Things About BirminghamChris talks to Jim about his recent relocation to Birmingham to start an MA in Global Conflict and Cooperation, and his fifteen-and-a-half day journey from Oxford to Birmingham by narrowboat. What does taking so long to travel such a small distance do to your conception of time? How do you steer the thing anyway? And will Chris ever learn how to pronounce the name of the city properly?Follow us on Bluesky and Substack 2024-10-031h 04

BoondoggleSeries 4 Episode 2: Beyond the conventionJim and Chris discuss themes arising from the recent Democratic Convention in Chicago - how, beyond the schmaltz, nothing much changes; how the centrist project leads to the triumph of the right; and how we are living in a decadent democratic culture. Also, Chris sings a number made familiar (but not written) by Woody Guthrie, The Hobo's Lullaby.Follow us on Bluesky and Substack 2024-09-0459 min

BoondoggleSeries 4 Episode 1: Which Way Are The Sunflowers Pointing?With Chris back from his secret mission for the mysterious figure known only as 'Toolmaker', and in an episode recorded in the hours before Kamala Harris gave her speech, Jim and Chris briefly discuss the strange experience of watching a Democratic convention full of hope and energy at the same time as US-funded atrocities continue in Gaza.They then move on to assess the performance of the Labour government in the UK after its first seven weeks. During the course of this discussion, Chris makes a brave and foolhardy attempt at a Scottish accent. It is fair to...2024-08-2354 min

BoondoggleSeries 4 pilot: The Boondoggle PromiseFollowing the restructuring of our corporate sponsor, Crab Tut Beer (the best beer you've ever seen), Boondoggle is amending its offer by incorporating various modalities of speech-based content into a new magazine-style format designed to appeal across various demographics that engage with the podcast space. That's what the brief said, anyway, but who reads that crap? Forced to present the podcast alone due to co-host Chris Floyd being stranded on the South coast engaged in a secret mission detecting small boats on behalf of a mysterious individual known only as 'Toolmaker', and with the planned launch show in front...2024-08-1933 min

BoondoggleSeries 3 Episode 10: Our Fragile StateChris and Jim begin by discussing recent developments in the Middle East, with tensions running high and fears of escalation after Israel reserves the right to respond to Iran's launching of drones and missiles at Israel (itself a retaliation for Israel's attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus). The bulk of the episode consists of a discussion of the notion of fragility, introduced in the previous episode, but developed here in relation to the climate emergency. Chris and Jim explore how political and cultural fragility, exemplified by the unresponsiveness of political systems to reality and the wishes of t...2024-04-171h 07

BoondoggleSeries 3 Episode 9: Following the Wrong StarPolitical discussion with Jim Driscoll and Chris Floyd. In this episode, Jim begins by asking Chris about his experiences growing up in rural Tennessee during the Civil Rights era. They then use these experiences to explore the relationship between cultural anxiety and economic stability, and to begin to develop a notion of 'fragility', a feature that societies can have that renders them more liable to conflict and vulnerable to shocks. They then discuss ways in which society has become more fragile in recent years and think about why that may be the case. Follow...2024-04-101h 14