Home Podcasts The Econoclasts
The Econoclasts

The Econoclasts

UnHerd 164 Episodes Jul 21, 2026

The Econoclasts is a podcast from UnHerd hosted by economist Yanis Varoufakis and journalist Wolfgang Munchau. They challenge mainstream economic consensus, arguing that it has consistently failed to predict major events. Each week, they debunk two pillars of established orthodoxy, connecting money, geopolitics, and real-world forces.

Episodes

The UK’s investment trap & the lie behind Western wealth
The UK’s investment trap & the lie behind Western wealth Jul 21, 2026 38:54 In this episode of The Econoclasts, Yanis Varoufakis and Wolfgang Munchau dissect the political delusions stalling Western growth, debunking the idea that state investment alone can revive the UK, exposing Europe’s dangerous tech gap behind America and China, and revealing how flawed economic data hides declining US living standards. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Europe’s populist panic & China’s real free market
Europe’s populist panic & China’s real free market Jul 14, 2026 37:29 In this episode of The Econoclasts, Yanis Varoufakis and Wolfgang Munchau dissect the establishment’s self-defeating 'lawfare' strategy against rising right-wing populists like Marine Le Pen, and Nigel Farage, while debunking the myth that capitalism is synonymous with free markets by contrasting Western state-protected monopolies like SpaceX with China’s highly competitive, state-guided economic
The tragedy of America 250 & the truth about Ukraine
The tragedy of America 250 & the truth about Ukraine Jul 7, 2026 38:36 In this episode of The Econoclasts, Yanis Varoufakis and Wolfgang Munchau analyse the structural decay of American hegemony at its 250-year milestone, while exposing the corporate and political motivations behind the media's distorted Ukraine war narrative used to justify a domestic defence heist funded by ballooning public debt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The great Brexit myth & Germany’s industrial collapse
The great Brexit myth & Germany’s industrial collapse Jun 30, 2026 39:00 In this episode of The Econoclasts, Yanis Varoufakis and Wolfgang Munchau debunk the popular orthodoxy surrounding Brexit, exposing the phoney statistics used to fabricate a narrative of British macroeconomic self-harm, while dissecting the existential reality of Germany's inevitable structural collapse through its automakers' loss of the critical AI and EV race to China. Hosted on Acast. See acas
The fall of Starmer & Europe's great energy swindle
The fall of Starmer & Europe's great energy swindle Jun 23, 2026 36:09 In this episode of The Econoclasts, Yanis Varoufakis and Wolfgang Munchau dissect the fallout of Keir Starmer’s resignation to expose a broader Western leadership crisis, before debunking the myth of the free market to reveal the hidden corporate swindle rigging European electricity prices - a systemic failure that is not only driving up consumer bills but starving the continent of the energy capa
NATO’s narrative collapse & Anthropic’s AI shutdown
NATO’s narrative collapse & Anthropic’s AI shutdown Jun 16, 2026 37:31 In this episode of The Econoclasts, Yanis Varoufakis and Wolfgang Munchau expose the dangerous flaws of a newly hyped Trump-Iran pre-deal, reveal how Europe's aggressive shift toward wasteful defence spending is a delusion built on exaggerated threats, and uncover a widening technological chasm where aggressive US nationalist regulations and a stagnant European mindset are combining to leave the W
Germany’s historic humiliation & Britain's financial trap
Germany’s historic humiliation & Britain's financial trap Jun 9, 2026 37:28 In this episode of The Econoclasts, Yanis Varoufakis and Wolfgang Munchau debunk conventional wisdom by analysing Germany’s shocking UN Security Council voting failure as a symptom of its diplomatic hubris and international unpopularity, while tearing down the illusion of British sovereignty to reveal how the United Kingdom has become a financial vassal completely trapped by its dependence on leve
AI's job apocalypse & the transhumanist endgame
AI's job apocalypse & the transhumanist endgame Jun 2, 2026 34:50 In this episode of The Econoclasts, Yanis Varoufakis and Wolfgang Munchau debunk the delusions surrounding artificial intelligence by examining how its recent ability to solve complex mathematical problems signals a massive structural threat to the global labour market, while warning against the transhumanist endgame of 'Techlord' Silicon Valley elites like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, who view Homo
Europe’s China trap & capitalism’s AI death knell
Europe’s China trap & capitalism’s AI death knell May 26, 2026 37:45 In this episode of The Econoclasts, Yanis Varoufakis and Wolfgang Munchau debunk the mainstream economic orthodoxies surrounding Europe's aggressive tariff strategy against China while simultaneously warning that the rise of AI and Big Tech is not the future of market capitalism but rather its death knell, as centralised platforms trap society in a new era of techno-feudalism. Hosted on Acast. See
Trump's secret China truce & Labour's economic chaos
Trump's secret China truce & Labour's economic chaos May 19, 2026 38:51 In this episode of The Econoclasts, Yanis Varoufakis and Wolfgang Munchau debunk the mainstream narratives around Donald Trump’s recent Beijing summit, reveal how the West’s geopolitical delusions disadvantage it in a new cold war with China, and expose the flawed economic strategy of Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as he attempts to replace a failing Keir Starmer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri
The end of Starmer & Trump’s shady Iran scam
The end of Starmer & Trump’s shady Iran scam May 12, 2026 37:28 🔗Get your tickets for The Econoclasts Live with Hasan Piker here: http://unherd.com/econoclastsliveIn this episode of The Econoclasts, Yanis Varoufakis and Wolfgang Munchau dissect Keir Starmer’s attempts to maintain power in a declining UK economy alongside the paradoxical surge in US market wealth triggered by Donald Trump’s war with Iran - a conflict that is failing to smoke out Tehran while si
Trump vs. Merz & how London broke Britain
Trump vs. Merz & how London broke Britain May 5, 2026 39:56 🔗Get your tickets for The Econoclasts Live with Hasan Piker here: http://unherd.com/econoclastsliveIn this episode of The Econoclasts, Yanis Varoufakis and Wolfgang Munchau debunk the myth of European strategic sovereignty and the lie at the heart of the City of London, exposing how Germany’s failure to innovate within its declining car industry leaves it defenceless against Trump’s revenge tariff

Recommended