Comradio

On the table this week are:

The case brought by disability campaigner Heidi Carter concerning inequality in abortion law, the assassination of Jovenel Moïse in Haiti, the England football team, Trevor Phillips, Matt and a vacuum cleaner or something, whether Labour should put Narendra Modi on election leaflets, the latest from the Unite Gen Sec election, Labour MPs going on corporate jollies with Tories, Dennis Hopper's hatred of product placement, and Sajid Javid's idea of romance.  

 

Buy our merch  

 

Second Row Socialists on Twitter  

 

Comradio on Twitter    

 

Campaigners say abortions 'need 24-week limit' 

 

The politics of prenatal testing and selective abortion - Lisa Blumberg (1994) 

 

Why Members of the Disability Community Oppose Prenatal Diagnosis and Selective Abortion - Marsha Saxton (2000) 

 

Prenatal diagnosis and discrimination against the disabled - L. Gillam (1999) 

 

Assassination of Jovenel Moïse 

 

UK Labour Party accused of 'divisive' politics with poll leaflet featuring PM Modi 

 

Grenfell Tower fire: Borough called on to admit liability 

 

What is Objectivism? 

 

The Fountainhead. Full courtroom speech 

 

Patrick Bateman skincare routine

"a poem is a place you lick raw"

- Oksana Vasyakina.

 

This week we are joined by poet E.E. Jones as we journey through an eclectic selection of radical verse. Russian feminist poetry, queer poetry, Keralan communist poetry, poets of Bangladesh, Negritude, Langston Hughes, slam poetry, and some British favourites: Blake, Shelley, William Morris, and the Liverpool poets (Roger McGough et al).

 

With readings from The Incident by E.E. Jones. Plus, the prosaic benefits of a 4 day week.

 

Buy our merch  

 

Second Row Socialists on Twitter  

 

Comradio on Twitter    

 

The Incident by E.E. Jones  

 

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell by William Blake  

 

An Earthly Paradise by William Morris  

 

Dramatisation of John Ball's radical speech of 1381  

 

To the Republicans of North America by PB Shelley  

 

Similes for Two Political Characters of 1819  

 

A Song: Men of England by PB Shelley  

 

'The man of virtuous soul', lines from Queen Mab by PB Shelley  

 

The Mask of Anarchy by PB Shelley  

 

Shelley - Poet & Revolutionary by Jacqueline Mulhallen  

 

Peterloo Survivors Photograph 

 

Love Is by Adrian Henri 

 

Liverpool Poems by Adrian Henri 

 

I Want To Paint by Adrian Henri 

 

The Minister for Exams by Brian Patten 

 

Icarus Allsorts by Roger McGough 

 

McGough and Patten reading from their own poetry 

 

The Mersey Sound 

 

Baby by The Liverpool Scene 

 

Lenin by Langston Hughes 

 

Working Class History podcast on Joseph Skipsey  

 

I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman 

 

I, Too, Sing America by Langston Hughes 

 

"Where the mind is without fear" by Tagore (alternative translation) 

 

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy on Marxism and colonialism 

 

Woman by Nazrul 

 

Tribute to Nazrul including lines from The Rebel 

 

Full version of Bhaskaran piece 

 

The French Revolution.... by Wordsworth 

 

A brief guide to Negritude 

 

Four poems by Léopold Senghor 

 

Notebook of a Return to my Native Land by Aimé Cesaire 

 

The Train Hotel Paris-Barcelona 

 

How Russia's Feminist Poets Are Changing What It Means to Protest  

 

Summer. Gates of the Body by Galina Rymbu 

 

These People Didn't Know My Father by Oksana Vasyakina 

 

My Vagina by Galina Rymbu 

 

F Letter: New Russian Feminist Poetry 

 

My Sharona by The Knack 

 

A Gay Poem by Keith Jarrett 

 

4 day week experiment in Iceland 

 

"Four-day working week would slash UK carbon footprint" 

 

Follow the 4 day week campaign on Twitter 

 

Follow Labour 4 Day Week on Twitter

Not just wicca but paganism and heathenry more broadly, as we discuss the magic of nature and the land, re-enchantment, the intersections of left theory and paganism, and more. With Emma Kathryn and Rhyd Wildermuth from Gods & Radicals, plus contributions from Christina Harrington of the magically inclined Treadwells Books (just behind the British Museum).   

 

Also, our Chlöe reports from Labour Women's Conference and shares some personal good news.  

 

Buy our merch  

 

Second Row Socialists on Twitter  

 

Comradio on Twitter    

 

Follow Emma on Twitter 

 

Emma's Instagram 

 

Rhyd at substack 

 

Gods & Radicals 

 

Treadwells Books 

 

Another take on Walter Benjamin's Emergency Brake 

 

ILEF submission on Sustainable Food to Labour's NPF 

 

Caliban and the Witch - Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation by Silvia Federici 

 

1hr talk from Silvia Federici outlining the contents of her book Caliban and the Witch 

 

Confronting the new right 

 

Our episode on esoteric fascism 

 

Reclaiming Ourselves by Emma Kathryn 

 

All That Is Sacred Is Profaned--A Pagan Guide To Marxism by Rhyd Wildermuth

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia is the longest running TV sitcom in American history. We use examples from the controversial comedy to ask:

Should the working class be portrayed as largely good people in a bad system (a la Ken Loach) or as highly flawed?

How should our politics treat human nature? (Do Marxists ignore it? Are anarchists too positive about it?)

What role should humour play in getting along with each other and our differences (and indeed prejudices)?

What stance should socialists hold on gun control?

We also discuss political correctness, transphobia, Israel, antisemitism, consent and more.

 

Our Five Minute Focus this week is about the uncovering of an extensive, multi-million dollar, network of anti-LGBT and anti-women activity from the religious far right.  

 

Buy our merch  

 

Second Row Socialists on Twitter  

 

Comradio on Twitter    

 

‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ Creator Says the Show Doesn’t Take Political or Social Stances 

 

Netflix removes It's Always Sunny episode over blackface scenes 

 

Blackface Was Never Harmless 

 

Intent - It's...Magic! 

 

Narcissistic People Are More Likely To Take Part In Political Activities 

 

Violent Death Rates: The US Compared with Other High-income OECD Countries, 2010 (2016) - Grinshteyn and Hemenway 

 

GOOD GUYS WITH GUNS: Hegemonic Masculinity and Concealed Handguns in Gender & Society (2012) - Angela Stroud 

 

America's gun obsession is rooted in slavery - Carol Anderson 

 

Co-operation and evolutionary stable strategies 

 

Tip of the Iceberg: Religious Extremist Funders against Human Rights for Sexuality & Reproductive Health in Europe 

 

Sian Norris on anti-gender funding 

 

Marxists Internet Archive

The boys go on diversions about zombies, werewolves, buried treasure, and sex burgers, occasionally returning to politics and the topical themes of the episode: Gareth Southgate's open letter to England fans about the knee, the Unite GS election, Corbyn at Cambridge, Zack Polanski and the London Living Wage, The Boundary Commission, the NHS data grab, the dangers of Didsbury, and roads named after Stalin.  

 

Buy our merch  

 

Second Row Socialists on Twitter  

 

Comradio on Twitter    

 

Gareth Southgate's "Dear England" open letter 

 

Unite 2021 GS election timetable 

 

Labour looking into Corbyn's claim that Luciana Berger was not hounded out 

 

SAGE - Quality care deserves quality pay

We assemble a diverse group to talk about solidarity in the context of the Labour Party and beyond. We discuss identity politics, organising, and what the left could do better. Featuring Lydia Caradonna (Decrim Now), Luke Smith (GRT Socialists), Maliha (Socialists of Colour), Torr Robinson (LCTR), and Sarah Stein Lubrano.  

 

Buy our merch  

 

Second Row Socialists on Twitter  

 

Comradio on Twitter    

 

Lydia on Twitter 

 

Luke on Twitter 

 

GRT Socialists 

 

Maliha on Twitter 

 

Torr on Twitter 

 

Sarah on Twitter 

 

DPAC 

 

Client Starmer 

 

Decrim Now 

 

United Voices of the World  

Follow UVW on Twitter 

 

Labour Campaign For Trans Rights 

 

Socialists of Colour  

Follow Socialists of Colour on Twitter 

 

Labour Muslim Network action plan 

 

Sisters Uncut 

 

LARAF 

 

Lesbians & Gays Support The Miners 

 

A Short History Of Community Action In The Scottish City 

 

Our episode with Luke on GRT 

 

Bernice Johnson Reagon on solidarity and building coalitions 

 

Why Colombia has erupted in protest - Open Democracy  

 

From Solidarity Rallies to Donations, Here’s How You Can Support Colombian Protesters Right Now  

 

Temblores (Spanish)

No Platforming has been NUS policy since 1974. Why are right wingers so keen to get fascists and others who seek to restrict minorities back giving speeches at universities? Is it because a ruling class conception of the acceptable citizen has framed British politics for many decades? We discuss recent work by Robbie Shilliam in the light of both campus news and testimony from Dominic Cummings.  

 

Plus, what to wear at Pride.  

 

Buy our merch  

 

Second Row Socialists on Twitter  

 

Comradio on Twitter    

 

Reindorf Review on “no platforming” 

 

Essex University statement 

 

45 Years On :The History and Continuing Importance of No Platform 

 

Stonewall Strategy: Free To Be 

 

Bring back lost days of campus free speech 

 

Govt free speech tsar to fine unis for banning hateful speakers 

 

From Enoch Powell to Margaret Thatcher 

 

James's tweets re: what to wear at Pride

"We are going on a populist hunt."

 

Is populism anti-democratic, a force for ill in the world? Or is it potentially legitimate politics, often misrepresented by vested interests?

 

As Viktor Orbán visits the UK, Michael guides us through the thickets to greater understanding.

 

Plus, if you want to know more about Palestine or what more you can do to help, we have some resources for you.  

 

Buy our merch  

 

Second Row Socialists on Twitter  

 

Comradio on Twitter    

 

Follow Michael

 

The Populist Zeitgeist (2004) - Cas Mudde 

 

Gramsci and hegemony 

 

Discourse analysis 

 

Going to the People. The Russian Narodniki in 1874-5 (1927) - Anne Pedler 

 

'Lazy use' of term populist has helped to legitimize far-right politics - University of Bath 

 

'How populist are you?' - Guardian quiz 

 

Hegemony and socialist strategy - Laclau & Mouffe 

 

The Populist Harm to Democracy: An Empirical Assessment - The Tony Blair Institute For Global Change 

 

Left Populism Is Down But Not Out  

 

Palestine  

Palestine Resources Linktree  

 

Decolonize Palestine 

 

Jacobin:  There’s Nothing Complicated About What’s Happening in Palestine 

 

Donate to BDS 

 

Donate to MAP 

 

ANERA 

 

Avaaz global petition for sanctions 

 

UK Petition for sanctions 

 

Email your MP about the selling of arms to Israel 

 

Upcoming pro-Palestine events 

 

BDS: What to boycott 

 

Follow Al Jazeera on Twitter 

 

Watch Al Jazeera live

Come join us for another COMRADIO Film Club episode as we chat with returning guest David from Podcasting is Praxis about the politics of The Falcon And The Winter Soldier.  (And yes we know it's not a film!)  

 

Buy our merch  

 

Buy PiP's merch  

 

Second Row Socialists on Twitter  

 

Comradio on Twitter  

 

Podcasting is Praxis on Twitter  

 

David on Twitter  

 

Supernatural and queerbaiting

 

Who Dares Wins (AKA The Final Option)

We welcome back Sarah Stein Lubrano to the show, this time to help us cover a left-seasoned history of atheism from (at least) 6BCE to the present day followed by a discussion of the praxis of secularism and atheism in left politics.  

 

Buy our merch  

 

Second Row Socialists on Twitter  

 

Comradio on Twitter  

 

Follow Sarah 

 

Bob Dylan - Isis 

 

Fenian Manifesto (1867) 

 

Nine Inch Nails - Heresy 

 

Why I Am Not A Christian (1927) - Bertrand Russell 

 

Pauline Kael's 1969 review of 2001: A Space Odyssey 

 

Carl Sagan's 'The Dragon In My Garage' 

 

Hitchens vs Blair 

 

A summary of New Atheism by PZ Myers 

 

Free Mubarak Bala 

 

The Attitude Of The Workers Party To Religion (1909) - I. V. Lenin 

 

Benjamin's eschatological Marxism (1)  

Benjamin's eschatological Marxism (2) 

 

The Idea of Public Reason Revisited - John Rawls 

 

If God Is Dead, Your Time Is Everything - Martin Hägglund