Hey, it's ep 45, don't worry, we know what we're doing... but yeah, it has been a while!

Labor is back federally; what do we do? Pack up and go home? Will centre-right reform solve all the problems for the working class? Well, it should solve a few, but it's going to take constant pressure from the collective to keep the ship sailing to the port of worker utopia. A couple of lads in the shed can dream...

But what do we do? Many people doing lots of small positive collective things often will help deliver a good outcome for workers. From the workplace to the community and beyond.

You asked for more tangents, and proudly Episode 45 delivers for those who live for rabbit holes. There's certainly no shortage of activity in the burrows.

The stalk is over. Clarky conquers the Everest of podcast guests and puts the final boarding call for Dr Richard Denniss on the next plane to Tassie.

Simple answers to simple questions; Richard has made it his life work to break down the spin and call bullshit where it lands.

The National conversation about economics has done plenty to disenfranchise the average worker from big decisions.

Unnecessarily big words and jargon have made solving and participating in finding solutions space for a small group.

Richard wants this to change and for more Australians to have more agency in meaningful conversations.

In Economics, we often run into "econobabble"… nonsense, bullshit and spin. It's all's the same, on tv, in the crib shed, in the boardroom or down at the Local; If you can't get a simple answer to a simple question, it's more than likely blullshit

The big problem is, If you can throw in enough industry jargon, a bullshit answer becomes a slightly believable explanation. Richard seeks an Australia that can spot the nonsense and call it accordingly.

Beyond Australia's choices in the broader economy and fresh after the election, it's time to examine the role of government.

The Governments size and how that shapes Australia is the topic of Richard's new book (essay) "Big - The Role of the State in the Modern Economy",...a must read

Find more of Richard's work at The Australia Institute.

The Shed's back!

"Like trying to hold back the tide," resisting the wave of enquiries surrounding a new episode proved futile.  With an election on the horizon and a war just over it in Europe, the time had come to dust off the microphones, stock the fridge, apply some WD40 to the shed door and finally welcome 2022

For some background on the war in Ukraine, here are some excellent links. First, Jeremy Corban offers his take from the perspective of class and how working-class solidarity respects no borders. And a look at the more extended history of the region with the Empire Files' Abbey Martin and Brian Becker. 

Australia Votes in 4 weeks, Vote like a worker; at a minimum, put the Libs last. Check out They Vote for You and see how returning candidates voted on issues that affect you, your workplace laws...

Wrapping up 2021 with a whip around the states Steph(Vic.), Andy(Tas.), Rob(WA) and Alex(SA).

Every worker must be engaged and supported in their personal struggle from a position of collective strength. Get around Health, Aging and Disability workers in their struggle for a pay packet that reflects their role in the community, support workers re-educating, get around young workers in the workplace, join your union and be part of a proud historical movement supporting the rights of workers. But importantly understand that when the LNP do something, as workers, their focus will attempt to divide us and hit the structural supports that keep our heads above water in their LNP inequality dystopia. 

It's no TED talk 

The message for 2022 is clear, it's an election year #ausvotes2022 and the Workers of Australia must engage other workers and Australian workers must vote as workers. 

When workers solve problems no one gets left behind. It's an aspiration only limited by the greed of the ownership class. 

Bob Hawke once said that "no child should live in poverty" and if left free of influence from the ownership class, Australia may have achieved that goal. Instead via the mouthpieces of wealth in the newsprint media, Hawke was ridiculed. The aspirations of a working Class PM were slammed for being naive whilst those throwing mud were blissfully aware that Australia was growing wealthier by the week, such aspirations should've been a given.

Workers have a choice, Morrison's LNP Australia, promoting as they have since Howard, an Australia that is populated by individuals, OR an Australia of workplaces and community's that engage and support the collective wins of workers and communities rising together and leaving no one behind. 

A pandora's box of tangents explodes as Australia goes nuclear and sets out to school the west on "foreign diplomacy for dummies", all, at, the same time. 

Barnaby alerts the nation to a global energy crisis caused by renewables, whilst here at home, the cost of wholesale power drops below the cost to generate for coal and gas, coincidence? 

Political corruption in NSW generates an outpouring of love and sympathy for the very same corrupt politicians. Australian journalism leads the charge for democracy by playing the role of somewhere between devil's advocate and outright apologist... thank god for Friendly Jordies but no thanking the ABC"s Insiders (Shame on you)

Searching for meaning in the choices society makes, finding personal responsibility in space travel and are carbon credits absolved in lower "shit space" orbit tourism. The news feed is littered with challenges and internal conflicts for a thinking member of the community and mental health should be a daily consideration for those who question the status quo and not left to an annual RUok day

The Shed also grapples with its reverse sponsorship conundrum and is free merch at the bottle shop actual a form of sponsorship

Dry July has nothing to do with adult bedwetting. Who knew? 

Has the CIA run out of unsavoury dictators?

Tangents and all the usual segment like Mick's Memes

Film/Doco recommendations:

Gaza Fights for Freedom is now available free on the youtube

Earth's Greatest Enemy

Judas and the Black Messiah

The Dissident

Episode 40 brings with it a special guest, a one Mr K. Harkins swings by the shed for an ale and a yarn or three. A constant in the union movement over many years, he is a sparkie, an organiser across multiple branches of the ETU and now with the CFMEU Vic-Tas, and a Secretary in Tassie with both the ETU (now CEPU) and Tasmania's Trades Hall. The episode attempts to explore every rabbit hole and tangent possible; joining the union, workplace education, bridging the gap into workplace leadership, lefties/righties, campaign struggles and wins, ..ism's of all kinds, social media shenanigans, politics, and war stories from the lived experience at the frontline of workers collective battles, ...once the mic goes on the pedal goes hard to the floor and its a battle to get a word in

Our man on the ground in WA for the election heads to the beach, but no matter. the working class (95% of the population) finds their political compass and voted accordingly. Is the time right for a renewed Harvester Decision in Australia? Listeners are encouraged to check White Riot (2019) hitting cinema's in Tassie and did having a Labor PM in Hawk during the peak period of neo-liberalism help soften the blow but did it soften Australia's contribution to the output of Working-Class Anthems? A doco doing the rounds on YouTube, Harlan County, USA (1976) gets as close as the shed comes to a review, stirring memories of the book King Cole. The Century of Self 1,2 & 3 and Judas and the Black Messiah are also highly recommended

Rains of biblical proportions hammer the shed to kick off 2021 and whilst the modern mainstream media doesn't need the heavens to whitewash history, no amount of rain will wash away Clarkys ability to tangent from submarines to water bombers and seamlessly rewrite Australia's foreign policy...you're welcome!

Morrison's Industrial Relations Omnibus Bill is met with ire from workers and the #StopTheBus campaign rolls out nationally

Steph is welcomed to the shed once again, smashing misconceptions around trauma and addiction and leaving in her wake the rubble of mistruth and destroyed right-wing propaganda in a space where health has been politicised for more than a while. 

The power of the collective is again a central theme starting with the example of Foundation House in NSW and travelling all the way to the need for a general strike in this country but not while 95% of the population choose to self-fracture along the lines of identity politics or misguided concepts of class; we are first and foremost working class and attempts to soar will always be impeded until the 95% get behind that reality. 

Organising around that level of solidarity is essential but you can guarantee a few feathers from the wealthy 5% will be ruffled along the way. A new documentary on the life of Fred Hampton due for release (Judas and the Black Messiah) is a critical testament to that.

Solidarity amongst Australian organised labour is put to the test as the aspirations of a few seeking to gain a drink from Porter's wine cabinet threaten the future of the country's most effective unions. Multiple musings, brain farts, tangents from the shed; a space where consistent with a general 2020 theme, the truth at times can be considered irrelevant! See ya in 2021

Podcast recommendations aplenty with The Week on Wednesday, Revolution Now!, Concrete Gang check out Dr Gabor Mate on YouTube for some digestible inspiration.