Emma and Chloe give each other the combined Christmas and birthday present of a whole episode about class struggle in the Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity.

Emma and Chloe discuss their respective weekend experiences of shutting down a coal port and spying on a far right rally. 

"Understanding the net zero circus" by Lily Campbell in Red Flag 

"The far right is organising. We have to resist" by Anneke Demanuele in Red Flag 

Chloe and Emma discuss that meeting between NYC mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and  Donald Trump. They talk about what the meeting and Mamdani's campaign reveal about the limitations of a strategy for social change that looks to the Democratic Party. 

Some further reading:

"Mamdani, that meeting and why the Left needs to wake up" by Sarah Garnham for Red Flag 

"After the surreal summit" by Ashley Smith for Tempest 

In this episode, Chloe and Emma explain the socialist theory of the trade unions. We talk about the trade union bureaucracy and the rank-and-file socialist strategy in the unions. 

Chloe and Emma discuss the protest at the Indo-Pacific arms expo in Sydney, and what it reveals about Australian imperialism. We talk about the AUKUS deal, why Australian politicians are so committed to the US alliance, and their imperialist plans for the Indo-Pacific region. 

Further reading:

News.com.au article: "Pro-Palestine activist ‘surrounded’ by cops at press conference after 13 arrested at arms expo blockade" 

"AUKUS deal should be scrapped" by Tom Bramble in Red Flag 

Chloe and Emma talk about the major shift in world politics in 2025. The political, economic and social structures of world capitalism are being reshaped to meet the demands of a new era of instability and imperialism. From the new Trump administration and the rise of other vicious far right forces, to the ramping up of imperialist tensions. We also point to the mass struggles against the system in recent months and years: the Gen Z revolutions in Nepal, Madagascar, Indonesia, Morroco and elsewhere; the mass movement for Palestine; European struggles against austerity and genocide that have included general strikes. This is a moment of rapid transformation - socialists need to understand the situation and make the most of the opportunities to build a revolutionary socialist alternative to capitalism. 

Further reading

"Are we living in a new world order?" - by Eleanor Morley in Red Flag 

"A new international political situation" by Jordan Humphreys in Red Flag 

Emma and Chloe critique mutual aid from a socialist perspective and discuss Dean Spade's 2020 book Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (And the Next). While mutual aid might feel good, we argue that it can't meet the needs of working class people, can't challenge the capitalist state or the bosses, and won't help us build the socialist party we need. 

Further Reading:

"Mutual aid is nice but it doesn't challenge capitalism" by Erin Russell in Red Flag 

Emma and Chloe discuss the ceasefire in Gaza, before an interview with Josh Lees, eye witness to the historic general strikes for Palestine in Italy. Josh is a regular on the pod, a socialist activist for Palestine and leader of the historic March for Humanity across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. 

Further reading:

Italy's general strike shows the way forward - by Josh Lees 

Ceasefire in Gaza: relief but not enough - by Tom Bramble 

Emma and Chloe review the authoritarian offensive of Trump and the far right in the US, who have used the assassination of Charlie Kirk to intensify a crackdown on left-wing speech. We discuss the far right in the UK, who just mobilised their biggest street march ever. And we discuss developments in Australia, where Andrew Hastie and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price are pushing for a hard right turn in the Liberal Party. How can we understand the simultaneous growth of the far right around the world, and what can we do about it? 

Stuff to read from Red Flag:

Charlie Kirk's legacy: a bosses' war on free speech - by D. Taylor 

The far right threat inside the Liberal Party - by Eleanor Morley 

Workers in Europe have been rising up to fight for Palestine and against their own governments. It all began with the "bloquons touts" movement in France, which mobilised millions of workers and students to block everything to oppose their government's latest austerity bill - they shut down railway stations, blockaded city squares and went on strikes across public sector work places. 

Next, something incredible happened. Up to 2 million workers in Italy went on strike and blocked everything, inspired by the French movement. Thanks to pressure from left wing unions and the radical youth Palestine movement, major unions called the first ever general strike to oppose the genocide in Gaza, to end their government's complicity, and in solidarity with the Global Sumud flotilla. This wonderful show of solidarity should serve as an inspiration for radicals across the world.  

In this special episode, Emma interviews a French revolutionary socialist, Aurelien Gautreau, and an Italian leftist journalist, Francesco Zambelli, about the strikes in their countries. Aurelien is a member of the NPA-R (New anticapitalist party - revolutionaries) in France and Francesco works for Italian leftist radio station, Radio onda d'urto.