Louisa and her workmates have had enough. They work at Mint My Desk stationery stores across Brisbane and are illegally paid below the minimum wage, cash-in-hand. Last week, after more than a year of trying to get their bosses to pay the legal minimum, Mint My Desk workers walked off the job. They have now had two strikes and have stared down intimidation and threats of sacking. In this special episode, Emma talked to Louisa, the socialist and unionist at the heart of this campaign, about how retail workers can stand up for their rights. 

Further reading:

Latest article on the strike from Red Flag

Original coverage from Red Flag

Mint My Desk Workers United on TikTok

This is part one of our interview with author Jordan Humphreys. 

We talked about Jordan's new book, Indigenous Liberation and Socialism.

Indigenous Liberation & Socialism delves into the history and politics of Indigenous struggle, exploring the forgotten legacy of the workers’ movement and the socialist left in the fight for justice against Indigenous oppression. It presents a compelling argument that the liberation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples will only be won if we build a multi-racial anti-capitalist movement which can smash all systems of oppression.

Jordan is a socialist activist in Sydney and a member of the editorial board of the Marxist Left Review. He has been researching and writing about Indigenous issues since 2019. 

Get yourself a copy of his book from Red Flag Books.

Keep an eye out for parts 2 and 3 of Emma's interviews with Jordan.

Producer: Jack Morris

Karl Marx has a reputation for being a stuffy old guy, tucked away in a library writing impenetrable tomes. But he was a revolutionary in practice as well as in theory! With his buddy Engels, he was involved in many of the great revolts of the 19th century: from the 1848 revolutions to the Paris Commune, from the American Civil War to the Irish rebellions against Britain.

Seeing as this is a Marxist podcast, we thought we'd dive into the life and times of Marxism's founder. Chloe and Emma spoke to Rick Kuhn; activist, author and winner of the Deutscher Prize (for great Marxist works!) about Karl Marx.

Further readings

Find out more about what Marx learnt from the struggles of his era:

What Marx discovered in the woods 

Read more from Rick Kuhn:

Part two of our two-parter on the housing crisis!

Emma and Chloe chatted to Martin about how capitalism shaped our cities, and how, under socialism, we could rebuild them to meet human need. We also waxed lyrical about the campaigns to defend public housing in the 1970s in Sydney, pioneered by the Builders' Labourers' Federation. 

Further reading

- Reclaim the city - by April

Get involved in a housing campaign near you:

• Victorian Socialists, if you're in Melbourne:
  

Socialist Alternative and Red Flag are hosting radical conferences all over the country in the coming months.

• Sydney Socialism Conference: https://www.socialismsydney.com/

Workers and young people in Australia are experiencing a severe housing crisis, with rent and mortgage repayments skyrocketing, homelessness on the rise, and constant attacks on public housing. We talked to Martin Barker, socialist and tenant advocate, about what's going on and who's to blame. 

Chloe and Emma also got a bit journalistic for this episode. We sought out activists at the front line of the fight for public housing and renters' rights. We asked students from the Get a Room campaign what it's like dealing with Sydney's rental market, and we spoke to public housing tenant Caroline Ienna about how NSW Labor is helping developers kick her out of her home. We also heard some spicy retorts to Phillip Lowe's recent "helpful advice" to young people. 

Stay tuned for part 2 on the housing crisis, where we get into the meat of how capitalism has shaped housing and our cities, and how a socialist society would organise things differently. 

Further reading:

Articles by Martin Barker on the housing crisis:

- Property profiteers: Who benefits from the housing crisis? 

- Solutions to the rental crisis 

This is a bumper episode about the class struggle across the higher education sector, with a focus on Australia and the US. 

First, we talked to Jerome Small, RFR regular and Socialist Alternative's industrial organiser, to set the scene. He covered some fascinating topics; from the US university strikes to the fight within the Australian higher ed union, the NTEU, over the leadership's covid-era proposal to take a wage cut in exchange for supposed "job security". 

Next, we spoke to Alma Torlakovic, a socialist and NTEU union member from Sydney University, about the two-year-long campaign there. Alma and her comrades in NTEU Fightback, a rank-and-file group, are fighting hard against their union accepting a disastrous deal from management. She was full of insights and lessons for other unionists, no matter their industry. 

If you enjoy this episode, please become a subscriber at our Patreon:

Production and music by Daniel Kenny. 

Further reading

- Alma Torlakovic in Red Flag, on why she's voting no to Sydney University's new Enterprise Agreement: https://redflag.org.au/article/sydney-university-enterprise-agreement-why-im-voting-no

- Jerome Small in Red Flag, "Lessons from the NTEU Sydney University industrial campaign": https://redflag.org.au/article/lessons-nteu-sydney-university-industrial-campaign 

- Alexis Vassiley in Red Flag, "Historic US university strike wins big", on the campaign at Rutgers University: https://redflag.org.au/article/historic-us-university-strike-wins-big 

Think revolutions are a thing of the past? Think again! In this episode, we explore the many revolutions and revolts of the 21st century. We also caught up with Egyptian socialist Hossam el Hamalawy to talk about the Arab Spring of 2011. Hossam was an active participant in the Egyptian revolution and is full of stories and lessons for socialists everywhere. 

Hosted by Chloe Rafferty and Emma Norton

Show notes:

• Hossam el Hamalawy's writings on Egyptian and world politics

In the worst cost of living crisis in several generations, Labor are cutting taxes for the rich, spending $368 Billion on nuclear subs and signalling the need for tougher “fiscal restraint” in the future. Yet the ALP's second budget has been touted as “responsible but compassionate” for delivering a surplus while throwing a few insulting crumbs to the poorest welfare recipients.

We spoke to Red Flag editor Ben Hillier about why Labor’s budget continues the class war against workers and the poor. We take a look at some of the budget's false promises, the arguments around inflation, and why the liberal media are suckers for the ALP's social neoliberalism.

Check out the Red Flag coverage of the budget and related issues:

• Labor's budget for the rich

Note - We recorded this episode before Dutton had made his budget reply, so we didn't talk about the Liberals or their new racist campaign to link cost-of-living woes with immigration. But expect future episodes to address this and other budget adjacent issues!

We’re Chloe and Emma, and we’re so excited to deliver our first episode as the new co-hosts of Red Flag Radio! This episode celebrates May Day, the international day of working-class struggle. We talk about the history of May Day, from Australia to America to the Russian Revolution. We also ask some socialist historians to tell us about three of the greatest strikes in Australian history: the 1917 General Strike, the Pilbara Strike, and the Clarrie O’Shea Strike. 

Further readings:

• Rosa Luxemburg on the origins of May Day - https://www.marxists.org/archive/luxemburg/1894/02/may-day.htm

• May Day 1946 - Pilbara strike  https://redflag.org.au/article/may-day-1946-pilbara-aboriginal-workers-strike

Upcoming May Day rallies in Australia

- Sydney - https://www.facebook.com/events/1212625096051321

- Melbourne https://www.facebook.com/events/6059904107456640 

- Wollongong - https://www.facebook.com/events/162261140063412  

- Fremantle, Perth - https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=655428436589171&set=a.437367835061900 

- Brisbane - https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=599659355525905&set=pcb.599660352192472 

Hosted by Chloe Rafferty and Emma Norton. Produced by Jack Morris. 

Music by Dan Kenny. 

Subscribe to Red Flag newspaper: https://subscribe.redflag.org.au/ 

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/redflagradiopodcast 

Contact us on [email protected]

Millions of workers and students have taken part in strikes and protests across France in response to President Macron's push to increase the retirement age to 64. As a result of the resistance, Macron has been forced to pass the law by Presidential decree, sparking more anger on the streets. Revolutionary socialist John Mullen joins us to discuss the historical significance of this movement and the political questions it raises for those who want to see the defeat of the pensions law as a path to more radical change. 

Read more in Red Flag

France in Revolt by Christopher Di Pasquale - https://redflag.org.au/article/france-revolt  

Come to Marxism 2023 - April 6th - 9th - https://www.marxismconference.org/ 

Hosted by Roz Ward and Emma Norton. Produced by Liam Ward. 

Music by Dan Kenny. 

Subscribe to Red Flag newspaper: https://subscribe.redflag.org.au/ 

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/redflagradiopodcast 

Contact us on [email protected]