Emma and Chloe take on Yanis Varoufakis' new book, Technofeudalism. 

Varoufakis argues that capitalism is dead, ushering in a new mode of production he calls technofeudalism. He claims that the system we live under today is more like the feudal system which predated capitalism: the main economic activity today is the collection of rent by big tech "cloudalists". These tech giants, like Amazon and Google, are now our feudal overlords, while the rest of the capitalist class has been reduced to mere "cloud vassals". Workers are disempowered, a minority of us are "cloud proles", while the majority of the population are "cloud serfs", unwittingly creating value for the cloudalists through our clicks, likes, purchases and posts. 

Chloe and Emma offer a critique of this theory, arguing that Varoufakis' "cloudalists" are just monopolies, which have been a stable feature of capitalist markets for centuries. We defend the idea that the modern working class is a powerful force because they create the profits, not rent, of the capitalist class. We also offer our own theories for why Varoufakis and others like him are so keen on proclaiming the death of capitalism every few years. 

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"Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps, into two great classes directly facing each other — Bourgeoisie and Proletariat."

Chloe and Emma explain the Marxist theory of social class. We go through the Marxist definition of class, and explain the nature and behaviour of the capitalists, the working class, the middle classes and more! 

Further reading:

https://redflag.org.au/article/what-social-class

https://redflag.org.au/article/node-7284 

At the 2024 Marxism Conference, Red Flag Radio spoke to Argentinian socialist Cesar Latorre, union militant and leading member of the Movimiento Socialista Los de Trabajadores (MST). Chloe asked Cesar about the role of the revolutionary left in the struggle against far right Argentine President Javier Milei.

Milei came to power promising radical free market policies, massive cuts to the public sector and a confrontational approach to the unions and the left. Since taking office he has unleashed a wave of attacks on workers, students and the poor -- announcing plans to sack 70,000 public sector workers, lower pensions, defund education and crackdown on dissent with attempts to outlaw forms of protest. Milei’s attacks and rampant inflation mean that working class living standards are in free fall.

But Milei has been met with significant resistance. He has faced mass protests in January, two general strikes since taking office and an emerging student resistance to education cuts. The revolutionary left in Argentina has played a significant role in these mobilisations. Alongside the dangers of the moment, opportunities have emerged in the course of struggle for the socialist left to grow.

Red Flag on class struggle in Argentina:

- https://redflag.org.au/article/fight-continues-argentina

- https://redflag.org.au/article/left-argentinas-general-strike 

- https://redflag.org.au/article/shock-therapy-argentina 

MST analysis of the current crisis in Argentina:

- https://mst.org.ar/2024/05/15/panorama-politico-luchas-sociales-tensiones-y-crisis-en-el-horizonte/ 

Don't miss out on the next radical conference near you: 

- Sydney Socialism Conference: 16-18 Aug

- Brisbane Socialism Conference: 23 Aug 

- Perth Socialism Conference: 10-11 Aug

- Adelaide Socialism Conference: 14-15 Aug

Janey Stone is an anti-Zionist Jewish author and activist. She is the coauthor with Donny Gluckstein of a new book, "The Radical Jewish Tradition: Revolutionaries, Resistance Fighters and Firebrands".

The claim of Israel and its apologists to represent Jews everywhere and the growth of the antisemitic far right, make understanding and celebrating the long history of left-wing and working class Jewish activism essential for leftists today. 

Chloe sat down to talk to Janey about her book and the relevance of its arguments for activsts and socialists today.

Janey's work has done much to uncover the radical Jewish tradition. Before the Second World War the majority of Jews were working class and part of a wider struggle alongside their non-Jewish comrades on the left. The book celebrates Jewish radicalism from the Tsarist Empire to Poland and Germany, from London to New York. Far from the Zionist stereotype of the ultimate victims, Jews were revolutionaries, resistance fighters and firebrands.

This inspiring radical tradition was ultimately checked by the callous indifference of capitalist governments to refugees and the horror of Auschwitz. However, its lessons must be passed on to inform working class and anti-imperialist struggles in a world in crisis.

Buy Janey Stone's book:

Available online at Red Flag Books 

We were lucky enough to interview the inimitable Dr Gary Foley at the 2024 Marxism Conference where he was a guest speaker. Gary is a living legend of the Aboriginal rights movement: he was a founding member of the Sydney Black Power movement and the Aboriginal tent embassy in Canberra in the 1970s.

Gary is a staunch supporter of Palestine, speaking at almost every Palestine demonstration in Melbourne since Israel’s war began, making the case for solidarity and resistance to colonialism, racism and capitalism.

As well as being an inspiring activist, Foley is an educator of the next generation through his writings and his archive of Aboriginal history, set to be the largest of its kind. 

Emma asked Gary about his life, about the importance of standing up to Gaza and the importance of conferences like Marxism as gatherings of the radical left. 

Further readings

Check out Gary's website here: https://www.gooriweb.org/

Gary Foley: ‘a direct and fiercely intellectual man’ by Tony Birch in Red Flag 

The 1971 Springbok tour protests- an interview with Gary Foley in Red Flag 

Don't miss out on the next radical conference near you: 

- Sydney Socialism Conference: 16-18 Aug

- Brisbane Socialism Conference: 23 Aug 

- Perth Socialism Conference: 10-11 Aug

- Adelaide Socialism Conference: 14-15 Aug

Inspired by the encampment at Columbia University in New York, students at the University of Sydney this week occupied their campus to stand with the people of Gaza. They're condemning the complicity of their university and the Australian government in the invasion of Gaza, and calling to cut ties with the Israeli state and arms manufacturing corporations.

In this episode Emma interviews the student demonstrators and their supporters about what inspired them to take action, the role of Australian institutions in facilitating genocide, and where the campaign can go from here.

Links

- If you want to support the students or get involved, get in touch with Students For Palestine USyd on Instagram

- Read the coverage in Red Flag

We interviewed Damian Ridgwell, a veteran socialist activist and leading light in Australia's pro-Palestine movement for almost 20 years. Damian talked about the recent history of the movement and why it's so important to take a stand for Palestine here in Australia. 

Chloe and Emma also talked about the new data which reveals that the majority of Australian corporations have significant internal gender pay gaps. We expose some of the problems with the report and the government's approach, and explain the nature of the deep gender inequality in the Australian economy. 

Further Reading

- "Why the global movement for Palestine matters" - https://redflag.org.au/article/why-global-movement-palestine-matters 

- "To end sexism we need to destroy capitalism" - https://redflag.org.au/article/end-sexism-we-need-destroy-capitalism 

For this special episode we interviewed one of our favourite return guests Diane Fieldes. Diane is a socialist activist and writer who participated in the campaign against police repression after the first Sydney Mardi Gras in 1978. She talks about the homophobia of those years, the violence of the police, and the triumph of the Gay Liberation activists who fought for their rights - including the right to protest. 

Further reading:

- https://redflag.org.au/article/mardi-gras-was-riot

https://redflag.org.au/node/6233

The fight is on in Argentina! Javier Milei, the newly-elected President and self-described anarcho-capitalist has announced a slew of attacks on working class living conditions and democratic rights. But workers are fighting back. We spoke to Jasmine Duff, a socialist activist who visited Argentina and participated in the resistance to Milei's attacks. Jasmine roamed around Buenos Aires interviewing activists and reporting for Red Flag newspaper. 

But first up, Chloe and Emma dissect the latest news from Gaza and the Middle East, including the ICJ decision, the Western defunding of UNRWA and the US bombing campaign against the Houthis. 

Further reading:

Argentina:

• "The Left in Argentina's general strike" by Jasmine Duff in Red Flag (Feb '24)

Palestine and the Middle East:

• "Hypocrisy about the Houthis"  by Mick Armstrong in Red Flag (Jan '24)

A special episode on the fall of South African apartheid! Chloe interviews Tom Bramble, socialist author and witness to working class struggles in South Africa. Tom spent time in South Africa in the years following the overthrow of the racist apartheid system, and he wrote a book and numerous articles about South Africa. He tells us about how the racist apartheid system was finally destroyed, and how the workers' movement played a crucial role in its destruction. 

Further reading

Rethinking the Labour Movement in the 'New South Africa'  - edited by Tom Bramble and Franco Barchiesi 

• How South African Apartheid was Ended  by Emma Norton in Red Flag (2023)