In this talk from Revolution Festival 2019, James Kilby of the Socialist Appeal editorial board discusses the lessons of the British General Strike of 1926. The 1926 general strike remains one of the greatest moments in the history of the British labour movement. It was the biggest - and most revolutionary - strike that these islands have ever seen. During the nine days that it lasted, the strike went from strength to strength. ‘Councils of action’ sprang up all over the country, with local work...
May 08, 2020•48 min
Rob Sewell discusses the life and ideas of Vladimir Lenin, the great Marxist and leader of the Russian Revolution, who was born 150 years ago on 22 April. For over a century, there has been a sustained campaign to slander his name and distort his ideas, ranging from bourgeois historians and apologists to various reformists, liberals and assorted anarchists. Their task has been to discredit Lenin, Marxism and the Russian Revolution in the interests of the “democratic” rule of bankers and capitali...
Apr 23, 2020•39 min
In our latest episode of Marxist Voice, Adam Booth - editor of www.socialist.net - examines the fatal errors made by Boris Johnson and the Tory government surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. The recent Sunday Times investigation demonstrates that the Tories killed thousands through a combination of "incompetence, hubris, and arrogance". We must not let them get away with this murder. Support us in the struggle for socialism: Join - socialist.net/join Donate - socialist.net/donate Subscribe - soci...
Apr 21, 2020•21 min
Fred Weston (editor of marxist.com) discusses the world situation as the coronavirus pandemic rages on. The bourgeois are trying to blame the current social and economic turmoil on the virus alone. But it was in fact just the trigger for a crisis that was prepared in the last period. The anaemic recovery of world capitalism after 2008 was coming to an end even before the virus hit. China once held the system together, but it has become a centre of the current crisis. The EU is mired in in-fighti...
Apr 17, 2020•1 hr 1 min
In our latest episode of Marxist Voice, we're joined again by Rob Sewell - editor of Socialist Appeal - to discuss the explosive revelations surrounding Blairite sabotage against the Corbyn movement. The recently released report documenting the right wing's shenanigans proves what grassroots activists have long known: that the Blairites and bureaucrats actively campaigned for years against the election of a socialist Labour government. We must organise and mobilise to sweep this damaging detritu...
Apr 14, 2020•36 min
In our latest episode of Marxist Voice, we're joined again by Rob Sewell - editor of Socialist Appeal - to discuss the perspectives for the Labour Party in the wake of Keir Starmer's leadership victory. Starmer is promising 'unity'. And grassroots activists are hoping he will deliver on his left-wing pledges. But the Blairites are already sharpening their knives, hoping for revenge against the Corbyn movement. Which direction is the Labour Party heading, in this time of deep capitalist crisis? S...
Apr 07, 2020•34 min
Alan Woods (editor of marxist.com) joins us for a special broadcast, to discuss the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the worst-ever crisis of capitalism. The coronavirus outbreak has dealt a savage blow to the world economy and political situation. The leaders of most countries initially downplayed the severity of the emergency in an attempt to keep business going, and are now desperately scrambling to stabilise the situation and avoid social unrest. They are breaking all their own rules in the pro...
Apr 06, 2020•43 min
In our latest episode of Marxist Voice, we're joined by Josh Holroyd - of the Socialist Appeal editorial board - to discuss the national tensions that are rising between the different European Union member states. How much longer can the European project survive? Will the liberal dream of European unity be another victim of the coronavirus pandemic? Support us in the struggle for socialism: Join - socialist.net/join Donate - socialist.net/donate Subscribe - socialist.net/subscribe Follow us on F...
Apr 03, 2020•39 min
In this talk from Revolution Festival, Jack Halinski-Fitzpatrick - Socialist Appeal activist and manager of Wellred Books - introduces the revolutionary philosophy of Marxism: dialectical materialism. As Marx famously stated: “philosophers have only interpreted the world, the point however is to change it.” In order to change the world, however, we need to understand how it works. And for that we need philosophy. Dialectical materialism is a philosophy of change, recognising that nothing in the ...
Apr 01, 2020•46 min
In our latest episode of Marxist Voice, we're joined by Ian Hodson - President of the Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union - who discusses the impact of the pandemic on precarious workers, and the need to fight back against the unscrupulous bosses. Follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Soundcloud: Facebook - Socialist Appeal YouTube - youtube.com/c/SocialistNet1917 Twitter - twitter.com/socialist_app Podcast - soundcloud.com/socialist-appeal
Mar 30, 2020•41 min
In our latest episode of Marxist Voice, we're joined by Natasha Sorrell - a teacher and NEU activist - who discusses the difficulties and dangers facing essential workers, as the Tory government turns a blind eye to rule-dodging bosses. Follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Soundcloud: Facebook - Socialist Appeal YouTube - youtube.com/c/SocialistNet1917 Twitter - twitter.com/socialist_app Podcast - soundcloud.com/socialist-appeal
Mar 27, 2020•33 min
In our latest episode of Marxist Voice, Helen O'Connor - former nurse and union organiser for healthcare workers - discusses the desperate situation facing NHS staff, who are on the frontline in the fight against the covid-19 pandemic. Follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Soundcloud: Facebook - facebook.com/SocialistAppeal/ YouTube - youtube.com/c/SocialistNet1917 Twitter - twitter.com/socialist_app Podcast - soundcloud.com/socialist-appeal
Mar 24, 2020•32 min
In our latest episode of Marxist Voice, Rob Sewell - editor of Socialist Appeal - discusses the global economic crisis that has been triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. What's the scale of the slump? Will the economy ever recover? And how can we get out of the crisis? Watch to find out Rob's thoughts on these questions, and more! Follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Soundcloud: Facebook - facebook.com/SocialistAppeal/ YouTube - youtube.com/c/SocialistNet1917 Twitter - twitter.com/socia...
Mar 23, 2020•33 min
In our latest episode of Marxist Voice, Adam Booth - editor of www.socialist.net - looks back at the last week's chaotic events, and discusses the bold socialist steps that are needed to address the covid-19 pandemic. Boris Johnson's has shown that he is completely incapable of tackling the coronavirus crisis. His government has been continually behind the curve, unable to get a grip on the situation, precisely at a time when decisive action is required. Instead of providing reassurance, the Pri...
Mar 20, 2020•24 min
In this recent live-streamed talk, Fred Weston - editor of www.marxist.com - discusses the explosive developments surrounding the global coronavirus outbreak, which has wrought havoc on society. The COVID-19 pandemic has provoked a severe economic and social crisis. The stock markets have plummeted; panicked people are bulk-buying supplies; and governments are scrambling to respond. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has bluntly informed the population: "your loved ones will die". At the same ...
Mar 18, 2020•1 hr 16 min
As the covid-19 pandemic spreads, Hamid Alizadeh (editor of www.marxist.com) discusses how capitalism and the ruling class are completely incapable of addressing the crisis. Healthcare systems across the world are overstretched and underfunded, decimated by years of austerity. Working-class families - already struggling to make ends meet - now face months of uncertainty about where their next paycheque will come from. And financial contagion threatens to spread, as households and businesses defa...
Mar 13, 2020•23 min
In this talk from the Revolution Festival, Nigel Warren provides an introduction to Marxist economics - discussing why capitalism goes into crisis, and explaining why socialism is the only way forward. It is over a decade now since the economic crash of 2008. And with the coronavirus pandemic paralysing production, and stock markets tumbling once again, a new slump is about to hit. The epidemic is not the cause of the crisis, however, but merely its trigger; the historical 'accident' that expose...
Mar 12, 2020•45 min
In this talk from Revolution Festival 2019, Natasha Sorrell introduces Engels' ideas about the origins of the family, explaining how these show that the oppression of women is not natural or permanent, but something that can and must be ended as part of the struggle for socialism. In 1884, Engels published his classic of historical materialism, The Origins of the Family, Private Property and the State. This seminal book was based upon the revolutionary work of American anthropologist Lewis Henry...
Mar 06, 2020•45 min
In this talk from Revolution Festival, Fiona Lali - national organiser of the Marxist Student Federation - outlines the ideas of historical materialism: the Marxist theory that provides a scientific explanation for how change and development occurs in society. "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle." So begins the Communist Manifesto, written by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels. Rather than trying to make society conform to a timeless ideal, or to discover s...
Feb 27, 2020•41 min
In this talk from the Revolution Festival 2019, Niklas Albin Svensson (writer for In Defence of Marxism) discusses why revolutionaries must oppose any repression of migrants and refugees, and fight instead for workers of all countries to unite. Anti-immigrant rhetoric and far-right parties have risen in recent years on the back of the refugee crisis and the crisis of capitalism. In Britain and elsewhere, right-wing governments are whipping up xenophobia and nationalism in an attempt to divert at...
Feb 20, 2020•54 min
In our latest podcast, Ben Curry (Socialist Appeal editorial board) discusses the results of the recent general elections in Ireland, which have dealt a shattering blow to the Irish establishment and the two-party system. In the past, liberal commentators superficially asserted that Ireland had escaped the political turbulence that has rocked the rest of Europe. But no longer. Now Ireland had caught up with a bang. With Sinn Fein coming out on top, the election results are a political earthquake...
Feb 14, 2020•28 min
In this talk from Revolution Festival 2019, Helena Nicholson of the LSE Marxist society discusses the climate catastrophe facing the planet, and the need for a revolutionary alternative. The question of climate change has become the burning issue of our era, as a result of the fires, floods, hurricanes, and droughts that have devastated communities across the world. Urgent action is required; and yet world leaders have proven that they are incapable of taking any serious steps to address this ex...
Feb 12, 2020•43 min
In this talk from Revolution Festival 2019, Shaun Morris discusses the period known as ‘The Troubles’ in the North of Ireland, which began just over 50 years ago when British troops were sent onto the streets of Derry. In the decades that followed, thousands lost their lives as a result of sectarian violence, whipped up by the British ruling class and Unionist hardliners to divide working-class communities. On the other side, the IRA’s strategy of bombing and terrorism led the Republican movemen...
Feb 07, 2020•45 min
In this talk from Revolution Festival 2019, Fred Weston (editor of www.marxist.com) discusses the crisis in Israel-Palestine, which is back on the agenda thanks to Trump's proposed 'peace plan'. For decades, the conflict in Israel-Palestine has been one of imperialism’s most blatant and persistent acts of oppression. The world watches on as Palestine shrinks and shrinks; settlement after settlement gets built; and bomb after bomb falls on innocent men, women, and children. But, as Marx said, a n...
Jan 31, 2020•48 min
In this talk from the main rally at Revolution Festival 2019, Alan Woods - editor of In Defence of Marxism - discusses his new book on the revolutionary movement that overthrew the Franco regime in Spain in the 1970s. Based on his own personal experiences and involvement, Alan explains how the movement to overthrow the Franco regime was a modern-day revolution, with the working class providing the motor force for change. And as with any revolutionary movement, Alan discusses, this period is full...
Jan 24, 2020•1 hr 5 min
In this talk from last year's Revolution Festival, Daniel Morley (writer for Socialist Appeal) looks back at the events leading up to the 1949 Chinese Revolution, explaining why the revolution played out as it did, and discussing the process that has unfolded since: from revolution to Tiananmen to capitalism. After the 1917 Russian Revolution, as Daniel discusses, the Chinese Revolution of 1949 is the most significant event in history. Fighting first Japanese occupation and then Chiang Kai-shek'...
Jan 16, 2020•49 min
Hamid Alizadeh, editor of www.marxist.com, discusses the recent confrontation between American and Iran, and explains why the left and the labour movement must oppose US imperialist aggression. The current sabre-rattling, as Hamid states, escalated on 3 January with the killing of the Iranian military general, Qassem Soleimani - one of the top figures in the Iranian regime. This was a clear provocation by Trump, designed as a chest-beating exercise to distract from the problems the US President ...
Jan 10, 2020•29 min
Alan Woods - editor of In Defence of Marxism - analyses last week's UK election results, explaining the real reasons behind Labour's dramatic defeat. In doing so, Alan answers the lies of the establishment media and the Blairites, who have falsely attempted to place all the blame for Labour's election loss on Jeremy Corbyn. In reality, however, it is not Corbynism that has failed, but Blairism, liberalism, and the centre ground. The areas that have abandoned Labour are those that have been left ...
Dec 18, 2019•22 min
In this talk from Revolution Festival 2019, Adam Booth - editor of www.socialist.net - compares and contrasts the economic ideas of Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes, and MMT. The crash of 2008 brought all the established neoliberal economic ideas into question. As Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman told an audience at the London School of Economics in the wake of the financial crisis: “Most work in macroeconomics in the past 30 years has been useless at best and harmful at worst.” Over a d...
Dec 04, 2019•46 min
In this talk from Revolution Festival 2019, Ben Curry (of the Socialist Appeal editorial board)discusses the Marxist philosophy of dialectical materialism and its application to the natural world. Dialectics is a philosophy of change, explaining that all matter is in a state of motion and flux. But how does this change take place? Using a number of examples from science - from thermodynamics, to evolution, to chaos theory - Ben demonstrates one of the basic principles of dialectics: that change ...
Nov 27, 2019•45 min
