Red Flag Radio spoke to Tom Bramble about the atrocious imperialist aggression of Israel and the US towards Iran. Links "The human cost of Israel's war on Iran" by Bella Beiraghi in Red Flag "West recycles old lies to justify attack on Iran" by Lucan Brunning-Hall in Red Flag To join a branch of The Socialists near you: https://victoriansocialists.org.au/join To register for launch events featuring Jordan Van den Lamb (AKA purplepingers): https://victoriansocialists.org.au/campaigns/pingers-tour...
Jun 27, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 145
Red Flag Radio talks to Brendan Stanton, an American socialist and trade unionist living in Melbourne. Brendan organised struggles for immigrant rights and worker solidarity for 12 years in Houston, Texas. He explains what's happening in the US right now from the recent LA protests in response to Trump's anti-migrant escalation, to the origins of ICE and the history of the US-Mexico border.
Jun 16, 2025•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 144
After a good result in the federal election, Victorian Socialists is expanding across Australia, bringing sorely-needed socialist politics to the whole country. Emma spoke to the Secretary of Victorian Socialists, Corey Oakley, about the exciting move. Corey gave his thoughts on the federal election and talked about why it's time to expand VS. Join the Socialists wherever you are: https://www.socialists.org.au/about...
May 19, 2025•33 min•Ep. 143
Emma and Chloe had a live conversation about all the things that make them mad in 2025, at the Marxism conference in Melbourne. They talked about Trump, wacky Auspol, bad takes on the left, lesser-known expropriatable billionaires and more, with fantastic audience participation to boot.
May 03, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 142
We spoke to Palestine Action Group leader and socialist Josh Lees about the renewed genocide in Gaza and the disgraceful antisemitism hoax in NSW which has been used to repress pro-Palestine activism. In a true-crime scandal for the ages, a criminal hoax in NSW was falsely reported as an antisemitic terror plot intended to cause mass casualties. Both the state and federal Labor governments knowingly lied to the public, using the hoax to ram through draconian anti-protest laws in NSW. The NSW ant...
Mar 22, 2025•58 min•Ep. 141
We sat down with trans activist April Holcombe to talk about the unrelenting war being waged against trans people. April is a socialist train driver based in Sydney and the co-convener of Community Action for Rainbow Rights. She is the author of many articles for Red Flag newspaper and the Marxist Left Review. April describes what is happening to trans people as "political sadism". She unpacks why right-wingers are so obsessed with policing gender, why socialists say gender is socially construct...
Mar 18, 2025•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 140
Our guest Rick Kuhn explains the results of the German election. Rick is a socialist economist and political analyst. He is the author of a biography of Marxist economist Henryk Grossman, for which he won the Deutscher Prize. In understanding the German election, the key word is "polarisation". The fascist AfD have received their best vote yet, of over 20%. Meanwhile the anti-racist left party, Die Linke, tapped into a movement of young antifascists and picked up 9%. The centre ruling coalition ...
Feb 26, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 139
Emma and Chloe dunk on the billionaires who run the world. From Silicon Valley freaks like Peter Theil and Mark Zuckerberg, to Australia's own Gina Rinehart, to the world's richest man, Elon Musk. We explain how they accumulated their wealth (hint: they didn't "earn" it), explore the sickening conspicuous consumption of the ultra-rich, and discuss why they need to be expropriated for every cent. We also discuss Trump's outrageous call for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza.
Feb 23, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 138
An interview with socialist journalist Omar Hassan, editor of and contributor to the Marxist Left Review. Omar spent two weeks reporting on the ground from Syria for Red Flag. He visited cities and towns devastated by regime repression, and he spent time with and interviewed left-wing activists. The result of his travels has been some incredible coverage in English of post-Assad Syria. This recording was part of a live zoom forum with Omar in January 2025. Read Omar's reports on Syria at Red Fla...
Feb 13, 2025•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 137
We're back for 2025! And we're talking about the fucked new mirror world we have stepped into with the second inauguration of Trump. Emma and Chloe talk through Trump's new cabinet, his executive orders and his big special inauguration day and try to explain what the hell is going on. Why have Silicon Valley ex-liberal billionaires binned their corporate wokeness and lined up to kiss the ring? Why is Trump trying to fight Denmark, Canada and Panama? Why is Australia's Penny Wong so "honoured" to...
Jan 30, 2025•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 136
Chloe and Emma cap off a terrible year by compiling some of the chattering classes' worst takes. We hand out prestigious awards for Australian journalism, including "Most Tone-Deaf Commentary on the Cost of Living Crisis" and "Most Hapless Middle-Class Guardian Writer." We survey the ups and (mainly) downs of 2024 and discuss reasons to be hopeful about 2025.
Dec 28, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 135
Workers at Woolworths distribution centres are on strike! For the past 2 weeks, workers have been picketing Woolies warehouses across the country to demand a pay increase and to stop a new performance management program, referred to by Woolworths as the “framework”, which is designed to monitor workers’ every move and increase the pace of work. In an already-dangerous industry where injuries are common, Woolworths is attempting to enforce 100% pick rates on workers. This is the same Woolworths t...
Dec 05, 2024•59 min•Ep. 134
We chatted with two wonderful socialists: Jordan Van den Lamb, A.K.A. PurplePingers, and Roz Ward, the original host of Red Flag Radio. Jordan will be a senate candidate with the Victorian Socialists in the upcoming federal elections, and Roz is his campaign manager. Jordan has amassed a serious following on Tiktok and Intagram thanks to his unflinching honesty about the housing crisis and his advocacy for tenants' rights. We chatted about the housing crisis, the elections, why private schools a...
Nov 30, 2024•51 min•Ep. 133
We spoke to Lance Selfa, a long-time socialist based in Chicago, about Trump's re-election. Lance explains how this could have happened, again, and what lessons socialists can learn from the election. Lance is the author of The Democrats: A Critical History. He is a member of the International Socialism Project, whose website has published Lance's election coverage and analysis. He has also been covering the election for Red Flag newspaper. Further reading "It's the economy stupid!" - By Lance S...
Nov 15, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 132
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the leader of India's far-right Hindu nationalist or "Hindutva" movement. Sagar Sanyal, socialist and regular on the pod, delves into the roots of Hidutva in both European fascism and the Indian caste system. He explains how, over the course of 100 years, Indian fascism moved from the margins of Indian politics to the centre of government. Further Reading Sagar's previous guest appearance on Red Flag Radio discussing the GFC "Modi and the Threat to Indian Democrac...
Nov 03, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 131
The Murdoch press has been on a tear against the Palestine movement and particularly "serial protestor" Josh Lees, a leading member of the Palestine Action Group (PAG) and Socialist Alternative, and our guest for this episode. NSW Premier Chris Minns accused Josh of costing tax-payers $5 million to police the protests. The attacks on Josh and PAG are part of a fresh wave of repression and censorship against the Palestine movement in Australia. These attacks are happening on campuses and in the s...
Oct 20, 2024•38 min•Ep. 130
Israel’s invasion of Lebanon with Omar Hassan After a year of genocidal war in Gaza, Israel has now begun a ground invasion of Lebanon. In less than a week Israel has killed over 2000 people in Lebanon through massive bombardment of civilians in the capital of Beirut and a renewed offensive against the already devastated South. Israeli aggression and repeated military strikes on Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Iran have led the Middle East to the brink of all-out regional war. This episode Chloe spoke to...
Oct 07, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 129
In one of the worst attacks on a union in Australian history, the Labor government has imposed a dictatorial administrator on the construction union, the CFMEU. This move has disenfranchised the union's entire membership. Chloe spoke to Jerome Small, ex-construction worker and reporter for Red Flag, about the causes and consequences of this unprecedented anti-union attack. Further reading "Labor set to impose dictatorial powers over construction union" by Jerome Small in Red Flag "Strike shows s...
Sep 30, 2024•58 min•Ep. 128
The Land Forces weapons expo is Australia's largest get-together and money-making opportunity for the booming business of war. When it came to Melbourne in September, activists from Students for Palestine and Disrupt Wars protested the orgy of militarism and violence. In response, the Victorian police unleashed hell, firing rubber bullets and torrents of pepper spray at protestors. The media followed up with a barrage of lies about protestors, presenting anti-war peace activists as the violent t...
Sep 30, 2024•44 min•Ep. 127
For over 60 days, Tamil and Iranian refugees have maintained a protest camp outside the Department of Home Affairs in Melbourne. Similar protest camps have spread across Australia's major cities. Their demands are permanent protection and justice for almost 10,000 refugees left in limbo by the federal Labor government. Emma spoke to Aran Mylvaganam, a staunch refugee activist and socialist who has been heavily involved in protests for refugee rights for years. Aran describes the incredible brave...
Sep 19, 2024•36 min•Ep. 126
Emma and Chloe talk about the cops! We analyse their role in capitalist society, their origins, and the case for their abolition. A big thanks to our producers: Daniel Kenny and Jack Morris. Further reading: - "Defunding, disarming, defeating and abolishing the police" - Daniel Taylor in Red Flag - "The police serve the system" - Shirley Killen in Red Flag...
Sep 07, 2024•50 min•Ep. 125
We interviewed Ravibha Jeyanathan about the political situation in India under Narendra Modi, and the task of rebuilding a revolutionary Marxist current. Ravibha is from Tamil Nadu in southern India, having sought refuge there from the Sri Lankan genocide. She completed her PhD research in London, researching post-war asylum experiences among Eelam Tamils in the UK. She is a member of Pothuvudamai Iyakkam (Socialist Movement). Ravibha was a guest speaker at this year's Marxism Conference in Melb...
Aug 19, 2024•21 min•Ep. 124
The US presidential elections are coming up, promising a showdown between Donald Trump and newly-anointed Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris. Chloe chatted to Ben Hillier to get his analysis of the US political situation. Ben is an editor of Red Flag newspaper and recently visited the US to report for Red Flag on the Gaza Solidarity Camps at American universities. They discuss the Trumpian takeover of the Republican Party and why Trump has a good chance of winning the election. They dig in...
Aug 03, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 123
Historic protests across Kenya in the past week have mobilised a disenfranchised youth enraged at the Government’s attempt to raise taxes on the working class and poor to pay government debt to the IMF and other international creditors. The 2024 Finance Bill has sparked hatred at a political class who flaunt their opulent lifestyles while hiking the price of bread, cooking oil, and many other essentials. Protesters refused to back down in the face of intense repression in which many people have ...
Jul 04, 2024•30 min•Ep. 122
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...
Jun 20, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 121
"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...
Jun 09, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 120
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 ...
May 24, 2024•27 min•Ep. 119
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 re...
May 09, 2024•46 min•Ep. 118
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 ...
May 02, 2024•26 min•Ep. 117
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 Australia...
Apr 25, 2024•35 min•Ep. 116
