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 ex...
Mar 10, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 115
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://redf...
Feb 17, 2024•59 min•Ep. 114
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 n...
Feb 07, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 113
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 L...
Jan 21, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 112
What is the state? An overgrown behemoth, a neutral arbiter, a tool of the ruling class? In our first episode for 2024, Chloe and Emma explain the Marxist theory of the state. We also chat about what we read over the break. Further reading on the capitalist state: - "What is the Australian State" - by David Peterson in Red Flag - "Marxism vs. the State" - by Sadia Schneider in Red Flag Emma and Chloe's summer reading: Here are the books we talked about at the start of the episode: - "The State a...
Jan 12, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 111
Our main segment in this episode is an interview with Daniel Taylor, an anti-Zionist Jewish socialist and regular contributor to Red Flag newspaper. Daniel and Emma talk about why the mainstream media are so aggressively pro-Israel. From the Murdoch press to the state-run ABC, the mainstream media dehumanises the Palestinians and helps cover up Israeli war crimes. We go through all their tricks, double standards and hypocrisies, and try to explain why the media landscape is so homogenous when it...
Dec 19, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 110
We spoke to high schoolers from Melbourne and Sydney who went on strike for Palestine, defying intimidation from the media, politicians and their own schools. The Melbourne school strike for Palestine was the biggest of its kind in the world! But students faced a barrage of condemnation in the lead up to the strikes. Journalists said that students were too stupid to understand such a complex issue, and many prinicipals threatened students with disciplinary action. But thousands of kids remained ...
Dec 05, 2023•46 min•Ep. 109
In the middle of a new anti-war movement against the genocide in Gaza, we thought it would be timely to release an episode about the movement that helped end the Vietnam War. At Socialism Conference 2023, Emma interviewed two seasoned anti-war activists about their role in the movement that swept the world in the 1960s and 70s America (and Australia's!) brutal war. Allen Myers was a socialist GI, drafted into the American military, who spent years agitating against the war among fellow soldiers....
Nov 27, 2023•49 min•Ep. 108
Our guest is Josh Lees, one of the leading organisers of Sydney's massive Palestine solidarity rallies. Josh critiques the so-called "two-state solution", explaining why it provides no real solution for the Palestinians and how the slogan has been used and abused by Western governments to cover up Israel's crimes. Earlier in the episode, Emma and Chloe talk about the current situation in Gaza and get stuck into the UN for its historic role in greenlighting the ethnic cleansing of Palestine....
Nov 09, 2023•47 min•Ep. 107
We interviewed Vashti Fox, author of "The Story of Palestine: Empire, Repression and Resistance". We talk about how Israel has been a racist, imperialist project from the very beginning, and Vashti explains why ruling classes around the world still offer their full-throated support for Israeli war crimes. Emma and Chloe discuss the situation in Gaza and expose many of the media devices that cast Israel as the victim with a "right to defend itself", while Palestinians are consistently dehumanised...
Oct 31, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 106
It's been just over a week since Australia went to the polls and returned a resounding 60% majority "No" vote against an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. What do socialists make of the result? Emma spoke to Red Flag Radio regular Jordan Humphreys, author of Indigenous Liberation and Socialism, about the significance of the defeat. Jordan explains how the "No" camp tapped into a well of anti-Aboriginal racism in this country. We discuss the tepid "Yes" campaign, and why Labor should be held accoun...
Oct 24, 2023•42 min•Ep. 105
Right now, Israel is mobilising for a full-scale war in response to an offensive by Hamas. Netanyahu has vowed to turn Gaza, with its population of 2.3 million people, into a deserted island, and Israeli politicians are openly calling for another Nakba — referring to the genocidal massacres in 1948 which marked the beginning of Israel’s occupation of Palestine. Western politicians are lining up to pledge their support for Israel’s “right to defend itself”. The US has sent an aircraft carrier to ...
Oct 13, 2023•55 min•Ep. 104
In this episode, Emma and Chloe take a deep dive into the system behind sexism. Why has women's oppression persisted long after the Women's Liberation Movement won formal equality? Why is the gender pay gap actually widening? We also tackle some of the major debates between feminists and socialists, like who benefits from sexism: men in general or the capitalist class? Further reading - "Why Sexism Persists" by Diane Fieldes - "The System Behind Sexism" by RFR's own Roz Ward - And check out this...
Oct 10, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 103
Part two of an interview with Jordan Humphreys about his new book Indigenous Liberation and Socialism. Emma and Jordan chat about the inspiring history of Indigenous struggle in Australia. This one's not to be missed! Jordan shares his fascinating research on on how the early workers' movement fought for Indigenous rights - from Aboriginal shearers who joined a militant union to Communists who led strikes for Indigenous liberation. We talk about Australia's own civil rights movement, and how Bla...
Sep 21, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 102
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 re...
Sep 10, 2023•36 min•Ep. 101
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 buil...
Aug 28, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 100
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 ...
Aug 08, 2023•53 min•Ep. 99
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 - The politics of cities - by Steph Price Get involved in a housing campaign near you: Victorian Socialists, if you're in ...
Jul 15, 2023•38 min•Ep. 98
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 wh...
Jul 13, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 97
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 Torlakovi...
Jun 12, 2023•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 96
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 Production and music by Dan Kenny Show notes: Hossam el Hamalawy's writings on Egyptian and world p...
May 29, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 95
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....
May 15, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 94
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...
Apr 30, 2023•40 min•Ep. 93
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 ...
Apr 05, 2023•50 min•Ep. 92
Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, also known as Posie Parker, is a British transphobic activist who campaigns alongside Neo-Nazi groups. Parker is bringing her speaking tour to Australia. After record numbers of transphobic laws were passed in the US in 2022, Grace Hill, the new National Union of Students (NUS) LGBTI Officer joins us to discuss why we should protest Parker and figures like her wherever they organise. How do mainstream politicians open up space for far right organising? And does feminism...
Mar 03, 2023•30 min•Ep. 91
In the early 1970s, the Builders Labourers Federation (BLF) in Australia provided a case study in workers' power and concern for the conservation of the natural environment. BLF green bans preserved dozens of working class areas and historic buildings, ranging from Aboriginal housing in Redfern to historic National Trust-listed mansions. In this episode we speak to Jerome Small about how the BLF became a union that fought for environmental and social justice, and the lessons we can draw to re-bu...
Feb 12, 2023•46 min•Ep. 90
A live recording of the final election rally for the Victorian Socialists before we try to make history by electing the first socialists to parliament in decades. Featuring speeches by lead candidates for Northern Metro and Western Metro, Jerome Small and Liz Walsh. For more information on how you can help volunteer for Victorian Socialists on election day, or to donate to the campaign go to - https://victoriansocialists.org.au/ . Music by Dan Kenny. Subscribe to Red Flag newspaper: https://subs...
Nov 14, 2022•51 min•Ep. 89
A special live episode recorded at the launch of our campaign to elect socialist, union organiser and long-term environmental and anti-racist campaigner Jerome Small to Victoria's upper house. Jerome's stories include high school walkouts against the nuclear arms race, civil disobedience with the climate movement, picketing the South African embassy in the Apartheid years, and organising blockades of mining companies in solidarity with the Mirrar Aboriginal people in the successful fight to stop...
Oct 03, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 88
The healthcare system in Australia is in crisis. Politicians talk about the 'pressure' that COVID-19 has put on the system but fail to acknowledge systemic under funding of hospitals and other services. On this episode we discuss what workers would do to fix the crisis in healthcare with NSW nurse Deaglan, allied health worker Cecilia, and socialist activist Jerome Small. Labor’s pandemic - https://redflag.org.au/article/labors-pandemic Nurses’ union raises pay claim under pressure from rank and...
Jul 31, 2022•47 min•Ep. 87
What can we expect from the return of an Australian Labor Party (ALP) government? Are there any reasons to hope for progressive change? On this episode we're joined by Liz Walsh and Josh Lees to discuss the first three weeks of Labor in power, and what we can learn from previous Labor governments in Australia. How does a Marxist analysis of the ALP help to prepare us for the struggles ahead? ALP stands idle while capitalists trash living standards Albanese continues Labor’s rotten imperialist re...
Jun 13, 2022•40 min•Ep. 86
