In this talk from Revolution Festival 2019, Ben Gliniecki - writer for Socialist Appeal - discusses the beginnings of the Communist Party of Great Britain, which was founded 100 years ago on 31 July 1920. The founding of the British Communist Party in 1920 took place during a period of heightened class struggle, marking an important milestone in the development of Marxism. Although only a few thousands strong, it attracted the most militant sections of the working class and led key struggles, su...
Jul 31, 2020•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast In our podcast series 'The World Turned Upside Down', Alan Woods (editor of In Defence of Marxism) discusses the English Revolution: a colossal event in world history that dealt an irreparable blow to feudal absolutism. In our latest episode, Alan discusses how, after King Charles' patience with his rebellious parliament ran out, he launched an attempted coup d'état, leading to one of the most famous scenes in English history, with Charles arriving at parliament with a list of names for arrest, ...
Jul 24, 2020•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast In our podcast series 'The World Turned Upside Down', Alan Woods (editor of In Defence of Marxism) discusses the English Revolution: a colossal event in world history that dealt an irreparable blow to feudal absolutism. In our latest episode, Alan looks at the developments following the execution of Strafford. If King Charles thought Strafford's execution would calm the situation in England, he was dead wrong. Aside from continued opposition from Pym and parliament, the masses were becoming bold...
Jul 17, 2020•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast In our podcast series 'The World Turned Upside Down', Alan Woods (editor of In Defence of Marxism) discusses the English Revolution: a colossal event in world history that dealt an irreparable blow to feudal absolutism. In the latest episode, Alan outlines how King Charles's maneuvers forced him to recall parliament yet again. This however, gave an outlet for the pent up anger of the masses. A new period of turmoil opens up as the conflict pours out onto the streets. Petitions and political agit...
Jul 10, 2020•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast From the archive: In this talk from 2013, Fred Weston (editor of www.marxist.com) explains the formation and later collapse of the Fourth International, led by Leon Trotsky in opposition to the Stalinist ComIntern. Fred will be speaking about the history of the International Marxist Tendency at Marxist University 2020. Get your ticket today at https://university.marxist.com/en/
Jul 09, 2020•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this talk from Socialist Appeal's "Marx in a Day" event in 2018(which celebrated Karl Marx's 200th birthday), Josh Holroyd discusses the contribution made by the great revolutionary thinker towards our understanding of history. With their ideas of "scientific socialism", Marx and Engels provided the first real materialist analysis of how history develops, explaining that the motor force behind society's evolution is the class struggle and the drive to increase the humankind's productive force...
Jul 06, 2020•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast In our podcast series 'The World Turned Upside Down', Alan Woods (editor of In Defence of Marxism) discusses the English Revolution: a colossal event in world history that dealt an irreparable blow to feudal absolutism. In this latest episode, Alan explained how the English Revolution began in Scotland. After 11 years of tyranny under King Charles and his court clique, their attempt at religious reform in Scotland proved a serious mistake. A riot at a Cathedral turned into a revolutionary moveme...
Jul 03, 2020•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast In our latest episode of Marxist Voice, Labour activist and Socialist Appeal writer Joe Attard joins us to discuss Keir Starmer's dismissal of Rebecca Long-Bailey, and what this means for the fight inside the Labour Party. Last week, Starmer crossed the Rubicon by sacking Long-Bailey from the Shadow Cabinet, based on spurious charges of anti-semitism. This is a declaration of war on the left. Join us to discuss the ongoing battle inside the Labour Party, and how activists should get organised to...
Jun 30, 2020•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast In our podcast series 'The World Turned Upside Down', Alan Woods (editor of In Defence of Marxism) discusses the English Revolution: a colossal event in world history that dealt an irreparable blow to feudal absolutism. In the latest episode, Alan describes how, with parliament suspended, Charles I was determined to enforce his authority in matters of religion and state. His reforms to the church provoked horror and resentment from the people of England, and he exploited loopholes to raise cash ...
Jun 26, 2020•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast In our podcast series 'The World Turned Upside Down', Alan Woods (editor of In Defence of Marxism) discusses the English Revolution: a colossal event in world history that dealt an irreparable blow to feudal absolutism. In this episode, Alan describes the escalating conflicts between King Charles and parliament. Charles dissolved parliament several times, culminating in a dissolution that was to last for 11 years. The country was now firmly on the road to war and revolution. A careful study of t...
Jun 19, 2020•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast In our podcast series 'The World Turned Upside Down', Alan Woods (editor of In Defence of Marxism) discusses the English Revolution: a colossal event in world history that dealt an irreparable blow to feudal absolutism. In episode four, Alan Woods discusses the escalating conflicts between parliament and the Machiavellian King Charles, who wanted money to fund various military adventures. These splits at the top were concurrent with a seething discontent at the bottom of society, reflected in th...
Jun 12, 2020•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast In our latest episode of Marxist Voice, we're joined by Fiona Lali - national organiser of the Marxist Student Federation - to discuss the massive protests against racism and police violence that have erupted across the UK. Sparked by the police murder of George Floyd in the USA, the Black Lives Matter has rapidly spread to Britain - finding a powerful echo in a country with its own deeply racist history; and where BAME communities are only too aware of the inequality, injustice, and oppression ...
Jun 09, 2020•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast In our podcast series 'The World Turned Upside Down', Alan Woods (editor of In Defence of Marxism) discusses the English Revolution: a colossal event in world history that dealt an irreparable blow to feudal absolutism. Revolutions always start with splits at the top. In episode three, Alan describes the tensions developing between King Charles (and his Catholic wife), firm in his belief in the divine right of kings; and the increasingly powerful English parliament. A careful study of the Englis...
Jun 05, 2020•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast In our latest episode of Marxist Voice, Alan Woods - editor of In Defence of Marxism - discusses the police killing of George Floyd in the USA and the insurrectionary protests seen in response across America. The cold-blooded murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police is yet another horrific act of racist violence against an unarmed black man in broad daylight. This has sparked protests across the country, showing that people are fed up with capitalism's systemic racism. As Alan explains, thes...
Jun 02, 2020•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast The cold-blooded murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police is yet another horrific act of racist violence against an unarmed black man in broad daylight. This has yet again sparked protests across the country, showing that people are fed up with the systemic racism of the capitalist system. When the great revolutionary martyr Malcolm X said, “You can’t have capitalism without racism,” he summed up a profound truth about the world we live in. This racist brutality is hardwired into the capital...
Jun 01, 2020•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast In our podcast series 'The World Turned Upside Down', Alan Woods (editor of In Defence of Marxism) discusses the English Revolution: a colossal event in world history that dealt an irreparable blow to feudal absolutism. In this episode, Alan sets the scene of England on the brink of revolution. The country was facing a profound economic crisis, there was an army of downtrodden poor, and radical religious ideas were taking hold amongst the burgeoining middle classes. Under the surface, these idea...
May 29, 2020•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast In our latest episode of Marxist Voice, we're joined by Pamela Fitzpatrick - Labour councillor and prospective parliamentary candidate for Harrow East - to discuss the current contest for Labour general secretary, and what changes and demands party members should fight for. Pamela was also herself a candidate to replace Jennie Formby, and is a founding members of the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour Councillors. We therefore hear from Pamela about her thoughts on the leaked report and the ensu...
May 26, 2020•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to episode one of our new series - The English Revolution: The World Turned Upside Down. Every Friday, Alan Woods (editor of In Defence of Marxism) will be discussing the English Revolution: a colossal event in world history that dealt an irreparable blow to feudal absolutism. It is said that revolution has never come to the British Isles. In fact, modern British democracy was born out of a violent revolution and a bloody Civil War, which saw the king lose his head. Today, we are witness...
May 22, 2020•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast In our latest episode of Marxist Voice, we're joined again by Natasha Sorrell - an activist with the National Education Union - to discuss the current war being waged against teachers by the Tories and the right-wing press. Under pressure from big business, the government are hastily attempting to restart the economy. As part of this, the Tories are belligerently pushing to open up schools. But they have no plan for how to ensure the safety of staff and students, and are putting teachers' lives ...
May 19, 2020•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this talk from Revolution Festival 2019, Hamid Alizadeh - editor of In Defence of Marxism - discusses the fight against imperialism and colonialism. The post-war period saw a wave of revolutions in the colonial world, bringing down many imperialist regimes. Liberals would have us believe that ended ‘imperialism’ and the oppression of the so-called ‘Third World’. But the legacy of colonialism lives on today, with just as great a chasm between a handful of powerful capitalist states, and the im...
May 18, 2020•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast In our latest episode of Marxist Voice, Ben Curry of the Socialist Appeal editorial board joins us to discuss the government's recent announcement about the lifting of the lockdown. Amidst all of Boris Johnson's confused and contradictory statements, one message was loud and clear: workers are expected to sacrifice themselves so that the bosses can continue to make profits. The labour movement must organise to take control in workplaces and oppose any premature or unsafe return to work. Support ...
May 12, 2020•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 
