Synopsis
Marxist analysis and theory, brought to you by Socialist Appeal - the British section of the International Marxist Tendency.Providing regular talks and discussions from IMTV, Alan Woods, and other writers from www.socialist.net and www.marxist.com.Follow the IMTV video channel on our YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/SocialistNet1917
Episodes
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The English Revolution: the world turned upside down - part three
05/06/2020 Duration: 34minIn 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 English Revolution is obligatory for every class-conscious worker, Leon Trotsky noted. So tune in every week and listen to Alan explain this important chapter in British history from a Marxist perspective. Join us in the fight for socialism: Join - socialist.net/join Donate - socialist.net/donate Subscribe - socialist.net/subscribe Follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and our podcast, Marxist Voice: Facebook - facebook.com/SocialistAppeal YouTube - youtube.com/c/SocialistNet1917 Twitter - twitter.com/socialist_app P
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Alan Woods: Uprising in America - The school of revolution
02/06/2020 Duration: 37minIn 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, these dramatic events are preparing the way for revolution in the USA and beyond. Join us in the struggle for socialism: Join - socialist.net/join Donate - socialist.net/donate Subscribe - socialist.net/subscribe Follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and our podcast, Marxist Voice: Facebook - facebook.com/SocialistAppeal YouTube - youtube.com/c/SocialistNet1917 Twitter - twitter.com/socialist_app Podcast - wavve.link/marxistvoice
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Racism, police violence, and the socialist revolution
01/06/2020 Duration: 25minThe 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 capitalist system. Antonio Balmer - editor of Socialist Revolution, paper of the American section of the IMT - speaks on racism, police violence, and the need for revolution.
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The English Revolution: the world turned upside down - part two
29/05/2020 Duration: 42minIn 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 ideas expressed class antagonisms, which were building to a fever pitch as feudalism entered its dying days. A careful study of the English Revolution is obligatory for every class-conscious worker, Leon Trotsky noted. So tune in every week and listen to Alan explain this important chapter in British history from a Marxist perspective. Get involved in the fight for socialism: Join - socialist.net/join Donate - socialist.net/donate Subscribe - socialist.net/subscribe Follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and our podc
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Who should run the Labour Party?
26/05/2020 Duration: 34minIn 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 ensuing investigation; the 2019 election defeat; and the fight against cuts. The conclusion is clear: grassroots activists need to organise and transform the Labour Party.
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The English Revolution: the world turned upside down – part one
22/05/2020 Duration: 36minWelcome 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 witnessing one of the most turbulent periods in British history, and the ruling class fears the nation’s revolutionary past, which is why they seek to bury it under falsehoods. As Leon Trotsky wrote in 1925: “The British bourgeoisie has erased the very memory of the 17th-century revolution by dissolving its past in ‘gradualness’. The advanced British workers will have to re-discover the English Revolution and find within its ecclesiastical shell the mighty struggle of social forces.” A careful study of the English Revolut
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Teachers vs Tories: heroes and villains
19/05/2020 Duration: 26minIn 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 at risk. Tune in to find out the latest news in this ongoing battle, and to discuss how the labour movement can fight for safe working conditions and a decent education system. Support us in the struggle for socialism: Join - socialist.net/join Donate - socialist.net/donate Subscribe - socialist.net/subscribe Follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Soundcloud: Facebook - facebook.com/SocialistAppeal YouTube - youtube.com/c/SocialistNet1917 Twitter - twitter.com/socialist_app Podcast - wavve.link/marxistvoice
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The fight against colonialism: then and now
18/05/2020 Duration: 51minIn 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 impoverished ex-colonial countries. Handfuls of billionaires own more than the rest of the world put together. Refugees flee war-torn former colonies. And the 'Third World' continues to be exploited by multinational corporations and shackled by chains of debt to the imperialist powers. Hamid explains what Marxists in the West can do to support the struggles for liberation taking place across the world today.
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Boris' green light to big business
12/05/2020 Duration: 35minIn 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 us in the struggle for socialism: Join - socialist.net/join Donate - socialist.net/donate Subscribe - socialist.net/subscribe 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
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The 1926 General Strike
08/05/2020 Duration: 47minIn 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 working class activists elected to coordinate the movement. These bodies represented the embryo of workers' power. If linked up, they could have formed the basis for a revolutionary workers’ state. In this talk, James Kilby looks back at this radical episode in British history and asks: if the strike was so strong, why was it defeated after only nine days? What was the role of the workers’ leadership in this struggle? And what lessons does the strike hold for us now, in this latest epoch of intense political radicalisat
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In defence of Lenin
23/04/2020 Duration: 39minRob 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 capitalists. In our latest podcast, Rob Sewell - editor of the Socialist Appeal - sets the record straight.
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Blue murder
21/04/2020 Duration: 20minIn 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 - socialist.net/subscribe 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
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The COVID-19 pandemic: capitalism's deepest ever crisis
17/04/2020 Duration: 01h01minFred 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-fighting. And in countries like Pakistan, where healthcare infrastructure and public sanitation are in a dire state, the coronavirus will lead to a nightmare scenario. People are sick of the system. Years of austerity have cultivated a radical mood, which found an expression through the Corbyn and Sanders movements in Britain and the USA, and in mass protest movements worldwide. Now, a layer of workers and youth are further enraged by the callous and inept response to this public health emergency, with strikes breaking ou
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Sweep out the saboteurs!
14/04/2020 Duration: 35minIn 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 detritus into the dustbin of history. Support us in the struggle for socialism: Join - socialist.net/join Donate - socialist.net/donate Subscribe - socialist.net/subscribe 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
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Where do we go from Keir?
07/04/2020 Duration: 34minIn 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? Support us in the struggle for socialism: Join - socialist.net/join Donate - socialist.net/donate Subscribe - socialist.net/subscribe 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
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Alan Woods: Coronavirus and the world crisis of capitalism
06/04/2020 Duration: 43minAlan 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 process: underwriting wages, taking certain industries under state control and spending huge sums of money to keep the system afloat. They will try to retract these short-term solutions and investments when the dust settles, and issue a bill to the working class in the form of cuts and austerity, but appetite comes with eating, and the bourgeoisie might not find it so easy to take back tomorrow what they give today. The bosses, meanwhile, are pressuring the workers to choose between health and employment. In countries
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Europe: The final countdown
03/04/2020 Duration: 38minIn 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 Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Soundcloud: Facebook - facebook.com/SocialistAppeal YouTube - youtube.com/c/SocialistNet1917 Twitter - twitter.com/socialist_app Podcast - soundcloud.com/socialist-appeal
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The revolutionary philosophy of Marxism
01/04/2020 Duration: 46minIn 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 universe is static but in a constant motion, in a process of evolution. Nothing simply ‘is’, but is in a stage of becoming - of going beyond its limits to become something new. As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus once profoundly noted: one can never step into the same river twice. In the natural world, Darwin’s theory of evolution was - to Marx and Engels - a vindication of their philosophy. Human society, meanwhile, is emergent from the material world, and thus also operates dialectically. Hence, Marx and Engels ex
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The pandemic vs the precariat
30/03/2020 Duration: 40minIn 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
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Fighting the pandemic: Essential workers in the firing line
27/03/2020 Duration: 33minIn 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