Imtv Radio - Marxist Ideas. Fighting For Revolution.

Fred Weston, editor of www.marxist.com, discusses the revolutionary events taking place in Sudan. In April this year, after decades in power, long-standing dictator Omar al-Bashir was toppled by a mass movement. Following this, a military junta - the Transitional Military Council (TMC) - stepped into the vacuum. But workers across Sudan recently shut down the economy with a powerful general strike, aimed at wrestling control from the TMC. This terrified the regime, who know that they could lose all their power and privileges. As a result, counter-revolutionary forces have reared their head, with reactionary paramilitary groups marching through the streets of Khartoum, attacking barricades and brutally murdering activists. This, in turn, could whip the revolution forward, as rank-and-file solider defect to defend their brothers and sisters. The future of the Sudanese revolution therefore hangs in the balance. What is needed is to form revolutionary committees composed of workers and soldiers. The only way

Alan Woods, editor of In Defence of Marxism, comments on President Trump's recent state visit to Britain. With Theresa May stepping down, Tory leadership contenders have made a lot of noise about how Britain will 'reclaim sovereignty' and 'take back control' after Brexit. But the events surrounding Trump's visit expose this as a complete charade. Far from achieving a favourable trade deal with the USA, the Tory government is preparing the ground for American big business to sweep in and pick at whatever scraps are left of the British economy after Brexit. The NHS is "on the table"; regulations on food quality are under threat; and no doubt environmental standards and workers' conditions will be attacked too in order to reach a deal. This, then, is the real nature of the so-called "special relationship" between Britain and America: the relationship between a servant and his master. Trump says 'jump', and the Tories ask 'how high?' Instead of this craven fawning, we need a socialist Labour government that

In this talk from a recent London-wide meeting of the Marxist Student Federation, Daniel Morley discusses the Tiananmen student protests that shook the regime in China 30 years ago. The Tiananmen square protests were the largest student movement in history, with over 1 million involved at the height of the demonstrations. But, as Daniel explains, the protests were not confined just to students. Workers across Beijing also came out in support of the movement, and the initial wave of soldiers sent in to repress the protestors ended up sympathising with them. In the end, however, the opportunity was lost for the protests to extend and develop into a broader movement of workers and students, despite demands for a general strike being raised. As a result, the movement ebbed. Facing more intense repressive measures, the demonstrators left in the infamous Beijing central square were forced to accept defeat. Daniel outlines the history leading up to the Tiananmen movement, showing how ultimately this was a rebel

In this talk from a recent London-wide meeting of the Marxist Student Federation, Hamid Alizadeh - writer for In Defence of Marxism - discusses the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, and the links between jihadi organisations and Western imperialism. After every barbaric terrorist attack, right-wing politicians and commentators attempt to whip up the idea of a "clash of civilisations" between Muslims and the Arab world, on one side, and liberal Western democracies, on the other. But the inconvenient truth is that the ruling class in the West is behind the origins of Islamic fundamentalism as a political force. As Hamid explains, political Islamic groups like the Muslim Brotherhood were built up historically as a counter-balance to left-wing Arab nationalism in Egypt and elsewhere. In Afghanistan, meanwhile, the Taliban were originally supported by US imperialism in their fight against the Soviet Union. And the jihadi terrorism seen across the world today is an export of the reactionary Wahhabi clerics in Sa

In this talk from a recent meeting of the Marxist Student Federation in London, Francesco Merli - writer for www.marxist.com - examines the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict, and discusses the solution to the crisis in the Middle East. The chaotic situation in Israel and Palestine is one imperialism's worst ever crimes. By dividing up Palestine and creating the Zionist state of Israel, the imperialists transformed the region - in the words of Leon Trotsky - into "a bloody trap" for both Jews and Arabs. Over 70 years on from the creation of Israel, and the mass displacement that this caused, the oppression of the Palestinian people continues unabated. Indeed, conditions inside Gaza are deteriorating by the day, and the Israeli state's colonisation of the West Bank is growing. With Netanyahu's recent re-election, there is seemingly no end in sight to this catastrophe. Under capitalism, there is no solution to this crisis. A single state would be either an apartheid state, or would involve driving mil

Alan Woods - editor of In Defence of Marxism - discusses the battle in the Labour Party over the question of a second referendum. The Tories are torn apart over Brexit. Yet rather than uniting behind their party leader, right-wing Labour MPs are putting all of their energies into attacking Jeremy Corbyn. Sooner or later, judgement day will come for Theresa May, and the opportunity for Corbyn’s Labour to form a government will present itself. But how will Corbyn deal with the wreckers in his ranks and the question of the EU? At some point, Corbyn will face a choice: submit to the sabotage of the markets and the Blairite Fifth Column, or break with the bosses’ Europe and the capitalist system. Alan explains that the Corbyn movement must prepare for this showdown now. And that means arguing the case boldly for a radical transformation of society – for a Socialist United States of Europe.

In this video from the 2018 Revolution Festival, Francesco Merli of In Defence of Marxism (www.marxist.com) discusses the events and lessons of the 1968 Prague Spring - a revolt against the Stalinist bureaucracy that was put down by Moscow. In 1968, over 50 years ago, USSR-backed tanks rolled into Czechoslovakia to crush the Prague Spring. But could the movement have been successful? The Prague Spring was a movement with the potential to develop into a socialist political revolution against the Communist Party bureaucracy, possibly with far-reaching consequences. For this reason, over the last half century, this inspiring episode has been slandered by Stalinists, co-opted by liberals, and distorted by both. In this talk, Francesco Merli provides the real story of the 1968 Prague Spring, outlining why it was defeated, and discussing its importance for revolutionaries today.

In this talk from last year's Revolution Festival, Ben Gliniecki looks at the current collapse of the liberal status quo, providing a Marxist analysis of liberalism's rise and fall. In November 2016, American voters dispatched “the electoral equivalent of a suicide bomber to Washington”, according to the Financial Times. Only months before, the British public had delivered a shocking blow to the European establishment by voting by a narrow majority to leave the European Union. Today, nationalist parties across Europe are rising in the polls and a series of constitutional crises are opening up in Italy, Brazil and Britain (of course). These are again highlighting the weakness of the liberal political and economic order that, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, had been considered by many to be indestructible. But what exactly is liberalism? What does it represent? And why is it now in crisis everywhere? Ben Gliniecki considers these questions and discusses the possibility of a new world order based o

Speaking at the recent Peterloo day school in Manchester, Mike Hogan of Liverpool Wavertree CLP discusses the lessons from the struggles waged in the 1980s by Liverpool city against Thatcher and the cuts. With Marxist Labour councillors in the leadership, a mass movement involving the entire labour movement and working class communities was built up in Liverpool in the 80s, in order to oppose cuts and fight for socialist policies. This was part of a national campaign, with anti-cuts councils springing up across the country. But unfortunately, rather than supporting this militant movement, the Labour leadership under Kinnock preferred to spend their time conducting a witch hunt against the Marxists in the Labour Party. Without national support, councils gradually fell away and buckled one-by-one. In the end, Liverpool city council was left isolated and the movement was defeated. Today, with a Tory government once again carrying out austerity and attacks on workers and youth, it is high time that Labour cou

In this talk from the 2018 Revolution Festival, Ben Curry of the Socialist Appeal editorial board discusses the life of James Connolly: the man, his ideas, and their relevance for Marxists today. James Connolly was born in 1868 to Irish parents in Edinburgh’s Cowgate slum. He would grow to be the greatest Marxist ever produced by these islands; an iconic figure in the history of the Irish working class. Executed by the British army in 1916 following his leading role in the Easter Rising, Connolly’s courage and sacrifice stand out as an inspiration to revolutionaries everywhere. His ideas remain an important contribution to the Marxist understanding of national oppression and the struggle against it.

In this talk from the Revolution Festival 2018, Daniel Morley of the Socialist Appeal editorial board examines one of the most long-standing questions of philosophy: what is consciousness? This is a question that has become increasingly relevant with the rise of artificial intelligence. Modern technological advances have raised the idea of creating machines capable of thinking for themselves. This has generated hopes - and fears - that the next generation of robots will be able to display signs of consciousness. But is all this just the stuff of science fiction? Daniel attempts to answer these questions using the method of dialectical materialism - the philosophy of Marxism. In the process, Daniel explores the mysterious world of the human brain, examining what it is that separates our minds from machines.

In this talk from the 2018 Revolution Festival, Rob Sewell (editor of Socialist Appeal) explains the causes behind the 2008 crash and discusses the revolutionary way forward for society. September 2018 marked the 10th anniversary since the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the beginning of the deepest economic crisis in the history of capitalism. Now, over a decade on, none of the mainstream economists or establishment politicians can explain how we got here or offer a way out of the crisis. The economic ideas and analysis provided by Karl Marx, by contrast, provide a clear explanation of why crises occur under capitalism. Only by breaking with the profit system and establishing a socialist plan of production can we stop the slump and put an end to these crises once and for all.

To mark International Working Women's Day - 8th March - we publish a talk from the 2018 Revolution Festival, where Ellen Morton and Fiona Lali of the Marxist Student Federation discuss the modern struggles taking place internationally against women's oppression. Ellen introduces the discussion by outlining how the crisis of capitalism has impacted upon working class women, who are doubly affected by austerity and the cuts to public services. On the other side, as Ellen highlights, there has been a growing movement for liberation and equality across the world, with women and men uniting to fight on issues such as domestic violence, the gender pay gap, and abortion rights. Fiona expands on the last of these questions, highlighting the inspiring campaign last year against restrictive abortion laws in the Republic of Ireland. A big majority of Irish voters turned out in the #RepealTheEighth referendum, delivering a major blow to the establishment and the reactionary institution of the Catholic Church in the p

Speaking at the 2018 Revolution Festival, Jack Halinski-Fitzpatrick of Socialist Appeal provides a Marxist analysis of what role morality plays within class society, and how revolutionaries should derive their ethical framework and decisions. Many critics of Marxism attempt to paint it as being a cold and inhumane philosophy, far more concerned with economics than ethics. But, in fact, Marxism has much to offer on the question of morality - not least to point out the outrageous hypocrisy of the scandal-ridden institutions that sanctimoniously preach to the rest of us about how we should live our lives. What separates Marxism as a philosophy, however, is how it arrives at its morals and principles from a class perspective: from an analysis of what raises consciousness and aids in the revolutionary emancipation of the working class. In this talk, Jack Halinski-Fitzpatrick looks at where our ethical codes and concepts come from under class society, and discusses what the socialist alternative is to the moral

In this video from the recent national conference of the Marxist Student Federation, Ian Hodson (president of the bakers' union) and Rob Sewell (editor of Socialist Appeal) discuss the turbulent political situation in Britain and the misery facing workers under capitalism. Ian Hodson highlights the devastating impact of Tory austerity on working class communities, and emphasises how Brexit has divided workers and acted as a distraction from the cuts. Ian also notes the enthusiasm that Corbyn and his left-wing policies have generated amongst workers and youth, in contrast to the disdain held towards the Blairite backstabbers. In his contribution, Rob Sewell explains the history of Clause IV, Labour's original commitment to socialism, and outlines the role that Marxists have historically played in the development of the labour movement. Above all, Rob stresses that the crisis in Britain today is a reflection of the world crisis of capitalism. This is why workers and students must unite and fight for a socia

In this video from the 2018 Revolution Festival, Alan Woods (editor of In Defence of Marxism) discusses the events of the English Civil War - England's revolution. The civil war in the 17th century saw the forces of Parliament battling against the monarchy of Charles I, fighting for power over England. In essence, this was a revolutionary struggle for domination by the rising bourgeois class of merchants and bankers - an attempt to usurp the old feudal institutions of the monarchy. Pivotal to the success of the 'Roundheads' (the supporters of Parliament) in the conflict against the Royalists was the role played by Oliver Cromwell, leader of the New Model Army. And within Cromwell's army were an even more radical wing - the Levellers - who wanted to go even further, anticipating the mass movements of the Chartists in the 19th century and their demands for universal democratic rights. The task today is to fight for a new revolution - one that throws both the monarchy and the capitalists into the dustbin of

In this talk from the 2018 Revolution Festival, Josh Holroyd discusses the origins of the capitalist system, the violent and contradictory revolution it carried out across the world, and the implications these hold for the fight against capitalism today. As Josh explains, the society in which we live is often presented as something eternal; a natural expression of human nature and common sense. But the reality could not be further from the truth. Capitalism - a system based on competition and production for profit - has in fact existed for only a few hundred years. It is only a brief and unique episode in the history of humanity. And far from being the organic product of human nature, the birth of the “free” market required the violent overthrow of the entire existing economic, social and political order. It brought with it the greatest wave of dispossession and enslavement the world has ever seen. True freedom, therefore, can only be brought about by breaking with the anarchy of the capitalist market and

Jorge Martin of the Hands Off Venezuela campaign discusses the ongoing attempted coup, which is being aggressively pushed by US imperialism. Washington has stepped up it's efforts this week to oust the democratically elected government of Venezuela. They are now going for broke in an attempt to remove President Maduro. As Jorge explains, whatever one's views of the Maduro government, this is an illegitimate and undemocratic attempt at regime change by Trump and his reactionary allies. It is therefore the duty of all socialists, internationalists, and consistent democrats to oppose and condemn this imperialist intervention, and to offer solidarity to the revolutionary masses in Venezuela. We must unite and shout: hands off Venezuela!

On 15th January 1919, Rosa Luxemburg - one of the main leaders of the German Revolution - was brutally murdered by reactionary state forces, depriving the working class of one of its greatest fighters. To commemorate Luxemburg's life, we republish here a video from an IMT school in London in 2014, where Marie Frederiksen (editor of the Danish Marxist newspaper Revolution) discusses the real revolutionary history, ideas, and traditions of Rosa Luxemburg, drawing out the valuable lessons we can learn for today.

In this talk from the 2018 Revolution Festival, Hamid Alizadeh (editor of www.marxist.com) looks at the ideas of Georg Hegel, the German thinker who resurrected the philosophy of dialectics. Dialectics, as Hamid outlines, is a philosophy that explains change, motion, and development. In this respect, Hegel's ideas provided a profound leap from the mechanical and rigid outlook of those who preceded him. Hegel's dialectics were the basis for the revolutionary philosophy of Marxism - dialectical materialism. But in order to make sense of Hegel, Marx and Engels had to turn him upside down, taking his philosophy from the realm of idealism to that of materialism. With this method, Marx revolutionised philosophy, history, and economics, providing the tools with which we can not only interpret the world, but fundamentally change it.