Imtv Radio - Marxist Ideas. Fighting For Revolution.

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.

Alan Woods, editor of In Defence of Marxism, discusses the magnificent gilets jaunes movement in France, which has exploded out of nowhere to land a blow against the ruling class. Ever since his election as president in May 2017, Emmanuel Macron has been held up as a poster boy for liberalism by the European establishment. Liberals everywhere proclaimed that Macron's electoral victory represented a turning of the tide for the centre ground against the encroachment of populism and extremism. But the massive and militant yellow vests movement has shattered this delusion, demonstrating that there is a profound anger amongst workers and youth towards the broken status quo of inequality and austerity that the 'Jupiterian' President and the gilded elite defend. The task now is for the movement to develop a political strategy: for a new French Revolution to overthrow the ancien regime of the Macron government.

Alan Woods, editor of In Defence of Marxism, discusses the historic political crisis taking place in Britain, as the Tory Prime Minister's fate hangs in the balance. As Alan notes, the UK was once considered one of the most stable countries in the world. But now it is a source of enormous instability for world capitalism. And the crisis is not confined to Britain. May, Macron, and Merkel are all facing huge difficulties at home, as the broken status quo collapses around them. Only the call for a socialist Europe can offer a way forward.

Money, the Bible says, is the "root of all evil". Under capitalism, it dominates over us, acting - in the words of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists - like a "chain of gold". But money has evolved and changed throughout history: from the early use of precious metals, to the modern day network of cash, credit, and cryptocurrencies. And the more complex the money system becomes, the more removed and mysterious it seems. In this talk, Adam Booth - author of Understanding Marx's Capital - discusses the development of money over the centuries (and millennia), analysing its role in capitalist society, and explaining how we can break free from its shackles.

In this talk from the recent Revolution Festival, Jorge Martin discusses a new book co-authored by himself and John Roberts, which explores the application of Leon Trotsky's theory of permanent revolution to the experiences of Latin America. Trotsky's theory explained how the capitalists in the colonial countries could not play a progressive role, but would instead be a barrier in the fight for agrarian reform, parliamentary democracy, and national independence. In their new book, John Roberts (author of "China: from Permanent Revolution to Counter-Revolution") and Jorge Martin (of the International Marxist Tendency) discuss how this theory can be applied to Latin America and the anti-imperialist struggles that have taken place across the continent over the past 60 years. In particular, Jorge discusses the examples of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, comparing and contrasting the different revolutionary processes - each of which, in their own way, provide a validation of the correctness of Trotsky’s ideas.

In February 1918, the UK Representation of the People Act was brought in, giving the right to vote to women with property over the age of 30. In November of the same year, women in the UK were allowed to stand for parliament for the first time. In December, women voted for the first time in a British general election. Ten years later, women gained electoral equality with men, as the franchise was extended to all women over the age of 21. These achievements came on the back of a militant struggle from the Suffragettes, who were renowned for their methods of direct action. But did these tactics help or hinder the movement for votes for women? 100 years since women won the right to vote, Natasha Sorrell discusses this turning point in history and the continuing struggle for real equality today.

Jorge Martin, editor of América Socialista and writer for In Defence of Marxism, discusses the results of Sunday's presidential elections in Brazil, where the far-right candidate, Jair Bolsonaro, won with 55% of the vote. As Jorge explains, Bolsonaro is an extremely reactionary politician, who will go on the offensive against the working class and the oppressed. But his election does not represent a rise of fascism in Brazil. Rather, it reflects the hatred towards the establishment and the broken status quo. The blame for Bolsonaro's victory lies at the feet of the PT, who have been thoroughly discredited through years of carrying out austerity and attacks on the working class whilst in government. Above all, this election will mark a political turning point in Brazil, leading to increased social turbulence and an intensification of the class struggle, as workers mobilise and organise to defend themselves against this new reactionary government.

Alan Woods - editor of In Defence of Marxism - discusses the barbaric crimes of the monstrous Saudi regime in the wake of their recent murder of a critical journalist. This rotten regime is responsible for exporting wars, oppression, exploitation, and terrorism across the world. In Yemen, for example, they are carrying out daily atrocities, bombing and starving the population into submission - all with the help of the British and American governments. The labour movement must expose the brutal actions of the Saudi monarchs and the hypocritical support they receive from Western imperialism.

In a special podcast episode of IMTV, Arturo Rodriguez - activist from Lucha de Clases and editor of the Catalan paper Revolucio - discusses the dramatic events that have taken place in Catalonia and the rest of Spain over the past 12 months. The movement for independence has erupted onto the scene in Catalonia, but has been temporarily been beaten back as a result of political repression and a lack of revolutionary leadership. Nevertheless, the mood across Spain is now one of polarisation and radicalisation, as workers and youth take to the streets in cities all over the country. The hated Rajoy government has been defeated. But how should the left unite the fight for Catalan independence with the wider struggle against austerity and the hated 1978 regime?

In this special podcast episode of IMTV, we interview Antonio Balmer and Tom Trottier of Socialist Revolution, the US section of the International Marxist Tendency. Antonio and Tom explain the factors that have led to the election of Donald Trump in the USA, as well as describing the explosive political situation in Washington that now exists as a result. Above all, the American comrades discuss how to fight Trump: not through the Democrats, but through the creation of a mass socialist party, capable not only of over overthrowing Trump, but also the system that has created him - capitalism.

In the latest episode of IMTV radio, activists from Socialist Appeal discusses the fight for women's liberation: from the struggles of the Suffragettes 100 years ago, to the #MeToo movement today. The last year has seen a massive explosion of struggle for women's rights. The Harvey Weinstein case cast a light on the issue of sexual harassment and exploitation in the workplace. The landslide vote to repeal the 8th Amendment in Ireland struck an enormous blow against the conservative bastion of the Church. And the "feminist strike" on International Women's Day in Spain drew millions of women - and men - out on to the streets to call for equality and emancipation. What do these movements represent? How can we win these battles and many more? And what is the way forward in the fight to smash sexism and end oppression once and for all?

In the latest episode of IMTV - the International Marxist Television channel, hosted by Socialist Appeal - our guests looks back over a busy year for activists on UK campuses. Earlier this year we saw the largest ever strike by academic staff in the UCU, who took action over cuts to pensions. Their struggle was widely supported by students, who came out in large numbers on picket lines and protests across the country. But despite this wave of militancy, the UCU strike ended up with a negotiated deal that only kicks the can down the road. In the NUS, meanwhile, the Left was roundly defeated. What are the lessons from the recent UCU pensions struggle? And what kind of action should students take to support university workers in the fight to defend education?

On 14th June 2017, disaster struck as the Grenfell tower in west London was engulfed in flames. 72 people died in the fire, according to official reports. But the real number could be even higher. One year on, and the inquiry into the Grenfell fire is underway. Revelations are coming to light indicating that a whole range of guilty figures are complicit in this murder: from the Tory council and Tenant Management Organisation, to the cladding manufacturer and architects. In this latest episode of IMTV - the International Marxist Television channel, hosted by Socialist Appeal - Nico Baldion, chair of Kensington and Chelsea Momentum, discusses the tragedy of Grenfell, explaining why it happened and how we need to change society in order stop these crimes from taking place again.

In the third episode of IMTV - the International Marxist Television channel, hosted by Socialist Appeal - Francesco Merli provides a Marxist analysis of the situation in Israel and Palestine. On 14th May 1948, the state of Israel was officially founded. It was accompanied by a mass, forceful eviction of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, who were forced to flee from their own lands. This exodus is known amongst Palestinians as the "Nakba" 70 years later, large demonstrations have taken place on the border between Gaza and Israel, as Palestinians commemorate the Nakba. Dozens of protesters have been brutally killed by Israel state forces, in the largest massacre of Gazans since 2014. Francesco looks back at the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict, explaining the factors behind these latest mass protests, and discussing the way forward for the Palestinian liberation struggle.