The Socialism We Need

What kind of society is possible and worth fighting for? What would it take to begin a transition to socialism? What should people who yearn for liberation be doing today? James Graham, Saima Desai and John Clarke join David in a multi-generational conversation.

A few readings relevant to this episode:

A Revolutionary Way of Doing Politics Is Taking Shape in Sudan - New Politics
https://newpol.org/issue_post/a-revolutionary-way-of-doing-politics-is-taking-shape-in-sudan/

Revolution Means Smashing The State
https://www.tempestmag.org/2023/01/revolution-means-smashing-the-state/

A Letter From Canadian Comrades
https://socialistworker.org/2019/03/21/a-letter-from-canadian-comrades

Episode 26: The Socialism We Need

The Palestine Solidarity Movement in Canada 

Busy organizers Chandni Desai and James Hutt pause to discuss where the movement is at in so-called Canada and ideas for strengthening it. 

Some readings and resources:

On unions and Palestine solidarity:
https://www.midnightsunmag.ca/moving-unions-to-fight-for-a-free-palestine/

On Canadian arms exports to Israel:
https://www.readthemaple.com/trudeau-government-authorized-28-million-of-new-military-exports-to-israel-since-october/

BDS target list (official):
https://bdsmovement.net/Act-Now-Against-These-Companies-Profiting-From-Genocide

On scholasticide:
https://theconversation.com/the-war-in-gaza-is-wiping-out-palestines-education-and-knowledge-systems-222055

On pension fund investments:
Canadian pension funds invested $1.6 billion in companies tied to Israeli apartheid ⋆ The Breach
https://breachmedia.ca/canadian-pension-funds-invested-israeli-apartheid/

Episode 38: The Palestine Solidarity Movement In Canada

The Palestine Solidarity Movement in the USA.  

Busy organizers Iman Abid, Shireen Akram-Boshar and Sherry Wolf pause to discuss where the movement is at in the USA and ideas for strengthening it.  

A recent article: 
Toward a free Palestine 
https://www.tempestmag.org/2024/02/toward-a-free-palestine/
  
One of many valuable books (available as a free ebook): 
Palestine: A Socialist Introduction 
https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1558-palestine-a-socialist-introduction

Episode 39: The Palestine Solidarity Movement in the USA

Workers in the Global North: Bribed into Compliance?


Why don't more workers in rich countries support radical politics? Some leftists say it's because imperialism bribes some or all workers in imperialist countries, making them a "labour aristocracy."

In this episode, Charlie Post argues against this explanation, discusses how imperialism does affect the working class in these countries, and suggests a different way of understanding what shapes working-class responses to capitalism.


Readings:

Charlie Post, "Exploring Working-Class Consciousness: A Critique of the Theory of the ‘Labour-Aristocracy’"
https://web.archive.org/web/20190225112753/http://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/5ed0/777f248114127997056169e8c87364ec9b23.pdf

Episode 40: Workers in the Global North: Bribed into Compliance?

What is Imperialism Today?

More people are talking about imperialism because of the US's backing of Israel's war against Gaza and heightened rivalry between the US, China and Russia. But what is imperialism in the third decade of the 21st century? Jeff Webber and Charlie Post discuss how we should understand imperialism and its relationship to capitalism today, the need for a better theory of imperialism than those developed by marxists like Lenin a century ago, and the political implications of how we understand imperialism.

If you're interested in this topic, check out other Victor's Children episodes on imperialism and anti-imperialism including episodes 31, 32, 33, 36 and 40. If you're new to the topic you may want to listen to episode 31 before this episode.


Recommended reading:

Todd Gordon and Jeffery R. Webber, Prelude to a New Imperial Order? – Spectre Journal
https://spectrejournal.com/prelude-to-a-new-imperial-order/

Episode 41: What Is Imperialism Today?

Settler colonialism, capitalism and Indigenous liberation: An Indigenous marxist view


The Palestine solidarity movement has drawn more attention to the concept of settler colonialism, which growing numbers of people have been using to name the oppression of Indigenous nations on Turtle Island. John Carlson discusses "reconciliation," the relationship between settler colonialism and capitalism, and the political implications of their deep interconnectedness.


To learn more:


John Carlson, The Student Encampment Movement is Part of a History of Militant Struggle Against Settler Colonialism
https://www.midnightsunmag.ca/the-student-encampment-movement-is-part-of-a-history-of-militant-struggle-against-settler-colonialism/


A lot of writing by radical Indigenous authors (and more) can be found on Mike Gouldhawke's site:
https://mgouldhawke.wordpress.com


Links to a two-part interview with Sai Englert (author of a recent marxist book about settler colonialism), a response by Jordan Humphreys, and Englert's reply can be found here: Debate - a response on settler colonialism
https://www.rs21.org.uk/2024/05/12/debate-a-response-on-settler-colonialism/


Brian Ward. Are You A Settler?
https://newpol.org/issue_post/are-you-a-settler/
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David Camfield, Colonialism and the Working Class in Canada
https://www.prairiered.ca/archive/colonialism-and-the-working-class-in-canada

Episode 42: Settler colonialism, capitalism and Indigenous liberation: An Indigenous marxist view

Listen Even If You Don't Want To: COVID-19, Health and Politics Today
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Over four years after the COVID-19 pandemic first swept the world, most governments are giving the disease almost no attention and most of us don't want to think about it and are acting as if "COVID is over." But the virus isn't trivial and it's still circulating on a large scale and in unpredictable ways. Socialist health researcher Sam Friedman discusses what we should we know about the disease now, how we got here, and the lessons for future pandemics.
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Readings:
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An open letter from the People's CDC https://peoplescdc.org/2024/04/10/covid-isolation-expert-sign-on-letter/
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Sam Friedman and Suzie Kay, Marxism and the U.S. Response to the HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 Pandemics
https://spectrejournal.com/marxism-and-the-u-s-response-to-the-hiv-aids-and-covid-19-pandemics/
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Sam Friedman, In bird flu, capitalism is the culprit
https://tempestmag.org/2024/06/in-bird-flu-capitalism-is-the-culprit/

Episode 43: Listen Even If You Don't Want To: COVID-19, Health and Politics Today

How (Not) to Challenge Anti-Communism (Against Michael Parenti) & the Case of Anti-Communism in the Ukrainian Diaspora
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Anti-communism is an ideology that opposes any effort to make radical social change. Clearly, we need to challenge it. But there's more than one way of doing so. Opening thoughts about this from David are followed by an interview with historian John-Paul Himka about the case of Ukrainian-Canadians, anti-communism, and the history of Ukraine from the late 1920s on.
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Readings
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Sophie Lewis, "For One Another" (review of Kristen Ghodsee's Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism)
https://thenewinquiry.com/for-one-another/
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John-Paul Himka, "The Ukrainian Nation in the Time of Lenin, Hitler and Stalin"
https://ukrainesolidaritycampaign.org/2023/07/10/the-ukrainian-nation-in-the-time-of-lenin-hitler-and-stalin/
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John-Paul Himka, "Ten Turning Points: A Brief History of Ukraine"
https://ukrainesolidaritycampaign.org/2022/04/13/ten-turning-points-a-brief-history-of-ukraine/

#44: How to Challenge Anti-Communism (Against Parenti) & Anti-Communism in the Ukrainian Diaspora

Loss, Grief and Politics Today, w/ Sarah Jaffe
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How people feel about what's happening in their lives really matters politically. On this episode David interviews Sarah Jaffe, whose new book "From the Ashes" explores grief and its politics in the world today.
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From the Ashes: Grief and Revolution in a World on Fire
https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/sarah-jaffe/from-the-ashes/9781541703490/?lens=bold-type-books
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https://sarahljaffe.com

#45: Loss, Grief and Politics Today, w/ Sarah Jaffe

Extra: The Ukrainian-Canadian Anti-Stalinist Left in the 1970s and 80s.
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An interview with participants Chrystia Chomiak and 
John-Paul Himka about the Ukrainian-Canadian anti-Stalinist radical left initiatives that grew out of the radicalization of the late 1960s into the 1970s.
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Related reading:
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Marko Bojcun, "Ukrainian Socialists in the Diaspora"
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/ukrainian-socialists-in-diaspora-lessons-on-cold-war-solidarity/

Extra: The Ukrainian-Canadian Anti-Stalinist Left in the 1970s and 80s

Trump vs Harris: How did the USA get here?
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The 2024 US presidential election pits a far right billionaire former president whose supporters have taken control of the Republican Party away from the conservatives whose party it once was against the outgoing Democrat vice-president who champions strengthening US imperialism and many reactionary domestic policies. How did the most powerful society within global capitalism come to be in this situation? David interviews US socialist Aaron Amaral about the history leading up to 2024.
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Recommended readings:
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Charlie Post, "The New Deal and the Popular Front"
https://isreview.org/issue/108/new-deal-and-popular-front/index.html
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Ashley Smith, "Trapped in the Democratic Party"
https://tempestmag.org/2023/08/trapped-in-the-democratic-party/
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Sam Farber, "Donald Trump, Lumpen Capitalist"
https://jacobin.com/2018/10/donald-trump-lumpen-capitalist-class-elections
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Dan Davison and Sacha Marten, "Trump’s danger isn’t that he’s a fascist"
https://tempestmag.org/2024/05/trumps-danger-isnt-that-hes-a-fascist/
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Haley Pessin, "Defund The Police"
https://tempestmag.org/2021/02/defund-the-police/

#46: Trump vs Harris: How did the USA get here?

A podcast from so-called Canada talking socialism from below