49th Parahell

Hello. Yes, it's true. The podcast is back. I spoke with Justin Podur of the Anti-Empire Project and Jon Elmer of Electronic Intifada about the unfolding horrific violence in Gaza. support the show on Patreon: www.patreon.com/robrousseau

It's episode 1 of The Rob Rousseau Show audio edition, with Jesse Hawken of Junk Filter Pod. please make sure you subscribe on the new feed or you'll miss future episodes! new podcast feed: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/473204.rss apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rob-rousseau-show/id1584204650

Yes, you read that right. It's the last episode of 49th Parahell. Moving forward I am going to be doing all my interviews and commentary on my live show on Twitch, with an audio version coming soon, so this week I brought back several friends of the show to talk about Doug Ford, the pandemic, Quebec's social solidarity, Joe Biden, Canada's relationship to Israel/Palestine and much more. patreon.com/robrousseau twitch.tv/robrousseau join the discord community: https://discord.gg/4Cq2XkWVgm  

I talked to writer and low-key hustle guy Abdul Malik about the Toronto Raptors as an avatar for Canadian nationalism, the climate crisis, how taking a day off is good but celebrating genocide is bad, and much more. www.patreon.com/robrousseau

The uncovering of a mass grave outside a former "residential school" in Kamloops has made international headlines and once again forced people in what we know as Canada to talk about the brutal violence, cruelty and genocide that this nation is founded on and continues to engage in. Harbinger Media board member Kai Nagata and Kolin Sutherland-Wilson of the Gitxsan Nation join the show to talk about the old-growth logging blockades in BC and how the supposed Dark Chapter in Canadian History never actually ended. https://www.patreon.com/colonialismincanada https://www.instagram.com/kolinsutherlandwilson/ Git'luuhl'um'hetxwit Media: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9Am0RWoa-wZUs1EGeOF66A/ https://www.instagram.com/git_luuhl_um_hetxwit/

Forced expulsions in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah have led to another cycle of Palestinian opposition and brutal repression by the Israeli government. Why does only one side of this "conflict" have the right to defend itself? How has Canada contributed to this situation? Is there a positive shift happening in the way that people in media and politics discuss this issue? Amy Kishek and Omar Burgan join the show this week to answer some of these questions. http://www.patreon.com/robrousseau

We regret to inform you that Doug Ford is, in fact, "at it again." I've got writer/researcher John Semley and Junk Filter Pod host Jesse Hawken joining me here in riff city to talk about Doug's very bad week and whether or not we're on board with the redemption arc. http://www.patreon.com/robrousseau

One thing we've tried to do throughout the run of this show is debunk the lies we like to tell ourselves about what Canada is all about. So this week it was a pleasure to talk to Tyler Shipley, author of Canada in the World: Settler Capitalism and Colonial Imagination about the genocidal foundation of the country, how our modern foreign policy is not as benign as we've been led to believe, and how learning about all this can keep us informed about the real priorities of our current ruling class. http://www.patreon.com/robrousseau https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/canada-in-the-world  

It's the one-year anniversary of the pandemic, and there's a whole lot to feel disillusioned by. Fortunately, none other than renowned author & activist Naomi Klein is joining the show to express maybe the most radical idea of all: that, maybe, just maybe, things might be starting to get a bit better. www.patreon.com/robrousseau

Jeff Bezos is stepping down as head of Amazon, so obviously that means we won't have to hear from him ever again, right? Unfortunately not. Paris Marx, host of Harbinger podcast Tech Won't Save Us, joins me to talk about Bezos's career, the rotten economic system that allows people like him, Bill Gates, Elon Musk and others to build unfathomable fortunes and essentially write their own hagiographies, and the exploitative Independent Contractor business model that Amazon popularized going international in the 2020's. http://www.patreon.com/robrousseau https://www.patreon.com/techwontsaveus

The Trump era is over. It was simultaneously horrifying and very, very stupid. Lana Polansky & I talk about our favorite Trump moments, what this all means, whether Canada's right wing populist moment has passed, the coming decade of neoliberal technocracy and more. patreon.com/robrousseau patreon.com/TheFreakMuseum

It's the final 49th Parahell of the year and what a hellish nightmare it has been, huh? Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade & Operators returns to the show to talk about how he and other artists are surviving the pandemic and also how this year was really just a preview of the kind of horrors the coming decade holds. Welcome to the new cold war. http://www.patreon.com/robrousseau https://www.patreon.com/operators  

U of T poli-sci professor and Harbinger Media board of directors member Jessica Green returns to the show to break down how Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party are failing on climate, how "net zero emissions" is nothing more than a meaningless catchphrase, what's in Joe Biden's trillion dollar climate plan (and whether any of it will actually get enacted) and much more. patreon.com/robrousseau harbingermedianetwork.com

The NDP's Niki Ashton joins the show for a wide-ranging conversation on Justin Trudeau's inadequate Covid response, whether New Democrats have done enough to reach out to young voters, the rise of the far right, Donald Trump, the disappointing Democratic Party primary, foreign policy, Progressive International and much more www.harbingermedianetwork.com www.patreon.com/robrousseau  

This week I'm joined by Jay Watts, central organizer of the Communist Party of Canada, to talk about why the Canadian Leftist Podcaster Community needs to move on from incessant magical thinking about how to make the NDP good. We also talk about why electoralism is important, the 50th Anniversary of the October Crisis and more. Also there's an election in the US tomorrow? http://patreon.com/robrousseau

The one and only Nashwa of Muslim Rumspringa and Habibti Please joins the show for a great conversation about why Canadian media sucks, how we are planning on changing that, the problem with Liberals, establishment journalist gatekeepers learning nothing from the last 6 months, Green Party entryism, whether I should run for Prime Minister and a whole lot more. Don't miss this one. patreon.com/robrousseau www.harbingermedianetwork.com

Returning champion Martin Lukacs joins me to break down Justin Trudeau's low-on-substance, high-on-vague-platitudes throne speech, the escalating conflict between the Mi'kmaw people and white settler fishermen in NS, and the plan to do Green Party entryism and push them to the left. Also, some exciting news about a new project and the future of the show.  http://www.patreon.com/49thParahell

Progress Alberta's Duncan Kinney joins the show to talk about "Black Ribbon Day" and why talking about Chrystia Freeland's Nazi grandfather is important, new Conservative Party leader Erin O'Toole and where the conservative movement is headed, the NBA wildcat strike and more. support the show on Patreon: http"//patreon.com/49thParahell merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/official49thparahell?ref_id=12242

This week I'm joined by Green Party leadership candidate Meryam Haddad to talk about her vision for the Party, how capitalism and sustainability are diametrically opposed, overcoming the political generational divide, why we need stand up for Palestinian human rights no matter how controversial it might be and more. support the show on Patreon: http://patreon/com/49thParahell merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/official49thparahell?ref_id=12242  

This week I take a few minutes to strike a balance between laughing at the state of the canadian far right and being alarmed by what they're up to and where they could be going, then artist, writer and activist Susan Blight joins the show to talk about our summer of upheaval, abolition, Indigenous solidarity, keeping the protest momentum going, Landback, disingenuous Liberals and much more. support the show on Patreon: http://patreon.com/49thParahell

Karen Geier makes her long-awaited return to the show to break down Trudeau's latest corruption scandal and explain a little about the bizarre cult-like WE charity at the centre of it. I also ask the question that was on a lot of people's minds yesterday: Why do we have monuments to Nazi war criminals in Canada? support the show on patreon: http://patreon.com/49thParahell merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/official49thparahell?ref_id=12242

After a few words on the RCMP's potential involvement in last month's brutal mass killing in Nova Scotia, NDP MP Matthew Green joins the show and holds nothing back during a conversation on his career from activist to city councillor to member of parliament, his skepticism of party politics, COVID, Justin Trudeau's hollow performative progressivism, systemic racism in Canada, abolishing the police and much more. support the show on patreon: http://patreon.com/49thParahell find merch here: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/official49thparahell?utm_campaign=12242&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=Official49thParahell

I'm back from a brief pandemic-related hiatus with none other than Jay Baruchel -- we talk about how our current reality relates to various 80s dystopia movies, Trump as a groteseque symbol of america, how canadians pathologically avoid confronting structural racism at home and much more. Support the show on patreon: http://patreon.com/49thParahell find 49th Parahell merch here: https://www.teepublic.com/?ref_id=12242

Friend of the show Nora Loreto returns to talk about COVID-19, Trudeau's inadequate response getting worldwide praise, Francois Legault's ludicrous plan to re-open Quebec schools in two weeks, the horrific mass shooting in Nova Scotia and the RCMP trying to spin the tragedy into copaganda, and much more.  support the show on patreon: http://patreon.com/49thParahell

It's a super-seized pandemic episode as returning guest Andray Domise and I break down quaranatine parenting, Bernie coming up short, what people take for granted about black voters, the dangers of reformism, the CERB, our coming dystopian surveillance nightmare, and much more. Also a few minutes on the Labour Party's exposed inside job on Jeremy Corbyn and what that tells us about the establishment in the UK and elsewhere. support the show on patreon: http://patreon.com/49thParahell

After a few words on parenting & self-care in the apocalypse, Ajit Singh joins the show to talk about current western narratives on China, a possible new global order rising and how our already-devastating sanctions on countries like Iran and Venezuela become downright genocidal during a pandemic. Support the show on patreon: http://patreon.com/49thParahell

I'm back. And quite a lot has happened in the last three weeks. Primary season has rapidly deteriorated into pandemic season and no one really knows how bad it's gonna get over the next few weeks and months. Scientist and local tv personality Ada McVean joins me to talk about Coronavirus, what things are going to look like in Montreal, Canada and beyond in the near future and why social distancing shouldn't just be for introverts. support the show on patreon: http//patreon.com/49thParahell

The RCMP raid of the Wet'suwet'en Coastal GasLink blockade has inspired nationwide solidarity protests and also an extremely ugly reactionary backlash. Political organizer and frequent commentator on ethnic, migration and climate issues Romy Garrido joins me to talk about the protest movements origins and the media narratives around it, then zoomer activist Rayne Fisher-Quan recounts her experiences this week at one of Vancouver's solidarity blockades. Support the Unist'ot'en Legal Fund: https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/unistoten2020legalfund/ Support the show on patreon: http://www.patreon.com/49thParahell

We're a few days away from the Iowa caucuses, Bernie Sanders is surging in the polls, are everyone is losing their minds. It's great. Kyle Kulinski joins me to break down the ongoing liberal meltdown, also a few words on #RememberJan29 and some exciting news about the future of the show. subscribe on patreon: http://www.patreon.com/49thParahell

It's a few weeks away from the democratic primary actually beginning and things are starting to get extremely stupid, so Katie Halper from Rolling Stone's Useful Idiots podcast joins me to break down last week's Bernie/Warren feud. Also some stuff on the beyond parody NYT editorial board endorsement, the Nazi gun nut rally in Virginia and some info on how to support the Wet'suwet'en Coastal GasLink blockade. support the show on patreon: http://ww.patreon.com/49thParahell

Chapo Trap House's Will Menaker joins the show for a wide-ranging conversation on the seemingly de-escalating Iran conflict, Bernie's campaign, Jeffrey Epstein/all-powerful mastermind Kevin Spacey and much more. Support the show on patreon: http://www.patreon.com/49thParahell Support the Edmonton families of Iranian plane crash victims: https://www.gofundme.com/f/36x3n-memorial-fundraiser

It's a new year, a new episode and the world sucks just as much as ever. After a few comments on Trump's dangerous escalation with Iran, Boonta Vista's Andrew Law reports in from the increasingly uninhabitable wasteland once known as "Australia." support the show on patreon: http://www.patreon.com/49thParahell

It's the last episode of the year, so I return to the US Presidential election that I've been mostly ignoring over the last few months, and friend of the show/PMC neoliberal shill Jordan Uhl joins me to break everything down. support the show on patreon: http://www.patreon.com/49thParahell

Well, this feels pretty bad. Luke Savage returns to break down The Labour Party's devastating loss in the UK election and I try to offer some words of encouragement for anyone who's feeling hopeless right now. support the show on patreon: http://www.patreon.com/49thParahell

We're approaching election day in the United Kingdom so Novara Media's Eleanor Penny returns to the show to break down the completely upside down, madness-inducing UK media environment, British Tories fully embracing their death cult status, and we dare to dream of the possibility that the Absolute Boy Jeremy Corbyn may be, in fact, about to do it. VOTE LABOUR ON DEC 12 Support the show on patreon: http://www.patreon.com/49thParahell

There's another global climate strike going on, not to mention an ongoing radical movement of organized transit fare evasion from Chile to Toronto, so James Wilt returns to the show to talk about how free public transport might just be the central cog in the struggle for climate justice and a green new deal that can transform society for the better. we also talk a bunch of shit about Elon Musk. support the show on patreon: http://www.patreon.com/49thParahell

It's a very special Antifada/49th Parahell crossover as Sean KB joins the program and we step outside the neverending horror of the news cycle and examine what it's like to be alive at a time when major social upheaval seems like it's just beyond the horizon. support the show on patreon: http://www.patreon.com/49thParahell

After I express frustration that my good faith advice re: the Trump impeachment proceedings is being completely ignored, Derrick O'Keefe from Ricochet joins the show to talk about the ongoing coup in Bolivia which Canada is, of course, enthusiastically supporting. We also spend a few minutes on Don Cherry and toxic hockey culture. Support the show on patreon: http://www.patreon.com/49thParahell

We're back. After a few minutes on Bill Gates and the utter scam that is billionaire philanthropy, Riley Quinn of Trashfuture joins the show to talk about the high stakes UK Season Finale that is December's general election. support the show on patreon: http://www.patreon.com/49thParahell

Election season has come to a merciful end, and Martin Lukacs (author of The Trudeau Formula: Seduction and Betrayal in an Age of Discontent) to help me break down Canada's new electoral map. Support the show on patreon: http://www.patreon.com/49thParahell

After my definitive, highly-informed take on Syria/the Kurds, Hilary Agro returns to the show to talk about AOC endorsing Bernie, our feelings on election eve, strategic voting, drug policy and much more. Support the show on patreon: http://www.patreon.com/49thParahell

It's an extra special bonus episode: a re-broadcast of my appearance on The Serfs' twitch channel from the night of the global climate strike. We talk about the march, Greta, Bernie, Jeremy Corbyn, why the Green New Deal is the path forward in terms of climate policy and much more. 

I talk a bit about my experience last week at the Montreal Climate Strike, then Christo Aivalis joins the program to weigh in on the NDP's prospects in the upcoming federal election, where they've gone wrong in the past, Jagmeet Singh's leadership tenure and much more. Support the show on patreon: http://www.patreon.com/49thParahell

This week UofT poli sci prof Jessica Green joins the show to talk about the UN climate summit, Greta, why we need to ditch carbon pricing, a Canadian Green New Deal and what climate justice should look like. Also I try and fail to briefly talk about Trump impeachment stuff and classical liberal (not right wing) Dave Rubin doing a PPC fundraiser. Support the show on patreon: http://www.patreon.com/49thParahell

After a passionate defence of our embattled PM and his unique brand of Radical Empathy, Davide Mastracci joins the show to talk about Ezra Levant's Globe & Mail op-ed and how the media class obsession with vague journalistic ideals is ruining journalism. support the show on patreon: http://www.patreon.com/49thParahell

It's election season, baby! In Canada now, too. So Andrew Neville of Dog Island joins the show for a super special election preview spectacular. Also a few words on Joe Biden's ongoing physical and cognitive decline. Support the show on patreon: http://www.patreon.com/49thParahell

Between Joe Biden's brain liquifying climate townhall performance, Trump's insane Alabama fixation and Boris Johnson's unbelievably terrible start as UK Prime Minister, Rob wonders whether the simulation is crashing or if he's simply losing his grip on reality. Then Abby Martin joins the show to talk about her new film Gaza Fights for Freedom, the Great March of Return and the ongoing human rights disaster being carried out by the Israeli government.

I go over the wonderful Bret Stephens/bedbug saga, a now-former Quillette "journalist" possibly facing some legal issues, and the latest in the profoundly undemocratic brexit process, then Livvy Fanon joins the show to discuss the ancient art of billionaire boat murder and help shatter Canada's carefully managed and marketed image as a nation that has moved beyond its violent settler colonial roots in any meaningful way. Support the show on patreon: http://www.patreon.com/49thParahell

David Koch tragically dies in an (alleged) most dangerous game gone wrong, the Amazon is on fire but business is booming, and bad faith conservatives are bending over backwards to handwave away Trump's obvious antisemitism. Also, Vice's Mack Lamoureux joins the show to talk about his experiences covering the rise of the Canadian far right, the increasingly obvious rhetorical crossover between extremists and mainstream conservative politicians & journalists and much more. Support the show on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/49thParahell

I speculate on how the Epstein case would have impacted the Clinton Administration in the alternate brunch universe, than Abi Wilkinson joins the show to explain the latest Brexit drama involving Jeremy Corbyn's godfather offer to the LibDems and Tory rebels, how the rise of Corbyn (and Bernie Sanders) has exposed all kinds of ruling class contradictions, and more. Support the show on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/49thParahell

Brandon Sutton/Chad Vigorous joins the show again to talk about Quillette/DSA drama, mass shootings, the various ways establishment media has repeatedly failed to accurately describe the reality of the American dystopia and more. Support the show on patreon: patreon.com/49thParahell