Keeping up with current affairs from UK and international politics.
Listen to Podcasting is Praxis's Independence Day episode before checking out this one, and subscribe to their pod while you're at it. In Part 2 of our ALE pod crossover, we break down Roland Emmerich's deep understanding of gravity, Burt Hemsworth's very real appeal, and ask "how gay you can be in a blockbuster movie?" as we peel back the layers of unanswerable questions (most of them just "why?!") in Independence Day: Resurgence. Podcasting is Praxis Podcasting is Praxis on Twitter Podcasting is Praxis's Store Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter
Yes it's late, yes it's completely out of date, no I can't be bothered to write a proper description, you'll download it and you'll enjoy it! Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter Thread following the recent arrests of anti-monarchists Students and staff sign petition backing Carnegie Mellon professor after controversial Queen tweets: ‘We express our solidarity' Shamrock Rovers fans sing a jaunty tune "Chileans rejected the new constitution, but they still want progressive reforms This article is more than 1 month old" by Ariel Dorfman "The Fight for a New Chile Goes On" by Melany Cruz "Bellicose and Underinformed" by James Butler Prime Minister Liz Truss's statement: 6 September 2022 Civil liberties groups criticise police over arrests of anti-monarchy protesters Symon Hill on being arrested "For Anyone That has Ever Worked Retail, These Rants are For You"
A much delayed episode which is now very much out of date. Oh well! On this episode of Comradio we're covering the theatre of the absurd that is Labour and Tory politics. Join us for a three act production featuring Tarry's troubles, Starmer's shenanigans, and Truss's threats. Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter Mr Rules, Vol 1 Mr Rules, Vol 2
Remember the Forde Report? We know no one talks about it now but it definitely happened, we spend our time becoming increasingly angry at it and what it should mean for Labour, we then discuss the bin fire that is the Tory Leadership contest, before finishing off with the Hot Strike Summer (XXX). Join us after our sabbatical as we continue to realise things can only get worse. Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter The Forde Report Has Exposed the Rotten Foundations of Keir Starmer's Leadership Short kings PraxisChat 2 - Barrister Strike with Hannah Webb
Long ago, in the heights of May, James aka @anarchonbury, albeit only one candle in the wind, was tasked with the reclaiming of mythology. Hear how obstacles will be overcome, the dragon slain, and the fascists defeated. (The left must triumph eventually, after all.) With maybe some practical thoughts about living on the left in the 2020s. From the Council of Nicea to fast food empires, we sharpen our swords and talk stories. Right now on Comradio. Plus, an update on some of the newer socialist electoral parties. Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter James on Twitter Podcasting is Praxis on Twitter Listen to Podcasting is Praxis Praxis Cast's Patreon 27 - Mythology, Part I: I'd Still Myth You, Babe 29 - Mythology, Part II: And I Don't Want to Myth a Thing feat. Sarah Stein Lubrano See also 85 - Political Orgone-ising Max Weber on Modernity at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy The Later Wittgenstein at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Lacan on Otherness at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Podcasting is Praxis | Episode 49 - A Very Special Mockumentary, by Curtis Adams 'The Red Book': A Window Into Jung's Dreams - Karen Michel for NPR (2009) Take a look at pages from The Red Book by Carl Jung - The Guardian (2009) The ability of odours to serve as state-dependent cues for real-world memories: can Viking smells aid the recall of Viking experiences? - J P Aggleton et al (1999) Mythologies by Roland Barthes at Hive Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl at Hive Vulgaria: The Re-Enchantment of Suburbia, Paul Knox (2005) McDonaldization: Definition and Overview of the Concept by Ashley Crossman at ThoughtCo The Re-Enchantment of the World by Joshua Landy (ed) at World of Books The Northern Independence Party Peace at Home podcast
These days you can get arrested just for being Hitler. We put recent media "gaffes" promoting the far right into historical context. Newspaper coverage of Mussolini and Hitler in the 1930s on both sides of the Atlantic - including a spotlight on the Daily Mirror's pro-Fascist and pro-Hitler content, Nazi collaboration by Associated Press, the American press and the KKK in the 1920s, reporting of the milkshaking of Andy Ngo, and more. Plus, how being hit as a child didn't do Wes Streeting any harm. NATO shares image of Ukrainian soldier wearing Nazi insignia; deletes it later - Opindia (2022) FC Metalist Karkhiv Soldier with Deus Vult badge Donald Trump retweets far-right group's anti-Muslim videos - BBC News (2017) How a Right-Wing Troll Managed to Manipulate the Mainstream Media - EJ Dickson for Rolling Stone (2019) Where the New York Times article on an American Nazi went wrong - Ezra Klein for Vox (2017) How media ‘fluff' helped Hitler rise to power - Charlotte Hsu, University of Buffalo News (2015) Interview with Dr Felix Harcourt. The media and the Ku Klux Klan: a debate that began in the 1920s - Lois Beckett and Jesse Brenneman in The Guardian (2018) Podcast: Face the Racist Nation - WNYC Studios (2018) Gary Younge interviews Richard Spencer - Guardian channel (YouTube) Wes Streeting on smacking
A short preview of our Patreon exclusive content Our April film club episode is a discussion of the beautiful and nuanced film that was the catalyst for the launch of Studio Ghibli. We talk about the film's influence and the influences upon it, including a real life environmental disaster arising from Japanese post-War policy; how three major religions (and their political history in Japan) feed into the specifics of the environmental message; the atom bomb; the individual vs the collective; why there are no telephones in Nausicaä's world; and more. Sign up to our Film Club for £3 a month
There are two Boris Johnsons at the entrance to Downing Street. One always lies and the other always lies. How does Dawn Butler get an apology? Tory fines, the object permanence of journalists, Michael Fabricant as a first responder (fuelling fires and insulting public sector workers), Ian Dunt's deportation date to Rwanda, P&O failing safety checks, increasing fat cat profits, student loan repayment rises, the possible return of Balls, and Labour Against Climate Action. Plus, Chris Smalls and Amazon. Follow Second Row Socialists on Twitter Follow Comradio on Twitter Support us on Patreon Ian Dunt's Rwanda tweet The Labour Party's anti-protest tweet
This week on Comradio, we discuss the history of a controversial concept, Base and Superstructure. From Marx to Gramsci to Political Marxism to the anti-colonial perspectives of Fanon and others, with several other stops between. Plus, Palestine Action. Follow Second Row Socialists on Twitter Follow Comradio on Twitter Follow Kieron on Twitter Follow Palestine Action on Twitter Palestine Action website The German Ideology - Karl Marx (1845) The Wretched of The Earth - Frantz Fanon (1963) Base and Superstructure in Marxist Cultural Theory - Raymond Williams (1973) Preface to A Contribution to a Critique of Political Economy - Karl Marx (1859) Engels letter to J.Bloch in Konigsberg (1890) The Concepts of Ideology, Hegemony, and Organic Intellectuals in Gramsci's Marxism - Valeriano Ramos, Jr. (1982) Marxism and Problems of Linguistics - J.V. Stalin (1950) Louis Althusser and Base & Superstructure Democracy against capitalism - E.M.Wood (1995) The Brenner Debate Base and Superstructure: A Reply to Hugh Collins - G. A. Cohen (1989) If You Want to Understand Marxism, Read G. A. Cohen - Ben Burgis in Jacobin (2022) Colonial Lives of Property : Law, Land, and Racial Regimes of Ownership by Brenna Bhandar (2018) at Hive Whiteness as Property - Cheryl I. Harris (1993) Red Skin, White Masks: Rejecting the Colonial Politics of Recognition - Glen Sean Coulthard (2014) at Hive
A short preview of our Patreon exclusive episode The Coen Brothers are very much consciously postmodern filmmakers who try to avoid making films with an obvious message, that address social issues directly. How does this play out in a film which sets the Odyssey in the American Deep South of the 1930s? We examine the allegorical, the moral, and the political in O Brother Where Art Thou? Sign up to our Film Club for £3 a month
For our 100th episode we are joined by Eleanor Janega and David from Podcasting is Praxis who help us rake over the last two years in UK politics- since the beginning of Comradio in March 2020 - via four questions: What do you remember from that early lockdown? What has Covid ever done for us? How did Boris Johnson wriggle out of that one (and that one and that one and that one)? And, how did this Starmer thing turn out then? Plus, all the good news. Follow Second Row Socialists on Twitter Follow Comradio on Twitter Follow Eleanor on Twitter Follow David on Twitter Our Patreon (including Film Club) Eleanor's blog Eleanor on Patreon Podcasting is Praxis Podcasting is Praxis on Patreon Alternative Left Entertainment Join IWW. Be a wobbly!
This is an emergency bonus episode for you all, as I (Jordan) managed to snag an interview with Darren Procter, the RMT National Secretary about the situation with the 800 RMT and Nautilus International workers who lost their jobs over a video call with no prior warning. Share as widely as possible and support these workers however you can, solidarity forever. RMT - On Twitter - On Facebook - On Instagram Nautilus International - On Twitter - On Facebook - On Instagram Larne Demonstration - Friday 25th March Dover Demonstration - Saturday 26th March 12:00 Hull Demonstration - Saturday 26th March 13:00 Liverpool Demonstration - Saturday 26th March 11:30
In a topical episode recorded before the Child Q story broke, we discuss the Met Police in the light of their defeat in the courts over the Sarah Everard vigil, Western journalists showing almost as little regard for the Geneva Convention as the Ukraine and Russian armies, the hypocrisy of Hillary, horrible Hitler/Putin comparisons, the proliferation of Red Scare rhetoric, Peter Oborne in defense of Corbyn, the impact of sanctions on left wing Chelsea fans, Tory failure and Labour inadequacy on Ukrainian refugees, rising energy prices, and almost everything you could want to know about political emojis. Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Rachel Maddow Guest Says Hitler Is Better Than Putin Russia-Ukraine war: Jeremy Corbyn was right all along about Putin and his oligarchs - Peter Oborne in Middle East Eye (2022) Premier League table Minister says fleeing Ukrainians can apply to pick fruit in deleted tweet - Tom Davison for The Mirror (2022) Priti Patel is under fire for her handling of the Ukrainian refugee crisis, but the buck stops with Boris Johnson - Paul Waugh in inews (2022) NI News. Energy bills: One-off support payment due to begin - BBC News website (2022) "Wear jumpers. It's fine" Stuart Strike: Pay rise not pay cut! Donate to the Stuart riders strike fund
We roam over London, New York, Paris, Bilbao, Preston, and the Scottish Highlands, in a discussion of what cities and landscapes tell us about workers and the wealthy, how anarchism assists urban planning, imperial landscapes in pop culture, Boris Johnson's oligarch-pleasing Garden Bridge project, the Labour Councillor who bollarded himself out of a pint, how the National Gallery tried to discourage tourists, and more. Plus, photography: Stalin vs Henri Cartier-Bresson. Tim Waterman is Associate Professor of Landscape Theory at the Bartlett School of Architecture at UCL. His latest book is The Landscape of Utopia: Writings on Everyday Life, Taste, Democracy, and Design. Our Patreon Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment ALE on Twitter Tim Waterman on Twitter Tim's website The Landscape of Utopia by Tim Waterman (2022) Nincompoopolis: The Follies of Boris Johnson by Douglas Murphy (2017) Comradio ep 53 - Unsensible World of Soccer Anarchy in Action by Colin Ward (2017) The Child in the City by Colin Ward (1978). Full text The World Bollard Association on Twitter Imagined Communities by Benedict Anderson (2016) How we built community wealth in Preston Ukraine official Twitter account on Coke and Pepsi People's Republic of Walmart : How the World's Biggest Corporations are Laying the Foundation for Socialism by Leigh Philips, Michal Rozworski (2019) Developing Socialism: The Photographic Condition of Architecture in Romania, 1958–1970 - Juliana Maxim (2011) Photographer profile: Henri Cartier-Bresson
A hybrid topical episode for you this week. Twenty minutes on Ukraine (and when is a billionaire an oligarch?) then we talk technology news: Trump's new social media platform, Amazon in court for union busting, gamers get esports event moved from homophobic UAE, Disco Elysium's TV deal with Amazon, Barry Gardiner and the CEO of Airbus in sync, and more. Plus, the repeal of the Vagrancy Act. Our Patreon Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Ukraine invasion: Student claims he was beaten and racially abused as he fled towards Polish border - Amrit Singh Mann for Sky News (2022) SNL Afghanistan skit When it comes to politics, the UK suffers from a chronic disease. It's called satire - Stuart Jeffries in The Guardian (2019) Study: US is an oligarchy, not a democracy - BBC News website (2014) Filter out 'unverified' accounts, tech giants told - BBC News website (2022) Airbus CEO says hydrogen plane is ‘the ultimate solution' but cautions a lot of work lies ahead - Anmar Frangoul for CNBC (2022) Let's think beyond electric vehicles and a few battery plants: we need hydrogen - Barry Gardiner at Labour List (2022) Ep 68 - Comradio Film Club #3: Jaws feat. Jack Frayne-Reid
History has given us some odd territorial boundaries, strange exclaves, and a whole lot of border conflict, often racialised conflict. In a wide-ranging episode recorded before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, we talk about the opera house in two countries that allowed families to get around Trump's travel ban, the centuries of history that led to the Irish border, the current border situation in Northern Ireland, how the US and the EU incentivize their neighbours to prevent migrants getting close to their own borders, the neglect of duty to migrants and refugees, how to talk about borders during a pandemic, and a digression on the qualities of the himbo. Plus, medical TV viewing for troubled times. Our Patreon Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter Vox documentaries on borders Melilla: Europe's dirty secret - Nick Davies in The Guardian (2010) Hundreds of child migrants crammed into warehouses in Ceuta - Ashifa Kassam in The Guardian (2021) Drugs being smuggled into Ireland ‘inside horses and donkeys', policing meeting hears - Conor Lally for The Irish Times (2021) HSBC "Love knows no bounds" poster WHO advice for international traffic in relation to the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) Berlin 1961: The Record Corrected - Raymond L. Garthoff (1991)
A short preview of our Patreon exclusive episode. A double feature this month. Sex and relationships educator Justin Hancock joins us to talk about two similar 2011 Rom Coms, Friends With Benefits and No Strings Attached. Do they tell us anything about society, gender, and relationships? Are they selling post-crash reassurance? Why are cities romantic characters? What is at the heart of the Hollywood O? When will a boat come in handy? Listen now to find out. Our Patreon Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter Jacques Lacan at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Sex differences in approaching FWB relationships - Justin J Lehmiller et al (2011) Alan Partridge - Toblerone flashback LEFT/OVER Episode 49. - In Troubled Times feat. Daniel Baker The Cure - End Poochie in The Simpsons
This week, Labour misdeeds in recent news: Starmer & Savile Starmer against STW Starmer's hypocrisy on NATO Neil Coyle's Sinophobia Labour's worsening relations with its biggest unions, and Shad Justice Sec Steve Reed's strongman measures to get "tough on crime". Plus, the ongoing injustices of a terrible New Labour policy: 'Imprisonment for Public Protection' sentences. Our Patreon Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter Under my leadership, Labour's commitment to Nato is unshakable - Keir Starmer in The Guardian (2022) Keir Starmer's Start the War Coalition - Andrew Murray in Tribune (2022) A personal statement on my interaction with Neil Coyle - Henry Dyer in Business Insider (2022) Not the first time Coyle's got into trouble... Jeremy Corbyn critic says he is victim of Labour smear campaign - Andrew Sparrow in The Guardian (2017) Sharon Graham's forthright statement on Labour funding Times story about Corbyn not ever getting whip back (archived) Steve Reed interview: Labour 'cared more about criminals than victims' under Corbyn - Dan Bloom for The Mirror (2022) Families' plea over ‘barbaric' indefinite prison sentences for minor crimes - Samantha Asumadu at Open Democracy (2022)
His wet shirt glistened in the summer haze. "Romantic love," he offered, "Was its Western manifestation unique, a response to early industrialisation?" Images of muscled men with sweat and soot upon the brow filled her fevered mind. "Is it a stage in the liberation struggle of women?" she countered. "Consider chivalric romance, Goethe, Gyorgy Lukacs. What of romance as a continuation of the spirit of the French revolution, a struggle within liberalism?" Meanwhile, the blacksmith and the heiress were arguing about Jane Austen. Then the doorbell trilled ominously. You could hear their breathing. It was the postman delivering a package. He proffered A Lover's Discourse: Fragments by Roland Barthes, two inverted commas in 69 on the cover, and shards of Sappho. Plus, the gypsy maps of Damian Le Bas. Our Patreon Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter Love and Structure - Charles Lindholm (1998) The Sorrows of Young Werther by JW von Goethe (1774) Samaritans The Sorrows Of Young Werther - Georg (György) Lukács (1936) Reification and the Consciousness of the Proletariat - Georg Lukacs (1923) Bryter Later - Nick Drake Elizabeth crossing the field Chuck Tingle A Lover's Discourse: Fragments by Roland Barthes (1977) at Hive Poems of Sappho. Translated by Julia Dubnoff Maps - Gypsy Dada by Damian Le Bas
This week we bring you chat about stories in the news. Partygate, Nusrat Ghani, Chris Bryant hitting himself with hammers, what Lenin didn't say about criticising other countries, whether Boris Johnson will defeat the Russians singlehandedly, the resignation of Laura Pidcock from Labour's NEC, and more. Plus, the volcano-powered Bitcoin City, the coming crises, and how the banks will suffer to the benefit of the people. Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter Nusrat Ghani: Muslimness a reason for my sacking, says ex-minister - BBC News (2022) I encouraged Nusrat Ghani to stand as a Tory MP. I wish I hadn't - Peter Oborne in Middle East Eye (2022) Chris Bryant responding to the Sideshow Bob rakes meme Council of Europe condemns ‘virulent attacks on LGBT rights' in the UK, Hungary and Poland - Nick Duffy for iNews (2022) Ann Henderson now confirmed replacement for Laura Pidcock on Labour's NEC - Sienna Rodgers for Labourlist (2022) Waypoint Radio episode with story on Microsoft & Activision Blizzard Ireland: Laws criminalizing sex work are facilitating the targeting and abuse of sex workers - Amnesty International (2022) Photo of Nayib Bukele Yanis Varoufakis on Crypto & the Left Talking Heads - Born Under Punches
A short preview of our Patreon exclusive episode. Film Club on a much loved fantasy tale? As you wish. Bad bosses, the financial freedom of pirates, feats of Andre the Giant, the very famous US senator who loves The Princess Bride (although the cast don't love him back), and more. Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter Sanguinian on Twitter 'Princess Bride' Reunion: Politics Non-Factor In Fred Savage's Absence Inconceivable! Ted Cruz And 'Princess Bride' Star Cary Elwes Cross Swords On Twitter - Jeremy Blum in HuffPo (2021) Mandy Patinkin Would Love for Ted Cruz to Stop Quoting The Princess Bride - Julie Miller in Vanity Fair (2015)
The urgency of adapting our energy supply to mitigate climate change brings the question of nuclear energy to the fore. Last week, we covered the case against. This week, nuclear physicist and safety specialist Mat Flusk presents the case for, along the way giving us unsentimental insights into the politics of the industry and future technology. Plus, "crossing the floor". Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter Mat Flusk on Twitter Do Artifacts Have Politics? - Langdon Winner (1980) Authoritarian and Democratic Technics - Lewis Mumford (1964) On Authority - Frederick Engels (1874) The Meaning of Confederalism - Murray Bookchin (1990) 20 years after Richard Hillman first appeared onscreen, he's still Corrie's greatest ever villain - Laura Stanley in The Metro (2021) World Nuclear News How To Drive A Nuclear Reactor by Colin Tucker (2020) Christian Wakeford's voting record
The urgency of adapting our energy supply to mitigate climate change brings the question of nuclear energy to the fore. Over two episodes we will bring you each side of the debate. First up, in a discussion ranging from Patricia Hewitt to Engels, from the immediate issues to the inherent characteristics of technologies, Dave Cullen of the Nuclear Information Service presents the left wing case against. Plus, the political life of Taylor Swift. Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter Dave Cullen on Twitter Stop Trying to Make Nuclear Power Happen - Dave Cullen in The New Socialist (2021) Nuclear Information Service website Information on Calder Hall Outlook: Patricia Hewitt signs the nuclear industry's death warrant - Jeremy Warner in The Independent (2003) Government loses nuclear power case - Deborah Summer and 'agencies' in The Guardian (2007) Do Artifacts Have Politics? - Langdon Winner (1980) Authoritarian and Democratic Technics - Lewis Mumford (1964) On Authority - Frederick Engels (1874) Manifesto of Libertarian Communism - George Fontenis (1953) Shining a light on the UK's nuclear deterrent - University of Sussex Unclear nuclear: How UK energy consumers unwittingly pay for military infrastructures - Neil Vowles for University of Sussex (2019) A Vernacular of Surveillance: Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus Perform White Authenticity - Rachel E Dubrofsky (2016) ‘She isn't whoring herself out like a lot of other girls we see': Identification and “Authentic” American Girlhood on Taylor Swift Fan Forums - Adriane Brown (2012) The video to Shake It Off
Rhian E. Jones, editor of Red Pepper and writer and editor of several books including two about music and one on popular culture, joins us to talk about social class as it pertains to UK popular music and its major influences. The conversation starts roughly in the Twentieth Century with brass bands, Joe Hill, and music hall, then wends its way inexorably to the Thatcher years, the revolutionary truth about lemons, a song about a motorcycle, and eventually to the present day, Grime, and working class access to music. We have put together a playlist to accompany this episode, available on Spotify and Apple Music. Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter Rhian's Twitter Red Pepper on Twitter Clampdown - Pop-cultural wars on class and gender by Rhian E Jones (2013) Triptych : Three Studies of Manic Street Preachers' The Holy Bible by Larissa Wodtke, Rhian E Jones, Daniel Lukes (2017) Under My Thumb: Songs that hate women and the women who love them by Rhian E Jones, Eli Davis (2017) Paint Your Town Red : How Preston Took Back Control and Your Town Can Too by Matthew Brown, Rhian E Jones (2021) Music playlist - Spotify Music playlist - Apple Music Nixon's "Great Silent Majority" Citations Needed | Episode 119: How the Right Shaped Pop Country Music The Elvic Oracle: Did Anyone Invent Rock N Roll? - Louis Menand in The New Yorker (2015) Trashfuture - Britainology 9: UK Rave Culture History of Factory Records One leaf that David Cameron should take out of Thatcher's book - Barbara Gunnell in The Guardian (2011) Cover of the first Stone Roses album James of Manic Street Preachers wears a balaclava on TOTP Richey Edwards: The mysterious disappearance of the Manic Street Preachers star, 25 years on - Ed Power in The Independent (2020) ‘McDonalds' Music' Versus ‘Serious Music': How Production and Consumption Practices Help to Reproduce Class Inequality in the Classical Music Profession - Anna Bull and Christina Scharff (2017) Trashfuture - A Functioning State? Never Seen One of Those feat. Sanjana Varghese. (inc "Housekeeping") Resonate. The Community Owned Music Service Metropolitan Police apply for court order to stop gang members making drill music, in unprecedented move - Chris Baynes for The Independent (2018) How UK Ravers Raged Against the Ban - Frankie Mullins in Vice (2014)
Qapla'! Nass rejoins us as we use the politically complex Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as a mirror for occupations and colonial policy, including the "making the desert bloom" trope and Odo's lesson about justice. We also discuss the tensions between the needs of space drama and political statement, the power dynamics of scarcity, the climate denial of Geordi La Forge, the "soft path" for water management, the radical potential of 3D printing, and why everyone pronounces Quark's name differently. Our five minute focus this week: Starmer? Out of touch? Never! Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter IMDB entry for S2e17 of TNG, "Samaritan Snare" IMDB entry for S5e2 of TNG, "Darmok" About the Tamarian language Keir Starmer has said he is a friend to Palestinians – but his latest speech doesn't square with that - Richard Burden in The Independent (2021) I demonstrated against Tzipi Hotovely's appearance at LSE. This is why - Sayf Abdeen in The Independent (2021) Russians - Sting (1985) —A snapshot from the Cold War Trekonomics - Manu Saadia (2016) on Hive Water management: Soft water paths - Peter Gleick (2016) 6 reasons technology alone can't solve water scarcity - Will Sarni at Greenbiz (2014) LeVar Burton Reads “Face Value” by Sean Williams
With a new year, hope. This week we talk about two very different books on hope as well as our own thoughts and experiences. We start from despair, find our way to nihilism, negotiate Slavoj Žižek's The Courage of Hopelessness, to THAT Obama poster and, finally, Teaching in the Community: A Pedagogy of Hope by Bell Hooks. Plus, a voice for football fans? Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter The Courage of Hopelessness by Slavoj Žižek (2017) on Hive A copy of Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope by Bell Hooks (2003) L.N. Tolstoy and the Modern Labour Movement - V. I. Lenin (1910) Will Self review of The Courage of Hopelessness in The Guardian (2017) Barack Obama "Hope" poster Photo of JFK that inspired the choice of pose on the Obama "Hope" poster The Tattered Idealism of Barack Obama - David Brooks in The Atlantic (2020) Why Liverpool's new Supporters Board can be a “game-changer” for English football - Jeff Goulding at This Is Anfield (2021)
It's the most wonderful time of the year - the annual Comradio Christmas episode. This year our theme is the beard. From what beards tell us about sociology and policy to the rich history of hairy faces, including what Atlee said about beards, how the Chartists delayed the age of the Victorian beard, New Labour's approach to beards, the role of the beard in Abraham Lincoln's electoral success, fake beards, beard taxes, the edicts about beards that have been used for political ends through the ages, and The Charge of The Light Brigade. All leading us to our thrilling conclusion: the truth about Santa's beard. Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter Why does Santa have a beard but Mrs Claus doesn't? - BBC Science Focus Magazine Beards augment perceptions of men's age, social status, and aggressiveness, but not attractiveness - Dixson and Vasey (2012) Women are more attracted to men with beards, says study - Sophie Foster for Wales Online (2020) A multivariate analysis of women's mating strategies and sexual selection on men's facial morphology - Tessa R. Clarkson et al (2020) ALMOST HALF OF WOMEN REFUSE TO DATE MEN WITH HIPSTER BEARDS, SURVEY FINDS - Sarah Young for The Independent (2018) Let's talk about Oscar Isaac's magnificent Dune beard - Gabrielle Paiella for GQ (2020) The Beard-Battle that Almost Split Christendom - Luke T. Harrington for Christianity Today (2016) What's In A Beard? - Rabbi Yirmiyahu Ullman The men evading Tajikistan's de-facto beard ban - Global Voices Online in The Guardian (2015) 5 UK Sikh doctors ‘removed' for refusing to shave beards - Naomi Canton for Times of India (2020) Sikh Front-Line Workers Make Enough Sacrifices. Their Beards Shouldn't Be One. - Harman Singh in HuffPo (2020) Depiction thought to be Loki with no beard Beard: Masculinity in Early Modern England - Will Fisher (2001) Peter the Great's Beard Tax - Amelia Soth for JSTOR Daily (2021) The Beard Movement in Victorian Britain - Christopher Oldstone-Moore (2005) Five Things You Didn't Know About The Crimean War - The Royal Collection Trust Roger Fenton's Crimean War photographs at the US Library of Congress Pioneer photographer's stark images of Crimean war go on display - Caroline Davies (2017) The Charge of the Light Brigade - Alfred Lord Tennyson (1854) The six reasons beards are everywhere - BBC Radio Four The Bear Book: Readings in the History and Evolution of a Gay Male Subculture - Les Wright (1997) “Grow the Beard, Wear the Costume”: Resisting Weight and Sexual Orientation Stigmas in the Bear Subculture - Patrick B. McGrady (2016) Understanding the Bear Movement in Gay Male Culture - Eric Manley et al (2008) What is a Blind Item? - Mary McMahon This Trans Woman Kept Her Beard And Couldn't Be Happier - Patrick Strudwick for Buzzfeed (2015) Why famous dudes grow beards to deal with existential crises - Luke Winkie for Vox (2020) Rick and Morty - Abradolf Lincler Santa, is that you? But where's your white beard? - Peter Holley in WaPo (2014)
For ALE's December theme of liberalism we go back to the moment that makes liberals misty eyed, the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony. Rivers, railways and roads, the Churchill statue waving, the green mound that turns into an industrial hell, Kenneth Branagh, The Queen and James Bond jumping out of helicopters, Mary Poppins and the NHS beds jazz sequence... A high watermark for the Kingdom or a revealing window into the papier mâché heart of 21st Century liberalism? Who can say? Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter The Complete London 2012 Opening Ceremony Nick Clegg backs face-sitting protesters over UK porn ban - Andrew Grice in The Independent (2020) Baron Harkonnen Industrial Revolution sequence from the ceremony Brunel giving Caliban's speech from The Tempest The Queen and James Bond sequence from the ceremony Carl Schmitt at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy NHS sequence from the ceremony London 2012 organisers had to stop Jeremy Hunt putting Hitler in the opening ceremony, documentary reveals - Caroline Mortimer in The Independent (2016) Comradio Film Club #1: Mank Eclipse section from the ceremony "WHEN ERIC CLAPTON'S BIGOTED 1976 RANT SPARKED ROCK AGAINST RACISM" What the Olympics didn't say about Britain's place in the world - Eric Taylor Woods (2012) Neofeudalism: The End of Capitalism? - Jodi Dean in LARB (2020) Does Neo-Feudalism Define Our Current Epoch? - Louis Proyect for Counterpunch (2020)
From the wellsprings of psychology and psychiatry: Tales of sex, scandal, and madness. Through the animal magnetism of Franz Mesmer and the politicised uses of the concept of charisma, taking in the power of Odin, beyond orgasmic energy into ectoplasm, queer sex, imaginary toxins, and made up hallucinogens; our adventurers embark on a sacred quest to overcome hangovers and cynicism, finding more politics in modern mythical substances than they expected, more fun than they hoped for, and a mildly satisfying finale. Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter Good News Everyone! A Brief History of Menstrual Blood Myths Benjamin Franklin and the Glass Armonica Adagio for Glass Harmonica - Mozart. Played by Dennis James Mesmer's 1780 proposal for a controlled trial to test his method of treatment using ‘Animal Magnetism'. - Donaldson IML (2005) The origins of modern clinical research - Stuart A Green (2002) The first modern psychology study - Sadie F. Dingfelder (2010) Progress of animal magnetism in New England - Charles Poyen (1837) Conducting the Vital Fluid: The Politics and Poetics of Mesmerism in the 1790s - Tim Fulford (2004) Title Page to Illustrations of Madness by John Haslam (1810) House passes bill to help diplomats, officials hit with Havana Syndrome - Josh Lederman for NBC (2021) The Rime of the Ancient Mariner - ST Coleridge (1834) Against The New Vitalism - Josie Sparrow in The New Socialist (2019) Comradio | 29 - Mythology, Part II: And I Don't Want to Myth a Thing feat. Sarah Stein Lubrano Wobbly Vitalism - Jeffrey Scott Brown (2018) Comradio | 65 - Renewable Elegy feat. E.E. Jones Reichenbach Falls Comradio | 52 - The Illuminazis feat. We Don't Talk About the Weather Sex on the Brain - Mark Pilkington for The Guardian (2005) Comradio | 69 - Left Get It On feat. Justin Hancock Comradio | 84 - Machine Politics feat. Thomas Heasman-Hunt Photographs from a séance with Eva Carrière Comradio | 71 - I'll Never Cross a Wicket Line feat. Hazel Potter & Tom Williams Spirited Sexuality: Sex, Marriage, and Victorian Spiritualism - Marlene Tromp (2003) Photo of Boji Istanbul's local dog framed over poop on train
A short preview of our Patreon exclusive episode. We are joined by James from Podcasting is Praxis to explode the film behind the mask via Macbeth, anarchism, gender, the Situationists, Macbeth, Napoleon, myth and the heroes journey, Macbeth, anarchism, Lettrism, Macbeth, George W Bush, and Macbeth. (Amount of Macbeth may be exaggerated to annoy actors) Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter James on Twitter Podcasting is Praxis on Twitter PiP's Patreon
The creator of Small Robots (@smolrobots) joins us for one of our most serious and most silly episodes. With the help of a large cast of Thomas's adorable robot characters, we take a range of approaches from the philosophical to the daft to: robots in culture, AI, transhumanism, immigration, gender reveal parties, memes and memetics, A Cyborg Manifesto, killer robots, F1, alpacas, upturned plugs, and more. Plus, Cities For Life Day. Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter Small Robots on Twitter Small Robots archive - smolbotbot.com Small Robots Patreon Deliverypersonbot Lt Commander Data as a bot Tory leader bot Banthesunbot Abolishicebot What ICE really does - Sofie Werthan for Slate (2018) ACLU - Defending Civil Liberties At The Border US Immigration facts Genderrevealbot Genderbot Transrightsbot Trans/nb solidarity bot account on Twitter Good Trans News Twitter account. Only positive transgender news stories. Transbot Managing automation: Employment, inequality and ethics in the digital age - IPPR (2017) Transhumanism and Marxism: Philosophical Connections - James Steinhoff (2014) 10 Technologies Banned From F1 Dying to be big: a review of anabolic steroid use - H Perry (1992) The Cyborg Manifesto - Donna Haraway (1985) Donna Haraway's "A Cyborg Manifesto" (26:59) - Theory & Philosophy podcast No death and an enhanced life: Is the future transhuman? - Robin McKie in The Guardian (2018) Memebots Resistbot as a tarot card Resistbot (original) Stop Killer Robots campaign Stop Killer Robots - Twitter account Alpacabot NFT bot Watchbot The Goon Show: What Time Is It, Eccles? Bigbot Bigskeletonbot Newbot Splatbot Upturnedplugbot Parallelparkbot Mondaybot Sittingbot Fencesittingbot Cities For Life Day World Coalition Against The Death Penalty Custombot order form Small Robots book on Hive
For the ALE theme this month, which is "cooperation" , we are talking boycotts. The history of them (taking in the struggle for Irish independence, an anti-slavery forerunner to Fair Trade, the "girlcott", and more) and the best tactics to use today. Plus, Armed Forces cosplay for MPs. Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter The Origins and Development of Boycotting - Gerard Moran (1985) Why We Boycott: Consumer Motivations for Boycott Participation - J G Klein et al (2004) Strike Map UK Row over 'drunk' MPs on Gibraltar military visit - BBC News (2021) Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme website Sephiroth from Final Fantasy
What is "electability"? Why is the word so popular in Indonesia? What does it mean for UK politics? We answer these questions and even ask an AI to describe the concept, as well as what it understands by "the Second Row Socialists" and, most importantly, its thoughts on John Rentoul's fluid intake. Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter Google trends data for "electability" Extremists who win primaries are 37 percent less likely to win the general election compared to more moderate candidates.- Andrew B. Hall (2015) Man Bites Blue Dog: Are Moderates Really More Electable than Ideologues? - Stephen M. Utych (2019) In U.S., Socialist Presidential Candidates Least Appealing - Justin McCarthy for Gallup (2015) Bulletpoint: Is Electability A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy? - Nate Silver for Five Thirty Eight (2019) Estimating the gender penalty in House of Representative elections using a regression discontinuity design - Lefteris Anastasopoulos (2016) Voters are back to worrying whether a woman can win - Ella Nilsen for Vox (2020) Just 6 per cent of Labour voters backed the party because of their local MP - Jon Stone for The Independent (2017) Only half of the population have heard of Emily Thornberry Starmer : I will break pledges to make Labour electable - Andrew Woodcock for The Independent (2021) Labour members split on whether the party should prioritise electability or principles - Fintan Smith for YouGov (2021) PiP's Scotpol podcast episode with talk of the Scottish Greens
A particularly red episode for you this week. The history of instability in Sudan that contributed to the military coup on 25th October, the COP26 circus, The Times on conversion therapy and the government consultation, the lawyer who won billions for indigenous peoples then felt the full force of the law, Matt and Chlöe on the libel train, the Beatles Museum, the horror of virtual reality with Mark Zuckerberg and Nick Clegg, and a new workers cooperative in Corbyn country. Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter Boris Johnson's fascist 'fall of Rome' comments Urging change of gender to be criminalised - George Grylls in The Times (archived link) Government consultation on conversion therapy This Attorney Took On Chevron. Then Chevron-Linked Judges and Private Prosecutors Had Him Locked Up. - Sofia Andrade for Slate (2021) Lawnmower man - trapped in virtual reality Play Bamboozle! Quiz Astley In The Noose - The Wonderstuff A conversation with the founder of ethical food delivery service, Wings - London In Bits Wings Ethical Food Delivery (Finsbury Park only)
Throughout the universe, far from home, all human dead will be reanimated to walk again eternally. Cosmism, a seemingly unkillable philosophy, launches our supernatural, technological, and political history of a modern myth that crystallised in the Cold War and which now has millions of adherents, from unaffiliated believers to extreme cultists to the utopian Trotskyists known as the Posadists. Swing down sweet chariots for the mothership connection: it's the Comradio 2021 Halloween Special. Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter The Space Pope Episode 18, where we talk about Cosmism in the context of the space race Is There A God? (in Russian) - Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1932) Le Voyage Dans La Lune - George Méliès Alien demonology: the Christian roots of the malevolent extraterrestrial in UFO religions and abduction spiritualities - Christopher Partridge (2004) Comet Hale-Bopp On UFOlogy with Chinese Characteristics and the Fate of Chinese Socialism - Malcolm Thompson (2020) Episode 52 - The Illuminazis feat. We Don't Talk About the Weather "Alexa" scene from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Sovereignty and the UFO - Alexander Wendt & Raymond Duvall (2008) Interview with Alexander Wendt in Vox - Sean Illing (2020) Scientist Edward Condon of Colorado University published a scientific study of UFOs in 1968 The Drake Equation David Halperin on the Hills' abduction experience UFOs, Otherness, and Belonging: Identity in Remote Aboriginal Australia - Eirik Saethre (2007) I Want to Believe: Posadism, UFOs, and Apocalypse Communism - A.M. Gittlitz (2020) Afrofuturism: where space, pyramids and politics collide - Chardine Taylor-Stone (2014) Parliament Funkadelic - The Mothership Connection (Halloween, 1976) Further reading Tsiolkovsky, Russian Cosmism and Extraterrestrial Intelligence - Lytkin et al (1994) UFOs and the US intelligence community - Charles A. Ziegler (2008) The Roswell Myth in the FBI Files: Aliens, UFOs, and the Cold War - Anna Wortman (2004) Afrofuturism, science fiction, and the history of the future - Lisa Yaszek (2010)
In this episode on LGBT+ experiences of sport, we are joined by sociologist Rory Magrath and LGBT comedian & sports fan Sam Whyte. We discuss Rory's LGBT Fans Project, homophobia and transphobia in sport, the intersection of these with racism as well as social class, masculinity, gender expectations arising from the roots of modern football, personal experiences, sporting authorities, the media, policy, and Trans Radio UK FC's awesome football shirt. Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter Follow Rory Magrath on Twitter Follow Sam Whyte on Twitter Inclusionary and exclusionary banter: English club cricket, inclusive attitudes and male camaraderie Natalie Washington - Football vs transphobia More Americans shot by dogs... Trans Radio UK TRUK United FC TRUK United FC shirt
A short preview of our Patreon exclusive episode. For Halloween we board the Nostromo with Tara Court from The Killening podcast to discuss the 1979 film Alien. We look into sinister corporations, alien bits that look like other bits, and Žižek getting psychoanalytical about it all, while dragging Lacan along with him. Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Tara on Twitter The Killening The Killening on Twitter
Conference, Conference, Conference! Here at Comradio we have all the Conferences. This is a Conference blow out! We have a vast selection of Conferences! We got Tory Conference, Labour Conference, Lib Dem Conference, SNP Conference, protest Conference, apple pie Conference, beans Conference... For the perverts we've got Reform Party Conference and we even have a preview of Green Party Conference. If we don't have it, you don't want it! If you can find more Conference anywhere, um.. attend it. Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter Dominic Hutchins challenging Rees-Mogg Mf eating beans "the scene from A Clockwork Orange" (CW: Violence) Sir Gordon Messenger asked to "stamp out waste and wokery" in NHS - Daily Mail (archive) Trashfuture episode talking about Starmer's speech and climate SNP conference: Freeports in Scotland must meet six guarantees - The National Podcasting is Praxis episode talking about freeports Dawn Foster memorial library sale Beans
This Alternative Left Entertainment launch episode sees our identity-protected scientist guest smack down the myths of the invisible hand as we wrestle with how capitalism enables dangerous practices within the pharmaceutical and medical markets. For our five minute focus we look at one way to do things better; The People's Vaccine. Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Alternative Left Entertainment Follow ALE on Twitter Biotech and Biological Sciences Research Council The People's Vaccine
Jordan and Chlöe go to Labour Conference and The World Transformed. With the help of this week's guest, CLP delegate Gary, they tell us about shenanigans from Conference Chairs, Labour List karaoke, challenging Paul Mason to not hate Catholics, and more. We apologise for the low quality of some of the audio in the first 13 minutes. Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Community Pizza Fire Scene
A short preview of our first Patreon exclusive episode. Just as there's nowhere quite like Vegas, there's no film experience quite like Showgirls. We go through the gates of hell into the world of Paul Verhoeven's excess. A sharp critique of capitalism, a devastating refutation of the American Dream? A Chaplinesque queer parody? A twisted version of the Wizard of Oz? Or simply the most ridiculous erotic drama to ever grace the screen? Both a popular drinking game and the focus of much intellectual discussion, Showgirls occupies its own unique section of the "so bad it's good" film category. Join us and our guests, Justin Hancock and Dr Eleanor Janega, in our first patreon-exclusive Film Club episode as we examine sex, social relations and archetypes through this enduring cultural touchstone and camp classic. Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Eleanor on Twitter Eleanor on Patreon We're Not So Different on Twitter We're Not So Different on Patreon Justin on Twitter BISH UK BISH UK on Patreon Culture Sex Relationships Culture Sex Relationships on Patreon
Eve Livingston joins us to talk about her new book Make Bosses Pay : Why We Need Unions, a call to change history through union membership and organising. We discuss the variety of unions available, how traditional, inaccurate notions of work and workers can be overcome, cultural capital (as in whether your accent or how many museums you visit matters), what Sharon Graham's Unite might look like, the link between unions and The Labour Party, and the dangers of the friendly HR department. Plus, fake Labour Party disciplinary investigations. And finally, Matt gets an email. Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Buy Eve's book, Make Bosses Pay: Why We Need Unions here Follow Eve on Twitter Follow Eve on Instagram Left/Over podcast with Alex Marshall of IWGB What Is Cultural Capital? Do I Have It? Restaurant scene from The Wire Owen Jones tweet re established fake investigation of Jess Barnard Chardine Taylor Stone investigation thread Heather Mendick investigation thread Now an MP has been targeted with a fake investigation also
AKA I Can Feel It Kamming In The Air Tonight In this episode recorded before the "investigation" of Jess Barnard, we are occupied by currents of Islamophobia. We predict the future (that Oliver Kamm's call to disband Young Labour signals a ramping up of attacks), discuss The Henry Jackson Society and how parliamentary rules were changed to mitigate its influence, fear the resurrection of NOLS, talk about Lionel Shriver, imagine the fall out from Corbyn running as an independent MP in Islington North, and lament the Labour disciplinary process. On a positive note, we look forward to The World Transformed in Brighton. Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Oliver Kamm's Tweets about Young Labour Who is Philip Cross? Who could he possibly be? Kenan Malik response in The Guardian to Lionel Shriver's Spectator article Phil Collins Responds To Rumours He Divorced His Wife Via Fax Machine Clip of Corbyn constituents interviewed after his suspension from the Labour Party
Joining us to talk about the fabulous collection Transgender Marxism is one of its editors, Jules Joanne Gleeson. Transgender Marxism gathers together a range of contributions on trans liberation, Marxist theory and surviving under capitalism. Note: the name obscured by some background noise at 26:49 is Farah Thompson. Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Transgender Marxism - Edited by Jules Joanne Gleeson, Elle O'Rourke (2021) Jules on Patreon The Limits of Trans Liberalism - Nat Raha (2015) The Transgender Issue - Shon Faye (2021) Understanding Disability - Michael Oliver (1996) Judith Butler: The Early Years - Jules Gleeson (2019) How Do Gender Transitions Happen? - Jules Joanne Gleeson (2021) Gender Identity Communism: A Gay Utopian Examination of Trans Healthcare in Britain - Jules Gleeson and J N Hoad (2020) Treva Ellison: Black Trans Reproductive Labor. 2017 Talk at BCRW Pinko - Communism for fags! Invert journal - Marxism and abolition of gender Homintern - Prefrontal Paranoia Meets Anal Vision Sylvia McCheyne at the good NS Marxism and Transgender Liberation - Red Fightback (2020) Blood and Terf podcast Leftovers Facebook group Jules interviews Judith Butler in The Guardian Support resources Queer Care Facebook group. Peer support Gendered Intelligence Mermaids VIMÖ (Austria)
Are you yourself on Twitter? Who is the real Twitter you? Why do you send me such horny DMs? We examine the psychology of Twitter engagement, what researchers can and can't find out about your personality from your tweets, ponder whether Adam Curtis was right to posit distorted versions of ourselves in data warehouses, weigh up the political value of "authenticity", get lost in a sea of signs, interrogate our Tony Blair cover art, and then search for a sparkling exit in Andy Warhol shoes. Also, Danny DeVito and the Nabisco strike. Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Why You Clicked on That Tweet: The Psychology of Twitter Engagement Tech companies use “persuasive design” to get us hooked. Psychologists say it's unethical - Chavie Lieber (2018) in Vox How Twitter Fuels Anxiety - Laura Turner (2017) in The Atlantic Language of ADHD in Adults on Social Media - Guntuku et al (2017) What Do Your Spaces Say About You? - Lindsay T. Graham (2018) The 'Big 5' Personality Traits A tale of two sites: Twitter vs. Facebook and the personality predictors of social media usage - David John Hughes et al (2012) Can't Get You Out Of My Head - Adam Curtis (2021) I tweet honestly, I tweet passionately: Twitter users, context collapse, and the imagined audience - Marwick et al (2010) Appropriating Blackness: Performance and the Politics of Authenticity - E. Patrick Johnson (2003) Authenticity on “Black Twitter”: Reading Racial Performance and Social Networking - Raven S. Maragh (2017) Brand Twitter and Fake Activism | A Response to Steak-Umm - Video by Zoe Bee George Mack tweet Dunbar's number A page on Jean Baudrillard and hyperreality A selection of quotes by Jean Baudrillard Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry for Jean Baudrillard Ubik by Philip K. Dick (1969) Introduction to Fredric Jameson American Psycho - Business Card Scene Intro to Linda Hutcheon on parody Jo Swinson's Been Forced To Deny She Kills Squirrels Thanks To A Twitter User Churning Out Viral Fake Election Stories (2019) Postmodernism, or The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism - Fredric Jameson (1984) A Pair of Shoes by Van Gogh (1886) Diamond Dust Shoes by Andy Warhol (1980) Tetsuo, The Iron Man dir. Shynia Tsukamoto (1989) - Trailer Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry for Authenticity Nabisco bakers across the US are on strike, potentially disrupting Oreo supply Danny DeVito Abruptly Loses Twitter Verification After Tweeting Support For Nabisco Strike
Gambling, landowners, the French Revolution, Victorian gender roles, the 'Scramble for Africa', suffragettes burning down pavilions, fascist cricketers, colonialism, Marxist cricketers, West Indian independence, the boycott of South Africa, and the all-rounder who helped bring racial discrimination law to the UK. Tom Williams (of the New Socialist) and Hazel Potter join us to look at the significant part cricket has played in shaping England, its myths, and the class system; in the establishment and maintenance of British colonies; and in struggles for liberation. Plus, the TUC's furlough proposals. Our Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Follow Tom on Twitter Follow Hazel on Twitter 1909 Conservative "Demon Bowler" election poster The tree that grew inside the cricket field at Kent's Canterbury ground Adams and Eves at the Eden Gardens: Women Cricket Spectators and the Conflict of Feminine Subjectivity in Calcutta, 1920–1970 - Souvik Naha (2012) History of Cricket | 1957 - 58 - England women in the Antipodes - Gotta have Faith Faith Thomas is the Aussie legend you haven't heard of - Sidharth Monga (2019) Australia, Explained | Crikey! Cricket & Colonialism Cricket, caste, community, colonialism: the politics of a great game - Ramachandra Guha (1997) Fast but black: the Krom Hendricks story - Martin Williamson (2011) England bowler Ollie Robinson suspended for eight matches for past racist and sexist tweets The latest on the Azeem Rafiq affair Beyond A Boundary - CLR James (1960) Fire In Babylon (2010) dir. Stevan Riley Michael Holding on Racism (1) Michael Holding on Racism (2) Why We Kneel, How We Rise - Michael Holding (2021) Scorecard for Gloucestershire v Australians 1930 Footage of Learie Constantine in action The Bristol Bus Boycott of 1963 TUC - Daughter of Furlough The TUC's short-time working scheme has the potential to deliver bold, necessary change - Adam Peggs (2021) Englishness and Blackness: Cricket as Discourse on Colonialism - Manthia Diawara (2010) Oborne & Heller on Cricket podcast Anyone But England - Mike Marqusee (2016) War Minus The Shooting - Mike Marqusee (1997)
This week we talk about recent politics news including Labour embracing the legacy of Blair, Apsana Begum, and much more. Our Patreon will be live very soon, we will tweet out when! Our (eventual) Patreon Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter NLRB officer says Amazon violated US labor law
Justin Hancock is a sex educator whose website bishuk.com is visited by thousands of young people a week. He also co-hosts the Culture Sex Relationships podcast for adults and has recently written the book Can We Talk About Consent? We chat with Justin about the commodification of sex, sexual subjectivity, gender, what sex would be like under (or on top of) socialism, flirty politicians, Virginia Woolf's sex life, the material drivers of chemsex, Yvette and Ed's love of poppers, a Californian orgasm cult and more... Plus, David visits the Vagina Museum. Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Patreon for Culture, Sex, Relationships (The Meg-John & Justin Podcast) Patreon for BISHuk Follow Justin on Twitter The Meg-John & Justin Podcast | Neoliberalism and Sex and Relationships The Meg-John & Justin Podcast | Her Sexual Self: Joy Townsend. Sexual subjectivities Rewriting the rules by Meg-John Barker How to understand your gender by Alex Iantaffi & Meg-John Barker Gender: A Graphic Guide by Meg-John Barker The Bisexual Index Bi UK The Meg-John & Justin Podcast | Justin Chats With Eleanor Janega About The Objectification of Sex Whipping Girl - Julia Serrano 'Why women had better sex under socialism' - Kristen R. Ghodsee 'Republicans and Democrats Don't Just Disagree About Politics. They Have Different Sexual Fantasies' - Justin Lehmiller Spinning, spooning and the seductions of flirtatious masculinity in contemporary politics (2010) - Candida Yates Britain's party leaders throw kitchen sink at election' (2015) - Bangkok Post 'Love And Sex With Many: Research On The Health And Wellness Of Consensual Non-Monogamy' - Forbes "Storming then Performing": Historical Non-Monogamy and Metamour Collaboration (2021) - Brian M Watson and Sarah Stein Lubrano Sex & Drugs & Rock n Roll - Ian Drury and The Blockheads on TOTP (1978) 'What is Chemsex? And how worried should we be?' (2016) - Barbara Speed in The New Statesman The rise of chemsex: queering collective intimacy in neoliberal London (2018) - Jamie Hakim The Orgasm Cult - BBC Podcast by Nastaran Tavakoli-Far Enjoy Sex (How, When and If You Want To) by Meg-John Barker and Justin Hancock The cult of ecstasy: Tantrism, the new age, and the spiritual logic of late capitalism (2000) - Hugh B. Urban The Vagina Museum Follow The Vagina Museum on Twitter Period Positive
Jack from Reel Politik helps us wander through New Hollywood, bringing together 45 years of reflections on Jaws, from Hiroshima to Žižek. We also assess Dennis Hopper's health tips, assert our lack of fear, and even look at the film's unfortunate impact on shark policy - and how politicians use movie myths to pursue ideology bolstering but pragmatically ineffective action. Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter RP on Twitter Bill Murray sings Jaws The Jaws Effect: How movie narratives are used to influence policy responses to shark bites in Western Australia (2014) - Christopher Neff Adam Nayman on Jaws and "virtuoso populism" "History Bites Back: Confronting the Atomic Leviathan in Jaws" (2017) - Sebastian Croft The fate of the USS Indianopolis Guardian Article on Jaws - Mark Kermode Jaws clip from The Perverts Guide To Ideology - Slavoj Žižek Bob Dylan's 115th Dream Easy Riders, Raging Bulls - full documentary Easy Riders, Raging Bull - Deleted and extended footage Joseph Campbell, four functions of myth The Shark Is Still Working - full documentary
We go in without safety harnesses this week, with an episode generated on the fly. Fortunately, your Comradio hosts haven't yet completely destroyed their memory functions with masturbation, drugs, and Labourism. Talking this week about the widely felt loss of the late Dawn Foster, the Starmer twins, the concept of statesmanship, Socialist Appeal and proscription, mandating delegates, the Tory u-turn on exempting themselves from isolation, David Aaronovich, swimmers, and fighting demons for LGBT+ Palestinians. Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter A bench in memory of Dawn Foster Dogs Trust's Freedom Project, Dawn's chosen charity
On the table this week are: The case brought by disability campaigner Heidi Carter concerning inequality in abortion law, the assassination of Jovenel Moïse in Haiti, the England football team, Trevor Phillips, Matt and a vacuum cleaner or something, whether Labour should put Narendra Modi on election leaflets, the latest from the Unite Gen Sec election, Labour MPs going on corporate jollies with Tories, Dennis Hopper's hatred of product placement, and Sajid Javid's idea of romance. Buy our merch Second Row Socialists on Twitter Comradio on Twitter Campaigners say abortions 'need 24-week limit' The politics of prenatal testing and selective abortion - Lisa Blumberg (1994) Why Members of the Disability Community Oppose Prenatal Diagnosis and Selective Abortion - Marsha Saxton (2000) Prenatal diagnosis and discrimination against the disabled - L. Gillam (1999) Assassination of Jovenel Moïse UK Labour Party accused of 'divisive' politics with poll leaflet featuring PM Modi Grenfell Tower fire: Borough called on to admit liability What is Objectivism? The Fountainhead. Full courtroom speech Patrick Bateman skincare routine