Like I'm A Six-Year-Old

Oh hello. As the title suggests, this is my little way of letting you know that I'm wrapping up Like I'm A Six-Year-Old once and for all. I've loved doing it - and thanks so much for listening to it and supporting it over the years! Bloody hell! - but I feel like after eight years, hundreds of conversations, a bunch of live shows, a pandemic and a book,  it's time for me to move on and focus my energies on other things.  If you haven't already, please do check out my other weekly pod about the Greens and green politics with my friend Emerald Moon, Serious Danger - that's here to stay, and I'm excited to grow that show as much as possible in the coming years.  The LIASYO back catalogue will remain up and available for the foreseeable future, but I'll stop cheekily taking people's money via Patreon effective immediately.  You can always come see me live if you like; I'm in Sydney with show "IT IS I" RIGHT NOW - then I head to Cairns, Toowoomba and Brisbane.  Thanks again, team. I love you all! Endlessly! xx 

Ben Abbatangelo is a proud Gunaikurnai and Wotjobaluk man and a social commentator. He's the former deputy CEO of global non-profit AIME, has appeared regularly on The Project and the ABC and has written for The Guardian and The Saturday Paper. Based on some of his recent work, I've sensed that Ben's been going through something of a political shift of late, towards somewhere a bit more radical, and I was keen to talk him about it. In this conversation we discuss what that shift has involved, the naivety he's left behind and what it means for his politics now. Ben also tells me about the legacy of the Northern Territory Intervention, explains the situation in Alice Springs and lays out the questions he's asking about the upcoming Voice to Parliament referendum and his sympathy for a progressive No vote. Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron I'm currently touring my new stand up show IT IS I all over the country: SYDNEY (this week!) | CAIRNS | TOOWOOMBA | BRISBANE To get discounted tickets to Sydney, use the promo code PODCAST For discounted tickets to my shows in Brisbane, click here Later in the year I'll be coming back to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival!  Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger My debut book I, Millennial: One Snowflake's Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else is out now @BenAbbatangelo Ben's piece on The Project about First Nations people's response to the Queen's death BEN'S ARTICLES: Reconciliation action plans let settlers take up more space, not relinquish it Inside the Northern Territory Intervention How to solve the real problems in Alice Springs Cause of the Week: The Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council (martuwarra.org)

Larissa Baldwin-Roberts is a proud Widjabul Wia-bal woman from the Bundjalung Nations and has been a progressive activist since forever. She's a co-founder of the First Nations climate pressure group SEED Mob and is the current CEO of GetUp!. In this conversation I ask Larissa about where her politics come from and how she thinks about political ideology. She outlines how she views GetUp!'s role under a Labor government, her unique perspective on climate politics and how she thinks (/hopes) the Voice referendum debate is going to play out. Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron I'm currently touring my new stand up show IT IS I all over the country: SYDNEY | CAIRNS | TOOWOOMBA | BRISBANE To get discounted tickets to Sydney, use the promo code PODCAST For discounted tickets to my shows in Brisbane, click here Later in the year I'll be coming back to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival!  Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger My debut book I, Millennial: One Snowflake's Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else is out now @Riss_Bundjalung getup.org.au WATCH: Larissa Baldwin-Roberts delivers the 2022 Dr. Charlie Perkins Oration    

John Quiggin is a widely-respected economist and professor at the University of Queensland. He's a former member of the Australian Government's Climate Change Authority, and he's written widely about the scourge of neoliberalism and privatisation. I wanted to get John on the show to discuss the essay written by Treasurer Jim Chalmers for The Monthly back in February, "Capitalism After The Crises", in which he laid out his vision for "values-based capitalism". In this conversation we discuss what the hell that actually means, whether or not it's a hollow idea, and just how much this Labor government is prepared to deliver anything like it.  Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron I'm currently touring my new stand up show IT IS I all over the country: MELBOURNE (now!) | SYDNEY | CAIRNS | TOOWOOMBA | BRISBANE To get discounted tickets to Adelaide, Melbourne & Sydney, use the promo code PODCAST For discounted tickets to my shows in Brisbane, click here I'm performing my comedy lecture YES/NO at the Melbourne Comedy Festival – BOOK HERE  Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger @JohnQuiggin johnquiggin.com Check out John's Substack John's response to Chalmer's essay in The Conversation Joseph Stiglitz's response  Steve Hamilton's response

She's back! Economist, comrade and now author Alison Pennington returns to the show to discuss her debut book Gen F'ed? How Young Australians Can Reclaim Their Uncertain Futures. We discuss how all the good jobs disappeared, our massively cooked housing market, replacing intergenerational warfare with class warfare and how young people can build political power under this "progressive (?)" Labor government.  Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron My debut book I, Millennial: One Snowflake's Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else is out now My show IT IS I is on at the Adelaide Fringe right now!  Then IT IS I heads to: | GOLD COAST | CANBERRA | MELBOURNE | SYDNEY | CAIRNS | TOOWOOMBA | BRISBANE To get discounted tickets to Adelaide, Melbourne & Sydney, use the promo code PODCAST For discounted tickets to my shows in Brisbane, click here I'm doing just 2 shows of my comedy lecture YES/NO at the Melbourne Comedy Festival – BOOK HERE  Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger @ak_pennington Alison's last appearance on the show in 2020

This week's episode brings you the conversation I had with some other generational voices at a live event at the public library in my home town, Warrnambool.  Alongside Zoomer and journalist Sharna Rogers, Xer and psychologist Dr. Jodie Fleming and Baby Boomer and celebrated aid worker Bob Handby AO, I discussed three big topics I explore in my book I, Millennial: housing, work and the climate crisis, and how these issues play out for Australians of different ages. The conversation was moderated by the brilliant Ailiche Goddard-Clegg, and it was a bloody great chat, with plenty of insights and laughs.  Thanks to Collins Booksellers and the Warrnambool Library for making it happen, and to everyone who came along, including my mum and dad. Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron I'm currently touring my new stand up show IT IS I all over the country: ADELAIDE | GOLD COAST | CANBERRA | MELBOURNE | SYDNEY | CAIRNS | TOOWOOMBA | BRISBANE To get discounted tickets to Adelaide, Melbourne & Sydney, use the promo code PODCAST For discounted tickets to my shows in Brisbane, click here I'm doing just 2 shows of my comedy lecture YES/NO at the Melbourne Comedy Festival – BOOK HERE  Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger ARTICLE: Read my interview with Jacobin about Millennial socialiast RAGE 

Polly Hemming is a Senior Researcher at The Australia Institute's Climate & Energy Program. Just this week she was giving evidence to a Parliamentary committee on the Labor Party's signature climate policy, the "Safeguard Mechanism" - which, I'm sorry to say, stinks. It stinks real bad.  Here Polly lays out exactly just how much of a mess this policy is: how it's not designed to reduce emissions that are cooking the planet, but rather protect the profits and interests of the fossil fuel lobby. We also discuss the DEEPLY dodgy world of carbon offsets and the marketisation of the natural world, and wonder how this whole thing is going to play out politically.  Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron My debut book I, Millennial: One Snowflake's Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else is out now I'm currently touring my new stand up show IT IS I all over the country: ADELAIDE | GOLD COAST | CANBERRA | MELBOURNE | SYDNEY | CAIRNS | TOOWOOMBA | BRISBANE To get discounted tickets to Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne & Sydney, use the promo code PODCAST For discounted tickets to my shows in Brisbane, click here I'm doing just 2 shows of my comedy lecture YES/NO at the Melbourne Comedy Festival – BOOK HERE  Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger @PollyJHemming @TheAusInstitute AustraliaInstitute.org Polly's speech, "What is Climate Integrity?"  Labor's Safeguard policy is a mirror image of fossil industry greenwashing by Ketan Joshi for RenewEconomy.com.au The Great Stock'n'Coal Swindle by Nick Feik 

Oh hello. I am back again. Look at us.  This week I'm bringing you another taste of my debut book I, Millennial: One Snowflake's Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else, which is now out and about in the world. This is an extract from the chapter on privatisation - "From Our Warm, Public Hands" - which lays out just how much of our public shit has been flogged off, goddammit. You can find out more about the book - and order it as an audiobook, ebook or hardcopy - here.  I'm doing some book-based events across the country; all the details are here. ALSO: I'm currently touring my new stand up show IT IS I all over the country: PERTH | HOBART | LAUNCESTON | ADELAIDE | GOLD COAST | CANBERRA | MELBOURNE | SYDNEY | CAIRNS | TOOWOOMBA | BRISBANE To get discounted tickets to Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne & Sydney, use the promo code PODCAST For discounted tickets to my shows in Brisbane, click here I'm doing just 2 shows of my comedy lecture YES/NO at the Melbourne Comedy Festival - BOOK HERE  Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger

Craig "Fozzy" Foster is a former Socceroo who has become not only one of Australia's most respected sports commentators and broadcasters, but also one of our most respected social justice advocates and human rights campaigners.  This episode is Craig's keynote speech at the 2022 Refugee Legal Annual Dinner, which I happened to MC online. It's followed by a brief Q&A between Craig, myself, and Refugee Legal's Executive Director (and former LIASYO guest) David Manne. Fozzy is extremely dedicated and clear-sighted when it comes to the fight for human rights - for refugees, for women, for workers, for sportspeople, for everyone - and this speech was a great reflection on the various campaigns he's been involved with, and the state of human rights on Australia and across the world right now. It was especially enlightening to hear Craig discuss the human rights issues surrounding the World Cup in Qatar, and how massive sporting events can sometimes provide massive opportunities to advocate for greater human rights protections.  Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron My debut book I, Millennial: One Snowflake's Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else is out now!!! I'm touring my new stand-up show IT IS I all over the country in 2023 Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger @Craig_Foster ARTICLE: Craig Foster lashes out at FIFA over 'gutless' move at World Cup Cause of the Week: Refugee Legal (refugeelegal.org.au)

My book I, Millennial: One Snowflake's Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else is out in the world! Gosh.  We launched it in Melbourne with a lovely event at the Easey Street Concert Hall in Collingwood, featuring me in conversation with my mate Osman Faruqi. Oz and I discussed the guts of the book and why I wrote it, and I read some bits out and took questions and we all had a great time. I hope you enjoy listening back to our conversation.  If you're in Sydney, you can come along to the launch at Better Read Than Dead tonight where I'll be chatting to Jan Fran; or if you're in Brisbane, come along to Avid Reader on Tuesday night to hear me chatting with my Serious Danger comrade, Emerald Moon.  Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron I'm doing some big fun shows at Just For Laughs Sydney this weekend, too   

This week I'm bringing you a taste of my debut book I, Millennial: One Snowflake's Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else. You'll hear the full prologue from the audiobook that sets the whole thing up and talks about me doing drugs. The book comes out next week - you can pre-order it here. I'm having book launches in MELBOURNE, SYDNEY and BRISBANE - check out the details and book tickets here. Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Come see the 2022 Yearly Wrap show I'm hosting at Comedy Republic in Melbourne in December I'm doing a Work in Progress show at the very cool Brunswick Picture House in January Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger  

Ben Schneiders is an award-winning investigate journalist at The Age and author of the new book, Hard Labour: Wage Theft in the Age of Inequality.  Over the past eight years, Ben's reporting has exposed the scourge of wage theft and worker exploitation in Australian hospitality, fast food, retail and agriculture. In Hard Labour, Ben summarises just how widespread and serious this problem is in Australian capitalism today, and lays out exactly what's been happening over the past 50 years that's seen workers' power dwindle so much. This was a great conversation, in which Ben and I discussed the enraging specifics of the wage theft cases, why the SDA sucks, how much we should blame the ALP for all this and where we might find some hope in the future for Australian workers. Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron My debut book I, Millennial: One Snowflake's Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else is out November 30th – pre-order it now I'm launching the book with events in Melbourne, Sydney & Brisbane Come see the 2022 Yearly Wrap show I'm hosting at Comedy Republic in Melbourne in December I'm doing a Work in Progress show at the very cool Brunswick Picture House in January Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger @BenSchneiders Hard Labour: Wage Theft in the Age of Inequality is published through Scribe ARTICLE: Shopped Out: SDA & Fair Work Commissions by Ben & Royce Millar Cause of the Week: Join your union (australianunions.org.au) IF YOU WORK IN RETAIL PLEASE JOIN RAFFWU NOT THE SDA (raffwu.org.au)

I'm back! Again! Sorry about the big gap between episodes. I am bad.  Leo Puglisi is a digital journalist who just so happens to be 14 years old. He founded what would eventually become the online news service 6 News Australia when he was just 11, and he's since grown it into a respectable independent media outlet that does pretty great journalism, and regularly puts mainstream "adult" media outlets to shame. During the 2022 election, Leo even managed to secure and conduct insightful interviews with Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese.  Here Leo talks to me about starting a media outlet so young, what he sees as the mission behind 6 News, the kind of criticism and trolling he's had to face online, his dedicated to fact checking and what he thinks makes for a great political interview.  Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron My debut book I, Millennial: One Snowflake's Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else is out November 30th - pre-order it now Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger @Leo_Puglisi6 @6NewsAU 6newsau.com patreon.com/6newsau Cause of the Week: Sponsor me in the ASRC's KMs of Compassion here

Jim Casey is a firefighting unionist, socialist and co-founder of the Australian Firefighters Climate Alliance. He is an anti-capitalist GREENS EXTREMIST who has twice run as a candidate against Anthony Albanese in the seat of Grayndler.  As he gears up to run for Greens preselection to be an upper-house candidate in the 2023 NSW state election, Jim took some time to talk to me about his time leading the Fire Brigade Employees Union,  the state of the Australian labour movement, his theories on why real political power lies outside of parliament and the controversies he ran into when taking on "Albo".  Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger My special "ENOUGH" is out on Paramount+ this Friday @JimCaseyGreens jimcasey.online ARTICLE: We've Never Seen Conditions As Bad As This by Jim Casey   ARTICLE: Anthony Albanese: Labor heavyweight's Greens rival Jim Casey defends "Trotskyist" speech Cause of the Week: Rachael Jacobs, Greens Candidate for Grayndler (support her here)

Georgia Steele is a former corporate litigator and now independent candidate running in the NSW seat of Hughes at the upcoming federal election. (The seat's currently held by former Liberal MP, now United Australia Party TRUTH-TELLER Craig Kelly.)  In this conversation I discuss with Georgia Kelly's bizarro mind and political career, why she thinks the people of Hughes deserves better, the issues that she's campaigning on, her rejection of political ideology and her thoughts on why the two-party system is failing.  Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger I'm coming to The Clubhouse in Hobart March 17th I'm making a cool TV show in lutruwita with Kates McLennan & McCartney @Steele4Hughes georgiasteele.com.au ARTICLE: Ex-lawyer Georgia Steele to run as independent in Craig Kelly's seat during federal election LISTEN: Our Serious Danger episode on the "teal wave" of independents running in the upcoming election Cause of the Week: The Family Co (thefamilyco.org.au)   

David Shoebridge MLC has served in the NSW upper house since 2010, and has been the Greens spokesperson for workers' rights, energy and Aboriginal justice.  In 2022 he's running to pick up another NSW Senate seat for the Greens (and it's actually possible!).  In this conversation I ask David about NSW politics' love of corruption, how he developed his radical politics, what the Greens could achieve in balance of power and whether Greens MPs should have anything to do with investment properties.   Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger I'm coming to The Clubhouse in Hobart March 17th @ShoebridgeMLC David's Facebook page David's instagram The Greens' Balance of Power pitch  Cause of the Week: David Shoebridge's Senate campaign (nsw.greens.org.au) 

This week I'm bringing you the audio of a panel I appeared on, discussing the reason behind and ideas around the recent boycott of the 2022 Sydney Festival.  I joined dozens of other artists in withdrawing from the Festival to protest its acceptance of $20k in sponsorship money from the Israeli embassy; a sponsorship which guaranteed Israel the honour of being a "star partner" of the festival.  Here I'm in conversation with academic Dr. Jumana Bayeh, the Executive Director of the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy Salem Barahmeh and my fellow boycotters Dr. Mohammed Ahmad (founding director of Western Sydney literacy outfit Sweatshop) and Maissa Alameddine (the Artist Director of the Ensemble Dandana, which is part of the Arab Theatre Studio).   Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger @PalestineRising "Artists Against Apartheid Sydney Festival" petition  ARTICLE: Sydney Festival acts boycott over Israel by Farid Farid ARTICLE: Why I'm helping to organise a boycott of this year's Sydney Festival by Jennine Khalik  ARTICLE:Boycotts are an essential and necessary part of public life by Osman Faruqi ARTICLE: From Safsaf to Sydney: Palestinian resistance and the festival boycott by Jeanine Hourani, Rihab Charida & Matt Chun Cause of the Week: Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions Australia bdsaustralia.net.au 

Writer and journalist Johann Hari has returned to the show to discuss why our brains have melted. His new book is called Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention and it is a fascinating, depressing and insightful look at the "attention crisis" we're facing as a society. Johann tells me about just how bad this situation is, how much social media and technology is responsible for it, its social and political implications and what the fuck we can do about it - as individuals, and as a collective.  Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger @johannhari101 johannhari.com Johann's first appearance on the show was back at Ep #73 You can order Johann's latest book Stolen Focus here: stolenfocusbook.com Read an extract of the book here

Van Badham is a playwright, author and activist, and she's returned to the show to discuss her latest book, QAnon: A Short and Shocking History of Internet Conspiracy Cults. Here Van lays out precisely what the QAnon conspiracy theory actually is, how it came into existence and how much it has shaped - and continues to shape - politics in the US and here in Australia. We discuss the most bonkers beliefs involved in all this and what the theory's success tells us about the internet and the failures of the modern Left, and we disagree about what happened to JFK. Merry Xmas everyone! See you in 2022, when everything will be fixed forever xx  Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Catch me (and a crazy good line-up) performing at Just For Laughs Australia at the Malthouse Theatre in January Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger @vanbadham Van's book QAnon and On: A Short and Shocking History of Internet Conspiracy Cults Van's podcast is The Week on Wednesday ARTICLE: If your friends or family have fallen for an internet conspiracy cult, here's what you should do by Van Badham AN EDITED EXTRACT OF VAN'S BOOK: QAnon: how the far-right cult took Australians down a 'rabbit hole' of extremism Cause of the Week: Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (asrc.org.au)

James Button is a freelance journalist, ALP member and former speechwriter for the former prime minister Kevin Rudd. He recently wrote a three-part, in-depth series for Nine/Fairfax on "cancel culture": what it is, why it exists and what it means for the Australian Left.  In this conversation James and I go deep into his argument and the three pieces and try to clarify how this social phenomenon manifests itself when it comes to issues of race, gender, art and politics.  On some fronts we agree, on others I try to push back and challenge some of the common arguments that are wheeled out on this stuff.  It's long, but (I hope) really worthwhile. TL:DR - class politics is GOOD and we need MORE OF IT PLEASE.  Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger @JamesButton49 (though he rarely tweets!) Read James' three-part series on cancel culture:  "They cancelled me as a human": what nearly killed Logie winner Hugh Sheridan Gender, sex and power: the debate dividing universities Is identity politics killing the left? ARTICLE: The Failure of Occupy is Almost Complete by Freddie deBoer ARTICLE: Woke politics and power by Waleed Aly  Cause(s) of the Week: Savannah Pride (savannahpride.com.au); Marrin Weejali Aboriginal Corporation (marrinweejali.org.au)

Nyadol Nyuon is a former refugee, lawyer and passionate advocate for human rights and anti-racism. This is her keynote address at the 2021 Refugee Legal "Not The Annual Dinner" (held via Zoom), which I MC'ed, followed by a Q&A session with Nyadol and Refugee Legal Executive Director David Manne. It's a passionate address about why human rights are important to her (and why they should be important to you), the realities of race in this country and the ongoing legacy of the War on Terror on our society and politics.  Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron I'm recording a stand up special at Chapel Off Chapel THIS WEEK! Two shows only Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger  @NyadolNyuon Nyadol's address at the National Press Club, "Australia Reimagined"  Cause of the Week: Please support Refugee Legal's work (refugeelegal.org.au)     

NEWS: I have a brand new podcast to share with youse.  It's called Serious Danger, it's about the Australian Greens and green politics in Australia generally and I'm doing it with my cool friend Emerald Moon. Also it's going to fix everything. Have a listen to hear the trailer and find out why I wanted to make the show in the first place. (Also don't stress: I'll still be posting episodes of LIASYO for the time being.) Find out more and subscribe to the show by heading to seriousdangerpod.com Find us on twitter, Instagram, Patreon and YouTube on @SeriousDangerAU Get to know Emerald more by catching up on our conversation together from last year.

Luke Hilakari has been the Secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Council since 2014. He's been a Labor member since he turned 18 and has played a key role in electing (and re-electing) the Andrew Labor government and fighting for marriage equality and workers' rights.  In light of all the BATSHIT anti-vax protesting that's been going on in Melbourne of late, I wanted to ask Luke about the presence of anti-vax organising within the labour movement, why some workers might be attracted to this ideology and what can be done about it.  We also discuss the class war that the pandemic has shone a light on, solidarity, why strikes are beautiful, spanking the Labor Party and how the union movement will be approaching the upcoming election.  Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron I'm recording a stand up special at Chapel Off Chapel in early December @lhilakari weareunion.org.au ARTICLE: We need a royal commission into the organised far-right in Australia by Luke Hilakari ARTICLE: Has solidarity succumbed to the rise of rage? by Waleed Aly Labor's policy's on workers' rights for the upcoming election Trades Hall's Sticking Together book Cause of the Week: Australians For A Murdoch Royal Commission (murdochroyalcommission.org.au)  

Professor Megan Davis is a Cobble Cobble woman from Queensland and is the current pro Vice-Chancellor and Balnaves Chair in constitutional law at the University of New South Wales. She's worked for the United Nations and has been intimately involved in the campaign for meaningful constitutional recognition for Australia's First Nations people, and had the honour of first reading out the Uluru Statement From the Heart publicly in 2017. Four years on from the creation of the Statement - with its call for Voice, Treaty & Truth - Megan updates me on where the campaign for a constitutional First Nations Voice to Parliament is at, the roadblocks that remain, designing a model and searching for bipartisanship ahead of a possible referendum.  Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron I'm recording a stand up special at Chapel Off Chapel in early December I'm doing Easey Comedy in Collingwood on Thursday November 11th with Dave Hughes @mdavisqlder ARTICLE: The Uluru Statement, four years on by Professor Megan Davis INTERVIEW: The Uluru Statement - where to from here? on ABC Overnights with Rod Quinn ARTICLE: Police officer not guilty of murdering woman during confrontation on Geraldton street (ABC NEWS)  Cause of the Week: Uluru Statement From The Heart Campaign (ulurustatement.org)  

Sean Kelly is a writer and journalist, who's a former adviser to Prime Ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard. His new book is The Game: A Portrait of Scott Morrison and it's great/scary/infuriating. With great insight and wit, Sean really tries to get at who our Prime Minister is, what drives, what (if anything) he believes in and what his political success says about us a country. We discuss how Morrison plays the "game" of politics, why he won in 2019 and whether he can be beaten again by the ALP in its current state.  Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron I'm recording a stand up special at Chapel Off Chapel in early December I'm doing Easey Comedy in Collingwood on Thursday November 11th with Dave Hughes I appeared on "The Culture" podcast to discuss Dave Chappelle's latest special with Osman Faruqi & Cassie Workman My last episode with Sean @MrSeanKelly The Game: A Portrait of Scott Morrison by Sean Kelly at Black Inc Sean's writing for Nine Fairfax Media ARTICLE: Morrison sees votes in anti-Muslim strategy by Lenore Taylor (2011) ARTICLE: Albanese says he's in the final quarter, so when is he going to start kicking goals? by Sean Kelly  Cause of the Week: The Indigenous Literacy Foundation (indigenousliteracyfoundation.org.au)  

Sylvie Ellsmore is the Greens mayoral candidate for the City of Sydney in the upcoming NSW local elections. She's running a campaign to make Sydney a city for everyone, not just the rich, with a particular focus on housing and grassroots democracy.  This was a fantastic conversation about the state of local Sydney politics, the legacy of independent mayor Clover Moore and the Greens' vision for how the local city council can play a much more activist role in fixing the truly cooked Sydney housing market. I think you'll find Sylvie's passion ideas inspiring and cool. Go team.  Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron I'm recording a stand up special at Chapel Off Chapel in early December I'm doing Easey Comedy in Collingwood on Thursday November 11th with Dave Hughes @Sylvie_E Sylvie's candidate page Sylvie's Facebook Sylvie's instagram If you live in NSW make sure you're enrolled to vote in the local elections by the end of TODAY (October 25th) ARTICLE: Greens want the City of Sydney to lead on affordable housing Check out the federal Greens' policy to build 1 million homes Cause of the Week: Welcome Merchant (on linktree); book for the Greens for the City of Sydney Dinner Party here

Christiaan Van Vuuren is a comedian and YouTube star who you know from Bondi Hipsters, Bloom and At Home Alone Together. He's the presenter of a great new documentary about money in Australian politics called Big Deal, which was directed by the Chaser's Craig Reucassel.  This issue drives me (and I'm sure you) crazy, and it was great to get stuck into a similarly-outraged Christiaan. We touch on just how much money is washing around our politics, how much anti-democratic influence that money has, why "transparency" simply isn't enough and why Christiaan is optimistic about the possibilities of change and fixing this shit.  Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron I'm doing Easey Comedy in Collingwood on Thursday November 11th with Dave Hughes I'm recording a stand up special at Chapel Off Chapel in early December I'm hosting a discussion with Craig Reucassel and a great panel as a fundraiser for the Greens at 6:30pm tonight; book now!  @ChristiaanVanV @MakeItABigDeal Watch "Big Deal" on ABC iview DemocracyForSale.net Cause of the Week: MakeItABigDeal.org  

Dr. Helen Haines is a former nurse and midwife who now serves as the independent member for the Victorian seat of Indi. Since she entered the parliament Helen has been fighting for the establishment of a federal anti-corruption / pro-integrity body that will actually do what we want it to do: justly hold our public servants to account and root out the shitty corrupt behaviour that is rife in our politics.  In the wake of Gladys Berejiklian's resignation as NSW Premier after ICAC announced it was investigating her (because that it's job), Helen and I discuss what an effective federal body would look like, the Morrison government's scaremongering about accountability, the chances of Helen's bill getting passed and the corrosive influence of political donations.   Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron WE ARE ALL IN THIS is scheduled for the Brisbane Comedy Festival in November I'm recording a stand up special at Chapel Off Chapel in early December THIS THURSDAY NIGHT come along to the Greens' National Campaign Kick-Off @helenhainesindi helenhaines.org Helen's press release on the Federal Government's response to Gladys Berejiklian's resignation ARTICLE: Why Scott Morrison and his government oppose a NSW-style anti-corruption watchdog  ARTICLE: The long history of political corruption in NSW - and the downfall of MPs, ministers and premiers   Cause of the Week: UNICEF's CoVax Appeal (unicef.org.au/covax-appeal)  

Felicity Ruby is a former Greens staffer, current PhD candidate at the University of Sydney and longtime friend and supporter of Julian Assange. In the wake of revelations from Yahoo! News that Trump's CIA floated plans to kidnap and kill Assange after Wikileaks' "Vault 7" revelations in 2017, I wanted to talk to Flick about Assange's plight and its political ramifications. We discuss what kind of a person Julian Assange is, his mission, his trial, the misconceptions that continue to swirl around him and the insane paranoia of Western intelligence agencies (aka our lovely allies).    Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron WE ARE ALL IN THIS is scheduled for the Brisbane Comedy Festival in November @FlickRubicon felicityruby.com ARTICLE: Kidnapping, assassination and a London shoot out: Inside the CIA's secret war plans against Wikileaks ARTICLE: End Game by Scott Ludlam  Flick's writing on Assange at Arena Magazine ARTICLE: What it's like to be targeted by the CIA and its mates EVENT: Raucos Anti-AUKUS Caucus discussion this Thursday October 7th at 7pm Juice Media's Honest Government Ad about AUKUS  Cause of the Week: The Courage Foundation (couragefound.org)  

This week's episode is from an event I took part in with the Centre for Independent Studies, hosted by Tom Switzer and featuring academic Satya Jeetmarar. Together we discussed/debated intergenerational inequality in the face of the COVID pandemic. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I think capitalism is the problem, while Satya and the CIS holds a different view.  See wot u reckon lol  Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron WE ARE ALL IN THIS is scheduled for the Brisbane Comedy Festival in November @CISOZ cis.org.au Cause of the Week: Youth Projects (youthprojects.org.au)

Nick Boshier (Trent from Punchy, Bondi Hipsters) and Jazz Twemlow (Tonightly with Tom Ballard lol) are two very nice men and good comedians who have created a new satirical sketch show for Amazon Prime, The Moth Effect.   The dudes let me know the guiding philosophy behind the show's satire, their favourite sketches, the irony of taking the piss out of corporatism while working for Amazon, giving less of a shit about the insane news cycle and how to do comedy about the shortcomings of "wokeness" without being a douchebag.  Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you WE ARE ALL IN THIS is scheduled for the Brisbane Comedy Festival in November @JazzTwemlow @nickboshier Watch The Moth Effect on Amazon Prime Jazz's Leftie Bootcamp sketch from Tonightly ARTICLE: Big-name cast members Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson elevate Moth Effect  ARTICLE: New woke lineup for The Wiggles slammed by outspoken Nationals Senator Matt Canavan  ARTICLE: The ghosts are not silent by ABC Background Briefing  Cause of the Week: The Great Koala National Park (koalapark.org.au) Cause of the Week: International Rescue Committee (rescue.org)

Mehreen Faruqi has been a Greens senator for NSW since 2017. Her memoir Too Migrant, Too Muslim, Too Loud was released in July, describing her life, politics and reflections on being a progressive and outspoken migrant in Australia.  Here Mehreen and I discuss how her perceptions of what Australia is have changed over the past thirty years, her thoughts on compromise and incrementalism and the Greens' role in pushing big bold ideas, as well as her desire to see a "feminist, anti-racist Australia".  (Sincere apologies for the long time between podcast episodes, everyone: I have been going LOOPY in lockdown and have been having a bit of a rough trot that stopped me doing very much at all. I am much better now though thank you. I hope you are ok too. The end. As you were.) Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My two shows and special filming at Chapel Off Chapel have been rescheduled to October 8th & 9th WE ARE ALL IN THIS is scheduled for the Brisbane Comedy Festival in November @MehreenFaruqi mehreenfaruqi.org.au Mehreen's book Too Migrant, Too Muslim, Too Loud is out now through Allen & Unwin ARTICLE: Coalition supports Pauline Hanson motion to ban critical race theory teachings  My episode with outgoing Greens Senator Rachel Siewert Cause of the Week: Greyhound Rescue (greyhoundrescue.com.au)  

Victor Kline is a writer and barrister who is the leader of a new political party, The New Liberals. The party was born out of a frustration that Victor and some close friends felt by the current state of Australian politics and the lack of any party that truly represented them. Here we discuss what Victor believes it means to be a truly "liberal" party, why they want to reclaim that name, the party's political strategy, and what I would argue is liberalism's limits: its inability to wrestle with questions of class and political economy.  I'm doing Dry July please help me/cancer research I went on "Miners Driving Teslas" with Daniel Bleakley and it was fun If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you WE ARE ALL IN THIS will be at the Brisbane Comedy Festival in August There's an encore Sydney show of WE ARE ALL IN THIS on August 20th My two shows and special filming at Chapel Off Chapel have been rescheduled to August 27th & 28th @victorklineTNL newliberals.net.au ARTICLE: New Liberals' registration approved despite Liberal party objection over "voter confusion" ARTICLE: New Liberals leader outlines his party's politics Cause of the Week: The New Liberals (newliberals.net.au)

Luke McGregor is a beloved Australian comedian who co-stars in the ABC series Rosehaven alongside Celia Pacquola and presents "Lukenomics" on The Weekly. He's also my very nice friend and one time we got KFC together.  A month on from his appearance on Q&A alongside (now Nationals leader) Barnaby Fucking Joyce, Luke talks to me about the frustrations of public debate, why studying economics stopped him being a Liberal voter, and the ins and outs of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT).  I'm doing Dry July please help me/cancer research  If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My book I, Millennial: One Snowflake's Screed Against Plague, Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else will be published in December WE ARE ALL IN THIS will be at the Brisbane Comedy Festival in August There's an encore Sydney show of WE ARE ALL IN THIS on August 20th My two shows and special filming at Chapel Off Chapel have been rescheduled to August 27th & 28th @LukeWMcGregor Luke's Facebook page  Luke's appearance on Q&A Lukenomics explainer on MMT Free online event: MMT and the Media: Taking Charge of the Narrative with Luke & Bill Mitchell  Daily Mail article on Luke's appearance on Q&A Cause of the Week: Brightside Farm Sanctuary (brightside.org.au) 

Josh Callinan is the Secretary of the Retail And Fast Food Workers' Union (RAFFWU); a young fighting union which represents thousands of overwhelmingly younger Australian workers in highly casualised and insecure industries.  RAFFWU was set up in opposition to the right-wing "yellow" union the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (the SDA), aka Christian Porter's favourite union. In this conversation Josh explains just how bad the SDA has been for workers, the scourge of casualisation and how RAFFWU is organising for a better deal and a better future.  If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you This Sunday is World Refugee Day! Please help out the ASRC if you can My book I, Millennial: One Snowflake's Screed Against Plague, Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else will be published in December WE ARE ALL IN THIS will be at the Brisbane Comedy Festival in August There's an encore Sydney show of WE ARE ALL IN THIS on August 20th My two shows at Chapel Off Chapel have been rescheduled to August 27th & 28th @JoshCullinan raffwu.org.au RAFFWU's "SDA Facts" ARTICLE: Precarious workers held out to dry by Josh Cullinan ARTICLE: Australia's Youngest Union Is Organising Retail and Fast-Food Workers (in Jacobin) ARTICLE: Shopped Out by Ben Schneiders & Royce Millar Cause of the Week: RAFFWU! Join them yourself or spread the word (raffwu.org.au)  

Tim Hollo is a former staffer for the Australian Greens, is the Greens candidate for the federal seat of Canberra and works as the Executive Director of the official Greens think tank, The Greens Institute. He's currently working on a book laying out his theory of "ecological politics"; a a self-organising democracy grounded in the natural world and connection. Tim wants a politics seeks to go beyond the neoliberal capitalist status quo, rejects the far-right's "solutions" and avoids what he considers to be the limits of socialism. We discuss the details of Tim's theory, as well as his reflections on the Greens' strategy around Kevin Rudd's CPRS, how fossil fuel companies killing off the possibilities of climate action, decentralising power and why consensus decision making isn't centrism. If you've got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you WE ARE ALL IN THIS will be at the Brisbane Comedy Festival in August There's an encore Sydney show of WE ARE ALL IN THIS on August 20th My two shows at Chapel Off Chapel have been rescheduled to August 27th & 28th @timhollo greeninstitute.org.au Tim's writing at The Guardian OPINION PIECE: The End Of The World As We Know It by Tim Hollo OPINION PIECE: Tim Hollo on an ecological democracy where "everything is connected" and embedded in nature  Cause of the Week: IndigenousX (indigenousx.com.au)

Emma Dawson is an ALP member and a former adviser to the Rudd and Gillard governments on public broadcasting policy. These days she’s the Executive Director of the think tank Per Capita, “an independent, progressive think tank, dedicated to fighting inequality in Australia”. After very kindly providing me with a nice lunch, Emma explains where her politics come from, the Labor Party's neoliberal legacy, the role of markets in society and her passion for social democracy. She lays out the policy complexities with the #80ADay JobSeeker campaign and the tensions between idealistic, activist politics and brutal electoral math.  (Note: at one point I think Emma accidentally said Linda Reynolds when she was referring to Linda Burney.)  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you I’m taping a comedy special across two shows at Chapel Off Chapel next week feat. my best jokes of the past three years You can see my show WE ARE ALL IN THIS at the Newcastle Comedy Festival this weekend WE ARE ALL IN THIS will be at the Brisbane Comedy Festival in August @DawsonEJ percapita.org.au ARTICLE: Unemployment doesn't just happen to "other people". It can happen to you by Emma Dawson ARTICLE: Centrist Joe is precisely the president America needs by Emma Dawson ARTICLE: Income support 'not the only lever': Labor's plan to tackle disadvantage The 2021 Per Capita Tax Survey What Happens Next? edited by Emma Dawson & Janet McCalman Cause of the Week: The Australian Unemployed Workers' Union (unemployedworkersunion.com)

Jonathan Biggins is a legendary Australian satirist, actor and writer, who is currently performing his one-man show The Gospel According To Paul - a theatrical biography of the reforming Labor Treasurer and Prime Minister, Paul Keating.  I asked Jonathan about his thoughts on Keating's complicated legacy - the good and the bad - and how his (often arrogant, but politically effective) leadership contrasts with the shit we have today. We discuss "economic rationalism", the waging of culture wars and identity politics and Jonathan's grave concern about the effect that social media technology is having on our society..  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you I'm taping a comedy special across two shows at Chapel Off Chapel in early June, feat. my best jokes of the past three years You can see my show WE ARE ALL IN THIS at the Newcastle Comedy Festival in May  WE ARE ALL IN THIS will be at the Brisbane Comedy Festival in August jonathanbiggins.com.au The Gospel According To Paul by Jonathan Biggins is on at the Arts Centre in Melbourne until May 23rd  It then tours to Bendigo and Brisbane ARTICLE: Scott Morrison wants a big, simply country. With Labor dumbstruck and blindsided, he's getting one by Guy Rundle Cause of the Week: The Actor's Benevolent Fund (actorsbenevolentfund.org.au)  

Richie Merzian is the Director of the Climate & Energy Program at The Australia Institute.  With Australia embarrassing itself on the global stage when it comes to setting actual reduction targets that might actually do something, this was a great chance to check in with where the climate debate is at. Richie lays out just how lacking our commitments are, what they should be and what other countries are doing, as well giving me the rundown on electric vehicles, carbon accounting tricks, just transition models, fossil fuel subsidies and the (relatively straightforward) path to addressing this existential crisis.    If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My 2021 show WE ARE ALL IN THIS is on at the Melbourne Comedy Festival NOW – just 6 shows left! My new show WE ARE ALL IN THIS is coming to Sydney for two nights only in May Or you can see WE ARE ALL IN THIS at the Newcastle Comedy Festival on May  I was on the latest episode of the Confessions of the Idiots podcast and it was great fun Support Shane Bazzi's legal fund because he's being sued by Peter Dutton  This was a great article on my friend Naser Moradi, a brilliant artist who has been in Australian immigration detention for more than six years @RichieMerzian australiainstitute.org Hot Mess - Richie's summary of Morrison's performance at Biden's climate summit The US is charging ahead on climate action, so where the bloody hell is Australia? by Richie Merzian ARTICLE: Labor backs coal beyond 2050 RESEARCH: Australian fossil fuel subsidies hit $10.3 billion in 2020/21  Cause of the Week: The Juice Media (thejuicemedia.com) 

Hello! Sorry for the radio silence - I have been busy being too hot for TV and annoying Andrew Bolt. Apologies.  This week's ep is a slice of a conversation I had with socialist councillor Stephen Jolly and Leftist intellectuals (and previous LIASYO guests) Alison Pennington, Jeff Sparrow and Guy Rundle for Stephen's new podcast, Melbourne Calling.  We had a wide-ranging chat about the state of the Australian Left in the wake of COVID, the sexual assault crisis in Canberra, workers' power and ideology.  You can watch the full chat here. If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My 2021 show WE ARE ALL IN THIS is on at the Melbourne Comedy Festival NOW - just 6 shows left! WE ARE ALL IN THIS is coming to Sydney for two nights only in May Please watch my lip sync tribute to Greta Thunberg at the Melbourne Comedy Festival. We put a lot of work into it lol  @StephenJolly99 @ak_pennington @Jeff_Sparrow MelbourneCalling.com.au The Melbourne Calling YouTube page Cause of the Week: Pay The Rent (paytherent.net.au)  

Samantha Maiden is an award-winning journalist who's currently the political editor at news.com.au. In February, she broke the story of Brittany Higgins' alleged rape in Parliament House in 2019, which has since sent shockwaves through Canberra and the Australian political class.  I wanted to ask Sam about what's really been going on over the past couple of months: what we're witness, what it means and why it's different to the #MeToo moment from a couple of years ago. She reflects on Higgins' bravery, people wanking on desks and the Morrison government's attempt to respond to the ongoing crisis.     If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My 2021 show WE ARE ALL IN THIS is on at the Melbourne Comedy Festival NOW! WE ARE ALL IN THIS is coming to Sydney for two nights only in May @SamanthaMaiden Samantha's writing at news.com.au ARTICLE: Liberal Party staffer Brittany Higgins says she was raped at Parliament House  ARTICLE: A new power has risen in Australian politics - and it's not coming quietly by Annabel Crabb  ARTICLE: PM caught in crusade of women journos by Aaron Patrick Cause of the Week: Rape & Domestic Violence Services Australia (rape-dvservices.org.au)  

David Milner is an award-winning journalist who now regularly writes for The Shot - a "profound and profane" news site from The Chaser that is consistently pumping out sharp, angry rants about the state of Australian politics and the sinister influence of the Murdoch media.  This was a great conversation about how The Shot was born in the fires of Melbourne's 2020 lockdown, what David learned from his time as a video journalist, just how toxic Newscorp is, how we could reject it, the ALP's lack of a fight and why right now is "a depressing time for people who give a shit about things".  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My 2021 show is called WE ARE ALL IN THIS – it’s on sale now at the Melbourne and Sydney Comedy Festivals @DaveMilbo theshot.net.au Dave's pieces at The Shot The Shot Store ARTICLE: How to eat the rich while social distancing ARTICLE: When Murdoch’s tabloid failed Liverpool the people kicked it out of town for good. What’s stopping Melbourne? 80aday.org Cause of the Week: March 4 Justice (march4justice.com.au)

Ricardo Menéndez March was elected to the Parliament of Aotearoa in 2020. He was born in Mexico, immigrated to New Zealand and eventually became a socialist, queer activist and anti-poverty campaigner.    Ricardo tells me about the motto he lives by ("Be gay. Do crime"), the neoliberal legacy of the NZ Labour Party, the gap between the Ardern government's rhetoric of kindness and the reality on the ground, and the Green movement's challenge to remain authentic and grassroots-driven, while still being productive and professional to make things better for ordinary people.  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My 2021 show is called WE ARE ALL IN THIS – it’s on sale now at the Melbourne and Sydney Comedy Festivals @RMarchNZ Ricardo's profile on the Greens Party website greens.org.nz Ricardo's maiden speech Documentary: Someone Else's Country Cause of the Week: Auckland Action Against Poverty (aaap.org.nz) 

Jordon Steele-John is a disability and youth activist and has been a Greens senator for Western Australia since 2017, when he replaced Scott Ludlam in the Senate at just 23 years old. Here I ask Jordon about how parliament actually works and how it feels to be inside it as a Millennial Green. He explains why he's in parliament, his disappointment in the ALP, what being a socialist means to him, empowering young people, the fight for "ecological democracy" and the good and bad of the NDIS and the ongoing Royal Commission into the abuse and neglect of people with disabilities.  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My 2021 show is called WE ARE ALL IN THIS – it’s on sale now at the Adelaide Fringe and the Melbourne Comedy Festival I’m joining the (awesome) line up for Tommy Little’s Big Comedy Show @ the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in March @JordonSteele jordon-steele-john.greensmps.org.au ARTICLE: 'Aussie Squad' may be Labor's worst nightmare by Janet Albrechtsen ARTICLE: Tim Hollo on "ecological democracy" for The Green Institute ARTICLE: "We are sexual beings": why disability advocates want the NDIS to cover sexual services ARTICLE: Stuart Robert condemned for plan to deny people with disability access to sex worker services Cause of the Week: People With Disabilities Australia (pwd.org.au)  

Amy Remeikis is Guardian Australia's political reporter who writes the Australian politics live blog, covering the thrills and spills of Australian politics as they happen.  Amy joined me after another crazy week in Canberra, to reflect on the "Remeikis experience", why the political class sucks so much, what to make of the media bargaining code and Labor's strategy to win back Queensland at the next election.  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My 2021 show is called WE ARE ALL IN THIS – it’s on sale now at the Adelaide Fringe I’m joining the (awesome) line up for Tommy Little’s Big Comedy Show @ the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in March @AmyRemeikis Amy's writing at The Guardian ARTICLE: Facebook vs the media code: whoever wins, we lose by Lizzie O'Shea ARTICLE: Be careful what you wish for: government-mandated theft backfires as tech giant pulls pin by Bernard Keane  ARTICLE: Fine-tuning the message: federal Labor looks to Queensland as the electoral canary in the coalmine by Amy Remeikis  ARTICLE: Labor's wicked problem: how to win back Queensland by Christopher Wallace You can read Amy's powerful pieces sharing her reflections on being a survivor of sexual assault here and here Cause of the Week: Support your local florist! 

Dr. Evan Smith is a historian and academic who's extensively researched the history of the Far Left in Australia and the UK. Last year he released his book No Platforming: A History of Anti-Fascism, Universities and the Limits of Free Speech. I reached out to Evan last month after the whackiness of the storming of the US Capitol and Trump's removal from Twitter. We only managed to find some time recently for a chat, but this is clearly still a relevant conversation (as Trump is formally acquitted by the Senate in his impeachment trial). Evan lays out the history of "no platform" as a political tactic, the moral and political arguments surrounding it, the grey areas and its potential limits as a strategy for the Left.  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My 2021 show is called WE ARE ALL IN THIS – it’s on sale now at the Adelaide Fringe I’m joining the (awesome) line up for Tommy Little’s Big Comedy Show @ the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in March @evanishistory Evan's blog, New Historical Express You can support Evan's work on Patreon My interview with Douglas Murray on Tonightly ARTICLE: We're obsessed with 'no platforming' but aren't resisting the return of harder censorship by Jeff Sparrow ARTICLE: Evan reviews Jeff Sparrow's Fascists Among Us Cause of the Week: The Australian Unemployed Workers' Union (unemployedworkersunion.com) 

Luke Savage is a Canadian socialist and staff writer for Jacobin magazine whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Atlantic and The New Statesman.  I've always really enjoyed Luke's writing about US politics and political economy and was stoked that he joined me from Toronto to chat about Canada, the neoliberalism of Trudeau and the politics of Jimmy Kimmel's horrific "Goodbye Trump" animation video. I asked Luke about what the Obama years might tell us about the un-radical promise of a Biden presidency, the failure and limits of liberalism, why bipartisanship sucks and what might become of the Big Cheeto President now.  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My 2021 show is called WE ARE ALL IN THIS – it’s on sale now at the Adelaide Fringe I’m joining the (awesome) line up for Tommy Little’s Big Comedy Show @ the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in March @LukeWSavage Luke's podcast Michael and Us on Patreon Democratic Socialists of America Luke's writing at Jacobin magazine ARTICLE: Liberalism in Theory and Practice ARTICLE: In 2009, Pundits Predicted a New Progressive Era. It Never Came.  ARTICLE: Joe Biden Wants to Make Health Care "Secure For All." He Should Just Make it Free. Jimmy Kimmel's Goodbye Trump video Cause of the Week: The Workers' Action Centre Toronto (workersactioncentre.org)

Doug Cameron is a former AMWU trade unionist who served as a Labor senator from 2008 to 2019. He's now retired to Hobart, but still regularly tweets out exactly what he thinks about Australian politics and the state of the ALP.  After a week of leadership speculation, a shadow cabinet reshuffle and a lot of chatter about how progressive people should just shut up and vote Labor no matter what, I found it refreshing to talk to an old-school class warrior like Doug who articulates bold, socialist politics. We talked about his experience as a socialist working in the trade union movement and the ALP, why the party should grow a spine, the Corbyn moment and why he thinks joining the Greens is the "easy way out".  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My 2021 show is called WE ARE ALL IN THIS – it’s on sale now at the Adelaide Fringe I’m joining the (awesome) line up for Tommy Little’s Big Comedy Show @ the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in March @DougCameron51 Footage of Doug Cameron's valedictory speech  Transcript of the speech ARTICLE: Doug Cameron was right all along by Bernard Keane Floodcast's episode on the state of Albo and the ALP, Damp Warm Lettuce Cause of the Week: Everybody's Home Campaign (everybodyshome.com.au)

Luke Pearson is a Gamilaroi man who in 2012 founded IndigenousX: a 100% Indigenous owned and operated, independent media, consultancy, and training organisation.  As January 26th approaches, I wanted to ask Luke about what he makes of the Australia Day culture warring, his critique of the #changethedate campaign, our national amnesia when it comes to our history and why we need to #changethenation instead. He explains the nature of the ongoing occupation of this country, what political action might bring about material change for First Nations people and why the idea of changing the national holiday is like a gym membership.  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My 2021 show is called WE ARE ALL IN THIS – it’s on sale now at the Adelaide Fringe I’m joining the (awesome) line up for Tommy Little’s Big Comedy Show @ the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in March @LukeLPearson @IndigenousX ARTICLE: Why we need to change the date of Australia Day ARTICLE: Maybe we shouldn't change the date of Australia Day after all  ARTICLE: Why I no longer support #changethedate ARTICLE: Why we need to #ChangeTheNation (by Shiralee Lawson) ARTICLE: Why I was gutted when Australia applauded the anthem change  ARTICLE: We are One Nation?  ARTICLE: Remembering 1938 'Day of Mourning' declaration ARTICLE: 'We hereby make protest' - a history of 1938 Andrew Jakubowicz's research on "Harmony Day" CAUSE OF THE WEEK: indigenousx.com.au  

Oh hello. Happy New Year.  Amy MacMahon is the new Greens member for the Queensland state seat of South Brisbane after unseating Labor's Jackie Trad at the 2020 election. Amy tells me how her politics were informed by her experiences in Bangladesh and her mum's stroke of a few years ago. We discuss what running on a socialist platform looks like in Australia today, that stupid "Mean Girls" tweet scandal, what the ALP has become and how the Greens can reach out to the labour movement, as well as the Greens' priorities for Queensland in the year ahead.  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My 2021 show is called WE ARE ALL IN THIS - it's on sale now at the Adelaide Fringe I'm joining the (awesome) line up for Tommy Little's Big Comedy Show @ the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in March @amymacsouthbris amymacmahon.com greens.org.au/qld ARTICLE: How a 'Mean Girls' Quote Became a Stupid QLD Election Scandal  Amy's response to the "Means Girls" quote nonsense Young Greens' panel: Should the Greens embrace socialism? ARTICLE: Thousands sign petition to investigate historic Aboriginal land sale (Deebing Creek)  Cause of the Week: Mums 4 Refugees (mums4refugees.org)  

It's the final ep for 2020! Thank heavens, etc.  JR Hennessy is a Sydney-based writer whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Monthly and The Outline. He's the current editor for Business Insider Australia and he is smart and funny. I wanted to take to James about his thoughts on the wonders of 2020 and what (if anything) we can take from it. We discuss it all: people who consider politicians and health experts their friends, winning fights on the computer, "experts", OnlyFans, "dropshipping", logging off, whether the Millennial socialism moment is over and finding some hope for the Left in a post-COVID world. Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays/It's Over, everyone. If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you I'm performing at the Corner Hotel tonight (Tuesday) alongside Dilruk Jayasinha and Lehmo I’m coming to Brunswick Heads for a bunch of shows with Sam Taunton & Nikki Britton in January @jrhennessy JR's substack jrhennessy.com businessinsider.com.au JR's writing at The Outline JR's writing at The Monthly  ARTICLE: Who the hell cares what old people think about climate change? ARTICLE: World will be the same but worse after banal virus says Houellebecq Cause of the Week: Foodbank (foodbank.org.au)