The Sound of Solidarity

The majority of European Jews looked to socialist ideas in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. David Glanz argues Zionism was a fringe movement for decades and can be challenged again. Read more about anti-Zionism. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was delivered at Solidarity's Keep Left conference on 19 April 2025.

Paddy Gibson speaks about a new edition of Tom O'Lincoln's book, Into the Mainstream: The Decline of Australian Communism, for which he has written the introduction. Paddy describes how the book charts the CPA's strengths, but also how its Stalinist politics led to its decline. He draws lessons for revolutionaries today. Copies of the book are on sale at Solidarity branch meetings or by contacting the publisher, Interventions. Read more about the CPA. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was delivered at a Solidarity meeting in Melbourne on 15 May 2025.

Adam Adelpour looks at the 1905 revolution in Russia and argues that the development of democratic workers' councils, known in Russian as soviets, was critical to the workers' victory over capitalism in October 1917. Read more about soviets. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was delivered at Solidarity's Keep Left conference on 20 April 2025.

Jordi Pardoel discusses the ideas we need to win the fight against capitalism and argues that Stalinism and Maoism are dead ends for the struggle. Read more on Trotsky. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at Solidarity's Keep Left conference on 19 April 2025.

Lucy Honan explores the concept of neurodiversity, why capitalism puts people into defined boxes and how we can fight for a world where we live our fullest lives. Read more about capitalism and disability. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was delivered at Solidarity's Keep Left conference on 20 April 2025.

Los Angeles-based socialist Clare Fester talks about the Trump government's racist offensive and the growing movements of opposition. Read more about the fight against Trump. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at Solidarity's Keep Left conference on 20 April.

Ian Rintoul looks at how the Labor-style SPD has paved the way for the rise of the far right in Germany and draws lessons for the federal election in Australia. Read more about Germany. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was recorded at the Keep Left conference on 19 April 2025.

Dr Nora Amath, the Executive Director of the Islamophobia Register Australia, reports on the horrific wave of racism affecting Muslims in Australia. She explains how the anti-Palestine agenda of mainstream politicians and the media encourages hatred. Read the latest Islamophobia Register Australia report. Read more about fighting Islamophobia. Find out more about Solidarity.

Liz Grosshans tells how, together with the heroic resistance of the Vietnamese, mass revolt by students, soldiers and workers fragmented the US war machine and opened the way to national liberation for Vietnam and an end to the war. Read more about the movement against the Vietnam War. Find out more about Solidarity.

Five hundred years ago, the German-speaking lands of central Europe were gripped by mass revolt. Beginning in 1524 and continuing into 1525, the German Peasants' War involved hundreds of thousands of the poor. Martin Empson, a member of Solidarity's sister organisation in Britain, the Socialist Workers Party, has just published a book that brings this story of revolt to life, entitled The Time of the Harvest has Come: Revolution, Reformation and the German Peasants' War. He discusses the lessons for revolution. Win a signed copy of the book! Answer the following question and go into the draw. "By which term, which was given to a monumental panoramic painting of the Battle of Frankenhausen commissioned by the East German state capitalist regime, did Engels characterise the German Peasants' War?" Send your answer and your address and phone number to melbourne@solidarity.net.au by midnight, Melbourne time, on Friday 25 April. This offer applies only to Australian-based listeners. Buy a copy of the book at Solidarity meetings, online or via solidarity@solidarity.net.au. Find out more about Solidarity.

In February 1965, University of Sydney students held a “freedom ride” through northwestern NSW, exposing rampant racism against Indigenous people and putting Indigenous rights on the agenda. Hall Greenland (Freedom Ride participant), Paul Silva (Indigenous activist) and Paddy Gibson (Jumbunna Institute and Solidarity) discuss its impact and relevance today. Read about the Freedom Ride. Find out more about Solidarity.

Phil Griffiths debunks the idea that tariffs have ever been good for workers, discusses how Trump is using tariffs to remake US imperialism and argues that workers have to look to global solidarity. Read more about tariffs. Find out more about Solidarity.

Robert Stainsby outlines the socialist view on elections. He argues that while it is important to vote for Greens and then Labor, real change can come about only through workers' struggle. Read more about democracy. Find out more about Solidarity.

Jasmine Ali explains why Donald Trump is ending the US proxy war with Russia in Ukraine. She argues that the Russian invasion and three-year war that followed are products of inter-imperialist rivalry. This talk was delivered in Melbourne on 6 March 2025. Read more about Ukraine. Find out more about Solidarity.

Trans rights are under attack. Casey Forsyth explains why our rulers are so keen to promote transphobia and how we can defeat it and win a world of trans liberation. Read more about the fight against transphobia. Find out more about Solidarity.

Robodebt saw more than 526,000 people told they had Centrelink debts, even though it simply wasn't true. To unpack this piece of bureaucratic bastardry, we talk to journalist Rick Morton, who has written a book about Robodebt called Mean Streak, published by HarperCollins. Rick is the Saturday Paper's senior reporter. He won two Walkley Awards for his coverage of the Robodebt royal commission and he is the author of an earlier book, One Hundred Years of Dirt. Also joining us is Solidarity member Tom Orsag, a victim of the Robodebt scandal. Read more about welfare attacks. Find out more about Solidarity. Buy a copy of Mean Streak.

Solidarity editor James Supple assesses a world in turmoil, the impact of Trump's election and the potential for a fightback against the rise of the right. Read more about Trump. Find out more about Solidarity.

John (Janusz) Ebel was a student at La Trobe University in 1970 and active in the movement against the Vietnam War. He burned his draft card, helped lock up a Liberal Minister, was shot at and took part in the Battle of Waterdale Road, when police ambushed and bashed student activists. Read more about the Vietnam War. Find out more about Solidarity.

David Glanz discusses Lenin's 1920 pamphlet, Left wing communism: an infantile disorder, its importance then and its relevance today. Read the pamphlet. Find out more about Solidarity.

Jonathan Sherlock discusses Trump 2.0 - how Trump won, the threat he poses and the potential for resistance. Read more about the fight against Trump. Find out more about Solidarity.

Jean Parker looks at how the debates between reformists and revolutionaries played out in the Second International, the grouping of socialist parties on the eve of the First World War, and their relevance for today. Read more about the Second International. Find out more about Solidarity.

In 1992, the then Labor government announced it would cut student support, Austudy, from its already derisory level. Thousands of students took to the streets. In Melbourne, the police counter-attacked by arresting five socialists. It took more than two years but a significant defence campaign led to all the major charges being dropped. Among the five were Marcus Banks and Jonathan Sherlock and we're talking with them today. View images from the defence campaign. Read more about student struggles. Find out more about Solidarity.

David Glanz challenges some common arguments that workers in Australia and the West benefit from the exploitation of the Global South. He argues that workers everywhere have common interests, laying the basis for a common struggle against the system. Read more about imperialism. Find out more about Solidarity.

Solidarity member Judy McVey took part in organising the campaign for the right to march in Queensland. Judy talks about why the ban on marches was put in place, how the campaign was organised and what debates took place inside it, how victory was won and what this means today. Read more about struggle in Queensland. Find out more about Solidarity. This episode is republished with permission of the People's History of Australia, a podcast covering Australian labour and social movements. Read the full show notes and find out more about the podcast series.

Luke Ottavi describes the revolutionary process that shook Sudan and gave hope to millions before it faltered and created space for ruling class factions backed by regional powers to fight for power and wealth. He points to the politics needed to ensure that the next mass upsurge ends in victory for workers and the poor. Read more about Sudan. Find out about Solidarity.

Paddy Gibson discusses socialist anti-racist theory in the 19th century, its flaws and how it was modified and challenged by the Communist Party of Australia during the 20th century, and the amazing campaigns led by the Communist Party against anti-Aboriginal racism during the 1920s and 1930s. Read more about Aboriginal resistance. Find out more about Solidarity. This episode is republished with permission of the People's History of Australia, a podcast covering Australian labour and social movements. Read the full show notes and find out more about the podcast series.

Abortion rights are under attack in the US and Australia. Why is the right fixated on controlling women's bodies? How can we fight back? Judy McVey, author of the Solidarity pamphlet, Abortion: The fight that's still to be won, discusses the issues. Read more about the fight for abortion rights. Buy the book, Marxism and Women's Liberation. Find out more about Solidarity.

Some say it is the influence of the Zionist lobby in the US that explains America's unwavering support for Israel. But David Glanz argues that the real reason is that the US sees Israel as an indispensable ally in a region of huge strategic importance. Read more about Palestine. Find out more about Solidarity.

Julie Monteiro explains how the Democrats paved the way for Trump and how building mass resistance is the key to turning the tide on reaction. Read more about US politics. Find out more about Solidarity.

Thirty years ago, in September 1994, students at the Australian National University in Canberra occupied the chancellery building for eight days.  Tom Orsag was working in Canberra at the time and was an active supporter of the occupation. Here he tells the story of the struggle. Read more about student struggles. Find out more about Solidarity.  

Paddy Gibson looks at the potential for revolt against Israel's genocide and also against the Arab leaders who are helping make it possible. Read more about Palestine. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at Solidarity's Resist and Rebel conference in Sydney on 24 August 2024.

On 11 September 2000 (known as S11), 10,000 people surrounded the World Economic Forum in Melbourne and shut it down. In the wake of the recent action against Land Forces, David Glanz discusses the lessons of S11 for organising effective direct action today. Read more about direct action. Find out more about Solidarity.

In this episode, Graham Willett and Geraldine Fela share stories about how the union movement has stood up against homophobia. Graham Willett is a recovering academic, a socialist and an historian. He has been involved in groups as diverse as the Gay Community News collective, ACTUP and the Australian Queer Archives. Geraldine Fela is a labour movement historian and author of Critical Care: Nurses on the frontline of Australia's AIDS crisis. She is also a member of Solidarity. Read more about the fight against homophobia. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was recorded at a forum hosted by the Melbourne branch of Solidarity on 26 September.

Julie Monteiro discusses how oppression can bring people into the struggle for liberation but why organising primarily on the basis of identity can be a dead end. Read more about the fight against oppression. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at the Resist and Rebel conference in Melbourne on 24 August.

Far right and fascist parties are on the rise across Europe, from the National Rally in France to Austria's Freedom Party and the German AfD, while in the US Donald Trump still has a chance of taking back the Presidency.   Adam Adelpour explains the difference between fascist parties and other forms of far right politics -- and why it matters for how we resist them.   This talk was given at Solidarity's Sydney branch on 5 September.   Read more about fascism.   Find out more about Solidarity.

Labor is pushing a rightwing agenda -- attacking the CFMEU, leaving refugees to rot, spending billions on nuclear submarines and the military, and more. Maeve Larkins unpacks why the ALP is putting Australian capitalism first. Read more about Labor. Find out more about Solidarity.

David Glanz looks at the dangers posed by the rise of the far right and argues that the left has to avoid the trap of "lesser evilism" and instead build a united front of revolutionaries and reformists to stop our common enemies. This talk was delivered at Solidarity's Resist and Rebel conference in Melbourne on 24 August. Read more about fascism. Find out more about Solidarity.

Cooper Forsyth outlines how imperialism has shaped the Middle East and laid the basis for Israeli war and genocide. He explains how Leon Trotsky's theory of permanent revolution can point a way forward for Palestinian liberation. This talk was delivered at Solidarity's Resist and Rebel conference in Melbourne on 24 August. Read more about Trotsky. Read more about Palestine. Find out about Solidarity. 

Solidarity's Ian Rintoul argues why we need to organise to defend the CFMEU. Midhat Jafri, an activist for Palestine and Solidarity member at UNSW, discusses the way forward to defeat imperialism and gain Palestinian liberation. Read about the CFMEU. Read about Palestine. Find out more about Solidarity.

Hundreds marched on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's office in Sydney in a rally organised by Stop the War on Palestine. Solidarity member Manu brings us the voices of those who spoke up that day. Read more about Palestine. Find out more about Solidarity.

Labour movement historian Geraldine Fela talks about her new book, which discusses the vital political role nurses played in turning back the spread of AIDS, and of homophobia. Geraldine is a member of Solidarity. The book, Critical Care: Nurses on the frontline of Australia's AIDS crisis, is published by UNSW Press, $49.99. Read more about nurses organising. Find out more about Solidarity.

We talk to journalist and author Nic Maclellan, who has been reporting on New Caledonia/Kanaky for four decades, about the Kanak struggle for independence from French colonialism. Read more about Kanaky. Find out about Solidarity.

Tom Orsag, a Solidarity member and retired CFMEU member, argues why we need to unite in defence of the construction workers' union, the CFMEU. This talk was recorded on 25 July. Read more about the CFMEU. Find out more about Solidarity.

Refugees and asylum-seekers in Melbourne are protesting 24 hours a day - first outside the office of Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil and then, when she was shuffled out of the role, outside the Department of Home Affairs. We spoke to three Iranian women about why they're fighting back. The Department of Home Affairs in Melbourne is at 808 Bourke Street, Docklands. Support is welcome at any time of the day or night. Read more about the fight for refugee justice. Find out more about Solidarity.

Defenders of Israel cannot justify the slaughter in Gaza so they resort to smearing supporters of the Palestinians as antisemitic. Tami Gadir, a Solidarity member and anti-Zionist Jew, takes apart their arguments and shows how fighting for Palestine and fighting antisemitism go hand in hand. Read more about Zionism. Find out more about Solidarity.

Erima Dall talks about the waves of revolutionary struggle that have rocked the Middle East and points to the importance of rebuilding the socialist tradition of struggle from below. This talk was given at Solidarity's Keep Left conference on 30 March. Read more about imperialism and resistance in the Middle East. Find out more about Solidarity.

Sophie Cotton explains how growing inequality and racism in the US, together with the failures of the pro-big business, pro-Israel Democrats, is opening the door for another Trump presidency. The response by working class people and students has to be struggle in the workplaces and the streets. Further reading: How does Trump survive? California workers strike for Palestine US workers begin to flex some industrial muscle More about Solidarity

Adam Adelpour looks at how inter-imperialist rivalry has turned Ukraine into a bloody quagmire and points a way forward based on workers on both sides rejecting their rulers' war. Read more on Ukraine. Find out more about Solidarity.

Chris Breen looks at the failure of international talks to halt global warming, why capitalism can't solve the problem it's caused and how ordinary people can organise and win against fossil fuels. Read more on fighting climate change. Find out more about Solidarity. 

Rosa Luxemburg was one of the giants of the socialist movement at the beginning of the 20th century. She argued for revolution against reformism and celebrated the power of the mass strike. But, as Caitlin Doyle outlines, she failed to understand the need for independent revolutionary organisation, with terrible consequences. Read about Rosa Luxemburg. Find out about Solidarity.

The Kanak, the Indigenous people of Kanaky-New Caledonia, have risen up against their French colonial masters. Paddy Gibson explains why we should draw inspiration from their resistance and build solidarity across the Pacific with all struggles for liberation. Read more about the Kanak struggle. Find out more about Solidarity.