The Sound of Solidarity

Why did the ALP Minister for External Affairs in the 1940s, Doc Evatt, play such a central role in the United Nations vote to partition Palestine? Researcher Jeff Rickertt explains that while Evatt supported Zionism, that was only part of the story. His actions were driven primarily by what was best for Australian capitalism and its imperialist interests in the South Pacific. It's an analysis that can help guide the Palestine solidarity movement today. Read Jeff's paper: When First Nations Don't Count: H.V. Evatt and the Erasure of Palestinian Rights. Read more about Australian imperialism. Find out more about Solidarity. This episode was recorded on 21 September 2026.  

The AI boom is a capitalist frenzy but there's a growing likelihood that the bubble will burst, hitting the world economy, argues David Glanz. Meanwhile, giant data centres are being built across our suburbs and beyond. They are an environmental disaster in the making, using huge amounts of electricity and water and driving a boom in gas-fired power stations. Read more about AI. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at a Solidarity meeting in Naarm/Melbourne on 20 August 2026.

Héctor Puente Sierra talks about the Spanish Civil War that broke out in 1936. He describes how it showed the enormous revolutionary potential of the working class and explains why that potential was defeated by a combination of political mistakes by the mass anarchist forces and sabotage by the Stalinised communist party. Héctor is the author of a new book, Revolution and Counter-Revolution in the Spanish Civil War. Copies are available from Solidarity branches or by emailing solidarity@solidarity.net.au. Read more about Spain. Find out more about Solidarity. Héctor spoke by Zoom from Scotland on 3 September 2026.

The US has bullied Cuba for decades but Donald Trump is now threatening to finally overthrow the regime. Marcus Banks describes the situation in Cuba today and its history since the 1959 revolution. He explains why revolutionary socialists stand with Cuba against US imperialism while rejecting the idea that Cuba is a socialist society. Read more about Cuba. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at a Solidarity meeting in Melbourne on 27 August 2026.

Lucy Honan tells how rank-and-file teachers in Victoria organised to fight for their EBA demands even though their union officials wanted to give up the struggle. Lucy is a branch councillor with the Australian Education Union, a co-founder of the rank-and-file group Fight the Crisis, and a member of Solidarity. Read more about the teachers' campaign. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at the Resist & Rebel conference in Melbourne on 22 August 2026.

Tom Fiebig looks to the anti-uranium movement of the 1970s to see how union action, community organising and direct action came together to block the nuclear agenda. He draws out lessons for the movement for Palestine today. Read more about the anti-uranium movement. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at a Solidarity meeting in Melbourne on 13 August 2026.

Dialectics sounds complicated. But David Glanz explains how analysing the world dialectically helps us change it. He explains the development of the concept and gives two examples of how dialectics can help us untangle common problems for the left. Read more about dialectics (introduction). Read more about dialectics (advanced). Find out more about Solidarity.

Phil Griffiths looks at how racism took root in the dispossession of Indigenous people and how our rulers have targeted migrants and refugees since. But he argues that a history of racism is also a history of resistance, which shows the potential to destroy racism once and for all. Read more about racism. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at a Melbourne meeting of Solidarity on 18 June 2026.

Mike Grewcock looks at the rise of Australian militarism, the connection to AUKUS and Labor's drive to strengthen arms manufacturing.  Read more about AUKUS. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at Solidarity's Keep Left conference on 4 April 2026.

Sophie Cotton (NTEU) and Matt Maher (NSWTF) draw on their experience at the University of Sydney and as a teacher about how to be an effective revolutionary at work. Read more about union action. Find out more about Solidarity. This session was recorded at Solidarity's Keep Left conference on 5 April 2026.

Lisa Natividad (Guahan Coalition for Peace and Justice) describes the impact of US bases on Guam/Guåhan and tells how the CHamoru people are fighting for independence and an end to militarism. Maeve Larkins (Solidarity) puts that struggle in the broader picture of imperialist rivalry in the Pacific. Read more about Guam/Guåhan. Find out more about Solidarity. This episode was recorded at Solidarity's Keep Left conference on 5 April 2026.

Paddy Gibson explains why the strategy of the united front is central to successful resistance to the right and to revolutionaries increasing their influence. Read more on the united front. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at Solidarity's conference in Sydney on 1 February 2026.

David Glanz discusses the long history of Australian racism behind Pauline Hanson's argument for a monoculture and argues we should look to the proud record of working class unity in struggle across ethnic divides. Read more about the fight against Hanson. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at a Solidarity meeting in Melbourne on 2 July 2026.

Ian Rintoul looks at how climate change, increasing droughts and rivalry between nation states intersect and argues that dealing with the crisis will mean overcoming the capitalism system. Read more about climate change. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at Solidarity's Keep Left conference on 5 April 2026.

Teacher and AEU member Jonathan Sherlock tells how Teachers and School Staff for Palestine was built in Victoria, winning official union backing, mobilising hundreds of teachers on Palestine rallies and laying the basis for a rank-and-file network, Fight the Crisis. Read more about rank-and-file organising. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at a Solidarity meeting in Melbourne on 11 June 2026.

Paddy Gibson explains the function of the police in keeping down workers and the oppressed and argues that a fight to abolish the police is part of the fight to overthrow capitalism. Read more about the police. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at a Solidarity meeting in Sydney on 26 March 2026.

The fight against genocide in Gaza and the West Bank has brought millions on to the streets. But how can we turn the movement into one that opposes all imperialist wars? Julie Monteiro looks back to the movement against the Vietnam War for inspiration. Read more opposing war. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at a Solidarity branch meeting in Melbourne on 21 May 2026.

Mililma May (Dangglaba Kulumbringin Tiwi organiser) describes the ongoing crisis of police and state repression against Indigenous people in the Northern Territory. Luke Ottavi (Solidarity) introduces the session. Read more about Indigenous resistance. Find out more about Solidarity. These talks were delivered at Solidarity's Keep Left conference on 4 April 2026.

Erima Dall explains the developments in AI and the threats they pose. She argues that workers need to fight to bring AI under our control. Read more about AI. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at Solidarity's Keep Left conference on 5 April 2026.

Geraldine Fela, author of the award-winning book Critical Care: Nurses on the frontline of Australia's AIDS crisis, talks about the role that health workers and patients play in the battle for bodily autonomy and dignity in the health system. Read more about the fight for LGBTI+ rights. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at Solidarity's Keep Left conference on 4 April 2026.

Madison Lee outlines how Western imperialism has made continual efforts to control Iran but has been confronted with revolt and revolution, from the constitutional revolution of 1905 to the 1979 revolution and the recent waves of protest against the Islamic regime. Read more about Iran. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at a Solidarity meeting in Melbourne on 30 April 2026.

The left internationally has generally supported the right of small nations to national independence. Should that also apply to Taiwan in any conflict with China? Griffin Philips introduces the politics of “One China” and “Taiwanese independence” and discusses their impact on the class struggle in Taiwan and globally. Read more about Taiwan. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at Solidarity's Keep Left conference on 5 April 2026.

US socialist and long-time campaigner for migrant rights, Victor Fernandez, tells how mass organising has pushed back ICE and laid the basis for a working class fightback against Trump. Read more about the US. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at Solidarity's Keep Left conference on 4 April 2026.

Professor Clinton Fernandes is in the Future Operations Research Group at UNSW. His latest book is Turbulence: Australian Foreign Policy in the Trump Era. In this episode he discusses the US-Israel war on Iran. Read more about Iran. Find out more about Solidarity. Get a copy of Turbulence: Australian Foreign Policy in the Trump Era.

Judy McVey describes the building of a movement in 1970s Queensland that beat back the banning of street marches by the Joh Bjelke-Petersen government. She draws out the lessons for the Palestine movement today. Read more about fighting Bjelke-Petersen. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at a Solidarity meeting in Melbourne on 19 March 2026.

David Glanz looks at why the US and Australia invaded Iraq in 2003, how it blew up in their faces and how anti-war activists responded to the crisis. He draws lessons for opposing war today. Read more about the Iraq War. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at a Solidarity meeting in Melbourne on 26 March 2026. The background noise in the first half of the talk was caused by an exceptionally heavy rain burst. Blame global warming.

Liz Grosshans explains how the Stalinist politics of the German communist party -- and the reformism of the German socialist party -- allowed Hitler to come to power over the strongest working class in the world. She draws out lessons for today, including the need to build a united front between revolutionaries and reformists against the far right. Read more about fighting Hitler. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was delivered at a Solidarity branch meeting in Melbourne on 23 October 2025.

Riley Hogan explains Labor's deep commitment to US imperialism and its watchdog in the Middle East, Israel. Read more about Palestine. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given in Melbourne on 19 February 2026.

Liam McMullen explains the imperialist pressures that are driving the US and Israel, backed by countries including Australia, to bomb Iran. He criticises the "campist" idea that to oppose the US we need to back the Tehran regime and argues that revolt from below is the hope for the region. Read more about Iran. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at the Solidarity meeting in Melbourne on 12 March 2026.

Ken Davis, a '78er who took part in the first Sydney Mardi Gras, and Jean Parker from Solidarity discuss the lessons from 1978, when the first Mardi Gras protest march demanding LGBTIQ+ liberation was violently attacked by police with 53 arrests and people severely beaten.   Mass defiance not only strengthened the fight against discrimination against LGBTIQ+ people but also triggered a campaign to drop the charges that won legal change and the right to march.   As we face new anti-protest laws today, Ken and Jean will explain what happened and the lessons for today.   Read more about LGBTIQ+ liberation.   Find out more about Solidarity.   This talk was given at a Solidarity meeting in Sydney on 26 February 2026.

Robert Stainsby looks at a world in crisis and outlines the socialist solution in this talk introducing the politics of Solidarity. Find out more about Solidarity.

David Glanz discusses the resurgence of One Nation today and looks back to the 1990s, when mass protests and campaigning defeated Pauline Hanson and pushed One Nation back. Read our pamphlet of fighting Hanson from 1996. Read how One Nation was beaten. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given in Melbourne on 5 February 2026.

Solidarity editor James Supple looks at Labor's continuing shift to the right and what it means for struggles today. Read more about Labor. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at Solidarity's annual conference on 31 January 2026.

Ian Rintoul looks at how Trump's break with the so-called "rules-based order" is reshaping imperialism today ... and making it ever more dangerous. Read more about imperialism. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at Solidarity's conference on 31 January 2026.

Tom Fiebig explains how Donald Trump's kidnapping of the Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife was a nakedly imperialist attack to assert US power in Latin America, push back Chinese influence and make the region a playground for US corporations. Read more about Venezuela. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given in Melbourne on 15 January 2026.

Rouzbeh, an Iranian socialist, explains why mass dissent has erupted in Iran and how the majority on the streets are saying no to the Ayatollah and no to the Shah. Read more about Iran. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at a Solidarity meeting in Sydney on 15 January 2026.

Professor Penny Green has recently returned from the West Bank. She describes the horror there. Penny is a professor at Queen Mary University of London, the Director of the International State Crime Initiative and editor of the State Crime Journal.  Read more about the West Bank. Find out more about Solidarity. Find out more about the Gaza Tribunal.

Julie Monteiro explains the unfolding genocide in Sudan. She argues that today's horror is a result of the race by regional powers to grab Sudan's resources following the defeat of the 2019 revolution.  Read more about Sudan. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was delivered in Melbourne on 20 November 2025.

David Glanz, an anti-Zionist Jew and Palestine solidarity activist, argues that the Israeli genocide in Gaza and the crimes of imperialism are root causes of the antisemitic massacre at Bondi beach.  Read more about anti-Zionism. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at a Solidarity meeting in Melbourne on 18 December 2025.

Liam McMullen discusses the failure of the COP30 climate talks despite the mounting evidence of global warming and climate change. He argues that the drive to profit means capitalism can't offer real solutions to the climate crisis. Read more about fighting for climate action. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at a Solidarity meeting on 4 December 2025.

Tara Burnett, former Greens candidate for Cooper and an AEU member, and Solidarity member Jasmine Ali discuss how Zohran Mamdani's victory in New York has generated hope. But they also warn that, since his election, Mamdani has started to soften some of his positions and draw conclusions for the struggle ahead. Read more about Mamdani. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was delivered in Melbourne on 27 November 2025.

The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) has recently released a report on anti-Palestinian racism in Australian schools. Zakaria Saleh, Wasim El-Haj and Chris Breen discuss the issues. Zak was a high school student in 2024 and is now studying at Western Sydney Uni. Wasim and Chris are both teachers. Chris is active in Teachers and School Staff for Palestine and a member of Solidarity. Read the APAN report. Read more about Palestine. Find out more about Solidarity.

Phil Griffiths, labour historian and Solidarity member, explains the forces at work behind the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government on 11 November 1975. He describes how workers immediately walked out on strike, with a push to shut down the country until Whitlam was reinstated, and draws conclusions for our struggle today from the defeat. Read more about Whitlam. Find out more about Solidarity. Buy our pamphlet, written by Phil, on how workers fought the Dismissal. This meeting was recorded at a Solidarity meeting on 13 November 2025.

Emeritus Professor Judith Brett has spent much of her academic career writing about the Liberal Party. She argues that the Liberals face an existentialist crisis but that Labor is failing to take advantage of the moment. Judith's books include Robert Menzies' Forgotten People, published in 1992, and Australian Liberals and the Moral Middle Class, from 2003. Her most recent book, published last year, was on the Australian feminist, Beatrice Faust. Read more about the Liberals. Find out more about Solidarity.

Dr Sara Cheikh-Husain discusses her research into Islamophobia in Australia and argues that it cannot be understood separately from the imperialist agenda of the West and the attempt to silence the voices of Palestinians and their supporters. She is the author of an upcoming book, The politics of anti-Islamophobia in Australia: The case of the Muslim community organisations.  Read Sara's article in Overland. Find out about her book. Academic books are, unfortunately, very expensive. Ask your library to order it. Read more about Islamophobia. Find out more about Solidarity.

David Glanz discusses the fragile nature of the ceasefire and why it brings no respite, let alone peace, for Palestinian people. He looks at why Israel agreed to the ceasefire and how the movement here and overseas should respond. Read more about the Palestinian struggle. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was delivered at a Solidarity meeting in Melbourne on 30 October 2025.

Lucia Pradella and Fabio Santoro discuss the 3 October general strike in Italy for Palestine. Adam Adelpour gives an introduction to the meeting. The summing up by Lucia and Fabio that followed question time is included.   Lucia is an Italian scholar of political economy, Marxist theory and labour movements who helps coordinate University and College Workers for Palestine in Britain. Fabio is with the SI COBAS trade union.   This national Solidarity meeting took place on 16 October 2025.   Read more about Italy.   Find out more about Solidarity.

Casey Forsyth looks at the dynamic driving colonial settlement on this continent and draws lessons for the struggle for Indigenous rights and in solidarity with Palestine. Read more about colonial settler movements. Find out about Solidarity. This talk was delivered at the Resist and Rebel conference in Melbourne on 30 August 2025.

Victor Fernandez, an LA-based activist and member of Solidarity's US sister group, Marx21, talks about Trump's racist ICE raids and the growing resistance to them. Read more about resistance to Trump. Find out more about Solidarity. Find out more about Marx21 US. This talk was given at the Resist and Rebel conference in Sydney on 23 August 2025.

Michael Grewcock, a retired lecturer in criminal law and criminology, speaks on the history of capitalism, settler colonial law and the police in Australia. Read more about the police. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was delivered at Resist and Rebel in Sydney on 23 August 2025.

Socialists from Britain and Greece draw on their experiences of fighting the rise of the far right. Judy Cox is a member of the Socialist Workers Party, which has played a central role in Stand Up to Racism counter-demonstrations against the far right in Britain. Petros Constantinou is a socialist and coordinator of the Movement Against Racism and the Fascist Threat (Keerfa), which helped smash the Nazi party Golden Dawn. Liz Grosshans gives an introduction about the relevance for Australia today.   Read more about fighting racism and fascism.   Find out more about Solidarity.   This Solidarity forum took place in Melbourne on 18 September 2025.