Life of the Party

Joe and Jonas reflect on their recent trip to France to take part in the annual festival of Jean-Luc Melenchon’s radical left party, La France Insoumise, while Shanice offers some reflections on the enduring challenge presented to socialist strategy by nationalism and the nation-state.READINGSKate Fox - Watching the EnglishSatnam Virdee - Racism, Class and the Racialized OutsiderColson Whitehead - The Nickel Boys

We are on a summer break so this week you are getting a special preview of our brand new spin-off show, After Hours.In our very first episode of After Hours, Jonas, Joe and Shanice breakdown a recent report from the National Centre for Social Research, investigating what it says about the average Reform voter and what makes this emerging radical right coalition tick.

Joe breaks down the Greater Manchester mayoral race and argues that poor candidate selection and even worse political strategy had a significant role to play in the Greens’ bad showing. While Jonas then offers us some thoughts on the contemporary challenges to reaching the Good Life, provoking a deeper conversation on how the internet and the attention economy are harming our collective bonds.READINGSJohn Trickett - The End of Social Democracy⁠Christopher Nolan - The OdysseyJonas Patrick Marvin - The Breaking of the English Working ClassCREDITSHosted by Shanice McBean, Jonas Marvin and Joe Todd.Edited by Marcus Berdaut⁠⁠.Design by Rachel Carr / rachelcarr.co.ukMusic by Benjamin Tissot / 9INTLNTLWTYTDKVNAfter Hours Music by Marcus P / MADSQ4HJPOYFTZ1TBecome a supporter: ⁠lifeoftheparty.uk⁠Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠.This is an Ampersounds production.

In this week's episode, Jonas takes us through the latest wave of machinations within the Labour Party, arguing that Andy Burnham’s strategy is neither radical nor realistic. Afterwards, Joe asks some fundamental questions of eco socialist strategy, pondering to what extent we could mitigate the climate crisis and what vision of eco socialism is possible on a burning planet.READINGSC.L.R. James - The Black JacobinsErik Olin Wright - How to Be an Anticapitalist in the Twenty-First CenturyChina Miéville - EmbassytownCREDITSHosted by Shanice McBean, Jonas Marvin and Joe Todd.Edited by Marcus Berdaut for ⁠Ampersounds Productions⁠.Design by Rachel Carr / rachelcarr.co.ukMusic by Benjamin Tissot / 9INTLNTLWTYTDKVNAfter Hours Music by Marcus P / MADSQ4HJPOYFTZ1TBecome a supporter: lifeoftheparty.ukFollow us on Instagram.This is an Ampersounds production.

In this week's episode, Joe raises doubts about the Green Party's choice of candidate in the Manchester mayoralty - spurring wider questions about leadership on the left. After discussing the Green Party's proposals for internal democratic reform, your hosts zoom out to discuss politics' most significant wedge issue: immigration. Shanice opens by critiquing the left's go to arguments, proposing an alternative lens for viewing the critical yet divisive immigration debate.READINGSJoshua Virasami - A World Without Racism: Building Antiracist FuturesThe Productive State - A Framework for Manchesterism Margaret Kennedy - The FeastResonance FM - English StitchPlease subscribe, comment and leave a review!Hosted by Shanice McBean, Jonas Marvin and Joe Todd.Edited by Marcus Berdaut for Ampersounds Productions.Become a supporter: lifeoftheparty.ukFollow us on Instagram.This is an Ampersounds production.

Jonas runs through Burnham’s big win in Makerfield and what it might mean for the Labour Party and the country, while Joe gives a deep cut on progressive alliances, assessing their history, viability and whether the Greens should sign up.Live showLondon 3rd July - Get Your TicketsReadingsAll in: A Revolutionary Theory to Stop Climate Collapse Bitch: A Revolutionary Guide to Sex, Evolution and the Female Animal The Secret History Donna Tartt Please subscribe, comment and leave a review!Hosted by Shanice McBean, Jonas Marvin and Joe Todd. Edited by Marcus Berdaut for Ampersounds Productions. Become a supporter: lifeoftheparty.uk