The Party Line Podcast

Episode 12 - The Party Line on Venezuela, US Imperialism, and NUSBig news this week: Anneke has been adopted! By her big sister that is. We discuss all that before moving on to headlines, including what the Annika Wells expense scandal reveals about the culture of entitlement that runs through Parliament. The main breaking story that was unfolding as we were recording was the US hijacking of a Venezuelan oil tanker, which follows months of deadly strikes on boats that have killed nearly 100 civilians.  This leads on to a chat about Trump’s new National Security Strategy, which declares his intent to see the US engage in aggressive operations throughout Latin America to reassert US hegemony over the ‘western hemisphere’, while also promoting the great replacement theory and other fascist ideas and organisations throughout Europe. We wrap up with some goss from the National Union of Students National Conference in Ballarat, which saw Labor Party members try (and fail) to lock out socialist party members from national office.Huge thanks to our tireless editors Charlie Wardrop and Persephone Waxman.ContentAustralia’s senior politicians can claim ‘unlimited’ travel expenses for their spouse, watchdog rules say | The Guardian Venezuela decries ‘act of piracy’ after US forces seize oil tanker off country’s coast | The GuardianTrump’s Looming “Forever War” | Tempest Headlines: Australian employers cut back on diversity and inclusion programs amid US ‘anti-woke’ backlashAt State Dept., a Typeface Falls Victim in the War Against WokeAlbanese digs in on MPs entitlements saga as more Wells spending comes to lightFrom Tim Tam to Four’N Twenty: Aussie icons enjoy government sweetenersRenters need $300,000 more superannuation in retirement than home owners, report findsAustralia has recorded the highest number of Indigenous deaths in custody since 1979marxismconference.org.au Please support us on patreon*****************This is a podcast by members of the Socialist Party in Naarm (Melbourne). We hope to bring a radical perspective to a podcast landscape dominated by insipid liberalism (looking at you, The Daily). The pod will come out weekly, and aims to breakdown news and current events from a socialist point of view. While a lot of what’s going on in the world is fairly bleak, The Party Line will try and highlight voices of resistance and struggle.If you like what you hear, please subscribe and share it with your friends, colleagues and comrades. If you are in a position to support us financially then sign up at patreon.com/thepartyline. If you find yourself agreeing with us more often than not, please join your local branch of the Socialist Party at socialists.org.au. We need your help to build a fighting socialist movement that can take on both the far right and its centrist enablers.(The views and opinions expressed in our show are ours and ours alone, and do not reflect on the Socialist Party or Victorian Socialists.) This pod was produced on stolen land and we stand in solidarity with our Indigenous comrades in their ongoing fight against racism and capitalism.

Episode 11 - The Party Line on the NDIS, migration and the LiberalsThe team start this ep with a bold marketing ploy: attacking our listeners. We then discuss Jordy’s invitation to attend am allegedly anticapitalist forum hosted by SBS (turns out, it wasn’t). We then discuss the disgraceful comments made by Zack Polanski in relation to migrant workers in the UK, and what it reveals about the limits of liberal anti-racism, before launching into a critique of Labor’s NDIS program and their plan to use AI to further dehumanise and disenfranchise people with disabilities, as well as the workers who support them. The main segment features Chloe Rafferty from Red Flag Radio, our smarter, more sophisticated elder sibling, who led us in a discussion about the current crisis in the Liberal Party, why Sussan Ley is not the answer, why the Teals are no better, and how the growth of the far right will impact Australian politics into the future.Huge thanks to our tireless editors, Persephone Waxman and Charlie Wardrop.ContentIf ‘ethical consumption’ changed anything, they’d make it illegal | Red FlagNDIS plans will be computer-generated, with human involvement dramatically cut under sweeping overhaul | The Guardian A Marxist analysis of the Liberal Party  Mistaken Identity by Asad Haider review – the best criticism of identity politics | The Guardian Headlines: Trump wins his peace prize from Fifa – any chance of a VAR review?   Is gentle parenting to blame for low attendance rates - The AustralianThe CALDA Clinic | Award Winning Premium RehabilitationThirsty work: how the rise of massive datacentres strains Australia’s drinking water supply marxismconference.org.au Please support us on patreonRed Flag Radio*****************This is a podcast by members of the Socialist Party in Naarm (Melbourne). We hope to bring a radical perspective to a podcast landscape dominated by insipid liberalism (looking at you, The Daily). The pod will come out weekly, and aims to breakdown news and current events from a socialist point of view. While a lot of what’s going on in the world is fairly bleak, The Party Line will try and highlight voices of resistance and struggle.If you like what you hear, please subscribe and share it with your friends, colleagues and comrades. If you are in a position to support us financially then sign up at patreon.com/thepartyline. If you find yourself agreeing with us more often than not, please join your local branch of the Socialist Party at socialists.org.au. We need your help to build a fighting socialist movement that can take on both the far right and its centrist enablers.(The views and opinions expressed in our show are ours and ours alone, and do not reflect on the Socialist Party or Victorian Socialists.) This pod was produced on stolen land and we stand in solidarity with our Indigenous comrades in their ongoing fight against racism and capitalism.

Episode 10 - The Party Line on Rising Tide and the Greens’ climate capitulation (ft Zack Schofield)Who wants to be a millionaire is a somewhat surprising focus of our first segment, as Anneke and her friend fight for the right to participate in the toxic reality TV industry. We then interview Rising Tide community organiser Zack Schofield, who is one of the wonderful people that have just organised the People’s Blockade of Newcastle Coal Port. We discuss the history of the campaign, its demands and why it’s in workers interest to support the ending of the fossil fuel industry. We follow this up with a scathing look at Labor’s climate bill, in particular the Green’s decision to pass it barely amended, and what it says about the limits of the Greens’ parliamentary approach. ContentRising Tide protest: climate activists stop three ships from entering world’s largest coal port in Newcastle | The GuardianLong-sought environmental law reform is finally here. But will the compromise deal actually protect nature? | The ConversationThe new climate denialism: Labor’s Net Zero Plan | Red FlagMarxism and the natural world | Marxist Left Review  Headlines:Return of nativity scene to Melbourne ends years of ‘woke’ Christmas | Herald SunHow the pope went popMan charged with theft after allegedly swallowing Fabergé pendant in jewellery storeGen Z Shoppers Aren’t Spending Like Retailers Need Them To - WSJAustralian prisoner sues for his 'human right' to eat VegemitePhysicists prove the Universe isn’t a simulation after all | ScienceDailyNDIS plans will be computer-generated, with human involvement dramatically cut under sweeping overhaul | The GuardianA non-white face on a racist asylum policy is just a mask for cruelty | Middle East EyeMusical outro: Marc Ribot - Bella CiaoPlease support us on patreon*****************This is a podcast by members of the Socialist Party in Naarm (Melbourne). We hope to bring a radical perspective to a podcast landscape dominated by insipid liberalism (looking at you, The Daily). The pod will come out weekly, and aims to breakdown news and current events from a socialist point of view. While a lot of what’s going on in the world is fairly bleak, The Party Line will try and highlight voices of resistance and struggle.If you like what you hear, please subscribe and share it with your friends, colleagues and comrades. If you are in a position to support us financially then sign up at patreon.com/thepartyline. If you find yourself agreeing with us more often than not, please join your local branch of the Socialist Party at socialists.org.au. We need your help to build a fighting socialist movement that can take on both the far right and its centrist enablers.(The views and opinions expressed in our show are ours and ours alone, and do not reflect on the Socialist Party or Victorian Socialists.) This pod was produced on stolen land and we stand in solidarity with our Indigenous comrades in their ongoing fight against racism and capitalism.

Episode 9 - The Party Line on the Mamdani-Trump meetup, social media ban (with Channel 6’s Leo Puglisi) and Pauline Hanson Anneke kicks off the episode with a sad story about alleged police harassment - and the risk of not paying fines promptly. We then examine the decision by Vic Pol to designate the entire CBD and surrounds as a zone where they can stop and search anyone without reason, for an incredible six months. This is especially dangerous in light of a recent report which shows that Indigenous and African people are massively more likely to be searched, harassed, tasered and so on by police. We chat next about Hanson’s racist stunt in Parliament and her broader rise to prominence in Australian politics. We wrap up with an interview with Channel Six’s Leo Puglisi about his successful efforts to establish an alternative media project as a school-aged journalist, the coming social media ban, and why young people should be able to vote.ContentAfter the surreal Trump-Mamdani summit‘Vast overreach’: police allowed to conduct warrantless pat-downs of people across inner Melbourne for six months | MelbourneHow we beat Pauline Hanson in the 1990s Check out Leo’s work at 6 News Australia | Independent & unbiased journalismHeadlines:Cotality Housing Affordability Report shows 'extraordinary rise' in home valuesHastie knows Libs could die if they lose this fightWhy governments should stop raising the minimum wageBody-cam footage shows police coaching a father who murdered his family. As a psychologist, I’m enragedThe exceptional thing about the battle of the bobs? It’s not exceptionalHospitalised and told to send the kids to foster care: Tenants’ VCAT woes revealedIndigenous, African men endure rampant police profilingImmigrant crime: Trump administration orders US embassy to collect data from Australia*****************This is a podcast by members of the Socialist Party in Naarm (Melbourne). We hope to bring a radical perspective to a podcast landscape dominated by insipid liberalism (looking at you, The Daily). The pod will come out weekly, and aims to breakdown news and current events from a socialist point of view. While a lot of what’s going on in the world is fairly bleak, The Party Line will try and highlight voices of resistance and struggle.If you like what you hear, please subscribe and share it with your friends, colleagues and comrades. If you are in a position to support us financially then sign up at patreon.com/thepartyline. If you find yourself agreeing with us more often than not, please join your local branch of the Socialist Party at socialists.org.au. We need your help to build a fighting socialist movement that can take on both the far right and its centrist enablers.(The views and opinions expressed in our show are ours and ours alone, and do not reflect on the Socialist Party or Victorian Socialists.) This pod was produced on land that was never ceded, and we stand in solidarity with our Indigenous comrades in their ongoing fight against racism and capitalism.

Episode 8 - The Party Line on Socialist Unity, Epstein, and Gough WhitlamInspired by last week’s detour into pop culture, this ep starts with a debate about the relative virtues of Monchichi’s vs Labubu’s. We then take a quick look into AI, the Epstein files, and a bunch of fairly insane headlines (see below). Anneke explains what’s been going on with the interstate Socialist Party conferences, and we discuss the prospects of (re)uniting with the Socialist Alliance. We wrap by taking a belated look at the Whitlam dismissal and the past, present and future of the Labor Party via an interview with socialist historian and Labour history professor Diane Fieldes. Note: We barely mention Epstein but please indulge our cynical attempt to manipulate the search engine optimisation algorithm.ContentThe Jeffrey Epstein scandal Is a stain on both parties | JacobinNow is the time for socialists to unite | Victorian SocialistsThe ALP: what class of party | Marxist Left Review The Labor Party: A Marxist analysis Headlines:Dangerous week to be a Liberal leader as killing season kicks offLiberal leadership: The participation award for everyone in classUS government shutdown is over, and the US Department of Education hits us with a very cool tweet‘Deeply ashamed’ Larry Summers steps back from public life over Epstein linksSouth African man detained in pre-dawn immigration raid after attending Sydney neo-Nazi rallyFrom the extreme to the luxurious, toilets occupy my mind when travelling | The Age Germany lifts weapons freeze on Israel in response to Gaza ceasefireTrump says he will approve sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi ArabiaScaramooch!  Scaramooch! What’s it like in Mar-a-Lago? | The Age ‘Things happen’: Trump downplays journalist’s murder as he hosts Saudi leaderAsylum seekers’ jewellery could be seized to pay for processing costs, says Home Office minister

We kick off this week on a theoretical note, exploring the dialectic relationship between the Gallagher brothers being pricks and yet making such brilliant music. The team then takes a quick look at a few major headlines from the week, including Coles’ plan to play classical music to deter shop lifting. Then we welcome Anticop activist Tom Raue onto the platform to discuss Victorian Labor’s decision to try 14 year old kids in adult courts, including the possibility that they will be given life sentences. We conclude by examining the pro-war commemorations of Remembrance Day, the conservative, strike-breaking organisation that is the RSL, and how class struggle destroyed conscription, led to revolution, and ended WW1.Serious contentRobert Bollard on WW1 and Anti-conscription campaignsRSL: Footsoldiers of capital Review: The real history of WWIHow WW1 led to class warOasis - Champagne SupernovaAC/DC - Hells Bells  Silly Headlines:Welcome to Barangaroo! We graciously provide affordable housing but you’re not allowed to enjoy itNandy says BBC must uphold highest standardsZendaya and Sydney Sweeney are in a “bitter feud” over differences in their political beliefsInvestor cleans up on first home buyer surge in $700,000 saleWill a 50-Year Mortgage Make Homes More Affordable? Here’s How It Would Work.CBA posts $2.6b quarterly profit but sheds 6.6pc in valueCost of hosting COP summit could reach $2bCompanions and Pets Party Rename Themselves Melbourne Coles’ bold strategy to stop surge in in-store thefts