Episode 16 - The party line on the Bondi Royal Commission, Venezuela and Iran

A big one this week. The unhinged attacks on the Palestine movement and Anthony Albanese have continued for another week, and so your faithful hosts do their duty to take up the cudgels against the lies once again. Our highlight is a Canberra Times editorial calling for “rabble rousers” to be forcibly brought before a House of un-Israelian Activities Committee. It takes us some time to respond to a bunch of the rubbish being put forward to justify this McCarthyist witch hunt by some of the most racist scum in Australia. But once that’s done, we take a look at Trump’s appalling aggression against Venezuela and what it says about international politics at the moment, before wrapping up with a look at the heroic protest and strike wave sweeping Iran right now with Iranian socialist Bella Beiraghi.

Content

Why we must oppose a royal commission | Red Flag

Calls for royal commission on anti-Semitism grow | The Canberra Times

Socialist Party statement on US imperialist banditry in Venezuela

A timeline of CIA operations in Latin America | Al Jazeera

Iran on fire: rebellion returns to the streets | Red Flag

Energy Workers Join Strikes as Security Forces Retreat in Major Cities | NCRI

Huge thanks to our tireless editors Charlie Wardrop and Persephone Waxman.

While we will always release our content for free, please support us on patreon if you can.

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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 rate, subscribe and share 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 14 - The Party Line Christmas Special

This episode begins with a rambling exploration of Christmas-themed inanities including the merits of home alone 2, papal bulls, and the crucial question of whether or not Jesus was a communist. We then (finally) respond to your listener questions! Merry Xmas and happy holidays from the team at The Party Line.

Content:

When the guns fell silent for Christmas during WWI | Red Flag

https://www.montfort.org.br/eng/documentos/decretos/anticomunismo/https://www.montfort.org.br/eng/documentos/decretos/anticomunismo/

Divini Redemptoris (March 19, 1937)

Rerum Novarum (May 15, 1891)

Pope Francis: questions remain over his role during Argentina's dictatorship

Pope Francis, the Catholic Church, and Argentina’s “Dirty War” - Freedom Socialist Party

The contradictions of Christianity | Red Flag

Huge thanks to our tireless editors Charlie Wardrop and Persephone Waxman.

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 rate, subscribe and share 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 13 - The Bondi massacre and the right-wing backlash

The massacre in Bondi struck the heart of decent people across Australia. It was shocking to see the murder of 15 Jewish people by suspected gunmen with links to ISIS. This special episode was recorded in the first days after the event, and tries to unpack the first responses by the media, the ALP, LNP, Pauline Hanson and Bob Katter. In general, the horror of the attack has been amplified by the racist and anti-Palestinian response, which seeks to manipulate the tragedy for political ends. Benjamin Netanyahu’s absurd claim that Australia’s recognition of Palestinian statehood is somehow to blame was typical of this reactionary tidal wave. Also significant has been NSW Premier Chris Minn’s decision to rush through even more anti-protest laws under the guise of solidarity with the Jewish community.

Content

Don’t Listen to the Ghouls Exploiting the Tragedy of Bondi Beach | The Nation

Shame on those using the Bondi massacre to slander Palestine solidarity | Red Flag

May our flames be a recommitment | Jewish Voices for Peace

Huge thanks to our tireless editors Charlie Wardrop and Persephone Waxman.

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 rate, subscribe and share 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 12 - The Party Line on Venezuela, US Imperialism, and NUS

Big 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.

Content

Australia’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 Guardian

Trump’s Looming “Forever War” | Tempest

Headlines:

Australian employers cut back on diversity and inclusion programs amid US ‘anti-woke’ backlash

At State Dept., a Typeface Falls Victim in the War Against Woke

Albanese digs in on MPs entitlements saga as more Wells spending comes to light

From Tim Tam to Four’N Twenty: Aussie icons enjoy government sweeteners

Renters need $300,000 more superannuation in retirement than home owners, report finds

Australia has recorded the highest number of Indigenous deaths in custody since 1979

marxismconference.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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 11 - The Party Line on the NDIS, migration and the Liberals

The 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.

Content

If ‘ethical consumption’ changed anything, they’d make it illegal | Red Flag

NDIS 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 Australian

The CALDA Clinic | Award Winning Premium Rehabilitation

Thirsty work: how the rise of massive datacentres strains Australia’s drinking water supply

marxismconference.org.au

Please support us on patreon

Red Flag Radio

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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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

Content

Rising Tide protest: climate activists stop three ships from entering world’s largest coal port in Newcastle | The Guardian

Long-sought environmental law reform is finally here. But will the compromise deal actually protect nature? | The Conversation

The new climate denialism: Labor’s Net Zero Plan | Red Flag

Marxism and the natural world | Marxist Left Review

Headlines:

Return of nativity scene to Melbourne ends years of ‘woke’ Christmas | Herald Sun

How the pope went pop

Man charged with theft after allegedly swallowing Fabergé pendant in jewellery store

Gen Z Shoppers Aren’t Spending Like Retailers Need Them To - WSJ

Australian prisoner sues for his 'human right' to eat Vegemite

Physicists prove the Universe isn’t a simulation after all | ScienceDaily

NDIS plans will be computer-generated, with human involvement dramatically cut under sweeping overhaul | The Guardian

A non-white face on a racist asylum policy is just a mask for cruelty | Middle East Eye

Musical outro: Marc Ribot - Bella Ciao

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

Content

After the surreal Trump-Mamdani summit

‘Vast overreach’: police allowed to conduct warrantless pat-downs of people across inner Melbourne for six months | Melbourne

How we beat Pauline Hanson in the 1990s

Check out Leo’s work at 6 News Australia | Independent & unbiased journalism

Headlines:

Cotality Housing Affordability Report shows 'extraordinary rise' in home values

Hastie knows Libs could die if they lose this fight

Why governments should stop raising the minimum wage

Body-cam footage shows police coaching a father who murdered his family. As a psychologist, I’m enraged

The exceptional thing about the battle of the bobs? It’s not exceptional

Hospitalised and told to send the kids to foster care: Tenants’ VCAT woes revealed

Indigenous, African men endure rampant police profiling

Immigrant 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.