Marx Engels Lenin Institute

Twilight of Boris

As Boris Johnson is finally deposed we pay tribute to the fallen leader  of the British Tories.  We look at Brexit, covid, the state of the  Conservatie & Unionist Party and examine the reasons for the ruling  class disposing of Boris Johnson.  We also issue a poetic tribute to our  departed hero.

Reading Group July -- The City

We are going to reading and reviewing a book we've mentioned several times on the pod, The City by Tony Norfield. 

It's a great book end-to-end, but some chapters to focus on would be 1, 2, 4 and 5

This book should help you understand the financial machinery and organization which help maintain the global capitalist order.

Alex on RT International

Here's the video of Alex's apperance today on RT International discussing the fall of Boris Johnson and it's implications. 

MIA for a bit!

RSR is on hiatus for another few days to deal with an unforeseen circumstance! Speak soon.

A Very British Coup w/ Kit Klarenberg

We welcome back investigative Kit Klarenberg to speak about his series of articles on Grayzone outlining the latest slew of intelligence operations around Brexit and Ukraine, prominently involving Sir Richard Dearlove and Paul Mason.

You can find Kit's reporting here: https://thegrayzone.com/author/kit-klarenberg/

You can also follow him on Twitter here: 2022-06-30 14:34:29 +0000 UTC View Post

July Q&A & Listeners Feedback!

And so it's time for one of our regular Q&A sessions!  Anything you want to ask us regarding any topic, whether we've covered it or not, write up your point below.  We'll also be reading out feedback from patrons who've commented on our last few episodes as well.  

Temperance - Part 2

In the second part of our exploration of the issues surrounding alcohol, narcotics and the politics of temperance.  

The article by Alex can be read of the bellows site.

Temperance and the Working Class Part 1

We look at the history and politics of the temperance movement, a major alcohol moderation turned teetotalist social movement with international reach.

Check out Alex's article on the topic here: https://www.thebellows.org/temperance/ 

The Lost World of the DDR p2

This is part two of our examination of the creation, life and counter revolutionary collapse of the DDR.  We examine the role of worker democracy and the status of women under the regime.

Literacy in Crisis

We talk about the reasons for low literacy in advanced capitalist nations, the degradation of the arts, and the role of schools and education in capitalism.

Article mentioned: The Crisis of Low Literacy by Peter Kerek

The Lost World of the DDR

This is part one of our examination of the creation, life and counter revolutionary collapse of the DDR.  What were its triumphs? What were its failures? And why did it collapse? We'll also be looking at the "free" West Germany and how its creation was carried out by high ranking Nazis and how repressive it actually was. 

Choose Your Revolution

Tomorrow we'll be recording our examination of the German Democratic Republic. This is something of a follow up to our episode on the Albanian revolution.  So as part of our commitment to democratic centralism here we are asking you all what other revolutionary states you wish us to cover in the future.  If your preferred option isn't in the options then be sure to add it in the comments. 

2022-06-06 16:14:45 +0000 UTC View Post

Reading Group for June

For the reading group this month we'll be examining the book "The War We Never Fought by the British conservative writer Peter Hitchens.  In this work Hitchens examines the law and culture regarding drug use/abuse in British society.  In doing so he makes the argument against legalisation and states that the idea of the "war on drugs" is largely a fiction.  We will be looking at Hitchens critique and discussiong the issue of drug usage, the harm reduction argument and what atti...

Capitalist Stagnation With Australian Characteristics

How should we view the recent victory of the Australian Labor Party?  Why did Scott Morrison lose? Why are billionaire narcissists obsessed with green politics? How atrocious is the Australian left? 

All of these questions and more will be answered in this, the Australia episode!

*Unlocked* *Reading Group* Weberian Bureaucracy

We discuss Weber's section on Bureaucracy included his seminal work (and foundational sociological text) 

Economy and society:  An outline of interpretive sociology

The Land Down Under

On this week's patreon episode we'll examining the attached article from Jacobin on the recent Australian election which saw the Labor Party return to power. If you have any questions on this then leave a comment below.

Mass Shootings and Marxist Criminology

We look at prominent liberal explanations for the recent mass shooting in Texas, and offer up another perspective, that from Marxist Criminology.

You can find our show notes on the attached pdf file. 

Painting: Alex Colville, Pacific, 1967

The Hohxa Pill

We explore the wild story of Albania communism and grapple with its dazzling success.

See the attached pdf for our notes on this topic and sources used. 

Understanding the Putin Era with Natylie Baldwin

In this episode Alex speaks to Natylie Baldwin who is the author of  The View from Moscow: Understanding Russia and U.S.-Russia Relations.   The discussion goes into the chaos in Russia in the 1990s, Putins  economic and legal reforms & how these are not understood in US  government

Natylie has written for outlets such as The Grayzone, Consortium  News, RT, OpEd News, The Globe Post, Antiwar.com, The New York Journal  of Books, and Dissident Voice....

Neofeudalism

We talk about the concept of neofeudalism and decide whether it makes sense or not.

Articles mentioned: 

CRITIQUE OF TECHNO-FEUDAL REASON (By Evgeny Morozov)

Same As It Ever Was? (By Jodi Dean)

Stagflation Nation!

We review the state of the economy and give our thoughts about the latest market drama and the newest economic phrase to bubble back up into popular consciousness: stagflation. We then reflect on how much an economic crisis actually matters.

Communists & Local Government

In this episode we dive into the recent British local election results, look at what it means for the stinking corpse of the labour party and ask how communists should approach standing for local elected office.  

For some further reading you can consult the attached show notes. 

The Use and Abuse of Vegetational Concepts

We review Adam Curtis' documentary film, "The Use and Abuse of Vegetational Concepts", and explore the limits of mathematical modelling, the tyranny of consensus-based decision-making, and why hippies are the worst.

Interview With Michael Tracey Part 2

This is is the second part of our interview with Michael Tracey in which we discuss the role of the British government in Ukraine.  

We then discuss the issues raised in the interview and address the questions from listeners raised from part 1.  

To read more about modern theories of imperialism and how this is relevant to Russian actions then be sure to consult the book "The City" by Tony Norfield particularly Chapter 5 "The World Hierarchy" you can also consult 2022-05-05 23:59:34 +0000 UTC View Post

Interview With Michael Tracey Part 1

In this weekend edition we speak to American journalist Michael Tracey regarding his recent reporting from Poland and his encounter with the pro-NATO left in London. 

French Elections and Climate Followup

We discuss the results of the French election and talk about our reflections of our interview with climate change skeptic Ben Pile. 

Emergency in the Troposphere! Pt. 2 w/ Ben Pile

The second part of our talk with climate change skeptic Ben Pile. We speak about the politics and economics of the hydrocarbon industry, and we ask Ben what we REALLY should be worrying about. 

Find more of Ben's work here: https://www.climate-resistance.org/

Ben's Twitter: @clim8resistance

April Q&A Part 3

In this final part of the April Q&A we look at the big questions! Should Marxists support colonialism? What the hell is a Trotskyite anyway? What of the permanent revolution? And more! 

Emergency in the Troposphere! Pt. 1 w/ Ben Pile

We talk with climate change skeptic Ben Pile to get his critical view on climate science and the politics undergirding it (Twitter: @clim8resistance). Part 2 will be coming out next week.

Find more of Ben's work here: https://www.climate-resistance.org/ 

April Q&A Part 2

In this the second part of our latest Q&A session we cover it all!

*Climate Change!

* Lyndon Larouche!

* Covid! 

All this and more!  The final part will be out next week.