Marx Engels Lenin Institute

End of Year Q&A Part 1

We talk about the recent British vote to implement vaccine passes, the Trotsky vs Stalin debate, "patriotic socialism" and more.

Mentioned in the show: https://www.marxists.org/archive/mandel/1967/intromet/ch01.htm  

Major Workers' Struggle in Spain w/ Jorge Martin

We sit with Jorge Martin of marxist.com to learn about the recent metalworkers' strike in Cadiz, and why it is a pivotal moment for the Spanish working class.

An article with more information about this here: https://www.marxist.com/cadiz-metalworkers-strike-a-pivotal-struggle-for-the-spani...

The Pension Question

Attaining a secure income for retired workers was (and remains) a central focus of the trade union movement.  The increase in pension coverage after 1945 was undoubtedly an acheivement but what new contradictions did this create?  In this episode we look at the contradictions of pension plans, how these have become integral to the operations of advanced capitalism and end with some spectulation as to how a socialist society may do things differently. 

Questions of Data - Interview with Norman Fenton

This week we spoke with Professor Norman Fenton of Queen Mary University, London, to discuss the use and misuse of statistics by governments during the last two years.  We cover the tricks governments have pulled over the presentation of data of infections, the farce regarding testing and vaccine efficacy.  It's a very interesting discussion and we encourage listeners to read the articles mentioned in the interview which are linked to below.

Episode image is from the 1985 film...

The Trade Unions and Critical Race Theory

We look at a recent decision by a local of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (a high school teachers' union in Ontario, Canada) which implemented weighted voted system based on race categories. Some news coverage here: https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/ontario-teachers-union-implements-controversia...

End of Year Spectacular!

As we head into the end zone of another bizarre year we will be marking the passing of 2021 in our own way. At the end of this December we'll be holding an end of year Q&A for patrons. So if you have a question or point you want us to address then comment below.

Climate Change (Part 2)

In this second part of our climate change episode (released early for patrons) we look at the dubious origins of "green" policy such as "cap & trade", why so many Marxists have bought into the climate change narrative and conclude by examining Marx & Engels views on humans place within nature.  

Climate Change (Part 1)

This is the part one of what will be a two part episode on the  science, politics and political economy of climate change.  In this  episode we look at the questions regarding the conventional narrative on  climate change, the problems with "the science" and why this has come  to be adopted by the advanced captialist nations.

Part 2 will be released early for patrons on Monday of next week.

The Supply Chains

Supply chains are undergoing a well-publicized shock right now. But the root of the crisis goes much further than the current pandemic. 

The structure and functioning of supply chains was *as a result of* a search for lower costs. This led capitalists to shift much of production to developing countries. The inevitable result is a complex and long supply chain system which is sensitive to sudden shocks. This does not mean, however, that the entire system will be brought down. In fac...

The Rittenhouse Trial & A Question on Socially Necessary Labor

We look at the bourgeois media circus surrounding the Rittenhouse trial and ask, why the concept of a fair trial is so alien to many these days? Why are liberals so keen to jettison universalist standards? And who bares responsibility for the riots last year? On side 2 we take a question of socially necessary labor from a listener and look at how the employers manipulate conscientious workers.

Reading Group December: The Great Reset

As the year comes to a close, we will be reading and reviewing the book where it all started: "The Great Reset" by World Economic Forum (WEF) Founder Klaus Schwab, and Thierry Malleret.

You can find the book here: http://reparti.free.fr/schwab2020.pdf  

Leave your questions and conspiracy theories in the comments below!

Towards a Democratic Socialism?

Did you know that modern-day democratic socialism finds its theoretical roots in the thoughts of the French-Greek Marxist political theorist Nicos Poulantzas? 

In this episode, we talk about one of Poulantzas' later essays "Towards a Democratic Socialism" and give our two cents on whether we can truly win communism through purely democratic means.

Essay here: 2021-11-10 02:44:09 +0000 UTC View Post

Inflation! Or The Economic Consequences of Mr Biden.

Is inflation back?  Is the solution spending more or less? Why are leftist influencers invested in denying it? What are Hayek & Friedman right about? What is the point of Kyle Kulinski? All of this and more will be explained as we dive into the questions of inlfation, what causes it and what can the Marxist method teach us about it?  

An Evergrande Old Time

We cover the drama happening around the Evergrande developer group in China, and give our two cents as to whether this spells the end of capitalism in China as we know it.

Reading Group November: The Retreat from Class

Next month on the show we'll be looking into the origins of modern reformism. We'll be examining a late period essay from Poulantzas and talking about the 1986 book "The Retreat from Class" by Ellen Meiksins Wood. We'll be covering chapters 2 and 11.

You can find the book here: https://cominsitu.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/ellen-meiksins-...

October AMA! Part 2!

Here's part 2 of our AMA episode.  In this one we go everywhere from how "cultural appropriation" is bull shit to the role of the petit bourgeoisie to our favourite tobacco.  Enjoy!

Election Fever! German Edition

Following the recent Federal elections in Germany Michael Burkhardt  returned to Red Star Radio to discuss the results.  We talk about the  legacy of Merkel, the Greens, the fall of Die Linke, the German version  of Tony Blair and the covid regime.

October AMA! Part 1

We asked for questions and you delivered! So we've recorded a two hour edtion of this months AMA and this is part 1. In this we discuss the problems with the demand for "new workers parties", look at the incel panic and much more!  Part 2 will be out next week.  

Australia's Crazy COVID-19 Response w/ Nicolas Hausdorf

Nicolas Hausdorf, writer and resident of Melbourne, joins us to give us the inside scoop on Australia's COVID-19 response. Are things as bad as they seem? Listen to find out.

Mentioned in the show:

Nicolas' review of Benjamin Bratton's book, Revenge of the Unreal 

"Postmodern" Nationalisms

We use the sub-nationalisms of Quebec and Scotland to understand nationalism theory and nation-building in the postmodern era. We contend that nationalisms in our current postmodern period are predominantly led by the petite bourgeoisie, in contrast to the ones of the past led by the bourgeoisie. 

We ask: Can a nation-building projects led by the petite bourgeoisie be successful? What value do they have to an internationalist socialist project? 

Mentioned in the show: 2021-10-13 18:41:37 +0000 UTC View Post

Reading Group October: The State in Capitalist Society

We are going to be catching up with the great British Marxist scholar, Ralph Miliband, and reviewing his classic work, The State in Capitalist Society (1969)

We'll be looking at the following chapters:

1: Introduction

2: Economic Elites and the State Elite

8: Reform and Repression

You can find the book here: 2021-10-13 01:53:09 +0000 UTC View Post

Party Conference Spectacular!

We attempt to analyse the unholy circus that is the party conference season in Britain!  We ask if Boris has run out of slogans? Has Keir Starmer run out of time? Does anyone in the cabint have a brain? What is the mythical beast known as the "Socialist Campaign Group"? And what do you call a reformist without reforms? All this and more!   

The article referenced regarding the governments NHS "reforms" can be found 2021-10-08 21:33:25 +0000 UTC View Post

The Slow Death of the American Labor Movement

We investigate the reasons why the American labour movement is so disorganized, with a particular focus on the McCarthyist attacks on working class militants during the post-WWII period.

October AMA!

Ask us anything, fall colours version! Post your Qs here, or on Twitter!

The Great Gramscian Moments of Brexit and COVID w/ George Hoare

We sat down with George Hoare, co-host of the Aufhebunga bunga podcast, to look at Brexit and COVID-19 using Gramsci's concepts of historic bloc and hegemony as guides.

Check out George's first book: An Introduction to Antonio Gramsci: His Life, Thought and Legacy

And his latest bo...

Capitalism, Bonapartism & Fascism

With accusations of "fascism" being thrown around by both left and right wing bourgeois factions we look at what form of rule the bourgeoisie is currently practising in the advanced capitalist nations.  

To do this we are looking at Trotsky's analysis of the differences between Bonpartism and Fascism.  You can find the essay here.  

The 2021 Canadian Federal Elections

Leila and Alex review the 2021 re-election of a Canadian minority Liberal government led by Justin Trudeau and take a look at the broader political economy of Canada.

The Great Miners' Strike of 1984/5 (Part 3)

In this final instalment, we speak about the strike itself, the events that surrounded it and the final fall of the Great Strike in 1985. 

Part 1

2021-09-21 19:52:13 +0000 UTC View Post

Abortion, Ethics and Class Politics

In this episode we examine the recently passed Texas anti-abortion law. We look at the history of laws regarding abortion since the beginning of the capitalist period, how the christian churches have actually changed their line on it over time, the beginning of the modern anti-abortion movement in the US and how the politics of this differes with Britain and Canada. 

From War Propaganda to Corona Realism w/ Max Blumenthal

Max Blumenthal, journalist and founder of The Grayzone, joins us to discuss war propaganda as used in Afghanistan, Syria, and beyond. The discussion is also includes analysis of the current wave of propaganda promoting the COVID-19 health protocols.

Check out Max Blumenthal's latest book, The Management of Savagery.