Marx Engels Institute
220 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 months ago -News and analysis podcast from a Marxist perspective hosted by Alexander Mckay
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Episodes
Emergency in the Troposphere! Pt. 1 w/ Ben Pile
April 16, 2022 21:10 - 44 minutes - 30.4 MBWe 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/
*Unlocked* Interview with James A Smith
April 08, 2022 15:02 - 53 minutes - 41.9 MBWe've unlocked the second part of our interview with James Smith, of The Popular Show, in which we look at the use and abuses of the term "fascism", the position of the petit bourgeoisie and the usefulness of the "left-right" distinction in today's politics. Check out The Popular Show on twitter @thepopularpod
March Q&A Part 1
April 02, 2022 15:46 - 1 hour - 53.3 MBAfter giving our assessment of the Will Smith/Chris Rock Slap, we answer questions about declining US hegemony, Marxism-Leninism, and spirituality.
Plastic Surgery and the Bottomless Pit of Alienation
March 26, 2022 15:36 - 1 hour - 52 MBIn the weekend edition we look at the history of plastic surgery, why it developed, which layers in society have embraced it the most and why it has become ever more popular. The answer as to why it has become ever more popular are disturbing and afford us an insight into the atomised, alienated and constantly marketised nature of certain areas of life in the western world today. Episode Image is from Brazil - Directed by Terry Gilliam (1985)
Inflation, Long Depression and P&O Workers Struggle
March 18, 2022 23:12 - 1 hour - 48.1 MBIn this episode we start off by examining the P&O Ferries dispute before turning to look at the latest on inflation and the idea that we are in a "long depression" since 2008. You can find out more about the P&O workers dispute on the link below. https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/pando-crisis/
*Unlocked* October 'Ask Us Anything'
March 11, 2022 15:05 - 59 minutes - 66.8 MBWe are unlocking one of our regular 'Ask Us Anything' episodes from October last year where we take questions from subscribers and from twitter. If you like this content you may want to subscribe for a whole lot more of it over on our patreon page.
The End of the New World Order? with Tara McCormack
March 05, 2022 21:55 - 1 hour - 26.2 MBIs the "rules based" international order collapsing? Has the Russian action in Ukraine ended for good the period of the unipolar world? What are we to make of President Vladimir Putin adopting the rhetoric of "responsibility to protect" arguments previously so beloved of US and British politiacal leaders? All this and much more are subjects of our discussion with Tara McCormack who is a lecturer in international relations, sovereignty, security, intervention and the relationship between fo...
Propaganda Wars in Ukraine w/ Kit Klarenburg
February 26, 2022 17:42 - 1 hour - 52.1 MBWe talk about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine with investigative journalist Kit Klarenburg, with an emphasis on the use of the media in shaping the stunning pro-war unanimity. We also touch on the weaponization of propaganda against the Canadian trucker protest movement.
*Unlocked* "As Workers Resist, the Left Recoils" w/ Edwin Aponte
February 24, 2022 19:16 - 1 hour - 50.3 MBWe speak with the founder and editor of The Bellows, Edwin Aponte, about his piece analyzing the Left's failure to support or even commend the worker resistance against Covid vaccine mandates and Covid protocols across the globe. Find the article here: https://www.thebellows.org/as-workers-resist-the-left-recoils/
Interview With James Smith Part 1
February 19, 2022 20:23 - 59 minutes - 46.6 MBIn which we speak to James Smith from @thepopularshow on everything from Covid to the Corbyn period. This is part one of the interview, part 2 will be out for patrons next week. Be sure to check out The Popular Show and their work
Canadian Border Blockade
February 12, 2022 04:47 - 1 hour - 52.5 MBWe talk through some initial musings about the quickly-developing situation at the US-Canadian border with respect to the anti-mandate activists blockading the Ambassador Bridge, a key border crossing.
A Honking Good Time! w/ Gord Magill
February 03, 2022 04:53 - 1 hour - 31.1 MBWe have Canadian trucker and political commentator Gord Magill on to discuss the ongoing trucker protest in Canada. Check out Gord' latest piece in Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/elites-are-smearing-truckers-because-were-doing-their-job-representing-people-opinion-1675022
The Origins of Complicity w/ Denis Rancourt
January 28, 2022 04:44 - 1 hour - 83.3 MBWe speak with Canadian physicist and social theorist Denis Rancourt about the lack of critical thinking in the general population, what's up with COVID "modelling" and more! You can find Denis Rancourt's writing and research here: https://denisrancourt.ca/
Ukraine & The Fall of NATO *Preview*
January 26, 2022 13:07 - 3 minutes - 2.51 MBThe full version of this episode is available for subscribers In this episode we reflect on the latest developments in the Ukraine crisis. To understand things further we look back over the period since the collapse of the USSR taking in the Kosovo war, the fall of Milosevic, the war on terror, the role of Yeltsin, the rise of Putin and why the US trying to make this into Cold War Part 2 is doomed to failure.
Russia Invades Ukraine? w/ Scott Ritter
January 21, 2022 13:00 - 56 minutes - 42.7 MBWe sit with military analyst Scott Ritter to understand the whys and hows of a possible Russian offensive into Ukraine, and to understand the role of US and NATO in this quickly-escalating situation.
The Great Reset - Book Review
January 13, 2022 15:04 - 1 hour - 120 MB*We're releasing this episode recorded for our monthly reading group due to the large amount of interest in the subject.* Klaus Schwab and Thierry Malleret have been accused of being globalists and supervillians . We investigate the charge by carefully reviewing their book "COVID-19: The Great Reset" (i.e. Exhibit A) The truth will shock you...
Post Pandemic Leninism?
December 31, 2021 22:44 - 1 hour - 86.9 MBIn this, the final episode of the year, we take at this article from the Morning Star and ask whether it represents a reflection of Lenin's thought? Thanks to all listeners for supporting the show over the last year! We'll back week beginning January 10th!
COVID in Paris w/ Dr. Laurent Mucchielli
December 24, 2021 04:24 - 1 hour - 85.9 MBWe speak with sociologist and research director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the largest basic research institute in Europe. Dr. Mucchielli has been critical of France's COVID authoritarianism since the start of the pandemic, and has written and co-signed numerous open letters denouncing the unnecessary and repressive nature of the COVID protocols in France and beyond. He also has co-authored an analysis of deaths as reported by various countries' drug survei...
Interview with Poligraf Red
December 17, 2021 00:00 - 1 hour - 54.9 MBWe sat down with Tania and Anton from the Belarusian Marxist organisation Poligraf Red to discuss both historical and current events in their country and the former wider ex Soviet states. Our discussion covers everything from the Gorbachev years, the role of the intellectuals in the counter revolution, the restoration of capitalism in Belarus, the nature of the Lukashenko regime and much more. You can find more details about Poligraf Red on their website and you can also find them on you...
End of Year Q&A Part 1
December 15, 2021 16:09 - 8 minutes - 8.64 MBFull episode available here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/end-of-year-q-1-59947648 We talk about the recent British vote to implement vaccine passes, the Trotsky vs Stalin debate, "patriotic socialism" and more.
Major Workers' Struggle in Spain w/ Jorge Martin
December 10, 2021 15:55 - 51 minutes - 38 MBWe 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-spanish-working-class.htm Another perspective: https://en.communia.blog/end-of-cadiz-strike-what-can-we-learn/
Questions of Data - Interview with Norman Fenton
December 03, 2021 22:33 - 58 minutes - 53.5 MBThis 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 'Brazil' Dire...
*Preview* The Trade Unions and Critical Race Theory
December 01, 2021 15:18 - 3 minutes - 3.4 MBWe 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-controversial-weighted-voting-system-to-increase-minority-representation
Climate Change (Part 2) *Unlocked*
November 26, 2021 17:57 - 58 minutes - 64.8 MBIn this second part of our climate change episode (now unocked for general release) 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)
November 20, 2021 09:01 - 57 minutes - 62.3 MBThis 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 next week.
*Preview* The Supply Chains
November 17, 2021 18:08 - 3 minutes - 3.4 MBFull episode here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/supply-chains-58821794 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 mea...
The Rittenhouse Trial & A Question on Socially Necessary Labor
November 13, 2021 01:21 - 1 hour - 69.1 MBWe 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.
Towards a Democratic Socialism?
November 10, 2021 03:12 - 7 minutes - 7.56 MBFull episode here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/towards-58521334?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copy_to_clipboard&utm_campaign=postshare 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. ...
Inflation! Or The Economic Consequences of Mr Biden.
November 06, 2021 20:30 - 1 hour - 76.4 MBIs 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?
*Preview* An Evergrande Old Time
November 03, 2021 21:47 - 6 minutes - 6.99 MBFull episode available to patrons: https://www.patreon.com/posts/evergrande-old-58269048 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.
Interview with Angela Nagle Part 2 *Unlocked*
October 28, 2021 13:50 - 57 minutes - 41.9 MBWe're releasing the second part of our discussion with Angela Nagle from back in May of this year. In the second part of our interview with Angela we discuss the stunted development of Irish capitalism, the inter-imperialist rivalry between the USA and China as well as the impact of the Covid year on art and culture. Be sure to subscribe to Angela's substack page: https://angelanagle.substack.com/
*Preview* - October AMA Part 2
October 26, 2021 00:15 - 2 minutes - 2.65 MBHere's a preview of 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
October 22, 2021 00:00 - 1 hour - 66.1 MBFollowing 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 *Preview*
October 19, 2021 17:10 - 2 minutes - 3.21 MBThis is a preview of Part 1 of our October AMA. For the full episode subscribe at our patreon page
Australia's Crazy COVID-19 Response w/ Nicolas Hausdorf
October 15, 2021 02:25 - 1 hour - 62.1 MBNicolas 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
*Preview* "Postmodern" Nationalisms
October 13, 2021 18:52 - 8 minutes - 9.11 MBFull episode available to Patrons: https://www.patreon.com/posts/postmodern-57364680 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 ...
Party Conference Spectacular!
October 08, 2021 21:42 - 1 hour - 93.2 MBWe 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 here
*Preview* The Slow Death of the American Labor Movement
October 07, 2021 01:18 - 5 minutes - 6.09 MBFull episode available for patrons: https://www.patreon.com/posts/slow-death-of-57099684 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.
The Great Gramscian Moments of Brexit and COVID w/ George Hoare
October 01, 2021 03:10 - 1 hour - 52.6 MBWe 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 book: The End of the End of History: Politics in the Twenty-First Century Mentioned in the show: The Full Brexit Blog
The 2021 Canadian Federal Elections
September 24, 2021 20:25 - 1 hour - 78 MBLeila 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.
*Preview* The Great Miners' Strike of 1984/5 (Part 3)
September 21, 2021 19:57 - 5 minutes - 5.44 MBAccess this episode and the previous two available to Patrons: https://www.patreon.com/posts/great-miners-of-56438229 Part 1 Part 2 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.
*Unlocked* The Real Face of the FDA
September 17, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 86.9 MBWe are unlocking this episode recently released to patrons as it contains a lot of useful information on the role regulatory bodies actually play under state monopoly capitalism. What role does a regulator like the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) actually play? In this episode we examine the FDA, it's capture and control by the pharmaceutical industry and how this fits into US state-monopoly capitalism. Be sure to read the full article we are discussing Episode image is taken from ...
Abortion, Ethics and Class Politics
September 14, 2021 23:28 - 3 minutes - 4.34 MBThis is a preview of our latest patreon episode where we discuss the ethics around the latest Texas anti-abortion bill.
From War Propaganda to Corona Realism w/ Max Blumenthal
September 09, 2021 20:04 - 1 hour - 51.4 MBMax 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. Be sure to check out Max Blumenthals Rokfin channel https://rokfin.com/MaxBlumenthal Also check out Max's latest book, The Management of Savagery.
Vax Pass Madness!
September 03, 2021 15:28 - 51 minutes - 59.2 MBIn this episode Alex & Leila address accusations made on tweetsphere, were they wrong on the vaccine passport? Is the thing that dwells in the Edinburgh lego set a government? Is Nicola Sturgeon even real or a fictional character? What the hell is the ruling class up to? All these questions and more will be addressed in this episode!
"The Revenge of the Real" Book Review w/ Elena Lange
August 26, 2021 23:12 - 1 hour - 67.4 MBElena Lange returns to review self-proclaimed "globalist" Benjamin Bratton's newest book "The Revenge of the Real: Politics for a Post-Pandemic World". Articles mentioned during the show: "Basic fucking common sense" by Elena Lange "Revenge of the Unreal" by Nicolas Hausdorf Elena's recent book "Value without Fetish" is available here as a free PDF download: https://brill.com/view/title/31889?language=en
*Preview* The Great Miners' Strike of 1984/5 (Part 2)
August 24, 2021 19:15 - 7 minutes - 8.1 MBFull episode available to Patrons: https://www.patreon.com/posts/great-miners-of-55295480 In this three-part episode, we look at one of the most significant work stoppages of the modern era: the UK Miners' strike of 1984-1985. In this second episode, we speak about the first wave of major miners' strikes in the post-war era, starting with the stunning and heroic industrial actions of 1972 to 1974. Arthur Scargill, the Yorkshire Miners and the famous Battle of Saltley Gate come onto the scen...
The Afghan Debacle
August 20, 2021 18:11 - 1 hour - 98.5 MBFollowing the US pullout and the Taliban taking control of the entirety of Afghanistan we examine the reasons for this latest imperial debacle. We look at the history, the role of British imperialism, the Saur Revolution, Operation Cyclone, 9/11 and the 20 years of US failure.
*Preview* The Great Miners' Strike of 1984/5 (Part 1)
August 18, 2021 13:42 - 8 minutes - 8.7 MBFull episode available to subscribers over Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/great-miners-of-55047749 In this three-part episode, we look at one of the most significant work stoppages of the modern era: the UK Miners' strike of 1984-1985. In this first episode, we survey the political economy leading up to these stunning events.
The Vaccines (Part 2)
August 13, 2021 11:00 - 57 minutes - 63.9 MBIn part 2, we focus on the political and ethical dimensions of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. Part 1: https://anchor.fm/red-star-radio/episodes/The-Vaccines-Part-1-e15hcg7