Victor's Children

Workers in the Global North: Bribed into Compliance? Why don't more workers in rich countries support radical politics? Some leftists say it's because imperialism bribes some or all workers in imperialist countries, making them a "labour aristocracy." In this episode, Charlie Post argues against this explanation, discusses how imperialism does affect the working class in these countries, and suggests a different way of understanding what shapes working-class responses to capitalism. Readings: Charlie Post, "Exploring Working-Class Consciousness: A Critique of the Theory of the ‘Labour-Aristocracy’" https://web.archive.org/web/20190225112753/http://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/5ed0/777f248114127997056169e8c87364ec9b23.pdf

The Palestine Solidarity Movement in the USA. Busy organizers Iman Abid, Shireen Akram-Boshar and Sherry Wolf pause to discuss where the movement is at in the USA and ideas for strengthening it. A recent article: Toward a free Palestine https://www.tempestmag.org/2024/02/toward-a-free-palestine/ One of many valuable books (available as a free ebook): Palestine: A Socialist Introduction https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1558-palestine-a-socialist-introduction

The Palestine Solidarity Movement in Canada Busy organizers Chandni Desai and James Hutt pause to discuss where the movement is at in so-called Canada and ideas for strengthening it. Some readings and resources: On unions and Palestine solidarity: https://www.midnightsunmag.ca/moving-unions-to-fight-for-a-free-palestine/ On Canadian arms exports to Israel: https://www.readthemaple.com/trudeau-government-authorized-28-million-of-new-military-exports-to-israel-since-october/ BDS target list (official): https://bdsmovement.net/Act-Now-Against-These-Companies-Profiting-From-Genocide On scholasticide: https://theconversation.com/the-war-in-gaza-is-wiping-out-palestines-education-and-knowledge-systems-222055 On pension fund investments: Canadian pension funds invested $1.6 billion in companies tied to Israeli apartheid ⋆ The Breach https://breachmedia.ca/canadian-pension-funds-invested-israeli-apartheid/

Jabra Nicola, Matzpen and a Socialist Perspective on Israel/Palestine, w/ Moshe Machover Jabra Nicola (1912-1974) was arguably the most far-sighted Palestinian marxist of the 20th century. He was an important influence on Matzpen, a socialist group of Jewish Israelis and Palestinians whose analysis of Zionist settler colonialism had an international impact much greater than the group's very small size. This episode is an interview with Moshe Machover, the only founding member of Matzpen still alive, about Nicola, the politics of Matzpen, and their relevance today. Resources: There is a lot of Matzpen material online at the multilingual website https://matzpen.org including articles by and about Jabra Nicola and articles by Moshe Machover. You can also find links there to a documentary film about Matzpen. Ran Greenstein, A Palestinian Revolutionary: Jabra Nicola and the Radical Left https://www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/78424 Ben Reiff's article about Moshe Machover: The last first Israeli anti-Zionist https://www.972mag.com/moshe-machover-israeli-anti-zionist-matzpen/ Adalah, an organization that fights for the rights of Palestinians in Israel (mentioned by Machover in the episode) https://www.adalah.org/en A recent article cowritten by David Camfield and Charlie Post (influenced by Nicola and Machover): https://www.tempestmag.org/2024/01/what-would-it-take-to-win-in-palestine/ Illustration by @ lizar_tistry of ideas from episode 36 of Victor’s Children, “What Kind of Anti-Imperialism?” https://www.instagram.com/p/C1pTc0Qu2Cr/?igsh=MXBzOTF6bnk3anMw

What Kind of Anti-Imperialism? The support of the US and other Western states for the Israeli state's genocidal violence against Gaza is leading more people to learn about imperialism. There's more than one kind of anti imperialist politics, though. In this episode, Ramah Kudaimi and brian bean talk about anti-imperialism that's consistent, internationalist and looks to exploited and oppressed people globally to fight for liberation. For further reading: Barnaby Raine https://breachmedia.ca/is-the-enemy-of-my-enemy-my-friend/ Rafael Bernabe https://newpol.org/the-left-and-ukraine-anti-imperialism-or-alter-imperialism/

Palestine 101: 75 years of Colonialism, Imperialism, and Resistance This episode is made up of presentations from a Nov. 12 online event organized by the Tempest Collective https://www.tempestmag.org, a revolutionary socialist project based in the US that now also accepts members from Canada. Speakers: Shireen Akram-Boshar, a contributor to Palestine: A Socialist Introduction Brian Bean, co-editor of Palestine: A Socialist Introduction https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1558-palestine-a-socialist-introduction Sherry Wolf, anti-Zionist Jewish socialist; former press officer for the Russell Tribunal on Palestine

Germany 1923: A New Perspective on a Failed Revolution (& a Poem for Palestine) One hundred years ago, a socialist revolution came close to happening in Germany. This episode is an interview with Sean Larson, who has written an article that draws on original research to illuminate what happened and why: https://spectrejournal.com/germany-1923/ For further reading: On the revolution of 1918: https://jacobin.com/2018/11/german-revolution-centennial-rosa-luxemburg-social-democrats On Germany 1918-1933: Germany’s Counterrevolution Paved the Way for the Rise of Nazism https://jacobin.com/2022/02/german-revolution-november-weimar-republic-luxemburg-nazis On an important German marxist: Ernst Meyer, Theorist of Revolutionary Realpolitik https://jacobin.com/2019/09/ernst-meyer-germany-weimar-republic-communism-realpolitik-rosa-luxemberg On the history of the global workers’ movement: https://salvage.zone/what-happened-to-the-workers-movement/ ***Israel's war on Gaza is on our minds and I hope listeners are involved in Palestine solidarity activity wherever you are.*** At this time, I recommend reading the classic document by Palestinian marxist Jabra Nicola: Theses on the revolution in the Arab East https://matzpen.org/english/1972-09-14/theses-on-the-revolution-in-the-arab-east-a-said-jabra-nicola/ While obviously over-optimistic, and much has changed in the half-century since it was written, Nicola's analysis helps us understand the impasse into which the PLO led the Palestinian struggle, which allowed Hamas's rise to begin, and why ultimately, because of the specific character of Israeli settler-colonialism, the possibility of radical change within Israel depends on the struggles of the masses in the region, outside as well as inside its borders.

Episode 33: Chinese Imperialism Episode 31 of this podcast looked at the imperialism of the US, which despite its relative decline is still the most powerful component of global capitalism. In this episode Kevin Lin and Ashley Smith look at the rise of China and US-China rivalry. Suggestions for Reading: Ashley Smith, "As US-China Tensions Mount, We Must Resist the Push Toward Interimperialist War" https://truthout.org/articles/as-us-china-tensions-mount-we-must-resist-the-push-toward-interimperialist-war/ Todd Gordon and Jeff Webber, "Complex Stratification in the World System: Capitalist Totality and Geopolitical Fragmentation" in the academic journal, Science and Society(unfortunately paywalled but the file may be findable elsewhere online), isn't an easy read but suggests a better way of understanding imperialism today than the more influential frameworks. https://guilfordjournals.com/doi/10.1521/siso.2020.84.1.95 Is BRICS+ an Anti-Colonial Formation Worth Cheering From the Left? Far From It. https://truthout.org/articles/is-brics-an-anti-colonial-formation-worth-cheering-from-the-left-far-from-it/ Taiwan Shouldn't Be Used As A Geopolitical Pawn https://jacobin.com/2022/11/taiwan-geopolitical-pawn-china-us-international-relations-cold-war-history Lausan Collective https://lausancollective.com New Bloom Magazine -- Radical Perspectives On Taiwan And The Asia Pacific https://newbloommag.net

The War in Ukraine Drags On: A Conversation with a Russian and a Ukrainian Socialist A year and a half after Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine, the war goes on and unfortunately the war is still not well understood by much of the left outside of those countries. Hanna Perekhoda and Ilya Matveev discuss Putin's war, some common political ideas about it on the Western left, the situation in Ukraine and Russia today, and what people on the left elsewhere can do to help socialists in Ukraine and Russia. Hanna and Perekhoda and Ilya Matveev will be participating in a speakers' tour in several US cities in September 2023 sponsored by the Ukraine Solidarity Network. For details see https://linktr.ee/ukrainesolidaritynetwork For a list of groups in Ukraine to support, see: https://www.midnightsunmag.ca/support-the-left-in-ukraine-and solidarity-with-the-peoples-of-turkey-kurdistan-and-syria/ Posle, a site of the Russian anti-war left with some content in English: https://posle.media/language/en/about/ On the arrest of Russian socialist Boris Kagarlitsky: https://newpol.org/im-a-ukrainian-leftist-this-is-why-i-support-boris-kagarlitsky/ A July 2023 article by Gilbert Achcar worth reading: https://newpol.org/ukraine-and-the-abstraction-of-violence-my-reply-to-tom-dale/

Episode 31: U.S. Imperialism Today Although no longer the world's unchallenged dominant power, the U.S. remains the most powerful state in the economic and political system of global capitalism. Ashley Smith discusses U.S. imperialism from the end of the Cold War to today. Articles by Ashley Smith: After Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine https://againstthecurrent.org/atc219/after-russias-invasion-of-ukraine/ Biden’s Chip War With China Is an Imperial Struggle for High-Tech Supremacy https://truthout.org/articles/bidens-chip-war-with-china-is-an-imperial-struggle-for-high-tech-supremacy/ Biden’s National Security Strategy Is a Defense of US Domination, Not Democracy https://truthout.org/articles/bidens-national-security-strategy-is-a-defense-of-us-domination-not-democracy/

The Politics of the Family, w M.E. O'Brien Families are political -- part of how most people survive under capitalism, places of love and support as well as often violence, other forms of oppression, and suffering. ME O'Brien's new book "Family Abolition: Capitalism and the Communizing of Care" is an important radical analysis of families in capitalist society and communist politics of the family from the mid-1800s to today. David thinks it's one of the best books of marxist theory he's read in a while, and this episode is an interview with ME O'Brien about the politics of families and care. Family Abolition Capitalism and the Communizing of Care by M. E. O'Brien https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745343846/family-abolition/

Against the Market, w/ David McNally Even though capitalism's problems are becoming increasingly obvious, commitment to fight for an alternative to capitalism – rather than a regulated capitalism -- is still weak. Part of the problem is the belief that markets are the least-bad way of producing and distributing goods and services. This episode is an interview with David McNally, editor in chief of the journal Spectre, about capitalism, markets and the alternative of democratic planning. 2023 is the 30th anniversary of the publication of his book. Against the Market https://www.versobooks.com/en-ca/products/1432-against-the-market

The Right vs Trans People: Understanding the Attacks and Fighting Back in the U.S. and Canada Eric Maroney and Skyler discuss the right-wing forces attacking transgender people in the U.S. and so-called Canada and how to organize to beat back their attacks. To learn more: Understanding the big picture: Misha Falk, “Neither Liberalism Nor Fascism But Trans Liberation and Socialism” https://www.midnightsunmag.ca/neither-liberalism-nor-fascism-but-trans-liberation-and-socialism Eric Maroney, “The Alt-Right Anti-Trans Crusades” https://www.tempestmag.org/2022/10/the-alt-right-anti-trans-crusades/ Episode 12 of Victor’s Children, w/ Jules Joanne Gleason: https://soundcloud.com/user-737267994/episode-12-transgender-liberation-transgender-marxism About organizing and the right in the U.S.: Tempest Magazine coverage of successful drag defence in NYC https://www.tempestmag.org/2023/03/jackson-heights-defends-drag-story-hour-nyc/ A discussion of organizing against the far right in Ohio https://www.tempestmag.org/2023/04/were-all-here-for-the-same-reason/ Fundraiser for drag story hour defender arrested in Akron https://www.gofundme.com/f/rocknroll-humanist-drag-queen-story-hour?utm_campaign=p_cp+share- sheet&utm_content=undefined&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer&utm_term=undefine d Erin Reed, independent journalist tracking anti-trans legislation https://erininthemorn.substack.com/ Madison Pauly, “Inside the Secret Working Group that Helped Pass Anti-trans Laws Across the Country” https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/03/anti-trans-transgender-health-care-ban-legislation-bill-minors-children-lgbtq/ A resource: Safety planning for actions https://www.communitysolidarityottawa.ca/safety-plan

About Future on Fire and Victor's Children André Goulet interviews David about his new book "Future On Fire" and the Victor's Children podcast. This episode is a re-post from the Harbinger Society Presents podcast. On April 15, 2023 at 1:00 pm Eastern Time, the online magazine Midnight Sun and Haymarket Books present an online discussion: Fighting Capitalism's Ecological Death Cult. For more information and to RSVP: www.haymarketbooks.org/events/528-fi…al-death-cult Suggestions for episode topics or guests? Feel free to email victorschildren at gmail.com

The Socialism We Need What kind of society is possible and worth fighting for? What would it take to begin a transition to socialism? What should people who yearn for liberation be doing today? James Graham, Saima Desai and John Clarke join David in a multi-generational conversation. A few readings relevant to this episode: A Revolutionary Way of Doing Politics Is Taking Shape in Sudan - New Politics https://newpol.org/issue_post/a-revolutionary-way-of-doing-politics-is-taking-shape-in-sudan/ Revolution Means Smashing The State https://www.tempestmag.org/2023/01/revolution-means-smashing-the-state/ A Letter From Canadian Comrades https://socialistworker.org/2019/03/21/a-letter-from-canadian-comrades

The Most Important Strike in Years: the Education Workers Strike in Ontario The law-defying strike by the 55, 000 workers in CUPE's Ontario School Board Council of Unions in November 2022 was brief but arguably the most important strike in so-called Canada in almost two decades. Peter Hogarth talks about the background to the strike, how it unfolded, why it ended the way it did, and its lessons. Some articles worth reading: Peter Hogarth, "Who Killed Bill 28?" https://springmag.ca/who-killed-bill-28-ontario-workers-and-the-threat-of-a-general-strike Martin Lukacs and Emma Paling, The inside story of how education workers beat back Doug Ford https://breachmedia.ca/the-inside-story-of-how-education-workers-beat-back-doug-ford/ John Clarke, Doug Ford underestimated the power of workers—but so did union leaders https://breachmedia.ca/doug-ford-underestimated-the-power-of-workersbut-so-did-union-leaders/ John Clarke, Beyond the Rituals of Class Compromise https://www.midnightsunmag.ca/beyond-the-rituals-of-class-compromise/

Future on Fire: Capitalism and the Politics of Climate Change On this episode, Sara Birrell, Saima Desai, James Hutt and David Camfield discuss ideas raised by David's Future on Fire: Capitalism and the Politics of Climate Change in an online book launch event hosted by Fiona Jeffries. In Canada you can order the book from Fernwood Publishing: https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/future-on-fire In the UK you can order it from PM Press's UK site: https://pmpress.org.uk/product/future-on-fire/ Everywhere else, you can order it from PM Press in the US: https://pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1263

Sexual Violence, Feminism and Socialist Organizing A discussion with three thoughtful socialists and feminists, Hazel, Jamie and Sheila, about feminism, the left and sexual violence. How can left activists get better at preventing and responding to sexual violence? Some readings: Articles by Hazel https://www.rs21.org.uk/author/hazel-croft/ Why I Left Fightback by Jamie https://jamiegraham.substack.com/p/why-i-left-fightback Jeremy Appel on how the CPC leadership covered up sexual harassment and expelled critics: What's going on with the Communist Party of Canada? https://theorchard.substack.com/p/whats-going-on-with-the-communist An article that briefly discusses how the "micro-party" model of socialist organization promotes weak responses to oppressive actions by group members, especially leaders: A letter from Canadian comrades https://socialistworker.org/2019/03/21/a-letter-from-canadian-comrades

Ecosocialism and the Ecological Crisis Faced with the worsening ecological crisis caused by capitalism, what's the ecosocialism we should aim for and what climate justice reforms should we fight for in the here and now? How should ecosocialists relate to degrowth politics? How should we respond to the immediate concerns of working-class people as the cost of living rises? A discussion of these and other questions with Sabrina Fernandes and Gareth Dale. Some sources mentioned in the episode and other resources: Sabrina Fernades' project Tese Onze https://teseonze.com.br/ Gareth Dale, "Degrowth and the Green New Deal" https://theecologist.org/2019/oct/28/degrowth-and-green-new-deal "For an Ecosocialist Degrowth" coauthored by Sabrina Fernandes https://monthlyreview.org/2022/04/01/for-an-ecosocialist-degrowth/ Jack Copley, "Decarbonizing the Downturn: Addressing Climate Change in an Age of Stagnation" https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/10245294221120986 Julian Allwood, "Closing the Rhetoric-Action Gap on Climate Mitigation" https://www.youtube0.com/watch?v=j1-laRQC0lQ&t=268s Book launch, David Hughes on "Who Owns the Wind? Climate Crisis and the Hope of Renewable Energy" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frxyHxXstyo&t=269s Climate and Capitalism https://climateandcapitalism.com/ Order Future On Fire here: https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/future-on-fire (in Canada) https://pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1263 (everywhere else)

The Labour Front in Canada Today The cost of living is rising, unemployment is low, and a recession triggered by the Bank of Canada pushing up interest rates is coming. The number of strikes is also up, with the number of private sector workers who struck in the first half of 2022 being especially noteworthy. What's happening? How can workers take advantage of the moment to win as much as possible? Doug Nesbitt and Tara Olivetree (Ehrcke) discuss these and other questions. Doug is a cofounder of RankAndFile.ca, where you can find many articles he's written. https://www.rankandfile.ca A 2021 article by Tara: Power, Workers, and the Fight for Climate Justice. https://www.midnightsunmag.ca/power-workers-and-the-fight-for-climate-justice/