Afleveringen
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The boys survey different party takes on the war with Iran, how communists should respond to it, and emphasize that our main enemy is at home, the US imperialist war machine. We oppose any intervention in Iran for any reason by the US full stop. We end with a fun poke at a 2 year old article by midwestern mussolini that argues that Iran is actually existing socialism.
Episode cover art is by the Organization of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working Class (Peykar), Iranian communist organization
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In late 2025 Gabriel Rockhill released his book "Who Paid the Pipers of Western Marxism?" with the central argument that the Cold War wasn't fought with bombs, sanctions, coups and blockades but with ideology, ideas, theory and academia coordinated by the CIA and other nefarious government agencies in an attempt to discredit and attack so called Actually Existing Socialism. But do his arguments hold up? Why is criticizing socialist projects tantamount to collaboration? For more we turn to Doug Greene and Harrison Fluss' critique of Rockhill's book "Theory Betrayed".
https://www.historicalmaterialism.org/article/theory-betrayed-an-essay-on-gabriel-rockhills-who-paid-the-pipers-of-western-marxism-part-one/
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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We discuss the Trotskyist position on imperialism as it relates to Iran, and what some misconceptions about our approach is since many of our comrades on the Marxist left in general haven't read or understood Trotsky's take on imperialism. Does calling for a socialist Iran mean we work for the State department and are doing the US Govt's work for them? Hardly! Then we sink our teeth further into the imperialist turning inside out as ICE further terrorizes the working class of Minneapolis, and how the working class has fought back.
Closing song is Joe's new single "Is Your Hate Pure?". Give our comrade a like and follow on his channel here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q7A5xb5JBc
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The 1934 Teamsters strike of Minneapolis, Trotskyists favourite victory in the USA. An event highly worth discussing in light of the general strike and oppression and murder of workers in Minneapolis today. How did the Trotskyists organize in a scab town and win? What does theory have to offer?
I thought I'd try something different with this episode, making it more of a documentary that borrows heavily from Labor's Turning Point, the Diet Soap Podcast, and an article from Marxist.com.
https://marxist.com/usa-the-role-of-trotskyists-in-the-1934-minneapolis-teamsters-strike.htm
If you like what you hear and want to hear more of content like this, subscribe to the Patreon! patreon.com/TheLeftOP
If you hate what you hear and wish for us to stop, subscribe to the patreon at patreon.com/TheLeftOp
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Join us every Sunday at 7:00pm EST Starting January 25th 2026 as we dive chapter by chapter into Broue's brilliant book discussing the German Revolution and why it failed and its consequences and lessons for revolutionaries today.
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It will never not be insane that the author of Manufacturing Consent himself turned out to be part of the very conspiracy of manufacturing consent for the US Empire as Trump distracts us from the Epstein files by attacking Venezuela and unleashing his Gestapo on American citizens resulting in multiple deaths this week. A new age is upon us where they don't even need our consent anymore. Anyway its only been a week into 2026, happy new year!
Check us out on patreon
https://www.patreon.com/TheLeftOP
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Doug's new book is out where he discusses the conspiracy surrounding the Left Opposition and the Moscow show trials. Many writers have defended these trials like Dominic Losurdo, who argued they were necessary to build socialism, and Grover Furr, who advocates there was a conspiracy and has written multiple books citing the evidence for such a conspiracy. But does the evidence hold up to scrutiny? Doug weighs in to counter these accusation and defend the legacy of Trotsky.
Buy his book here: https://anticapitalistresistance.org/in-stalins-shadow/
If you like our show consider subbing to the Patreon to continue our project of world analysis and defending Marxism.
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Hey folks its been a while, we know. We've been busy in our personal lives and Chris has been hitting the streets organizing ballot measures and building that fighting NALC! John joins us from the streets to shed some insight into his activities and to discuss the latest flotilla intercepted by Israel. Greta Thunberg continues to be an incredible activist refusing to bend to media pressures and celebrity, with more gall and bravery than I will ever have.
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Aaron opens the show with a presentation on the influences of Marxism in the archaeological profession in both theories and more recently, practice. The conditions of archaeology as a profession and industry not only produced an exploited class of field workers but paved the way for unionization of archaeologists. Joining the program is our guest Sean who helped lead the initial unionizing campaign back in 2017 and continues to represent archaeologists within the broader labour movement.
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The Air Canada flight attendants go on strike, then defy back to work orders only to be sold out by union leadership. What can we learn from this? The working class can learn of its power by drawing on previous strikes to fight back and win.
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With nothing stopping Israel's genocide and a famine going full steam ahead in Gaza, we take stock of the conditions on the ground. What more can we say at this point? Then we get into Trump and Epstein, and have some fun with the Sydney Sweeney "Good Jeans" controversy.
Cover art by taqadoom.com
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Union busting scab Hulk Hogan dies, AOC defends the Iron Dome again, and a new study shows the average American worker has to have started working since the year 1740 to have earned as much as the average CEO in 2025. What does this mean? That CEOs are our betters and we should bow down to their work ethic. We also take some time to shit on the ACP some more.
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With the defeat of the Cuomontang by General Maomdani, we will achieve socialism in one city, New York City that is, any day now. As a light of the world, New York will become a glorious people's republic. But not all socialists are on board. Joining us is Ken from Firebrand to discuss his article on why Zohran Mamdani is not a socialist, but an opportunist, a populist, representing a general trend we need to be wary of in the ongoing struggle against the Democratic Party, Trump, and capitalism.
https://firebrand.red/2025/07/mamdani-the-dsa-and-the-reactionary-gravity-of-the-democrats/
https://firebrand.red/2025/06/should-socialists-support-zohran-mamdani/
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/06/26/ovnc-j26.html
https://marxist.com/united-states-zohran-mamdani-stuns-establishment-is-this-a-step-toward-a-socialist-nyc.htm
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We don't have much planned in this episode, just sharing our thoughts on the incredibly half assed attempts to manufacture consent over WMDs, nukes and Iran, as if we haven't heard them a billion times before. We barely get through the episode without bringing up the ACP in the end, because they are trash and deserve to be dunked on for supporting Trump as the so-called "peace" candidate.
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Ashley Rogers of the Independent Socialist Group joins us to discuss mass protest and movements, and the need for the LGBTQ liberation movement to regain control of Pride as a protest and not a corporate sponsored parade. An injury to one is an injury to all, and every mass movement must unite along class lines to stop Trumps MAGA agenda and build for a better future.
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As we sat down to record, Israel decides to strike Iran. Blows have been exchanged back and forth, we had very little information at the time of recording. Tune in next week for a discussion on that! In the mean time, here are our thoughts on the ICE raids in LA, the resistance and elevation of the workers and students on the ground defending their communities, the Madleen flotilla and Greta Thunberg, and we express our solidarity with the PSL against the McCarthyite witch hunt. Lastly we weigh in on the Zohran Mamdani race against Cuomo.
Sources for this week's episode:
https://communistusa.org/why-communists-cant-support-zohran-mamdani
https://marxist.com/freedom-flotilla-abduction-sparks-mass-anger.htmhttps://www.leftvoice.org/hands-off-our-unions-defend-david-huerta-and-unite-the-fight-against-ice/
https://www.leftvoice.org/ice-raids-in-los-angeles-state-brutality-popular-resistance-and-class-struggle/
https://marxist.com/ice-out-of-la-workers-defend-themselves-against-trump-s-raids.htm
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Ben and Chris get together and discuss the USA's ticking time bomb of national debt. Contrary to what some on the Left might think, national debt is actually very real and sooner or later the bill comes due. The question is who pays the tab?
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Tristan from Left Voice, Mark from Firebrand and Angus from the Independent Socialist Group join us to discuss whether or not Russia is an imperialist power and what it might mean for the international working class.
Closing song by our comrade Joe Messina, RadicalizeMe on youtube. "Lenin". Check it out here. https://youtu.be/Y74e3XdYLf0?si=6CG5dZNQcvLYixkR
https://www.leftvoice.org/no-to-the-war-russian-troops-out-of-ukraine-nato-out-of-eastern-europe-no-to-imperialist-rearmament/
https://independentsocialistgroup.org/2022/03/02/imperialist-powers-clash-over-ukraine/
https://firebrand.red/2023/06/no-u-s-nato-arms-to-ukraine/
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Chris and his letter carrier comrades discuss their campaign to keep the post office public. Check out their podcast
https://www.youtube.com/@BuildaFightingNALC
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Jeff Booth and Peggy from the ISG join us to discuss May Day 2025, talk about the attendance at the Boston rally, comparing the class struggle from previous years and what keeps us going as Marxists in these grim times.
https://independentsocialistgroup.org/2025/04/29/may-day-2025-fight-trump-build-for-mass-strikes-and-a-workers-party/
Closing Song: Spanish Bombs by the Clash (1979) (f u spotify for making me delete this song)
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