The Skeptical Leftist Podcast

The NDP is in shambles. Mark Carney is in power. And Bay Street got exactly what it wanted. Jessa McLean joins me to talk through the fallout of Canada’s latest election, from the NDP's collapse to the return of austerity politics dressed in technocratic polish. We get into what happened, what’s next for the left, and why electoralism isn’t going to save us.Follow Jessa’s work at Blueprints of Disruption on Spotify, YouTube, and Substack.Support the show and get early access: https://www.patreon.com/skepticalleftist https://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist 

In this episode I’m joined by Jordan and Prince from The Dugout Podcast for a deep conversation about Black anarchism, radical education, and building community power beyond the state. We talk about what it means to reject authority while reclaiming care, history, and survival. This isn’t theory for theory’s sake—it’s about practice, archives, and keeping each other alive in a world that would rather see us erased. We also get into the ways Eurocentric leftist traditions can fail to meet the needs of marginalized communities, and how Black anarchist thought offers a path grounded in real histories of resistance. This one covers a lot—from revolutionary schools and zines to abolitionist organizing and the role of podcasts in liberatory education.📚 Check out The Dugout Podcast:⁠ ⁠🔗 Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/dugoutpodcast/⁠ 🔗 Substack: ⁠https://tdugout.substack.com/⁠ 🔗YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@thedugoutpod⁠ 🔗 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/TheDugoutPod⁠ 🔗 Website: ⁠https://bio.site/thedugoutpodcast⁠💸 Support the show: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/skepticalleftist⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/skepticalleftist⁠ ⁠ ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/SkepticalLefty⁠⁠https://theskepticalleftist.substack.com/⁠ 💥 Mutual aid spotlight: ⁠https://www.cathedralcommunityfridge.com/

From ICE detentions to AI layoffs, defunded libraries to RCMP scandals, nothing about this week’s headlines says “progress.” In the first episode of Loose Wires, Cory and AncomSciComm break down five stories that show how power protects itself, no matter who’s in charge. We talk about the illusion of change under Canada’s new PM, the deepening crackdown on pro-Palestinian voices, and the slow hollowing out of public life across North America.Our storieshttps://www.theguardian.com/law/2025/may/03/mohsen-mahdawi-trump-deportationshttps://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/immigration/3400195/nypd-protester-ice-deportation-case/https://www.businessinsider.com/duolingo-ceo-how-ai-will-be-used-performance-reviews-headcount-2025-4https://www.npr.org/2025/04/22/nx-s1-5364825/small-and-rural-libraries-are-feeling-the-cuts-from-president-trumps-executive-orderhttps://cfjctoday.com/2025/03/10/b-c-mountie-tells-hearing-that-dark-humour-in-group-chats-was-to-relieve-stress-2/https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2025/may/03/mark-carney-canada-prime-ministerhttps://www.nptrust.org/philanthropic-resources/philanthropist/flooding-and-tornadoes-impact-the-midwest-and-south-a-donors-guide-to-helping-those-in-need/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/28/first-edition-just-stop-oil-legacyIf you like the show, leave a rating, share it with a friend, and consider supporting the work on Patreon or Ko-fi. Every bit helps.Follow AnComSciComm https://bsky.app/profile/ancomscicomm.bsky.social Support the show ⁠https://www.patreon.com/skepticalleftist⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/skepticalleftist⁠ ⁠ ⁠https://linktr.ee/Skepticalleftist ⁠https://theskepticalleftist.substack.com/⁠ 

Why do action movies feel so unsatisfying lately? In this episode, I talk with Chris from It Had to Be Said about how pop culture trains us to cheer for the status quo — whether it’s vigilante cops, billionaire superheroes, or government-backed soldiers.Follow Chris:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ItHadToBeSaid Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/anarchodaoist.bsky.social Support the show:Patreon: patreon.com/skepticalleftist Substack: https://theskepticalleftist.substack.com/ Follow: https://linktr.ee/Skepticalleftist Support mutual aid: Help out the Cathedral Community Fridge or a local group in your area.Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share if you like the show.

What do we even mean when we talk about “Saskatchewan”? Is it really a rural, farmer-driven province — or are we just clinging to a myth that hasn’t been true for decades? In this episode, I talk with Alex Birrell, host of Unmaking Saskatchewan, about political disillusionment, settler colonialism, and the strange identity crisis that defines this province. We get into everything from party politics to prairie mythology, the Sask Party’s slide toward authoritarianism, and why so many people feel like the system just doesn’t serve them anymore.Recorded back in early February — before the federal election campaign even started — some of the political speculation has aged like milk, but the deeper themes still hit hard. This one’s for anyone trying to understand how we got here, and whether something better is still possible.Follow Alex where you can find him https://x.com/abirlios And check out his podcast Unmaking Saskatchewanhttps://harbingermedianetwork.com/show/unmaking-saskatchewan/And check out my linktreehttps://linktr.ee/SkepticalleftistIf you enjoyed the show, consider supporting us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/skepticalleftist  to help keep the content coming. You can also subscribe to my Substack https://theskepticalleftist.substack.com/  for updates and extra content or get bonus episodes through Spotify https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skepticalleftist/subscribe . Every bit makes a difference! If that’s not your thing, sharing the episode with friends or on social media goes a long way too. Thanks for listening and for your support!And please, if you can, support the Cathedral Community Fridge https://www.cathedralcommunityfridge.com/  or your local community fridge. Mutual aid matters—let’s help each other thrive!

In this episode, I sit down with Steve Boots for a wide-ranging chat about unlearning reactionary ideas, building community, and trying to make meaningful content in an algorithm-driven world. We get into our own political journeys, the burnout that comes with being online all the time, and the weird mix of personal growth and public pressure that comes with making leftist media.You can find Steve on all the placeshttps://linktr.ee/stevebootshttps://bsky.app/profile/steveboots.bsky.socialhttps://www.twitch.tv/steve_bootshttps://www.youtube.com/@Steve_Bootshttps://x.com/steve_bootsAnd check out my linktreehttps://linktr.ee/SkepticalleftistIf you enjoyed the show, consider supporting us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/skepticalleftist  to help keep the content coming. You can also subscribe to my Substack https://theskepticalleftist.substack.com/  for updates and extra content or get bonus episodes through Spotify https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skepticalleftist/subscribe . Every bit makes a difference! If that’s not your thing, sharing the episode with friends or on social media goes a long way too. Thanks for listening and for your support!And please, if you can, support the Cathedral Community Fridge https://www.cathedralcommunityfridge.com/  or your local community fridge. Mutual aid matters—let’s help each other thrive!

In this episode, I’m joined by Seamus Geoghan to talk about what it means to build real community as the system around us falls apart. We get into the role of mutual aid, the failure of institutional politics, and how everyday acts of care are a form of resistance. Along the way, we touch on anarchism, surviving collapse, and why there's no savior coming—just each other.Here are some links were you can find Seamushttps://bsky.app/profile/seamusgeoghan.bsky.socialhttps://x.com/GeoghanSeamusAnd check out his podcasthttps://x.com/TheJIBPodcasthttps://www.youtube.com/@TheJIBPodcastAnd check out my linktreehttps://linktr.ee/SkepticalleftistIf you enjoyed the show, consider supporting us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/skepticalleftist  to help keep the content coming. You can also subscribe to my Substack https://theskepticalleftist.substack.com/  for updates and extra content or get bonus episodes through Spotify https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skepticalleftist/subscribe . Every bit makes a difference! If that’s not your thing, sharing the episode with friends or on social media goes a long way too. Thanks for listening and for your support!And please, if you can, support the Cathedral Community Fridge https://www.cathedralcommunityfridge.com/  or your local community fridge. Mutual aid matters—let’s help each other thrive!

This time on Red Reviews, Justin and I dig into God and the State by Mikhail Bakunin — one of the most enduring works of anarchist theory. We talk about why Bakunin saw rebellion as a core part of what it means to be human, how disobedience challenges systems of domination, and what it means to live freely in a world built on obedience.From Satan as the first rebel to the dangers of scientism, the moral weight of revolt, and the liberatory potential of education, we explore why Bakunin’s vision still resonates — and why it matters now more than ever.You can get a copy of God and The State here https://z-library.sk/book/2360474/364435/god-and-the-state.htmlOr you can purchase a copy at these booksellershttps://www.akpress.org/godandthestate.htmlhttps://redemmas.org/titles/2099-god-and-the-state/https://pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1356https://pilsencommunitybooks.com/item/3GiS_XTIkh2sa_b2wRa_WgCheck out Justin's links and follow himhttps://www.justinclark.org/https://www.instagram.com/justinclarkph/https://www.tiktok.com/@justinclarkphhttps://bsky.app/profile/justinclarkph.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.net/@justinclarkphhttps://www.in.gov/history/https://blog.history.in.gov/https://newspapers.library.in.gov/And check out my linktreehttps://linktr.ee/SkepticalleftistIf you enjoyed the show, consider supporting us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/skepticalleftist  to help keep the content coming. You can also subscribe to my Substack https://theskepticalleftist.substack.com/  for updates and extra content or get bonus episodes through Spotify https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skepticalleftist/subscribe . Every bit makes a difference! If that’s not your thing, sharing the episode with friends or on social media goes a long way too. Thanks for listening and for your support!And please, if you can, support the Cathedral Community Fridge https://www.cathedralcommunityfridge.com/  or your local community fridge. Mutual aid matters—let’s help each other thrive!

I came across one of those Facebook posts that frames itself as "just common sense" — but underneath, it's pushing a lot of political spin and selective outrage.Instead of pretending it’s harmless, I broke it down piece by piece.I'm not above politics — this is a political video. I just hate when bad narratives like this get passed around as if they're neutral or apolitical.If you want to read a full written version of this breakdown, you can find it here: https://open.substack.com/pub/theskepticalleftist/p/this-common-sense-facebook-post-isnt?r=iu0tj&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true If you found this helpful, or you’re tired of seeing this kind of bad framing pop up everywhere, feel free to like, share, or subscribe.If you enjoyed the show, consider supporting us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/skepticalleftist  to help keep the content coming. You can also subscribe to my Substack https://theskepticalleftist.substack.com/  for updates and extra content or get bonus episodes through Spotify https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skepticalleftist/subscribe . Every bit makes a difference! If that’s not your thing, sharing the episode with friends or on social media goes a long way too. Thanks for listening and for your support!And please, if you can, support the Cathedral Community Fridge https://www.cathedralcommunityfridge.com/  or your local community fridge. Mutual aid matters—let’s help each other thrive!

In this episode, I sit down with The Wolf Spirit for a wide-ranging conversation about anarchism, power, and resistance. We talk about what anarchism really means beyond just rebellion, the role of strategy in building movements, and why organizing doesn’t have to mean hierarchy. We also get into cultural struggles—how reactionary elements creep into subcultures like metal and gaming, the anti-capitalist themes in horror films, and the broader fight for a liberated world. It’s not a debate, not a lecture—just two anarchists thinking through these ideas together.Here are a couple places where you can find The Wolf Spirithttps://mastodon.social/@thewolfspirithttps://bsky.app/profile/thewolfspirit.bsky.socialAnd check out my linktreehttps://linktr.ee/SkepticalleftistIf you enjoyed the show, consider supporting us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/skepticalleftist  to help keep the content coming. You can also subscribe to my Substack https://theskepticalleftist.substack.com/  for updates and extra content or get bonus episodes through Spotify https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skepticalleftist/subscribe . Every bit makes a difference! If that’s not your thing, sharing the episode with friends or on social media goes a long way too. Thanks for listening and for your support!And please, if you can, support the Cathedral Community Fridge https://www.cathedralcommunityfridge.com/  or your local community fridge. Mutual aid matters—let’s help each other thrive!