The Left Opposition Podcast

Howdy folks! We take a quick look at the death of his holiness Pope Francis-something, with a short article from the RCI and the left's revisionism of the papacy. Britain passes an anti-trans law and we look at the mistake many communists make in regards to trans issues. Joining us from the Marxist Workers Group in Canada to discuss the upcoming federal election is Ben Merenlensky to discuss his article "Canada Amid a Patriotic Wave: What are the tasks of the Marxists?" where we take stock of the position of the parties in relation to the working class, and what, if anything, the canadian Marxist movement is doing to galvanize the workers.https://marxist.com/the-reformist-left-has-lost-its-pope.htmhttps://www.marxistworker.ca/articles/canadian-election-amid-patriotic-wave

This came across our desk while we were recording and decided to release this as a bonus episode. It's not a full critique of their video, that might come later, but we randomly scrolled through their stream to see what they were saying.Noah and Eddie take on the old man himself by quoting some Spart newspaper not by engaging in their ideas on the longshoremen but pointing out other problematic articles. They then admit they don't know much about Trotsky but downplay his role in the Russian revolution anyway. Excellent analysis as always guys!

Another crazy week in which we examine Trump's tariffs, what they're supposed to do versus what they actually are doing, and we look at the opposition to Trump's anti-everything agenda and where and when communist should intervene.

With free speech under assault once again for opposing Israel's genocide against the Palestinian people, what is the working class strategy?https://communistusa.org/free-mahmoud-khalil-only-class-struggle-can-ensure-freedom-of-speech/https://www.leftvoice.org/trumps-attacks-on-the-palestine-movement-and-the-universities-are-the-same-fight/Be sure to check out Chris' other podcast Next Generation Carriers!

Talking about Trump's tariffs and the threats to annex Canada.

We clarify once again our position on the war in Ukraine since on the left the anti-war position often gets us accused of being Putin bootlickers. Our position has not changed, for proletarian international revolution. But does this position doom Ukrainians to their fate? Is Russian imperialism a progressive force against American imperialism?

Aaron summarizes an article by Michael Roberts from the blog "The Next Recession" taking stock of the economic positions of Ukraine and Russia as the "special military operation" completes its 3rd year this week. Special guest Jeffery Booth from the Independent Socialist Group adds to our commentary as well. You can find Michael Roberts writings here:https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2025/02/24/russia-ukraine-war-three-years-on/https://marxist.com/trump-ends-the-liberal-world-order.htm

Here we discuss what building a genuine alternative to the Democrat Party might look like and what it takes to get there with recurring guest Jeffrey Booth and his article "Getting Past Sanders and Towards a Workers Party".https://independentsocialistgroup.org/2025/02/20/getting-past-sanders-and-towards-a-workers-party/

Lenin wrote: "the Social Democrat’s ideal should not be the trade union secretary, but the tribune of the people, who is able to react to every manifestation of tyranny and oppression, no matter where it appears, no matter what stratum or class of the people it affects". This means standing up for the most oppressed sections of the proletariat regardless if the banks and imperialists fly a Pride flag.

We get into the insane and stupid decisions of the Trump White house from the last few weeks and the response of the Left in gutting USAID, peace talks with Ukraine and Russia, relocating Palestinians, and the like. https://www.leftvoice.org/ceasefire-on-the-brink-trump-and-netanyahu-push-for-renewed-war-in-gaza/https://marxist.com/usaid-imperialist-trojan-horse-goes-in-the-woodchipper.htmCheck out the patreon for our latest dunks on the ACP https://www.patreon.com/c/TheLeftOP/postsClosing song: "Fucked Up" by Macklemore