Cosmopod

In light of the liquidation of DSA’s BDS working group, Charlie Frank argues that Marxists must continue the political fight rather than turn towards localist activism or the various left-wing sects. Comrade Mike reads aloud.

Giacomo Bianchino and Rudy join Amal for an introductory discussion on New Zealand's (Aotearoa in the Maori language) political economy, with a focus on how the country was settled and connected to the world market. We discuss the nature of the first settlements, the dispossession of the Maori, the Treaty of Waitangi and why it is a cornerstone of the myth of biculturalism, why the colonization process of the Maori was different when compared to the one in Australia and why New Zealand is an independent country. We continue by discussing the Maritime Strike and the origins of arbitration, the birth of the Labour party, the formation of the welfare state, the Labour party's political degeneration and the 1951 Waterfront process. We finish by discussing New Zealand's (sub-)imperialism in the Pacific and the 1999 voting reform. References: Rollo Arnold  - The Farthest Promised Land: English villagers, New Zealand immigrants of the 1870s James Robb's series on the Origins of the Working Class in New Zealand (Pts 1, 2, 3), his history of the founding of the labour party, and the history of the Waihi strike (Pts 1, 2) Towards a Socialist Polynesia (Spartacist League of  New Zealand program of 1982) Phillip Ferguson - New Zealand: Neo Colony or Junior Imperialist?  D. Bedggood - Rich and Poor in New Zealand A Critique of Class, Politics and Ideology   Te Ahu - The Evolution of Contemporary Maori Protest  E.S. Te Ahu Poata-Smith - The Political Economy of Maori Protest Politics 1968-1995: A Marxist Analysis of the Roots of Maori Oppression and the Politics of Resistance Katjo Buissink - Socialists and Trade Unionists Led the Fight for Electoral Reform in New Zealand

Jackson joins ethnomusicologist and anthropologist T.M. Scruggs to discuss Nicaraguan popular music in the decades leading up to the 1979 Sandinista Revolution, as well as during the first Sandinista government from 1979 to 1990. With a focus on the work of FSLN-affiliated musician Carlos Mejía Godoy, we dive into the history of the Nicaraguan political song movement that emerged in the late-60s and early 70s and discuss how, especially after the 1972 earthquake that devastated Nicaragua’s capital of Managua, this musical movement merged with the FSLN to form a part of its artist-intellectual cadre. We also take a look at the FSLN’s post-revolutionary musico-cultural policy in the 1980s, exploring the work of the Empresa Nicaragüense de Grabaciones Artisticas y Culturales (ENIGRAC), the state-owned record company established as a part of the FSLN’s Ministry of Culture.   Tracklist: Carlos & Luis Enrique Mejía Godoy - 'Que Es El FAL?' (0:00)   Elías Palacios - 'Aquila Indita' (12:45)   Carlos Zapata - 'Flor de mi Colina' (17:10)   Carlos Mejía Godoy - 'Vivirás Monimbo' (21:18)   Carlos Mejía Godoy - 'Pancho Escombros' (26:10)   Jorge Issac Carvalho - 'Campesino' (29:02)   Carlos Mejía Godoy - 'Los Explosivos' (32:07)   Carlos Mejía Godoy - 'Canto de Entrada' (41:20)   Carlos Mejía Godoy - 'Miskitu Lawana' (44:32)   Grupo Pancasan - 'Pancasan' (47:08) Luis Enrique Mejía Godoy - 'Pan con Dignidad' (49:40)   Grupo Pancasan - 'Juventud Sandinista' (52:49)   Mario Montenegro - 'El Gallo Ennavajado (1:10:31)   Duo Guardabarranco -'Ya Era Santo De Nombre' (1:13:35)   Grupo Pancasan - 'El Yankee se Va a Joder' (1:20:43)

Ian Wright defends Marx’s theory of surplus-value and its claim that human labor is the ultimate cause of economic profit. Gabriel Palcic reads aloud.

Agata, Anne, Lydia and Rudy join to talk about the historic context of Engels' The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State, and how we can apply it today. We discuss Engels' theories on the historically evolving family structure and the origin of the state, how the evolution of  women's conditions in the 20th century changed from what he expected, how the economic base interacts with the family structure and women's liberation, how families today both help and oppress people, the issues of housework and domestic violence, the present image of 'perfect families' and the striving for a new culture. We also discuss some pitfalls of the book such as homosexuality and the absence of "third genders" and finish by reflecting on the issues women face when joining leftist groups.

Myk Labas reads five letters in dialogue with each other around the topic of Alexander Gallus' recent article "The Russian "Threat to Freedom and Democracy"".   Letters can be read at: 1. "Comments On "The Russian Threat"" 2. "Letter on the Reply to "The Russian 'Threat to Freedom and Democracy'" 3. "Regarding Gallus' The Russian "Threat to Freedom and Democracy"" 4. "The Hegemony of Humanitarian Intervention" 5. "On Russia and Ukraine and Geopolitical Realpolitik"   Music featured: 'Sickles and Hammers' & 'Paranoid Chant', by Minutemen

Rudy joins Keith, author of The Ecocentrists: A History of Radical Environmentalism for a discussion on the history of the mainstream  environmental movement in the US. We discuss the term ecocentrist, the philosophy behind the environmental movement, how it led to Neo-Malthusianism as well as the critics of this philosophy like Murray Bookchin. We also discuss the Sierra Club's origins as a promoter of  Nature and how it turned into an organization for the defense of Nature,  its defeat around Glen Canyon Dam and how that changed the strategies  and the position of environmentalism in the mid-20th century, its  complicated relationship to the New Left, and why Nixon became the  greatest environmental president. We then turn to RARE II and how this  led to the birth of Earth First! and the slogan of No Compromises, what  Earth First! was, the differing class and geographical bases of Earth  First, its relationship to the indigenous movement and the figure of  Judi Bari and the debate around tree spiking. We finish by discussing  the disappearance of Earth First!, the rise of the Earth Liberation  Front, as well as the lobby-fication of the Sierra Club. References: Book Roundtable Chad Montrie's webpage

 Gabriel Palcic reads The Russian "Threat to Freedom & Democracy", wherein comrade Alexander Gallus takes a closer look at the developments leading up to this week’s dramatic events and offers some explanations for how we got to this moment.

AJ, Annie, Ira and Rudy discuss the methods of workers' inquiry and social investigation and how they have applied it to their organizing. They talk about the history of workers inquiry and its uneven use across tendencies, the usefulness of the method and the varying objects and objectives of the investigation. They also reflect on the ways that have used the methods of inquiry in their organizing.  References: A Workers Inquiry (1880) - K. Marx Struggle at FIAT - R. Alquati Socialist Uses of Workers Inquiry - R. Panzieri Workers’ Inquiry: A Genealogy - A. Haider, S. Mohandesi Workers' Inquiry and Global Class Struggle: Strategies, Tactics, Objectives - R. Ovetz (ed.) Sites of a Communist beginning - M. Ely Class Consciousness or Class Composition? - S. Mohandesi (Science & Society) A Worker in a Worker's State: Piece-rates in Hungary - M. Haraszti A call for communist social investigation a year after the summer of rebellion - Kites Journal Workers Inquiry and Social Composition - Notes from Below No Politics Without Inquiry - Notes from Below

Ian Wright, a seasoned expert on the Transformation Problem, joins Gabriel Palcic, who reads key insights throughout the discussion. They delve into the historical backdrop of Marxian economics, exploring ancient barter and the evolution of economic value. Wright clarifies how human labor shapes economic value and discusses the debate around labor values versus market prices, shedding light on surplus value and its implications in our capitalist society. This insightful conversation offers a fresh perspective on longstanding economic theories.