Like I'm A Six-Year-Old

Dr. Craig Emerson is a former Labor MP. In the Rudd and Gillard governments he served as Minister for Trade and Competitiveness, Minister for Tertiary Education and Science and Minister for Small Business. Since leaving parliament, Emerson has run his own economic consultancy firm and in 2019, he co-authored the review into Labor's election loss along with Jay Weatherill.  In this conversation I ask Craig about the reasons why he studied economics and joined the Labor party, his thoughts on "economic rationalism" (or what we now call neoliberalism), compromise and centrism versus radical policies in the age of the climate crisis, fear campaigns, "international green socialism" and the future prospects of the ALP.  Join the Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance's Invasion Day Rallies this Sunday I’m bringing my show ENOUGH to the 2020 Adelaide Fringe in March, tickets on sale now My new show GRANDILOQUENT is coming to the 2020 Brisbane Comedy Festival and the 2020 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron @DrCraigEmerson craigemersoneconomics.com ARTICLE: Tribalism is blighting Australia by Craig Emerson ARTICLE: The Australian Labor Party's Official Election Review Learns All The Wrong Lessons by James Clark Craig singing "Whyalla Wipeout". Just for old times' sake.  Cause of the Week: WIRES (wires.org.au) 

Daniel Lopez is the commissioning editor for Jacobin magazine, socialist activist, author and tweeter.  A month on from Corbyn and British Labour's brutal loss and as Australia burns, Daniel and I discuss the state of the Left right now, Anthony Albanese and the Australian Labor Party and the possibilities of a new socialist political party.  I’m bringing my show ENOUGH to the 2020 Adelaide Fringe in March, tickets on sale now My new show GRANDILOQUENT is coming to the 2020 Brisbane Comedy Festival and the 2020 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron @NoLuckLopez Daniel's writing for Jacobin magazine Daniel's book Lukács: Praxis and the Absolute ARTICLE: AOC's Green New Deal is the socialist solution the world needs by Daniel Lopez victoriansocialists.org.au Cause of the Week: The Melbourne School of Continental Philosophy (mscp.org.au)

Happy 2020, everyone. Here we bloody go.  Here's me answering some of your questions about political movies, Morrison, bushfires, fatigue, Cats and Murdoch. Thanks to the folks who submitted questions and thanks (as ever) to you for listening to the show.  STAND UP FOR BUSHFIRE RELIEF is happening at the Palais Theatre on January 20th - all funds raised going to Victorian bushfire relief  I’m bringing my show ENOUGH to the 2020 Adelaide Fringe in March, tickets on sale now My new show GRANDILOQUENT is coming to the 2020 Brisbane Comedy Festival and the 2020 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron ARTICLE: Australia's Fires Give Us a Glimpse of What's Coming by Jeff Sparrow

Charlie Pickering is a comedian and host of the satirical comedy show The Weekly on the ABC. I used to have one of those, but let's not go into it and start comparing who was "more successful" or "not cancelled".  Here we chat about the ethics of including political figures in whacky comedy sketches, Charlie's centrist approach to politics, voting for John Howard, his interest in American political history and why he's more excited about Elizabeth Warren's candidacy than Bernie Sanders'.   I'll be off for the Christmas break but shall return in 2020. Thanks for everything! I love you! Onward, comrades!  I’m bringing my show ENOUGH to the 2020 Adelaide Fringe in March, tickets on sale now My new show GRANDILOQUENT is coming to the 2020 Brisbane Comedy Festival and the 2020 Melbourne International Comedy Festival JOIN THE BRAND NEW LIKE I’M A SIX-YEAR-OLD GROUP ON FACEBOOK! WOW!  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron @charliepick charliepickering.com The Weekly with Charlie Pickering @theweeklytv The Yearly is on TONIGHT 8:30pm on ABC  The Dollop's podcast on Ronald Reagan (Pt 1) What's Left? episode on The Case Against Warren Cause of the Week: Reading Out Of Poverty (roop.org.au)  

After joining me at the end of the shitshow that was 2016 for the first live edition of the podcast, Greens MP Adam Bandt returned to reflect on how far we have (or haven't) come and what to make of the political year that was 2019. Recorded in Collingwood at the Easey Street Concert Hall in front of a bloody lovely crowd, this is a funny and important conversation about Scott Morrison, socialism, the climate crisis, the 2019 election, the ALP's pathetic position on coal and the possibilities of a Green New Deal for Australia. All funds raised went to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (you can support them here toooooo). I'm very thankful to Adam for agreeing to do this again and to everyone who came out to the show. MERRY CHRISTMAS xoxoxo I’m bringing my show ENOUGH to the 2020 Adelaide Fringe in March, tickets on sale now My new show GRANDILOQUENT is coming to the 2020 Brisbane Comedy Festival and the 2020 Melbourne International Comedy Festival JOIN THE BRAND NEW LIKE I’M A SIX-YEAR-OLD GROUP ON FACEBOOK! WOW!  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron @AdamBandt adambandt.com ARTICLE: Setting Kevin Rudd's Environment Record Straight by Adam Bandt ARTICLE: This is what it looks like when your government sells out the climate for votes by Katharine Murphy ARTICLE: The crisis in liberalism: why centrist politics can no longer explain the world by Katrina Forrester

Patricia Cornelius is a celebrated Australian playwright who writes about class, love, capitalism and the cruel things we do to each other. Her plays include LOVE, Savages, SHIT, Do Not Go Gentle and Who's Afraid of the Working Class? In this conversation, Patricia tells me about her working class upbringing, her journey through feminism to Marxism, her time in the radical Melbourne Workers Theatre and reflects on whether today's middle-class and staid theatre can still be a voice for class-conscious politics. Also we revel in the joy of some filthy swearing.  Come see me record a LIVE SHOW as Greens MP Adam Bandt returns on Tuesday December 10th, 7pm – all funds raised go to the ASRC I'm bringing my show ENOUGH to the 2020 Adelaide Fringe in March, tickets on sale now  My new show GRANDILOQUENT is on at the 2020 Brisbane Comedy Festival in March, tickets on sale now JOIN THE BRAND NEW LIKE I’M A SIX-YEAR-OLD GROUP ON FACEBOOK! WOW!  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron I want to do an AMA episode of the show: please get in touch with your questions, email tom@tomballard.com.au @pmcorn ARTICLE: Patricia Cornelius: Not going gently by Harry Windsor Patricia's piece on swearing for The Wheeler Centre Anthem is playing at the 2020 Sydney Festival  Do Not Go Gentle is on at Malthouse Theatre in 2020 SHIT on AustralianPlays.org Cause of the Week: Ilbijjeri Theatre Company (ilbijerri.com.au)

Lizzie O'Shea is a lawyer at Maurice Blackburn, writer, broadcaster and socialist activist. She's the author of Future Histories: What Ada Lovelace, Tom Paine and the Paris Commune Can Teach Us About Digital Technology - an examination of radical social movements and theories from history and how they can be applied to technology capitalism.  Lizzie and I discussed the class action she's working on against Uber's business model, the "datafication of ourselves", how much Facebook and Amazon suck, Australia's awful data encryption laws, what it might mean to break up or nationalise the tech companies and the possibilities of a better world with a better internet.  Come see me record a LIVE SHOW as Greens MP Adam Bandt returns on Tuesday December 10th, 7pm – all funds raised go to the ASRC JOIN THE BRAND NEW LIKE I’M A SIX-YEAR-OLD GROUP ON FACEBOOK! WOW!  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron I want to do an AMA episode of the show: please get in touch with your questions, email tom@tomballard.com.au @Lizzie_OShea lizzieoshea.com Lizzie's writing for The Guardian A review of Future Histories on Engineering & Technology  ARTICLE: Invisible Handcuffs - it's time for workers to throw off the shackles of big tech by Lizzie O'Shea ARTICLE: The Future Has Arrived by Robert Maharajh Cause of the Week: The National Justice Project (justice.org.au) 

Jon Faine is a veteran broadcaster who was just stepped down as the host of the Mornings show on ABC Local Radio after 23 years in the chair (and a total of 30 years at the national broadcaster).  Jon kindly let me (back) into his house to have a wide-ranging chat about the state of the media, bias at the ABC, Elizabeth Warren, capitalism, the tech giants, civility, Kevin Bailey and his bladder.   Come see me record a LIVE SHOW as Greens MP Adam Bandt returns on Tuesday December 10th, 7pm – all funds raised go to the ASRC JOIN THE BRAND NEW LIKE I’M A SIX-YEAR-OLD GROUP ON FACEBOOK! WOW!  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron I want to do an AMA episode of the show: please get in touch with your questions, email tom@tomballard.com.au Listen to Novara Media AND (please) vote for Jeremy Corbyn Jon's Farewell to the ABC ARTICLE: Malcolm Turnbull suggests 'shell out' to help their children buy property The ABC's #AustraliaTalks The "infamous" Kevin Bailey sketch from Tonightly ARTICLE: Don't Trust Elizabeth Warren's Big-Donor Ban by Megan Day Cause of the Week: The Koorie Heritage Trust (koorieheritagetrust.com.au)  

Roz Ward is a queer Marxist academic and activist who was a co-founder of the Safe Schools Coalition. She was publicly attacked for her politics and her role in fighting for Safe Schools by the conservative media, religious lobbyists and members of the Coalition government.  Here Roz reflects on her experience with the culture war bullshit around that programme and tells me what it taught her, why she's a revolutionary socialist, what she thinks can be achieved through electoral politics, her involvement in the IMARC protests, why All Cops Are Bastards and lawnmowers.  Come see me record a LIVE SHOW as Greens MP Adam Bandt returns on Tuesday December 10th, 7pm - all funds raised go to the ASRC  JOIN THE BRAND NEW LIKE I’M A SIX-YEAR-OLD GROUP ON FACEBOOK! WOW!  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron I want to do an AMA episode of the show: please get in touch with your questions, email tom@tomballard.com.au I was on the latest episode of The Bugle  @roztward ARTICLE: Roz Ward on clergy hypocrisy and the valorisation of child molesters  Benjamin Law's Quarterly Essay on the Safe Schools controversy, Moral Panic 101 System Change Not Climate Change: An Anti-Capitalist Conference is on this Saturday at Trades Hall, Melbourne  victoriansocialists.org.au Red Flag Radio on podbean Cause of the Week: Support activists arrested at mining conference on GoFundMe

This is part two of my conversation with former AFL player and controversial media figure Sam Newman. Part one of the chat is here. Here we discuss Sam's thoughts on Muslim Australians' failure to "assimilate" into society, what does and doesn't constitute racism, Pauline Hanson and how he hoped to tackle homelessness if he were to become Melbourne Lord Mayor.  JOIN THE BRAND NEW LIKE I’M A SIX-YEAR-OLD GROUP ON FACEBOOK! WOW!  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Check out my podcast with Audible discussing audiobooks, What’s the Story? I want to do an AMA episode of the show: please get in touch with your questions, email tom@tomballard.com.au I appeared on the Radio National show The People Vs to discuss the state of comedy with Josh Szepps, Sami Shah, Andrew Doyle & Steph Tisdell  I'm on the latest edition of The Little Dum Dum Club alongside Wil Anderson Part One of my chat with Sam @Origsmartassam Sam’s Facebook page Sam’s podcast Sam, Mike & Thommo  Cause of the Week: The Les Twentyman Foundation (ltfoundation.com.au)