Like I'm A Six-Year-Old

Geoff Norcott is a rare thing indeed: an (openly) right-wing comedian. His recent stand up shows have explored his working class background and his conservative politics and they've been mighty funny.  This was a fascinating discussion about Goeff's thoughts on capitalism, right-wing politics in comedy, Brexit, immigration, outrage, Corbyn, Brixton and personal responsibility.  Problematic is on at the Edinburgh Fringe 2017 now! 8:30pm at the Pleasance Courtyard Problematic is coming to London's Soho Theatre, starts August 29th Help deported "Sanjay" start again @GeoffNorcott Right Leaning But Well Meaning is at #EdFringe now geoffnorcott.com BBC Two's The Mash Report Cause of the Week: Medicins Sans Frontieres (msf.org.uk)  

What better week to talk about Australia and marriage equality lolololol Sally Rugg is an out and proud campaign director at GetUp! calling for queer rights. She's been leading the marriage equality campaign for a while now (it regularly makes her "wake up tearing her hair out") and this week the movement has seen another ridiculous setback.  This chat was recorded a few weeks ago but I think it's a really important insight into where we're at in Australia with the marriage equality debate and the underlying issues around it. From the ACL to the stupidity of the plebiscite to what it all says about our politics, Sally is frank and passionate about this cause and makes it very clear that she won't be stopping until this discrimination is removed from the Marriage Act.  Problematic is on at the Edinburgh Fringe 2017 now! 8:30pm at the Pleasance Courtyard Problematic is coming to London's Soho Theatre, starts August 29th Transcripts of Trump's phone call with Turnbull My video for Junkee on the "deaths at sea" argument @sallyrugg Opinion: We are angry and heartbroken at the prospect of a plebiscite campaign but we are more powerful than ever Opinion: The campaign against Safe Schools was never about concern for kids Article: Australians have 15 days to enrol to vote in postal plebiscite Opinion: Prejudice and Violence Are Learned, And In 2016 They Poured Down From The Top  Article: The rules against malicious campaign material will not apply to same-sex marriage postal vote A profile on Peter and Bon Article: The fight after marriage equality Opinion: Abbott's obstruction of gay marriage is a defence of privilege and the power of shame by David Marr Cause of the Week: Twenty10 (twenty10.org.au)  

Mark Di Stefano is the outgoing political editor at BuzzFeed Australia.  This is a frank chat where we both air our grievances about the shitty state of Australian politics, media and debate at the moment. From the cosy relationship between the press and the political class, the plethora of pundits who never get their comeuppance for being wrong to the good ol' fashioned outrage industry.  Also Mark explains what the Milkshake Duck is. I am old and uncool.  Problematic is on at the Edinburgh Fringe 2017 now! 8:30pm at the Pleasance Courtyard Problematic is coming to London's Soho Theatre, starts August 29th @markdistef What A Time To Be Alive: That and Other Lies of the 2016 Campaign by Mark Di Stefano Australia's News Channel and What It Learned From Fox News by Mark Cause of the Week: Copwatch (huffed.org/project/copwatchnjp)  

Caroline Marcus is the "Political Reporter for the People" for Sky News and an opinion columnist for The Daily Telegraph. Caroline joined me live onstage at the Giant Dwarf theatre in Redfern in front of a lively crowd on Wednesday July 12th. We touch on the media landscape, bias, identity politics and her experience reporting on the Australian detention centres on Nauru for A Current Affair. Our disagreement occasionally got heated, but I really appreciated the chance to explore this stuff with Caroline in detail.  A huge thank you to the Giant Dwarf for having us. You can hear the first episode recorded on the night with Tanya Plibersek here.  Problematic is coming to Edinburgh Fringe 2017, starts August 2nd Problematic is coming to London's Soho Theatre, starts August 29th @carolinemarcus Article: If you disagree with me, you're a racist  Article: Why are activists so afraid of the truth about Nauru? A Current Affair: Inside Nauru's Detention Centre My episodes on cultural appropriation with Gay Alcorn, Yassmin Abdel-Magied  Cause of the Week: Lifeline (lifeline.org.au)  

Tanya Plibersek has been the Member for Sydney since 1998. She's the Deputy Leader of the ALP and Shadow Minister for Education and for Women.  Tanya joined me live onstage at the Giant Dwarf theatre in Redfern in front of a lively crowd on Wednesday July 12th. We touched on the ideological rift bubbling up in the Coalition at the moment, gender equality, Mark Latham, education funding and Labor's refugee policies. A huge thank you to Tanya for making the time (particularly as she was battling a cold on the night), everyone for coming out to see the show and to the Giant Dwarf for having us.  The second conversation with journalist Caroline Marcus will be next week's episode.  Problematic is coming to Edinburgh Fringe 2017, starts August 2nd @tanya_plibersek tanyaplibersek.com Labor's Setting The Agenda Video of the Sydney Setting The Agenda event Article: Gonski money is making a difference. Let's not play the Liberals' tired old blame game by Tanya Plibersek Article: Gonski 2.0: Is this the school funding plan we have been looking for? Finally, yes by Peter Goss Cause of the Week: Oxfam's East Africa Appeal  

Jeff Sparrow is a writer, broadcaster and activist. He's a former member of the International Socialist Organisation and was one of the founding members of the Socialist Alternative.  I've been wanting to talk to Jeff for a long time and really appreciate this chance to ask him about radical politics, Marxism, class, oppression, the widespread rejection of centrism and the matter of taking one's politics "seriously".  Come see Like I'm A Six-Year-Old LIVE in Sydney with Tanya Plibersek and Caroline Marcus TONIGHT! Problematic is coming to Edinburgh Fringe 2017 Chapo Trap House podcast @jeff_sparrow Jeff's writing for Guardian Australia Profile in The Saturday Paper Article: Raising Melbourne's Red Flag How Paul Robeson found political voice in Welsh Valleys  No Way But This: In Search of Paul Robeson by Jeff Sparrow Political Theory: Marxism from The School of Life Cause of the Week: Triple R (rrr.org.au)  

This week I'm bringing some highlights from a panel I chaired last week for Amnesty International Australia entitled Defending Human Rights In A Time Of Heightened Populism.  The panel included refugee rights advocates Andre Dao and Aran Mylvaganam, Indigenous lawyer Meena Singh and businesswoman and social activist Hana Assafiri. Claire Mallinson, the National Director of Amnesty Australia, was also on the panel, but unfortunately due to audio issues I haven't been able to include her here.  I thought this was a really enlightening discussion on the way that populist politics affects our conception of human rights and plays into public debate. We reflected on what does and doesn't work for human rights advocacy in the face of populism, the death of facts and reason, persuasive storytelling and the impact of the Murdoch media on this conversation.  Please bear with the audio: I guarantee you it's worth it.  Come see Like I'm A Six-Year-Old LIVE in Sydney with Tanya Plibersek and Caroline Marcus on Wednesday July 12th Problematic is coming to Edinburgh Fringe 2017 My appearance on The Bugle podcast with Tiff Stevenson @amnestyOz Cause of the Week: Amnesty International Australia (amnesty.org.au)  

Samantha Ratnam is a social worker and Greens politician who's currently serving as the Deputy Mayor of Moreland City Council. She's previously served as Mayor in Moreland and in 2016 ran as the Greens candidate for the federal seat of Wills, losing out to Labor MP Peter Khalil. This is a great insight into local politics and why Sam's passionate about it, particularly its ability to inspire change by example. We also cover the situation in Sri Lanka and how that's informed Sam's attitude towards conflict and multiculturalism, how Australia's approach to race feels like it's going backwards and the future of the Australian Greens.   Come see Like I'm A Six-Year-Old LIVE in Sydney with Tanya Plibersek and Caroline Marcus on Wednesday July 12th Problematic is coming to Edinburgh Fringe 2017 Check out Filthy Rich & Homeless on SBS  @samantharatnam Samantha's Greens profile Article: The Mental Trauma We're Inflicting On Asylum Seekers Is Entirely Preventable by Samantha Ratnam Article: Taking A Stand, a profile on Samantha  Article: Meet the Mayor of Moreland Article: Greens candidate pulls out of anti-racism protest over violence fears Cause of the Week: The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (asrc.org.au), plasticbagfreevictoria.org   

Julian Burnside AO QC is a barrister and refugee advocate who has acted in some of the highest profile legal cases in Australian history, from the cash for comment inquiry to the waterfront dispute to the Tampa affair. For the past 16 years Julian has tirelessly spoken out about Australia's cruel immigration policies and has acted pro bono for refugees and people seeking asylum. He received the 2014 Sydney Peace Prize for "his brave and principled advocacy for human rights and for those wronged by government [and] for insisting that we respect our international legal obligations toward those seeking asylum". I got to go to Julian's (freaking amazing) house and talk to him at length about the state of refugee rights in Australia today, why he's never run for office himself, how the MUA case changed the way he looked at governments, the arts, justice and evil.   Comedy For Good - A Benefit for Refugee Legal is happening tomorrow night in Melbourne Come see Like I'm A Six-Year-Old LIVE in Sydney with Tanya Plibersek and Caroline Marcus on Wednesday July 12th Problematic is coming to Edinburgh Fringe 2017 It's Refugee Week! refugeeweek.org.au refugeeswelcome.org.au @JulianBurnside julianburnside.com.au Cathy Wilcox's Not Drowning Julian's TedX Talk: What is fair and what is just? Julian's speech upon receiving the Sydney Peace Prize Article: True Leaders - Julian Burnside, barrister and refugee advocate  Julian's writing for Guardian Australia Julian's piece for The Conversation: What sort of country are we? Article: How you can offer your home to a refugee Cause of the Week: The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (asrc.org.au)  

Shireen Morris is the Constitutional Reform Advisor at Noel Pearson's Cape York Institute. In the wake of the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Referendum and the Uluru Statement From The Heart, Shireen runs me through the history of constitutional recognition, what it means and how it might work moving forward. We cover symbolism, the political reaction to the Statement, what an Aboriginal Voice might look like, treaty and the tension between Indigenous land rights and environmental considerations. I learnt a whole lot here because Shireen is fully heaps smart. Problematic is coming to Edinburgh Fringe 2017 Comedy For Good at Howler on Thursday June 22nd, raising $$ for Refugee Legal   My appearance on Stuart Goldsmith's podcast The Comedian's Comedian Season 2 of First Contact is back up on SBS On Demand @ShireenMorrisMs Shireen on Facebook Shireen sparring with Andrew Bolt on the ABC's Yes or No?  Article: No Australian should feel like a stranger in their own country Article: A job half done by Noel Pearson upholdandrecognise.com RightWrongs: the ABC's site on the 1967 Referendum Uluru proposals deserve better than a knee-jerk reaction by Fred Chaney Explainer: All the questions you were too afraid to ask about Indigenous constitutional recognition Article: Why New Zealand's Maori got a treaty and Australia's Indigenous peoples didn't Cause of the Week: 1 Voice Uluru (1voiceuluru.org)