Like I'm A Six-Year-Old

Samantha Maiden is an award-winning journalist who's currently the political editor at news.com.au. In February, she broke the story of Brittany Higgins' alleged rape in Parliament House in 2019, which has since sent shockwaves through Canberra and the Australian political class.  I wanted to ask Sam about what's really been going on over the past couple of months: what we're witness, what it means and why it's different to the #MeToo moment from a couple of years ago. She reflects on Higgins' bravery, people wanking on desks and the Morrison government's attempt to respond to the ongoing crisis.     If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My 2021 show WE ARE ALL IN THIS is on at the Melbourne Comedy Festival NOW! WE ARE ALL IN THIS is coming to Sydney for two nights only in May @SamanthaMaiden Samantha's writing at news.com.au ARTICLE: Liberal Party staffer Brittany Higgins says she was raped at Parliament House  ARTICLE: A new power has risen in Australian politics - and it's not coming quietly by Annabel Crabb  ARTICLE: PM caught in crusade of women journos by Aaron Patrick Cause of the Week: Rape & Domestic Violence Services Australia (rape-dvservices.org.au)  

David Milner is an award-winning journalist who now regularly writes for The Shot - a "profound and profane" news site from The Chaser that is consistently pumping out sharp, angry rants about the state of Australian politics and the sinister influence of the Murdoch media.  This was a great conversation about how The Shot was born in the fires of Melbourne's 2020 lockdown, what David learned from his time as a video journalist, just how toxic Newscorp is, how we could reject it, the ALP's lack of a fight and why right now is "a depressing time for people who give a shit about things".  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My 2021 show is called WE ARE ALL IN THIS – it’s on sale now at the Melbourne and Sydney Comedy Festivals @DaveMilbo theshot.net.au Dave's pieces at The Shot The Shot Store ARTICLE: How to eat the rich while social distancing ARTICLE: When Murdoch’s tabloid failed Liverpool the people kicked it out of town for good. What’s stopping Melbourne? 80aday.org Cause of the Week: March 4 Justice (march4justice.com.au)

Ricardo Menéndez March was elected to the Parliament of Aotearoa in 2020. He was born in Mexico, immigrated to New Zealand and eventually became a socialist, queer activist and anti-poverty campaigner.    Ricardo tells me about the motto he lives by ("Be gay. Do crime"), the neoliberal legacy of the NZ Labour Party, the gap between the Ardern government's rhetoric of kindness and the reality on the ground, and the Green movement's challenge to remain authentic and grassroots-driven, while still being productive and professional to make things better for ordinary people.  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My 2021 show is called WE ARE ALL IN THIS – it’s on sale now at the Melbourne and Sydney Comedy Festivals @RMarchNZ Ricardo's profile on the Greens Party website greens.org.nz Ricardo's maiden speech Documentary: Someone Else's Country Cause of the Week: Auckland Action Against Poverty (aaap.org.nz) 

Jordon Steele-John is a disability and youth activist and has been a Greens senator for Western Australia since 2017, when he replaced Scott Ludlam in the Senate at just 23 years old. Here I ask Jordon about how parliament actually works and how it feels to be inside it as a Millennial Green. He explains why he's in parliament, his disappointment in the ALP, what being a socialist means to him, empowering young people, the fight for "ecological democracy" and the good and bad of the NDIS and the ongoing Royal Commission into the abuse and neglect of people with disabilities.  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My 2021 show is called WE ARE ALL IN THIS – it’s on sale now at the Adelaide Fringe and the Melbourne Comedy Festival I’m joining the (awesome) line up for Tommy Little’s Big Comedy Show @ the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in March @JordonSteele jordon-steele-john.greensmps.org.au ARTICLE: 'Aussie Squad' may be Labor's worst nightmare by Janet Albrechtsen ARTICLE: Tim Hollo on "ecological democracy" for The Green Institute ARTICLE: "We are sexual beings": why disability advocates want the NDIS to cover sexual services ARTICLE: Stuart Robert condemned for plan to deny people with disability access to sex worker services Cause of the Week: People With Disabilities Australia (pwd.org.au)  

Amy Remeikis is Guardian Australia's political reporter who writes the Australian politics live blog, covering the thrills and spills of Australian politics as they happen.  Amy joined me after another crazy week in Canberra, to reflect on the "Remeikis experience", why the political class sucks so much, what to make of the media bargaining code and Labor's strategy to win back Queensland at the next election.  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My 2021 show is called WE ARE ALL IN THIS – it’s on sale now at the Adelaide Fringe I’m joining the (awesome) line up for Tommy Little’s Big Comedy Show @ the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in March @AmyRemeikis Amy's writing at The Guardian ARTICLE: Facebook vs the media code: whoever wins, we lose by Lizzie O'Shea ARTICLE: Be careful what you wish for: government-mandated theft backfires as tech giant pulls pin by Bernard Keane  ARTICLE: Fine-tuning the message: federal Labor looks to Queensland as the electoral canary in the coalmine by Amy Remeikis  ARTICLE: Labor's wicked problem: how to win back Queensland by Christopher Wallace You can read Amy's powerful pieces sharing her reflections on being a survivor of sexual assault here and here Cause of the Week: Support your local florist! 

Dr. Evan Smith is a historian and academic who's extensively researched the history of the Far Left in Australia and the UK. Last year he released his book No Platforming: A History of Anti-Fascism, Universities and the Limits of Free Speech. I reached out to Evan last month after the whackiness of the storming of the US Capitol and Trump's removal from Twitter. We only managed to find some time recently for a chat, but this is clearly still a relevant conversation (as Trump is formally acquitted by the Senate in his impeachment trial). Evan lays out the history of "no platform" as a political tactic, the moral and political arguments surrounding it, the grey areas and its potential limits as a strategy for the Left.  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My 2021 show is called WE ARE ALL IN THIS – it’s on sale now at the Adelaide Fringe I’m joining the (awesome) line up for Tommy Little’s Big Comedy Show @ the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in March @evanishistory Evan's blog, New Historical Express You can support Evan's work on Patreon My interview with Douglas Murray on Tonightly ARTICLE: We're obsessed with 'no platforming' but aren't resisting the return of harder censorship by Jeff Sparrow ARTICLE: Evan reviews Jeff Sparrow's Fascists Among Us Cause of the Week: The Australian Unemployed Workers' Union (unemployedworkersunion.com) 

Luke Savage is a Canadian socialist and staff writer for Jacobin magazine whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Atlantic and The New Statesman.  I've always really enjoyed Luke's writing about US politics and political economy and was stoked that he joined me from Toronto to chat about Canada, the neoliberalism of Trudeau and the politics of Jimmy Kimmel's horrific "Goodbye Trump" animation video. I asked Luke about what the Obama years might tell us about the un-radical promise of a Biden presidency, the failure and limits of liberalism, why bipartisanship sucks and what might become of the Big Cheeto President now.  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My 2021 show is called WE ARE ALL IN THIS – it’s on sale now at the Adelaide Fringe I’m joining the (awesome) line up for Tommy Little’s Big Comedy Show @ the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in March @LukeWSavage Luke's podcast Michael and Us on Patreon Democratic Socialists of America Luke's writing at Jacobin magazine ARTICLE: Liberalism in Theory and Practice ARTICLE: In 2009, Pundits Predicted a New Progressive Era. It Never Came.  ARTICLE: Joe Biden Wants to Make Health Care "Secure For All." He Should Just Make it Free. Jimmy Kimmel's Goodbye Trump video Cause of the Week: The Workers' Action Centre Toronto (workersactioncentre.org)

Doug Cameron is a former AMWU trade unionist who served as a Labor senator from 2008 to 2019. He's now retired to Hobart, but still regularly tweets out exactly what he thinks about Australian politics and the state of the ALP.  After a week of leadership speculation, a shadow cabinet reshuffle and a lot of chatter about how progressive people should just shut up and vote Labor no matter what, I found it refreshing to talk to an old-school class warrior like Doug who articulates bold, socialist politics. We talked about his experience as a socialist working in the trade union movement and the ALP, why the party should grow a spine, the Corbyn moment and why he thinks joining the Greens is the "easy way out".  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My 2021 show is called WE ARE ALL IN THIS – it’s on sale now at the Adelaide Fringe I’m joining the (awesome) line up for Tommy Little’s Big Comedy Show @ the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in March @DougCameron51 Footage of Doug Cameron's valedictory speech  Transcript of the speech ARTICLE: Doug Cameron was right all along by Bernard Keane Floodcast's episode on the state of Albo and the ALP, Damp Warm Lettuce Cause of the Week: Everybody's Home Campaign (everybodyshome.com.au)

Luke Pearson is a Gamilaroi man who in 2012 founded IndigenousX: a 100% Indigenous owned and operated, independent media, consultancy, and training organisation.  As January 26th approaches, I wanted to ask Luke about what he makes of the Australia Day culture warring, his critique of the #changethedate campaign, our national amnesia when it comes to our history and why we need to #changethenation instead. He explains the nature of the ongoing occupation of this country, what political action might bring about material change for First Nations people and why the idea of changing the national holiday is like a gym membership.  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My 2021 show is called WE ARE ALL IN THIS – it’s on sale now at the Adelaide Fringe I’m joining the (awesome) line up for Tommy Little’s Big Comedy Show @ the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in March @LukeLPearson @IndigenousX ARTICLE: Why we need to change the date of Australia Day ARTICLE: Maybe we shouldn't change the date of Australia Day after all  ARTICLE: Why I no longer support #changethedate ARTICLE: Why we need to #ChangeTheNation (by Shiralee Lawson) ARTICLE: Why I was gutted when Australia applauded the anthem change  ARTICLE: We are One Nation?  ARTICLE: Remembering 1938 'Day of Mourning' declaration ARTICLE: 'We hereby make protest' - a history of 1938 Andrew Jakubowicz's research on "Harmony Day" CAUSE OF THE WEEK: indigenousx.com.au  

Oh hello. Happy New Year.  Amy MacMahon is the new Greens member for the Queensland state seat of South Brisbane after unseating Labor's Jackie Trad at the 2020 election. Amy tells me how her politics were informed by her experiences in Bangladesh and her mum's stroke of a few years ago. We discuss what running on a socialist platform looks like in Australia today, that stupid "Mean Girls" tweet scandal, what the ALP has become and how the Greens can reach out to the labour movement, as well as the Greens' priorities for Queensland in the year ahead.  If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you My 2021 show is called WE ARE ALL IN THIS - it's on sale now at the Adelaide Fringe I'm joining the (awesome) line up for Tommy Little's Big Comedy Show @ the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in March @amymacsouthbris amymacmahon.com greens.org.au/qld ARTICLE: How a 'Mean Girls' Quote Became a Stupid QLD Election Scandal  Amy's response to the "Means Girls" quote nonsense Young Greens' panel: Should the Greens embrace socialism? ARTICLE: Thousands sign petition to investigate historic Aboriginal land sale (Deebing Creek)  Cause of the Week: Mums 4 Refugees (mums4refugees.org)