On this episode of The Exchange, we’re joined by historian and writer Katherine Connelly, author of Sylvia Pankhurst: Suffragette, Socialist and Scourge of Empire.

Connelly’s esteemed biography traces Sylvia Pankhurst’s political journey from militant suffragism to revolutionary socialism, anti-fascism and opposition to imperialism. Rather than treating women’s emancipation as a struggle separate from class politics, the book places working-class women at the centre of Pankhurst’s political vision.

We discuss what Pankhurst’s politics can tell us about the relationship between feminism and socialism, the importance of working-class organisation, and the possibilities and challenges facing political movements that seek to transform society rather than simply reform it.

Key themes:

• What did Sylvia Pankhurst understand about the particular position of working-class women, and what can her politics tell us about the relationship between women’s liberation and socialism?

• How did Pankhurst connect the exploitation of workers in Britain with colonialism and imperial domination and what does that perspective offer us when thinking about capitalism today?

• Faced with fascism, war, exploitation and political fragmentation, what can we learn from Pankhurst’s willingness to pursue a more radical vision of social transformation?

• Pankhurst placed class, material conditions and collective organisation at the heart of her politics. How might this approach challenge forms of contemporary liberal identity politics that focus on individual identity and representation, rather than class struggle and the transformation of economic and social power?

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In this edition of The Briefing, we discuss Gordon Brown declaring that a united Ireland is inevitable; the rejection of various independence motions put forward to the SNP conference and what this says about the state of the national movement; John Healey’s retreat on his earlier promises around defence and arms spending; and the Sainsbury’s government backed “Modern Work Experience Programme” which promises young people work...without wages.

As ever, this show is free and open to all. To join our Wednesday and Friday shows, become a Patreon today.

THE BRIEFING

In this episode of The Line, we take a critical look at the state of the trade union movement in the UK from a socialist perspective. With union membership, workplace organisation and industrial action all facing major challenges, we ask how the left should respond.

We discuss the movement’s strengths and weaknesses, and the possibilities for socialist intervention within and outside the unions.

Key themes:

• What is the current state of the trade union movement and what are its biggest challenges?

• What models of organisation might we adopt?

• What should the socialist left be doing inside and around the unions?

• What is the relationship between trade unions and wider social movements?

We will also have a range of perspectives on these matters represented on The Exchange to help us debate ideas and strategies going forward. As ever, we will be back on Monday with The Briefing.

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On this episode of The Exchange, we are joined by Sophie Johnson, secretary of Stop the War Scotland and a columnist for The National, to discuss the growing war fever in Europe and the case for opposing it.

Drawing on her recent column on Germany’s rapid rearmament, we look at the political arguments being used to sell a new military build-up, and where resistance to the war drive can come from.

We also ask how anti-war politics can connect with the everyday concerns of working class people to build an effective movement.

Key themes:

• Why is the political establishment persuading people that we need to become “war ready”?

• How can the anti-war movement build enough popular support to challenge the drive towards war in Scotland, Britain and across Europe?

• How is the restructuring of the global system impacting the war drive in Europe?

• What does the return of massive military spending tell us about the priorities of the capitalist system?

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This week on The Briefing, we examine the controversy surrounding a recent letter to The Guardian on Iran, signed by prominent figures including Angela Davis; the growing warnings over Britain’s food security, as drought, geoplitical deveolpments and pressure on domestic agriculture raise the prospect of shortages and higher prices; the latest actions of the Trump administration and they way in which these have been absorbed, rather than countered, by Western liberalism.

As ever, this show is free and open to all. To join our Wednesday and Friday shows, become a Patreon today.

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This week on The Line, we turn to the political culture of the modern left. From the rise of social media and instant “hot takes” to moralism and the difficulties of sustaining genuine disagreement, we explore how the left has changed and what this means for our ability to organise, intervene and educate effectively.

Key questions include:

• Has social media transformed the way the left thinks and argues?

• What is the psychology behind horizontalism?

• Has the left become too performative and overly focused on individual identity?

• What has been lost through the decline of political education and working-class institutions?

• What would a healthier, more serious and strategically effective left look like?

We will be back on Monday with The Briefing.

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On this episode of The Exchange, we are joined by Matt Kerr. Matt is a Glasgow councillor, Scotland Reporter for the Morning Star, and a member of ROSE (Radical Options for Scotland and Europe).

We take a broad look at the state of Scottish politics and, in particular, the strategic questions facing the left.

Key themes include:

• The Scottish Labour leadership contest: What does it tell us about the current state of the Labour left?

• The strategic challenges facing the Scottish left: How can the we rebuild a social and organisational base?

• The national question: How should socialists understand the relationship between national self-determination and class politics?

• Class politics in Scotland today: What role can trade unions and social movements play?

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This week on The Briefing, we begin with the tragic death of Jason Arday, coming shortly after weeks of disproportionate coverage. We examine what it tells us about the UK media system, the disastrous impact of culture war politics, and the problems created by a highly concentrated and increasingly values-free press.

We then turn to the BBC’s coverage of Glasgow city centre, including references to it becoming a “no-go zone.” We ask what this kind of framing reveals about the wider political environment, arguing for a socialist response that repudiates stigma, while dealing with the very real problems working-class people in Glasgow face.

Finally, we look at an international story, as JD Vance speculates about the future of the global economy, suggesting the end of the dollar system, and how this coincides with the discussions we have been having about the emerging multipolar system.

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This week on The Line, we ask why anti-imperialism needs to be understood not as an optional strand of left politics, but as a central part of any serious project to build a transformative left.

Key themes:

• How war, extraction, economic power and global inequality are intertwined with capitalism

• Why anti-imperialism isn’t simply about how a government conducts foreign policy, but also about migration, trade, resources, environment, borders and the distribution of wealth and power

• The difficulties created when “progressive” politics opposes injustice at home while failing to confront the interventions of Western states abroad

• Building solidarity: what genuine internationalism means in practice, and how movements can build relationships across borders rather than treating international struggles as secondary concerns

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This week on The Exchange, we speak to Dr James Foley, a Senior Lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University, about the deepening crisis facing Scotland’s universities and the wider challenges confronting higher education.

We look at the range of pressures around funding, staffing and student numbers. And we examine the bigger questions about what universities are for, how the academic system has changed, and where it is heading. We discuss the changing nature of academia and the impact of managerialism, and assess the rise of “culture war” politics, looking at the recent coverage of Jason Arday.

Key questions:

• Is the university system facing a temporary crisis, or a much deeper transformation?

• How does the academic system interlock with the major schisms in capitalism today?

• How should we understand the dynamics of the culture war and academia?

• What should the left say?

We will be back on Friday for the next edition of The Line.

THE EXCHANGE

This week on The Briefing, we once again look at some recent headlines making the news. First up, we examine the criticisms Nicola Sturgeon has levelled at John Swinney. What do they reveal about the state of the SNP and, indeed, the former First Minister’s own situation? Then, we explore the drought affecting England and the growing challenges facing the government and political parties on climate change.

Lastly, we turn to the deepening crisis in Scottish universities, asking what is going wrong in higher education and what it tells us about the future of the academic system more broadly. Join us on Wednesday for The Exchange, where we go into this topic in more detail with Dr James Foley.

The Briefing is our free Monday show. Become a Patreon today to get access to The Exchange every Wednesday and The Line every Friday.

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A new poll reveals that a majority of Democrats favourable to the Democratic Socialists of America back free trade, and indeed that this cohort was most in favour compared even to the Republicans. This raises critical questions about the contemporary left's economic and ideological outlook.

In this edition of The Line, we examine the issue, and put it in historical context. Key themes include:

• The destructive political impact of negative polarisation

• The dashed legacy of the anti-globalisation movement

• The need for an ideological core to build sustained projects of the left

• An examination of how and why free trade has been opposed

• The importance of developing an independent socialist perspective in an era of flux

We will be back on Monday with The Briefing, our free show. To get full access, become a Patreon, and help support our work.

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The Exchange returns with our latest guest, George Keravan.

George is a Marxist economist and writer. He is a former SNP MP and was Associate Editor of The Scotsman between 2000 and 2009. He has written extensively on finance, industrial strategy, and the changing dynamics of global capitalism.

We had a fascinating and wide-ranging conversation on the defining economic questions shaping Britain, Europe, and the world.

Themes include:

• Can European economies remain competitive amid intensifying global rivalry?

• Where does the UK fit into an increasingly fragmented international economic order?

• How should we understand competition between the United States and China?

• What are the economic drivers behind multipolarity?

• To what extent will Artificial Intelligence redefine the economic model?

Stay tuned for The Line, coming on Friday. By becoming a Patreon, you get full access.

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The Briefing returns to unpack another turbulent week in politics. We look at the mounting questions over European cohesion following recent conflicts around Monaco, Spain, border integrity and migration. And, we outline how the United States is becoming an increasingly belligerent force in transatlantic relations.

Also in the show: is the populist right consolidating or splintering? We examine Rupert Lowe’s offer of “unity” to Nigel Farage, and what it tells us about the fragmentation and possible realignment of the radical right. In addition, we ask if Reform is entering a new phase as internal tensions ans strategic pressures escalate.

As ever, The Briefing is free to listen to. Become a paid subscriber to access The Exhange on Wednesday and The Line on Friday.

THE BRIEFING

What explains the strange contradictions of the Trump era? Is the crisis engulfing American liberalism a temporary political setback, or a symptom of a deeper transformation in the global order? And what might the latest geopolitical shifts tell us about the future of domestic politics?

Rather than treating recent events as isolated episodes, we explore how they fit into a broader framework of rupture and ideological exhaustion.

Key themes include:

• The changing balance of power in global capitalism

• The deep crisis of American liberalism

• Why Trump’s politics appear simultaneously disruptive and deeply rooted in long-term structural trends

• The potential for wars in the Middle East and Eastern Europe to coalesce

• The degradation of liberal democracy

• The need for analysis to produce effective political intervention

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Scottish Labour is once again searching for a new leader. But the real question isn’t simply who comes after Anas Sarwar. How has a once dominant institution been so sidelined, and is there any way back? To discuss, we are joined by this week’s guest, Coll McCail. Coll is a Scottish writer and Editor of Skotia.

Themes include:

• The roots of the crisis in Scottish Labour

• The hollowing out of the party’s social base and internal life

• The impact and role of the Scottish national question

• The wider dilemmas confronting “social democracy” and “centre-left” politics

• The role of mass and extra-parliamentary movements in shaping Scottish politics

The Exchange is available exclusively to our Patreon members. By becoming a paid supporter, you will also receive The Line every Friday, and help us expand independent socialist analysis in Scotland.

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The latest episode of The Briefing is out, and as always, it’s free to listen to.

This week we discuss the devastating wildfires, recent heatwaves and the state of climate movement politics; the latest developments around the Scottish Labour leadership; and the geopolitical implications of the military confrontations involving Ukraine and Iran. We also look ahead to this week’s episode of The Exchange, coming on Wednesday, with Scottish writer and the Editor of Skotia, Coll McCail.

If you enjoy The Briefing, do consider upgrading to a paid subscription. By doing so you will also receive The Exchange every Wednesday and The Line every Friday, giving you deeper analysis and more in-depth conversations. It is also a platform for you to engage in the debate. Your support helps us grow the podcast and expand our output.

In the meantime, enjoy today’s show!

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Andy Burnham has dismissed calls for a second Scottish independence referendum. But where has the response from the SNP been? In this episode, we examine Burnham’s indyref repudiation, the silence that followed, and what it says about the current state of the independence movement.

How has the case for self-determination been allowed to drift from the political agenda? And what would it take to rebuild a confident, grassroots campaign for Scottish independence?

Themes include:

• Understanding the politics of the SNP in this period

• The absence of popular pro-independence mobilisation

• Why the SNP fear independence as a living political project

• The ideological incoherence on the left around both Burnham and the SNP

• How we can begin to mount an effective challenge to both in the Scottish context
  

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In this episode of The Exchange, we are joined by Chris Bambery. Chris is the author of numerous books including: A People’s History of Scotland, Scotland: Class and Nation, The Second World War: A Marxist History.

We focus on his latest work, The Old Divide: A History of Sectarianism in Scotland, to help provide some historical context to rising tensions in Scotland today.

As part of the discussion we address the following themes:

• The nature of Loyalism and anti-Irish racism in Scotland

• The areas of fusion between this and the spike in racialised unrest in parts of Glasgow and beyond

• How socialists can intervene to emphasise class arguments and solidarity alongside anti-racist mobilisations

• The independence movement and the failure of the SNP to deliver for working class Scots

• The role Islamophobia plays and how to combat it

We will be back on Friday with the next edition of The Line.

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In this week’s show we once again survey some of the big stories in current affairs. We look at Andy Burnham’s rise to Labour leader and Prime Minister; the SNP’s hollow response; the corruption emanating from the World Cup; and the intensifying authoritarianism of the Trump Administration.

And, we preview Wednesday’s show. In the next edition of The Exchange, we will be joined by Chris Bambery, author of numerous books including: A People’s History of Scotland, Scotland: Class and Nation, The Second World War: A Marxist History. We will be focussing on his latest work, The Old Divide: A History of Sectarianism in Scotland, to help provide some historical context to rising tensions in Scotland today.

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