LeftClick: LeftCast

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May 2, 2008

Tipping point in New Zealand politics at the grassroots: The Residents Action Movement

The Residents Action Movement (or RAM) is a left wing local government electoral ticket in the Auckland Region of New Zealand that is in the process of becoming a national-level political party to contest the 2008 elections. RAM can be characterised as as broad left coalition, stretching from social liberals, community activists and former National Party members to social democrats, democratic socialists and left-wing radicals. Its chairperson is currently Grant Morgan, who is also a leading member of Socialist Worker (Aotearoa). [Source Wikipedia]

This is an interview with Grant Morgan (RAM chair), Daphne Lawless (a RAM candidate in last year's Auckland Regional Council election and is a current member of the RAM Executive) and Oliver Woods, RAM co-organiser. It was recorded by telephone on May 1st.

Original audio source

Apr 29, 2008

John Bellamy Foster on the global financial crisis: ‘Nobody knows where the toxic debt is buried and how much there is’

John Bellamy Foster is an American journalist, sociologist, essayist and socialist, as well as editor of the Monthly Review, a prominent political journal foundered by the Marxist economist Paul Sweezy in the 1940s.

Foster is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Oregon in Eugene. He has written widely on political economy and has established a reputation as an environmental socialist.

He has argued that Karl Marx was a radical ecologist in his book, Marx’s Ecology: Materialism and Nature .

Foster is interviewed by Peter Boyle for Links and Green Left Weekly.

LeftCast April 29th, 2008

Original audio source

Capitalism and climate change-- John Bellamy Foster -- video of Foster's talk to the Climate Change Social Change Conference

Apr 17, 2008

Dick Nichols:Radical social action to stop climate change

The Climate Change Social Change Conference held in Sydney on the April 11/13 weekend was engineered to strengthen radical social action to stop climate change.

But did it succeed in its attempted aggregation of activists from the red and the green?

To answer that question LeftCast spoke to Dick Nichols --a conference featured speaker -- about the conference and what he thought its deliberations can teach us about what we should be doing next to save this planet from climate change.

LeftCast April 17th, 2008

Original audio source
Links:

Feb 25, 2008

Michael Karadjis: Is Kosova allowed to declare independence?

"The Kosovar Albanians were an oppressed people in the old Yugoslavia, and much more so in Serbia following the collapse of the Yugoslav federation in 1989-90. Kosova had a per capita income one quarter that of Serbia; Albanians constituted only one per cent of military officers of the Yugoslav army, while Serbs constituted 70 per cent; Albanians made up 70-80 per cent of political prisoners. They are a national group in a long well-defined territory that deserve the right to national self-determination.

"Much mystification surrounds Kosovar independence. It is claimed Kosova is a “mere province” of Serbia that happens to have an Albanian majority, and thus its “secession” is a violation of Serbian “sovereignty”. The alleged difference between Kosova and the other parts of the former Yugoslavia is that the latter were constitutionally fully fledged federal republics, which had the right to independence, whereas Kosova merely had autonomy within the Serbian republic."

To address some of these issues, LeftCast spoke with the writer of the above lines, Michael Karadjis -- author of Bosnia, Kosova and the West, published by Resistance Books in 2000.

9.71 MB, 33:56

LeftCast February 25, 2008

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Orginal audio source

Read more

Feb 22, 2008

Graham Matthews: is this the beginning of the end of Work Choices?

Source: LeftCast

This week the Labor government introduced legislation into federal parliament which it assures us is to be the first step in the dismantling of Work Choices .

Work Choices you may recall was the Howard governments hated industrial legislation and the core issue debated during last year's federal election campaign.

In fact that vote was a poll on Work Choices.

But is this really the beginning of the end of Work Choices?

To find the answer to that question LeftCast spoke to Graham Matthews, national trade union coordinator for the Socialist Alliance.

20:45

LeftCast February 22, 2008

Original audio source

Further reading

Feb 8, 2008

David Spratt : Climate CODE RED!

LeftCast Audio

David Spratt -- along with Phillip Sutton -- has authored a sharp review of the Climate change crisis that is bearing down on all of us: Climate Code Red -- the case for a sustainable emergency

This interview with David Spratt explores the main arguments in this report (published by Friends of the Earth, Australia)and tries to locate the environment science in the context of what urgently needs to be done right now.

Spratt criticizes the politics of pragmatism and the ready habituation of low political expectations. He then tries to relate this penchant to compromise to the challenge of sustaining an emergency response as exemplified by the war economies during the Second World War.

18.3MB 20:05 128 kbs

LeftCast February 8, 2008

Original audio source

After "The big melt: lessons from the Arctic summer of 2007" comes...

"Climate Code Red: The case for a sustainability emergency"

Available for download at http://www.climatecodered.net

Download Climate Code Red full report

Climate policy is characterised by the habituation of low expectations and a culture of failure. There is an urgent need to understand global warming and the tipping points for dangerous impacts that we have already crossed as a sustainability emergency, that takes us beyond the politics of failure-inducing compromise. We are now in a race between climate tipping points and political tipping points.

"Climate Code Red: The case for a sustainability emergency"

By David Spratt and Philip Sutton

Friends of the Earth ( Australia)

Jan 23, 2008

Cam Walker interview: Climate Change Convergence

LeftCast podcast

Cam Walker is national liaison officer for Friends of the Earth Australia. Along with others sectors he is organising a Climate Movement Convergence in Melbourne on February 9th.

LeftCast used the opportunity of the convergence to speak with Walker about the political situation confronting the environment movement at the present time.

15.4MB / 22: 25

LeftCast January 23 2008

Mp3 download

Climate movement convergence

Melbourne Saturday February 9, 2008

Over the past few years, we have seen the emergence of a new social change movement, driven by an inspiring new wave of grassroots community activism. Around the country there are literally dozens of new groups, campaigning for effective action on climate change.

As yet, this new movement has not been able to gather in the one place. The climate movement convergence seeks to create this space in a one day forum, aiming to bring together the remarkably diverse climate change community we have here in Victoria, including local climate action groups, peak green groups, thinkers and strategists, social activists and other sectors concerned about climate change, and progressive businesses.

We aim to provide an inspiring day of workshops, open space for discussions, an overview of the latest climate science, ideas on building a strong and vibrant movement, and the opportunity to ponder what opportunities are now present with a change in federal government.

To offer a workshop, please see the website.

We would welcome your involvement.

Details:
Saturday February 9, 9am – 5pm
Northcote High School
St Georges Road, Northcote, 3070

Costs: low income $15/ waged people $25 (no one excluded through lack of funds).

The convergence is being organised by the Sustainable Living Foundation (SLF), Friends of the Earth (FoE), the Greenleap Strategic Institute and Sustainable Business Practises and is supported by a range of climate groups including Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE), Carbon Equity, Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance, Environment Victoria, Futureye, Greenpeace, Moreland Energy Foundation, Western Region Environment Centre and Zero Emissions Now (ZEN).

There are weekly planning meetings, if you would like to get involved please contact Cam Walker

Further details will soon be available on the FoEA website

and also at: Sustainability Convergence
Draft 2008 Sustainability Convergence Program
LeftCast

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