AntiCapitalist Radio: Recent Episodes
Simon Hannah
Podcast from Anticapitalist Resistance, a revolutionary socialist organisation based in England and Wales. Analysis and commentary on everything from politics, economics, social issues and philosophy. Also fighting in the front line of the culture war on the anti-Nazi side.
Unabridged Audiobook (Not AI)
The race for profit is widening social inequalities and destroying the planet. As the productivist catastrophe is worsening day by day, democratic and revolutionary socialism must be rethought to meet needs within ecological limits. This Manifesto adopted by Fourth International in February 2025 by the Fourth International raises the banner of a civilisational alternative: ecosocialism. It proposes a programme of transitional demands for different situations and a strategy for the convergence of struggles against all exploitation, oppression and dispossession.
Manifesto for an ecosocialist revolution – Anticapitalist Resistance
Manifesto for an ecosocialist revolution – Resistance Books
Globally our bodily autonomy is under attack. The right to control your body and what happens to it is being eroded by the new far right movements, in alliance with religious reactionaries. At a recent ACR meeting Paris Wilder and Echo Fortune talked about bodily autonomy from reproductive rights through to gender transition and why we need to get organised around this issues in a serious way.
A new Irish republic is possible – and some of its most passionate supporters are from Protestant backgrounds, breaking with sectarianism and tribalism.
A discussion with Claire Mitchell, author of the Ghost Limb (2022) and Stephen Baker a socialist and trade unionist from County Down exploring the shifting views on national identity, and asking what does it mean to be English if the United Kingdom ends?
After starting with philosophy and sociology, Ian Parker finishes his introductory course by explaining how Marx criticised captialism as a system of exploitation and oppression against the majority in the interests of the captialist minoprity and how we can overthrow ther system in the interests of humanity and sustainable life on Earth
Ian Parker takes looks at the social theory of Marxism, in particular classes, the struggle between them and their relationship to politics. The second in a three part series of introductions to Marxism from AntiCapialist Resistance.
The first in a three part series of introductions to Marxism, this episode looks at the philosophical roots of revolutionary socialism. Ian Parker breaks down some of the core concepts and presents them in an easy to understand way that can help enrich our understanding of radical ideas and how change can happen.
Explaining the need for organising on an ecosocialist basis, Simon Hannah urges socialists to take the crises that confront us seriously.
Text originally published here, 22/01/25
Read by Jack Graham
Music: Debunking by Yuzzy
A discussion with Odin O'Sullivan about the growth of the manosphere and the often reactionary, misogynist ideas that drive it. O'Sullivan looks at the influence of people like Andrew Tate, Joe Rogan and Jordan Peterson. in conversation with Simon Hannah
A discussion hosted by AntiCaptialist Resistance on the new book Palestine and Marxism by Joseph Daher.
About the speakers
Joseph Daher is an internationalist, anticapitalist and an academic. He teaches at Lausanne University, and is a professor at the European University Institute, Florence. He is the author of Syria after the Uprisings (Pluto, 2019) and Hezbollah: The Political Economy of Lebanon’s Party of God (Pluto, 2016). He is the founder of the blog Syria Freedom Forever.
Beessan, is a liberation feminist active in decolonization movements, sexuality issues, and social and political justice. She has been active in organizing and coordinating many literary and cultural events such as the Freedom Theatre, the Qattan Foundation, Film Lab, and the Palestine Literature Festival.
Salim Albeik is a Palestinian novelist and critic. He is the author of the novels Eye of the Rooster,Scenario, and Two Tickets to Saffuriyya. He is the founder and editor of the Palestinian cultural magazine Rumman.
Originally published 6.11.24
Written version here: ACR Statement: Trump’s Second Term – Now is the time for a global fightback – Anticapitalist Resistance
Simon Hannah interviews Eric Meier (@graete97) on democratic socialist planning and radical utopian aesthetics, as well as some of the basics of the 'planning debates' on the left. Eric is a co-founder of and organises in in the International Network for Democratic Economic Planning (https://www.indep.network/)
Music 'Debunking' by Yuzzy.
Anti*Capitalist Resistance statement on far right violence sweeping Britain and Northern Ireland in August 2024.
https://anticapitalistresistance.org/solidarity-and-unity-now/
An unabridged recording of Why We Need Anti-Capitalist Resistance by Simon Hannah.
The world is facing an unprecedented crisis with the pandemic, climate disaster, and economic crash. Extreme inequality is out of control. Resistance is happening on every continent against the capitalist system. The vision of Karl Marx for a new society is still relevant today. Simon Hannah gives an outline of Marxism and how it can help us in the fight to free people from exploitation and save the planet.
ABOUT THE AUTHORSimon Hannah is a socialist and trade union activist, and a member of AntiCapitalist Resistance. He is the author of A Party with Socialists in it: a history of the Labour Left (2018: Pluto Press), Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay: the fight to stop the Poll Tax (2020: Pluto Press), and Radical Lambeth*.
Read by Jack Graham.
A conversation about the British and French elections,. Subjects touched on include: the collapse of the Tories after 14 years in power, the NHS good and bad, Labour and Tory Transphobia, Mogg blubbing, the rise of Starmer's Labour and its 'majority without a mandate', Starmerism as anti-left, the defeat of Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally in France by the left-bloc in the second round of National Assembly elections, gains by the right and left in Britain, Farage and Reform UK, Galloway and the Workers Party, the rise of neo-fascism worldwide, and the hollowing out of the centre, and prospects for the future. With Simon Hannah, Rowan Fortune, and Jack Graham.
Music: 'Debunking' by Yuzzy.
In an age of escalating crises, it's clear that our current system is unsustainable. Our planet and societies are being pushed to their limits by profit-driven capitalism. But there is hope. Ecosocialism offers a bold alternative – a vision of an economy that prioritises human needs, democratic power, and a harmonious relationship with the environment. Dive into our manifesto and discover how we can build a better, sustainable future together.
You can read our manifesto on our website at anticapitalistresistance.org or buy a copy from Resistance Books at https://resistancebooks.org/
Statement by ACR on the forthcoming UK General Election
"Any crushing defeat for the Tories is something we celebrate, along with millions of other working people exhausted by 14 years of austerity, vicious racism, and callous disregard for the cost of living. This is why we do not hesitate to say: Kick the Tories out, keep up the struggles, and organise the resistance!"
After a hiatus we return with an episode focusing on trans liberation. The recent Cass Review has been a broadside against the trans community in the UK, and signals a direct attack on the very idea of gender transition. These articles look at the growing resistance and the importance of trans liberation in the modern world.
An audio version of the article Grifter Capital by Simon Hannah and Rowan Fortune, available on the ACR website here.
Capitalism’s defenders pride their system on turning private vice into public virtue, but this depends on individual greed seamlessly becoming a motor force for investment in production and innovation. In this long read, Simon Hannah and Rowan Fortune ask, what happens when greed is pervasively channelled into grifts, frauds and lies?
This is a special episode on the fight for Palestinian liberation, looking at the history of the region and the political shifts in both the Palestinian resistance and the Israel state in the last few decades. For a complete list of our articles and statements click here
Michael Sturza introduces his excellent book The London Revolution, 1640-43: Class Struggles in Seventeenth Century England about the social revolution that ended up with the overthrow of the English monarchy and the beheading of the king. Sturza looks at the impact of the social revolution on the people in London.
Tansy Hoskins talks about her book Stitched Up: The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion and how the modern fashion industry affects workers, consumers and the environment. She also points to a vision of how things might be different and why clothing, fashion and the way we feel about how we look matters. Actress Emma Watson said about the book "Makes a strong case for nothing less than a revolution". We also encourage you to join an event to mark the tenth anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Savar, Bangladesh. Sunday 23rd April https://ranaplaza-solidarity.org/
Hayao Miyazaki’s anime Porco Rosso (1992) is an anti-fascist fantasy film about a anthropomorphic pig bounty hunter living in the Adriatic Sea, catching air pirates. The title translates as Red Pig and delves into the titular’s past, as he flees the Italian fascist regime of Benito Mussolini. In this podcast Rowan Fortune (they/them) and Logan O’Hara (they/them) discuss the film in relation to Miyazaki’s departure from marxism, drawing on other films from his oeuvre to situate this cinematic experience in the history of Japan, Italy, and Yugoslavia.
A statement from the ACR about the year long war in Ukraine and the propects for 2023 as the Ukrainians resist Russian imperialist invasion.
A look at left wing football firms, the political battle on the terraces, the fight against the fascists and the importance of taking sport seriously - interview with Stewart McGill about his new book The Roaring Red Front. For more information please visit https://www.theroaringredfront.com/
Review of Kohei Saito's Marx in the Anthropocene: Towards a theory of degrowth communism, Cambridge University Press, February 2023. Read by Simon Hannah. This book is an english language version of a book that was a best seller in Japan in 2022. #Degrowth #Communism #ecosocialism
Ian Parker, a prominent psychologist and psychoanalyst, discusses his latest book Stalinist Realism and Open Communism, recently published by Resistance Books. For a review of his book please visit https://marxandphilosophy.org.uk/reviews/20788_stalinist-realism-and-open-communism-malignant-mirror-or-free-association-by-ian-parker-reviewed-by-nick-malherbe/ You can read read part one of Stalinist Realism on the ACR website https://anticapitalistresistance.org/stalinist-realism-part-1/
Does the working class still exist and if it does does it even matter any more? Rowan and Simon discuss the way capitalism creates a working class and the battle for class conciousness against capital. They talk about the role of working class agency in struggling for socialism and the contradictions within capitalism that means it will always fail to provide a good life for all people.
This epsode features an interview with Dr Sharon Noonan-Gunning (@DrSharonNG) from the Right to Food Campaign. We discuss the idea of how a right to food might work, the problems of achieving this under captialism and how decommodification of food might happen under socialism.
This episode has one of the last speeches that Neil Faulkner gave before he sadly passed away earlier this year from pancreatic cancer. Neil gives his analysis on the world situation and the contradiction developing within global politics in light of creeping fascism and global warming. We also have an exclusive interview with Julia Câmara, a socialist activist from Brazil on the situation after Lula's Presidential win and the continued threat from the far right, as well as the dangers of some of the PTs class collaborationist politics.
A podcast version of a recent Anticapitalist Resistance meeting with Dave Kellaway discussing the ongoing crisis of the Conservative Party as one of the most successful capitalist electoral parties slumps in the polls as a declining economic situation leads to bitter faction fighting
In response to a recent Youtube Video by Owen Jones, Rowan Fortune and Simon Hannah discuss whether a left Labour government would actually be able to avoid financial markets trying to bring it down in a similar way to how Liz Truss was evicted from 10 Downing Street after 44 days.