Progressive Podcast Australia

 On episode 285 Nick and Lottie evaluate different arguments about identity politics going on within Left/progressive/environmental movements. We do this drawing on the following articles that Nick has written for our blog:  What Do You Mean By Identity Politics? https://progressivepostings.wordpress.com/2020/09/04/idpols/  Do You Identify Or Are You Identified? https://progressivepostings.wordpre...

On episode 284 Nick is joined by Harley to investigate Extinction Rebellion's claim that once 3.5% of the population of a state is mobilised in sustained protest, success is guaranteed. We also discuss the implications for the environmental movement and animal activists. Harley was active with the group Animal Rebellion in the UK over the last few years and this group is also guided by this 3.5% r...

On episode 283 we ask: do you have a bullshit job? What about a shit job? We explore David Graeber's book Bullshit Jobs, specifically the point that younger generations are sometimes told by the Left that they can't complain about "trivial" things like meaningless work because of privilege, many people have it worse.  Our earliest experiences with paid work.  Listener feedback and reviews of our s...

On episode 282 Katie is back on the show and we reflect on the media coverage of Russias invasion of Ukraine, discussing cancel culture, violence and accusations of Russian disinformation on social media. This includes discussing Sasha Gillies-Lekakis being kicked out of QandA by Stan Grant for asking a question that was supportive of Russias invasion: https://twitter.com/ProgPodcast/status/149956...

On episode 281 Nick and Lotties I Think You Should Leave addiction is enabled and encouraged by Kevin, Jared and James from Thats a Chunky podcast (an ITYSL show). We focus on representations of gender in ITYSL, with the show punching sideways on gender, challenging the behaviour of other men. We focus on how gender is portrayed in the sketches: Instagram, Game Night, Jamie Taco and Coffin Flop. A...

On episode 280 Nick and Lottie continue their obsession with I Think You Should Leave, a sketch comedy show on Netflix. We discuss some of our favourite sketches from series 1 and 2, creating and/or listening to political versus apolitical podcasts and some of our contributions to the ITYSL fandom. Lotties memes cover pinkwashing (specifically corporate co-opting of queer movements) and Nicks are...

On episode 279 Nick is joined by fellow super-fan Lottie to discuss the sketch comedy show I Think You Should Leave (Netflix). We discuss the politics of the show, focusing on Lefty politics in the fandom, gender and representation. We also cover some of our favourite sketches from Season 2, including Cant Drive (our biggest disagreement in our rankings), Brians Hat (Lotties favourite) and Gimme D...

On episode 278 we are joined by our friend Lottie to break down the Australian federal election, going from major parties to minors to micro-parties to Independents. More specifically, we discuss Labor failing to challenge the Liberal partys trickle-down economics, positive changes from the Greens regarding an increased focus on addressing cost of living issues and Indigenous representation, how t...

Episode 277 features Sarah, a Maori wahine living on Dharawal Country, and Criminology researcher, on Indigenous critiques of the movie Dont Look Up (Netflix) and why Indigenous knowledge is so important in creating effective responses to climate change and environmental problems generally. This episode is also available in video form on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-FN2lllgEg&t=4s Th...

On episode 276 Nick is joined by Adam Cardilini to discuss the movie Dont Look Up (Netflix) and compare individual actions for the climate commonly promoted in the environmental movement with scientific research on the most effective actions. We do this by discussing the actions promoted on the website https://www.count-us-in.org/en-gb/project/ and the following scientific article: Wynes, S. and N...

On episode 275 we discuss the movie Don't Look Up (Netflix), putting our energy back into climate action after the movement has lost momentum during the pandemic and avoiding burnout when coping with the reality of the climate crisis. This show is a 3CR Summer Special we encourage everyone to listen to and support 3CR Community Radio! https://www.3cr.org.au/summerspecials2021-2022 Links: Graham Re...

On episode 274 we reflect on 10 years of our podcast, including how our politics have changed and progress for social movements since we started the show. A slight rebrand of our podcast. The movie Don't Look Up (Netflix) and responding to climate change. The artists weve played the most on the show. Thanks so much to everyone for listening to our show for any part of the last 10 years! If youd li...

On episode 273 we weigh into the debate on cancel culture, including discussing the links adrienne maree brown makes between cancel culture and prisons, with the common factor being disposable people. You can hear adrienne maree brown discuss this on Politically Re-Active podcast: https://www.audacy.com/podcasts/politically-re-active-with-w-kamau-bell-hari-kondabolu-45186/adrienne-maree-brown-f-th...

Episode 272 features advice from comedian Myq Kaplan on finding time for ice cream (things you want to do) among the broccoli (things you have to do). He discusses how he makes time for the things that are important to him, including creativity, activism and much more! This discussion is also available in video form on Youtube: https://youtu.be/rSYaJTSy7Ec To look into Myqs comedy including stand-...

On episode 271 we discuss Melbourne exploding with COVID, ongoing lockdowns, protests from construction workers and earthquakes! For more on these protests and concerns about police brutality, check out this article by Josh Taylor on The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/23/arrest-footage-and-teargas-raise-concerns-about-victoria-polices-use-of-force-to-quell-protests F...

On episode 270 Nick is joined by Lottie to discuss political and social issues around lockdowns, as well as some media recommendations. Lockdowns and vaccinations, civil liberties, health and business. Social aspects of lockdowns including single bubbles, intimate partners and dating. Nick and Katies list of things we can still enjoy despite lockdown: https://www.facebook.com/progpodcast/posts/471...

On episode 269 we discuss the Biloela family, who came to Australia from Sri Lanka due to the persecution of the Tamil people. We also discuss refugee law, as well as the state of the refugee issue and refugee rights activism in Australia. We finish the episode by promoting the upcoming Rally for Refugee Rights: Permanent Visas not Discrimination. This rally is on the 25th of July around Australia...

On episode 268 we look into state overreach in the arrest of the producer for Youtuber Friendlyjordies by the polices fixated persons unit. For more on this issue, check out this video from Friendlyjordies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXtq4a8829g&ab_channel=friendlyjordies We also discuss language that we associate with the Right of politics, like cuck and simp, being used by some on the Left...

On episode 267 Nick is joined by Nic from Pynk Spots for a DEEP dive into Bo Burnham's musical comedy and what content creators (which is just about everyone in the age of social media!) can learn from his work. We mainly discuss his latest Netflix special Inside but also touch on his previous specials Make Happy and What? Both of these are also available on Netflix. There is also an audio album o...

On episode 266 Nick is joined by Nic from Pynk Spots to discuss what capitalism is and why we are anti-capitalists, as well as subtle ways we try to disrupt capitalist logic in our everyday lives. The discussion features analysis of capitalism and pop culture, as well as challenging the capitalist idea we have to constantly be productive, including on social media. This episode is a continuation o...

On episode 265 Nick is joined by Nic from Pynk Spots to discuss the importance of including a wide range of ways to make change within social movements, to reduce burnout and challenge ableism. This discussion is also available in video form on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O04433QEoJI Make sure you subscribe to Pynk Spots on Youtube and your favourite podcast app! https://www.youtube.c...

On episode 264 we look beyond individual ethics to explore the role of various positions in society and how these different positions shape the worldview of those who hold them. The role of landlords, or as they are now known in Victoria, rental providers. The roles of the police, military and the employing class. Our trip to Queensland and Trump supporters, cancel culture, Monopoly and the catchp...

Episode 263 features politics professor Jason Brownlee on his article Shadow Wars and Corporate Welfare, which is on what to expect from Bidens foreign policy. You can read this article here: https://catalyst-journal.com/vol4/no4/shadow-wars-and-corporate-welfare The Capitol Hill riots and is the fascist label appropriate for Trump? Trumps foreign policy record. What can individuals do to oppose U...

On episode 262 we discuss the phenomenon of people re-evaluating their work, where they live and their lives generally during the pandemic. We also cover the way that class and gender has impacted peoples experiences of the pandemic and lockdowns. Check out Nicks article Do You Identify Or Are You Identified? https://progressivepostings.wordpress.com/2021/01/29/idpols2/ We finish the show with som...

On episode 261 we discuss violence and the state, as well as bringing you some speeches from the Invasion Day rally in Melbourne Kulin Nations. One thing we didnt do was define the state but what we are talking about there is not just the government but also the police, prison system, court system etc. We discuss the broader definition of violence in the context of family violence and whether or n...