Mansa sits down with Comrade Eibhlin to discuss the hype behind Catherine Connolly, the new President of Ireland, and why the left is so cheery about it. We get into what this victory means, or rather what it doesn't mean, for the situation of the Irish working class, which has been slowly moving to the right. We get into what drove this process during the heyday of liberalism, the fortunes of Sinn Fein, and within this broader picture, make a case for why it's completely disorienting and unh...
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Mansa sits down with Comrade Eibhlin to discuss the hype behind Catherine Connolly, the new President of Ireland, and why the left is so cheery about it. We get into what this victory means, or rather what it doesn't mean, for the situation of the Irish working class, which has been slowly moving to the right. We get into what drove this process during the heyday of liberalism, the fortunes of Sinn Fein, and within this broader picture, make a case for why it's completely disorienting and unh...
Mansa sits down with Comrade Eibhlin to discuss the hype behind Catherine Connolly, the new President of Ireland, and why the left is so cheery about it. We get into what this victory means, or rather what it doesn't mean, for the situation of the Irish working class, which has been slowly moving to the right. We get into what drove this process during the heyday of liberalism, the fortunes of Sinn Fein, and within this broader picture, make a case for why it's completely disorienting and unh...
Mansa is joined by Comrade Oskar, editor of Red Battler, to discuss the dynamics and outcomes of the Gen Z uprising in late August. We try and place this explosion of anger of youth in the context of Indonesia's place in a changing world order, marked by shrinking room to manoeuvre between the U.S. and the China/BRICS bloc. We also go into the weakness of the organised working class and the left. In this context, Oskar proposes some outlines of a programme to pursue debate and discussion on t...
Mansa sits down with Vincent for a special episode to discuss some key lessons of the Russian Revolution for the struggles of the working class and oppressed today, and how these are crucial to addressing the crisis of the left. We focus on three: split with social chauvinism, communist leadership of the democratic tasks, and internationalism (or why the revolution degenerated). What is revolutionary leadership? https://iclfi.org/spartacist/en/68/leadership In defense of permanent revol...
Mansa is joined by Comrades Philipp and Jeanne from Tokyo to get educated on what's happening in Japan. There's a new Prime Minister in town, Sanae Takaichi, who has been nicknamed the Japanese Margaret Thatcher, the right is growing, attacks are on the horizon, yet the left is stuck in its old ways. Our comrades point to some lessons that the left needs to learn in order to go forward. Our discussion is based on the article "Japan in crisis, the left in disarray - Workers need to prepa...
Mansa is joined by Comrade Victor from Mexico to discuss the war drive against Venezuela and the attempts to oust Maduro by Trump. We discuss the need for an anti-imperialist united front of the Latino masses and the American working class, how the propaganda about narco-terrorism is being used to undermine the sovereignty of Latin American countries, why the methods of Maduro and Claudia Sheinbaum in Mexico are undermining the fight against Trump and US imperialism, and other challenges of b...
Mansa sits down with Comrade Perrault to discuss all the things happening in the world, from uprisings in the Global South to military buildups, wars and broken ceasefires, the growing right wing and gigantic stock market bubbles. In a time where the news cycle is dizzying and it's easy to feel overwhelmed, or get swept away by the photos online showing the latest struggles across the world, and when the left is either busy chanting revolution, or proclaiming the arrival of fascism, Mansa and...
Mansa is joined by Comrades Jesse and Arthur from Johannesburg to discuss the latest bombshell in South African politics: EFF leader Julius Malema being found guilty of gun-related offences, a development which could potentially cripple this radical nationalist party. Comrades explain why this is a continuation of Trump's attacks against South Africa and why every worker and fighter against neo-apartheid and imperialism must defend Julius Malema. Comrades lay out how to take this struggle for...
Mansa is joined by Comrades Alexis and Sacramento from Ligue trotskyste de France to discuss the never-ending governmental crisis. Recorded two days before the resignation of PM Lecornu (who lasted less than a month) we discuss why the ground beneath Macron's feet is shrinking, why Le Pen continues to grow, the place of Jean-Luc Melenchon of La France Insoumise in the coming events, and the reasons why the far left is in the seventh heaven calling for general strikes when the working class is...
Mansa is joined by Comrade Mauro from Italy to discuss the recent strikes by Italian unions in defense of the Sumud Flotilla. Following Israel's attack on the flotilla, the unions have now called for a general strike on Friday, 3 October. Mansa and Mauro discuss the potential for these events to reviltalise the workers' movement in Italy, as well as the obstacles to doing so, in the broader context of the Meloni government and the Atlanticism that shackles the Italian left. (This episode was ...
Mansa is joined by comrades Michael Davisson and Erica from Workers Vanguard to talk about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. We discuss why he should not have been killed, the coming backlash against the left, and most importantly, comrades try to answer some of Kirk's most notorious talking points. Ultimately, the death of Kirk does not mean that his ideas are dead, and the task of communists is to try and combat these politically in order to win over those layers of the working class drawn...
Mansa is back with Comrade Vincent to discuss what's shaking things up (in a bad way) for the left in Britain. We discuss the Tommy Robinson demonstration and why it was massive, the left's denial about the state of things, and why it needs to change course. On the other end, Corbyn and Sultana are on the verge of a split before their party is even official. With things as they are, all does not bode well for the working class. Mansa and Vincent implore the left to wake up and learn some less...
Mansa sits down with Comrade Perrault to discuss what is unfortunately not discussed and debated more in the left: the Ukraine war. We discuss the current situation on the battlefield, the diplomatic faff and imperialist aims, and most crucially, what are the tasks of communists regarding the Ukraine war. The short answer: to build unity between Russian and Ukranian workers and soldiers in opposition to their ruling classes and imperialism. Only on this basis can there be a progressive outcom...
It's a full house at Spart Talk as Mansa is joined by Brianna, Edward and Jack from the Just Break Already (JBA) caucus in the DSA (Dem Socialists of America). We discuss what went down at the recent DSA convention at which Jack was a delegate, and the need to learn lessons from the AOC experience so that the left doesn't end up in another toxic situationship with the latest darling of the left, Zohran Mamdani. The JBA is putting forward a programme for conditional support to Mamdani - listen...
Mansa is joined by Anna Mili of the Trotskyist Group of Greece to discuss key questions for revolutionary strategy for the Global South, a burning question for the left as US imperialism turns the screws on the whole world, squeezing oppressed countries even further. Historically, the Marxist left has fallen into a trap of either supporting the national bourgeoisie against imperialism, or abstractly being for class war, denying that national oppression animates the masses. We argue that the t...
Mansa sits down with Jon Brule, longtime leader of the Spartacist League US and the ICL, to review the ICL's position on the Soviet intervention into Afghanistan in 1979 where we controversially raised the slogan "Hail Red Army!". We discuss the political situation leading to the PDPA takeover, known as the Saur Revolution, and the subsequent events which led to heightened imperialist pressure on Afghanistan and the USSR, precipitating Soviet military intervention. What were the tasks of revo...
Mansa is joined by comrades Maria and Emilio from the Trotskyist Group of Greece to discuss the lessons of the Tempi struggle. Tempi refers to the train crash resultant of pure EU-led austerity that led to the death of 57 students, unleashing a mass movement for justice. Maria and Emilio explain what the struggle for justice meant for the Greek masses and why ultimately it led to a defeat. The article we discuss can be found here: https://iclfi.org/pubs/obol/2025-maches Subscribe to the press...
Mansa sits down with Comrades Kat and Kate from the Partisan Defence Committee to discuss the increase in political repression and its relation to the crisis of U.S. hegemony. Crucially, we try and understand why there isn't a united response in the left and the labour movement to fight back, and ways to break out of the status quo. You can follow PDC Britain on X@ PDCBritain, or in the US @PartisanDefense Like the episode? Hate it? Either way, get in touch!
Mansa is back with Ray Bishop, member of the editorial board of Spartacist, to discuss all things China, from how the CPC's strategy is undermining the defense of China, to the crazy Sparts writing an open letter to the very CPC they are criticising! To make sense of what's going on with China as Trump turns the screws, and what's going on with the Sparts and their crazy letter, tune in and check out the other relevant articles below. The article we are discussing is called "China: Do n...
Mansa sits down with Michael Davisson, editor of Workers Vanguard, and Tom, a public transit worker, who recently came together in a workers' conference hosted by the Spartacist League U.S. which brought together workers from across the country and some from abroad. We discuss the state of labor and the mood amongst the working class half a year into the Trump presidency, the pressures this is having on class struggle militants, and how to combat these while trying to advance the situation of...
Mansa is back with Vincent with the third instalment of their series on the world situation. We discuss the basic mechanics of the US empire going back to the end of WWII in order to understand the dynamics behind the rise of Trump, what's on the horizon economically, and what this means for the left and the workers movement politically. Our discussion is based on this article here: https://iclfi.org/spartacist/en/70/screws Here is a 2-part video by Vincent right after the Trump e...
Mansa sits down with Comrade Eibhlin to discuss the hype behind Catherine Connolly, the new President of Ireland, and why the left is so cheery about it. We get into what this victory means, or rather what it doesn't mean, for the situation of the Irish working class, which has been slowly moving to the right. We get into what drove this process during the heyday of liberalism, the fortunes of Sinn Fein, and within this broader picture, make a case for why it's completely disorienting and unh...
