The Party Line Podcast
by Victorian Socialists
This is a podcast by members of the Socialist Party in Naarm (Melbourne). We hope to bring a radical perspective to a podcast landscape dominated by insipid liberalism (looking at you, The Daily). The pod will come out weekly, and aims to breakdown news and current events from a socialist point of view. While a lot of what’s going on in the world is fairly bleak, The Party Line will try and highlight voices of resistance and struggle. If you like what you hear, please subscribe on whatever podcast service you use, and share it with your friends, colleagues and comrades. We will always release our shows for free, to make sure everyone who wants to listen can do so. But if you are in a position to support us financially then sign up at patreon.com/thepartyline. If you find yourself agreeing with the pod more often than not, please consider signing up to join your local branch o
Episodes
-
The Party Line on Ben Caroll’s Plan to Make Labor Liberal
There’s a lot going on in the world, from Google bulldozing 250,000 trees in Finland to build an illegal datacentre, through incredible election results in Brazil and Serbia that have pushed the far right back, for now. We start by reflecting on the brutal attack on Helen Haines, and the cynical...
-
The Party Line on Jess Wilson’s Plan to Destroy Victoria
Episode 70 - The Party Line on Jess Wilson’s Plan to Destroy Victoria We start this ep looking at the successful campaign launches for VS candidates that took place over the weekend in Melbourne, Footscray and Preston, which together saw over 350 people attend to celebrate Jordan Van Den Lamb...
-
The Party Line on the Youth Revolt in France
Episode 69 - The Party Line on the Youth Revolt in France This ep is all about France. The eiffel tower, haute couture, smoking, and youth rebellions. Ok, mostly the last one. For the main portion of the show, Anneke speaks to a student from France who has been centrally involved in the protests...
-
The Party Line on the socialist campaign for Footscray
Episode 68 - The Party Line on the socialist campaign for Footscray We start by talking about elite private schools being parasites, Australia’s fusion with the US military-industrial complex, big corporations paying ZERO TAX while we struggle with inflation, and serial Liberal failure, Amelia...
-
The Party Line on how the RBA is screwing us
Episode 67 - The Party Line on how the RBA is screwing us Big news week in the headlines: AI being evil and hacking medicare, more on raunch culture, Barnaby Joyce hanging out with Nazis, and anti-fascism in Northern Ireland. Our first key story is Omar’s exposure of the media’s uncritical...
-
The Party Line on Labor’s immigration capitulation to One Nation
Episode 66 - The Party Line on Labor’s immigration capitulation to One Nation This ep is about Labor doing Labor things - adopting One Nation talking points on immigration. But first we check out the news, looking at KKK support for Pauline Hanson, why CEO’s are abandoning the Liberals for One...
-
The Party Line on the truth about 9/11 (and Macklemore)
Episode 65 - The Party Line on the truth about 9/11 (and Macklemore) It’s been 25 years since the attacks on the twin towers, and the wars that ensued. So in light of that we decided to start this ep by discussing Macklemore’s stance for Palestine and Sydney Sweeney’s stance for misogyny, betting...
-
The Party Line on Fascism and the Climate Crisis
Episode 64 - The Party Line on Fascism and the Climate Crisis This week Omar is interstate, so we replaced him with the Victorian Socialists communication officer James Plested, who is an expert on both Germany and the climate crisis. In Germany, the far right AFD has won over 40% of the vote.…
more -
The Party Line on how Labor lost Secret Harbour
Episode 63 - The Party Line on how Labor lost Secret Harbour This ep looks at a number of crazy developments unfolding across the world, starting with Trump’s endless war on Iran and the continued cooptation of Venezuela and its oil. We then look at the social meaning of yet another death of a...
-
The Party Line on how factory farming caused bird flu ft Michael Dulaney
Episode 62 - The Party Line on how factory farming caused bird flu ft Michael Dulaney This ep is all about how capitalism is destroying the planet. We chat to Michael Dulaney about his new book Sentinels, which explores the way in which factory farming and intensive agribusiness is unleashing new...
-
The Party Line on Labor’s Gambling Addiction
Episode 61 - The Party Line on Labor’s Gambling Addiction This week’s ep is all about the gambling industry - and the ALP’s refusal to cut it down to size. We start by looking at the sheer scale of money involved, tens of billions of dollars annually. This money is overwhelmingly taken from poor...
-
The Party Line on how the Royal Commission was Hijacked
Episode 60 - The Party Line on how the Royal Commission was Hijacked This week’s episode is once again dedicated to the Royal Commission into why Israel is awesome and not allowed to be protested (sic). In particular, we look at the day of investigation into ‘protests’, where three years of...
-
The Party Line on Socialists Vs One Nation in Victoria
Episode 59: The Party Line on Socialists Vs One Nation in Victoria This week Omar is sick with “not some nothing virus”. So Anneke and Jordy take us through the good news: Andrew Tate is in jail, the news: The coalition has overtaken Labor in Victoria, and the bad news: capitalism sucks. We then...
-
The Party Line on Labor’s leadership crisis
Episode 58: The Party Line on Labor’s leadership crisis This episode was recorded in the aftermath of the Federal ALP conference and the coup against Jacinta Allan in Victoria, so we decided to take a deep dive into the nature of the modern ALP. But first, we cover a few headlines: the wildfires...
-
The Party Line on Hanson’s Eurofash Summer
This ep starts with a celebration! Over the weekend your three hosts were part of a delegated national conference that officially voted to establish the Socialist Party as a national organisation. We discussed the crimes of the ALP, the structural injustices facing workers and the oppressed, the...
-
The Party Line on how the royal commission justifies genocide ft. Yasmine Johnson
Episode 55: The Party Line on how the royal commission justifies genocide The gang is back together this week! But more importantly, we welcome a special guest Yasmine Johnson, fresh from appearing before the Royal Commission into antisemitism (AKA the royal commission into the Palestine…
more -
The Party Line on how Modi conquered India
Episode 55: The Party Line on how Modi conquered India It’s Anneke’s turn to have a week off, and she’s been replaced by our favourite temp, Jasmine Duff. Jasmine and Jordy go a little bit rogue during the headlines segment, and spend some time breaking down the horror of the catholic school...
-
The Party Line on how AI is Destroying the World
Episode 54: The Party Line on how AI is Destroying the World This week Omar was replaced by a megaphone - seems fitting! We were joined by Alma Torlakovic, NSW socialists Candidate for Granville and campaigner against data centres, to talk about the harmful community impacts of these huge…
more -
The Party Line on how Pauline embraced her inner fascist
Episode 53: The Party Line on how Pauline embraced her inner fascist This ep looks at two big events this week: the Victorian teachers rejecting the shitty deal pushed by the Labor government and their union stooges, and Pauline Hanson’s fascistic press club tirade. The teachers have voted 58/42...
-
The Party Line on how Capitalism Ruins the World Cup
This ep features Roz Ward, enemy #1 of the Murdoch Press circa 2016, the Antoinette Lattouf of her era. We talk about the recent polling about One Nation, as well as the important anti-Hanson actions that took place over the weekend (and respond to some of the criticisms from tiny groups of...
-
The Party Line on how socialism hit the mainstream in Argentina
The Party Line on how socialism hit the mainstream in Argentina The crew are finally back together again, and start by reflecting on some of the listener feedback about the last episode with Jono Srinanganathan discussing the differences between the Greens and the Socialist Party. We then discuss...
-
The Party Line on the Victorian Teachers' Rebellion Against their Union Bosses
This episode is a special interview with two Victorian teachers and trade unionists about the state of play regarding their negotiations with the government. We talk about the fact that Victorian schools are the least funded in the country, despite nearly 26 years of Labor governments, and what...
-
The Party Line on Socialists, Greens and the Australian Left ft Jono Sriranganathan
The Party Line on Socialists, Greens and the Australian Left ft Jono Sriranganathan This special episode is a response to an article written by former Greens councillor Jonathan Sriranganathan comparing the Queensland Socialists to the Greens. So we invited him on to discuss and debate strategies...
-
The Party Line on Israel's Sadistic Treatment of the Sumud Flotilla ft. Sam Woripa Watson
This is a podcast by members of the Socialist Party in Naarm (Melbourne). We hope to bring a radical perspective to a podcast landscape dominated by insipid liberalism (looking at you, The Daily). The pod will come out weekly, and aims to breakdown news and current events from a socialist point…
more -
The Party Line on why the Teals are trash
Episode 47 - The Party Line on why the Teals are trash This week is dedicated to the leaning class, those parasites who earn income not by working but by possessing assets. These pampered whinging brats have been out in force across the media this last week, protesting that Jim Chalmers and…
more -
The Party Line on Labor’s "Communist" Budget
Episode 46 - The Party Line on Labor’s Communist Budget This week’s ep is all about the state of Australian political life post-budget. We take look at Labor’s BIG NEW DEATH TAX ON AUSSIE BATTLERS and why they’re out to DESTROY our start-up culture, including #inspiring companies/merchants of…
more -
The Party Line on Israel’s kidnapping and torture of flotilla activists
Episode 45 - The Party Line on Israel’s kidnapping and torture of flotilla activists For over 15 years, activists have been drawing attention to Israel’s barbaric siege on Gaza via a series of flotillas. These involve boats full of activists and desperately-needed aid sailing to Gaza and...
-
The Party Line on why Hanson and Reform UK keep winning
Episode 44 - The Party Line on why Hanson and Reform UK keep winning This weekend saw two important elections take place, one in Farrer (not an important place), and one in the United Kingdom (only slightly more important). The results in both cases saw big swings to the far right and fascists....
-
The Party Line on what would socialists do in Parliament
This episode features the universally loved Jerome Small, an organiser and educator with decades of experience in the union movement and wider socialist . We talk about why parliament is such a dead end for people trying to change the world, but why its still useful for socialists to contest...
-
The Party Line on Labor's genocide-defending royal commission
We start by looking at the terrible situation in Lebanon and Iran, after America and Israel’s war on the region continues into its third month. Including stories about Iranian kids being murdered in double-tap strikes. This sets the scene for a discussion about the disgraceful Royal Commission…
more -
The Party Line May Day Special on the Pilbara Strike ft. Oskar Martin
Oskar and Anneke discuss the nature of modern Indigenous oppression and the rich history of the Pilbara strike, including what lessons we can draw from Australia's longest industrial action. Hosted by Jordan van den Lamb (@purplepingers), Anneke Demanuele and Omar Hassan. Huge thanks to our...
-
The Party Line on Labor's Savage NDIS Cuts
Episode 40 - The Party Line on Labor’s savage NDIS cuts This week we are joined by friend of the pod Simone, who has been a social worker for 25 years to discuss the savage cuts to NDIS Labor has announced this week. The NDIS ushered in a pro-market perspective on health. The market operates in…
more -
The Party Line on how Pauline Hanson is not a populist
Episode 39 - The Party Line on how Pauline Hanson is not a populist We don’t like Pauline Hanson. Like, really really really don’t like her. In fact, we think she’s scum. So this ep goes through some of her statements on migrants, muslims, Indigenous people, unions, and welfare. TLDR; she’s...
-
The Party Line on Victor Orban’s defeat in Hungary ft Rob Narai
Episode 38 - The Party Line on Victor Orban’s defeat in Hungary ft Rob Narai A short and sharp one this time, as the Party Line debriefs the spectacular defeat of Viktor Orban in Hungary. As the leader of Hungary since 2010, Orban has been one of the key figures strengthening and promoting far...
-
The Party Line on Trump’s blockade of Iran’s blockade
Episode 37 - The Party Line on Trump’s blockade of Iran’s blockade The pod crew are happy to be back in the studio after the massive Marxism conference over Easter. We discuss the AI-isation of Mark Zuckerberg and Trump’s false idol worship. Angus Taylor has announced his first major policy...
-
The Party Line Live: Debunking the lies they tell to justify capitalism
The crew went to Marxism 2026, alongside MANY others. We broke the mould of smart and serious talks to present a bullshit heavy episode of the party line. Join us for a game of “defamation or definitely”, where we guess if Anneke has made up stories or if rich men are actually just psychos. Then…
more -
The Party Line on the fuel crisis + the far right in France
Episode 35 - The Party Line on the fuel crisis + the far right in France Omar was out sick so “friend” of the pod Luca Tavan joined us. Luca has “an internet connection and a library card” and has been doing a lot of research into the left and far right across Europe. Following the death of a...
-
The Party Line on the First School Strike in 13 Years
On Tuesday the 24th, 30,000 teachers and education support workers went on strike demanding higher pay and better conditions. This was the first strike of AEU members since 2013. Teachers in Victoria are among the worst paid in the country. They’re expected to work full weeks and do marking and...
-
The Party Line on Trump’s Middle East Mayhem + the South Australian Elections
This pod was recorded just after Trump gave the Iranians 48 hours to avoid the destruction of their entire electricity network, and Iran responded by threatening the water and energy infrastructure of the entire Middle East. So hopefully by the time you’re listening to this ep the internet still...
-
The Party Line on why Capitalism needs War and Empire
Episode 32 - The Party Line on why capitalism needs war and empire We had a request for more socialist theory, so this ep delivers some classic marxist content in classic party line style (which is not very theoretical). The concept of imperialism has been widely discussed following Israel’s...
-
The Party Line on who the F*#k is Matt Canavan? + Queensland Thought Crime Arrests ft. Liam Parry
Anneke is back, baby! And she brings with her a certain sniffly charm and a week of pent up bullshit (including a review of Louis Theroux’s new documentary about the manosphere). Headlines look at Canavan’s call for (white) women to have more babies, the interminable and predictable racism of the...
-
The Party Line on Trump and Israel's War on the Middle East
Episode 30 - The Party Line on Trump and Israel’s war on the Middle East Anneke is sick this week, so Jordy and Omar decided to ditch her in favour of our Footscray candidate, Jasmine Duff. Is it an upgrade? You decide. (But seriously, send Anneke some love in the comments section please). This...
-
The Party Line on why misogyny is big business ft. Louise O'Shea
Episode 29 - The Party Line on why misogyny is big business To celebrate International Working Women’s Day, the crew start by talking about why cupcakes with pink icing - while nice - are not sufficient to end millennia of systematic sexism (yes, it’s true). We then look at how pop culture,...
-
The Party Line Live
Episode 28 - The Party Line Live The Party Line's first ever live show was all set to go, packed with hilarity, interactivity and lots and lots of bullshit, before it was rudely interrupted by a brazen act of US and Israeli imperialism. As such we spent the first half of the ep discussing the…
more -
The Party Line on How Melbourne Defeated Pauline Hanson in the 1990s ft. Jerome Small
Episode 27 - The Party Line on how Melbourne defeated Hanson last time Jerome Small joins the crew again to discuss the rise and fall of Hanson last time. Jerome was involved in the movement in Melbourne where people protested from Geelong to Echuca and everywhere in between. We discuss the...
-
The Party Line on the 'Big Build' Rorts: did the CFMEU really steal $15 billion? ft. Jerome Small
This week the crew talks to Jerome Small, a former construction worker and union militant about the bogus claims that the CFMEU stole $15 billion from the public purse. We discuss the lack of rank and file control in the union movement, due to both the leadership of the unions and the government...
-
The Party Line on how the Palestine movement turned the tables on Herzog and Albanese ft. Jasmine Duff
Episode 25 - The Party Line on how the Palestine movement turned the tables on Herzog and Albanese The gang brought Jasmine Duff back on to talk about the incredible week of protest that we’ve just had. Anthony Albanese, Penny Wong and co thought they could tour around the President of Israel as…
more -
The Party Line on the Horrible History of Angus Taylor
Episode 24 - The Party Line on the horrible history of Angus Taylor Australia’s “most qualified idiot” has just become the leader of the Coalition, and a lot of people are wondering who he is. The Party Line is here to help. We do a deep dive into the history of this man, including his lowly...
-
The Party Line on Minns' police riot in Sydney
Episode 23 - The Party Line on Minns’ police riot in Sydney We know we just released an episode but politics in Australia is moving fast. Anneke attempts to take on Jordy’s role as the tech director (and fails). NSW police conducted a riot in Sydney at the demonstration against Israeli President...
-
The Party Line on the resistance to Herzog visit and The Epstein Files
Episode 22 - The Party Line on the resistance to Herzog visit and The Epstein Files Omar is looking dashing this episode, with a bright vest to cheer us up. Speaking of cheer, we take a look at the excellent fighting skills of young kids in America against a racist MAGA man. With Herzog touching...
About this show
This is a podcast by members of the Socialist Party in Naarm (Melbourne). We hope to bring a radical perspective to a podcast landscape dominated by insipid liberalism (looking at you, The Daily). The pod will come out weekly, and aims to breakdown news and current events from a socialist point of view. While a lot of what’s going on in the world is fairly bleak, The Party Line will try and highlight voices of resistance and struggle.
If you like what you hear, please subscribe on whatever podcast service you use, and share it with your friends, colleagues and comrades. We will always release our shows for free, to make sure everyone who wants to listen can do so. But if you are in a position to support us financially then sign up at patreon.com/thepartyline.
If you find yourself agreeing with the pod more often than not, please consider signing up to join your local branch o
Hosted by
Victorian Socialists
Categories