Episode 30: Welcome to Australia – Changing Attitudes on Refugees

Posted: June 18, 2013 in Uncategorized
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Image fromWelcome to Australia.

You can download this episode on Media Fire here (44MB).

This time we bring you a refugee-themed episode for Refugee Week. We start the episode by discussing Australia excising itself from the migration zone, drawing on the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Melissa Phillips and Bianca Hall. We also discuss the similarities between the two major parties on the issue of refugees, some different ideas on refugees from minor parties at the Now That’s a Party event, the Gillard government’s asylum seeker policy adviser quits, problems with ASIO’s security assessments and a recent case where this has affected a family, and finally a positive story on Australian’s attitudes towards refugees! The main focus of this episode is giving people advice on effectively changing attitudes refugees, mainly drawing on Amnesty International’s Activist Resources. We encourage people to bust myths on refugees and get the facts out to people who need to know them, as well as promoting Amnesty’s pro-asylum seeker pledge.

We also cover some creative ways to make change on refugees and other issues, including through: apps, computer games, board games, comedy and music. Other stuff covered is: Nick guest hosting the punk show Burn the Airwaves (6 June 2013 episode), Worldwide Vegan Activism (features Nick, as well as Marcus and Ruth from The Species Barrier podcast), Gary Francione’s commentary on talking to non-vegans about veganism, shock jock Howard Sattler gets fired, the activist well-being group Plan to Thrive, Noam Chomsky’s recent interview on anarchism, Reaction Podcast’s review of our show, and we critique arguments in favour of restricting migration to Australia for environmental reasons, instead arguing in favour of welcoming people coming to Australia – whether they are fleeing persecution or coming here for economic reasons. We finish by promoting the Walk Together event, which has this message – find an event near you here.

Clips:

ABC News ‘Parliament Excises Mainland from Migration Zone’, Sleater Kinney ‘Off With Your Head’, Scrubs (Season 6, episode 7), Wil Wagna ‘I Don’t Want to Live Here Anymore’, Aamer Rahman ‘Politics’, Bill Hicks ‘Sleep and the Message’, The Herd ‘77%’, Monty Python and the Holy Grail ‘Dennis the Constitutional Peasant’, Howard Sattler “mash up” from interviews with Nick on humane slaughter and horse meat, Sam Wainwright and Scott Ludlam from the Now That’s a Party event, True Blood ‘Season 3, Episode 6’, Bill Hicks ‘Australia’, Billy Bragg ‘Economic Migrants’, Anti-Flag ‘Underground Network’.

Episode 29: Melbourne Street Medic Collective on Occupy, Democracy, Anarchism and Activism

Posted: June 6, 2013 in Uncategorized
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Image from Melbourne Street Medic Collective.

You can listen to or download part 1 of this episode on Archive.org here (38MB) and part 2 on Archive.org here (33MB) or Media Fire here (33MB).

This episode has been released in two parts. Part 1 of this episode has a discussion with Coggo, CJ Wallace and Jazz from the almighty Melbourne Street Medic Collective. We cover the history of the collective, what they’re doing now, experiences with Occupy and police repression, creating alternative institutions to the state, working with other street medics to make their work relevant for activists and activist burnout. Other issues covered on the episode include: travelling, the gift economy, computer use, viewing protest marches as just one of many possible tactics, graffiti for refugees and we encourage people to support Bradley Manning.

Part 2 of the episode has the second part of our interview with Melbourne Street Collective. In this part of the interview, the issues covered include: Occupy Sandy, Occupy and democracy, creating coalitions with different groups around Australia and beyond, and small-scale affinity groups reporting to larger spokescouncils, as a way to ensure greater democracy and put anarchism into practice. In part 2 of this episode, we also encourage people to organise a flash mob in their city, with the help of Reproductive Choice Australia, and we discuss some feedback and additional stories on our 28th episode ‘Beyond Same-Sex Marriage’, including: the word “queer”, hippies, the same-sex marriage campaign attempting to “normalise” queer relationships, “couples privilege” and the French government pledges tougher penalties for homophobia.

Book Recommendation (from part 2):

Chomsky on Anarchism by Noam Chomsky.

Clips (part 1):

Frank Turner ‘The Road’, The Checkout ‘Foxtel’, Star Fucking Hipsters ‘Dumpster to the Grave’ and ‘Death or Fight’, The Checkout ‘Access vs Ownership’, 5E Community ‘I’m Your Medic’, Part 1 of interview with Melbourne Street Medic Collective, Promoe ‘These Walls Don’t Lie’, Coggo’s speech at the #FreeBrad Rally in Melbourne, The Desaparecidos ‘Anonymous’.

Clips (part 2):

Rap News ’#Occupy2012’, Foeknawledge ‘Knowledge is Key’, Peep Show (Series 1, episode 5), Good Riddance ‘Defusing the Popular Struggle’, Part 2 of our interview with Melbourne Street Medic Collective, Bob Dylan ‘Maggie’s Farm’, The Simpsons ‘Super-liminal Recruiting’, Frenzal Rhomb ‘I Went Out With a Hippy & Now I Love Everyone Except for Her’, Peep Show (Series 3, episode 2), The Soviettes ‘Multiply and Divide’.

Episode 28: Beyond Same-Sex Marriage

Posted: May 2, 2013 in Uncategorized
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Image from Ron Paul Delegates.

You can download this episode on MediaFire here (40MB).

We begin this episode by discussing same-sex marriage in Aotearoa (New Zealand), drawing on the article ‘NZ’s Same-Sex Marriage Go-ahead Puts Our Leaders to Shame’ by Steve Dow. We then play our interview with Dani Wright on the way in which even same-sex marriage excludes some people eg intersex people, as well as covering other queer issues beyond same-sex marriage, including homelessness amongst queer youth and trans issues. Dani Wright is Co-ordinator of the Freedom Centre, WA State Director of the National LGBTI Health Alliance and Board Vice-Chair of WA Gay & Lesbian Community Services. We finish the episode by arguing for marriage abolition, drawing on Katie’s article ‘Why I Will Have a Wedding But Not a Marriage’ on Ethical Bride and also the article ‘Why Is There A Law On Marriage?’ by Elle Hardy. Other topics covered include: Offbeat Bride, bisexuality, vegan anti-war Anzac cookies, child soldiers in the UK, neoliberalism in Australia, and an article on vegan cats in the Fremantle Herald (pages 6-7) which features an interview with Nathan Verney on his vegan cat Luna – we interviewed Nathan on this topic on Episode 26.

Book Recommendation:

Getting Bi – Voices of Bisexuals Around the World by Robyn Ochs and Sarah E Rowley.

Clips:

NZ Parliament Bursts into Maori Song, Maurice Williamson ‘Rainbow Across My Electorate’, Sweeney Todd ‘Ladies and their Sensitivities’, Nick Pendergrast interviews Dani Wright on Perth Indymedia on RTR 92.1FM (22nd April 2013 episode), Foeknawledge ‘Knowledge is Key’, Austin Powers, Bill Hicks ‘Hooligans’, That Mitchell and Webb Sound – Series 3 ‘Friends of Maid Marion’, Goldfinger ‘Walk Away’, Doug Stanhope ‘On…Marriage, Gay and Otherwise’, Scrubs ‘Season 3’, Against Me! ‘Baby, I’m an Anarchist!’.

Episode 27: Don’t Glorify the Dead, Activate for the Living

Posted: April 22, 2013 in Uncategorized
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You can download this episode on MediaFire here (38MB). 

We’re back and once again we take aim at a nationalistic celebration – this time we set our sights on Anzac Day – a day where Australians celebrate soldiers running into machine gun fire for the sake of Western imperialism. To help us move beyond the simplistic slogans we hear around Anzac Day, Ederm Koc joins us. He is a journalist and journalism lecturer at La Trobe Uni, as well as editor of Upstart Magazine. We encourage people to read his great article on Anzac Day, ‘Anzac Debate Marches Down Wrong Track’. We also discuss conservative politician Steve Irons’ pamphlet on Anzac Day, Ruby Murray’s article ‘The false nationalism of Anzac Day and football’, Indigenous Australians being excluded in discussions about war, militarism and sport, neoliberalism and “corporate wars”, anti-war activism, the documentary The Weather Underground, and 10 Excellent Reasons Not to Join the Military.

We also cover minimalism and sustainability, good news for abortion rights in France, Derren Brown’s psychology, the death of former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Chumbawamba’s CD, as well as comments from Billy Bragg and Australian human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson on Thatcher’s death.

Book Recommendations

1984 by George Orwell and An Ordinary Persons Guide to Empire by Arundhati Roy.

Clips

Gallipoli, Propagandhi ‘Bullshit Politicians’, South Park movie, Blackadder ‘Series 4’, Bill Hicks ‘Polls‘, Bill Hicks ‘Gays in the Military’, Nick Pendergrast interviews Erdem Koc on Perth Indymedia on RTR 92.1FM (1st April 2013 episode), Propagandhi ‘Dear Coaches Corner’, CNNNN, Rap News ’Big Brother is WWWatching You’, Austin Powers, Vegan Smythe ‘Preachy Vegan Dogs’, Scrubs ‘Series 5, Episode 16’, Billy Bragg on Margaret Thatcher – on Democracy Now!, Warsaw Pact ‘We Conquer’, Rise Against ‘State of the Union’, Naomi Wolf ‘Fake Activism’, System of a Down ‘B.Y.O.B.’.

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