Socialist correspondent
The Socialist Correspondent attempts to get to the truth behind events. Using Marxist principles, it shines a light on those responsible for war, terrorism and exploitation and reports and analyses the struggles of working people across the globe. The Socialist Correspondent is partisan. It unashamedly supports those fighting for peace, justice and socialism.
All episodes(53)
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 160 -Europe weakened by Iran war
Published Jun 23, 2026
Europe is weaker relative to the US now than at any time since the end of World War 2 – the result of deliberate US strategy to subordinate its allies in order to create a disciplined bloc ready for major war against China. The Iran war has accelerated Europe’s difficulties.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 159 - Epic Fury – the old colonialists attempt to reconquer Iran
Published Jun 9, 2026
On 28th February the United States and Israel launched an unprovoked military aggression against Iran, assassinated its Supreme Leader and many more of its political and military leadership. Operation Epic fury had the openly stated intention to overthrow the Iranian regime and bring about the total disintegration of the Iranian state. This ongoing aggression has already claimed the lives of nearly 3000 innocent Iranian civilians, destroying Iran’s civilian energy infrastructure, bombing schools
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 158 - The West in crisis
Published Jun 2, 2026
The West’s multifaceted crisis is undermining the established norms of power, alliances and economic systems. This has been exposed and made worse by the United States and Israel’s war against Iran and all its unintended consequences. No one can predict the longer term implications of Donald Trump’s miscalculation over launching the war or whether it will mark a decisive point in US decline. However the trends marking that decline, discernible in recent years, have certainly been exacerbated and
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 157 - A Poem for Nakba Day
Published May 16, 2026
A poem by Tawfiq Zayyad (1929-1994) who was a Palestinian leader and member of the Israeli Communist Party. He was elected to the Knesset in 1973, representing Rakah and later Hadash until his death in 1994. He was elected mayor of Nazareth in 1975 and served in that role until he died. Between 1958 and 1962 he spent long periods under arrest in Israeli prisons and later was the target of several assassination attempts. On March 30 1976 he led a nationwide strike against land confiscation, a day
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 156 - Report on the conditions of lorry drivers
Published May 12, 2026
Many difficulties face contemporary lorry drivers, from working within a complex employment network disconnected from their clients to being closely watched and managed by GPS, digital tachographs, and advanced driver assistance programs to keep them in line.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 155 - China and the new world disorder
Published Apr 28, 2026
How China foresaw the unravelling of the post war liberal international order many years ago and set about protecting itself from the expected increase in aggression from the the USA.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 154 - When truth becomes treachery - narrowing the window
Published Apr 14, 2026
Neither truth nor honestly held opinion are defences against prosecution under the current anti terror legislation which seeks to stifle public debate about Palestine and other matters under alleged national security concerns.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 153 - Jury Trials - 12 potentially angry people
Published Mar 31, 2026
Jurors are temporary actors in a judicial system designed to protect property and profit. At the same time, they are admitted into that system in a role that accords them real powers as well as access to privileged information that exposes the workings not just of the British state's legal apparatus but also of the world it serves.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 152 - Latin America - The United States and China
Published Mar 25, 2026
Podcast 152 - Latin America - The United States and China by Socialist Correspondent
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 151 - Divisions in Washington - same goal, different strategies
Published Mar 3, 2026
Trumps radical foreign policy marks a seismic shift in US strategy and leaves the pretence of a rules based order reeling.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 150 - Extreme Adventurism - the dangerous decline of the USA
Published Feb 18, 2026
The world is more dangerous than it's ever been. The US has escalated a campaign of reckless violence across the globe to try to offset its long-term decline. This strategy is not a Trumpist aberration but is fully backed by the whole American machine. The extreme adventurism we are witnessing is more dangerous than US warmongering up to now, not only because it's so widespread, fire-raising in multiple theatres simultaneously, but because of the utterly brazen and provocative way it's being con
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 149 - Politics, class, and inequality
Published Feb 3, 2026
Class division remains a key element of Britain's political picture, but in a new way. Whereas working class people once formed the heart of the class structure and the focal point of political competition they now lack representation.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 148 - Let us speak of freedom
Published Jan 20, 2026
Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the South African Freedom Charter, adopted on 26 June 1955 by the Congress of the People at Kliptown, near Soweto, South Africa.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 147 - Geostrategic Fight for the Caucasus
Published Jan 6, 2026
For centuries the Caucasus region has been fought over by various empires, most recently under the influence of the Soviet Union. The region comprises Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, along with the autonomous republics Nakhichevan, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia. Current US actions and the expansion of NATO have threatened the sovereignty and security of the region.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 146 - The Department of War Studies
Published Dec 23, 2025
The Department of War Studies at Kings College London is ostensibly a university department but the function it performs for the British State goes well beyond the academic study of military science and strategy.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 145 - Immigration, capitalism and cruelty
Published Dec 19, 2025
In a climate of austerity, stagnation, and uncertainty about the future, along with the Tories and Labour both trying to draw support back from those now attracted to the Reform party, hostility towards immigrants has risen as have harsher attitudes towards them.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 144 - European Powers Set Their Sights on War
Published Nov 25, 2025
European powers have dramatically increased theirs arms budgets under pressure from the US. Europe's focus is on supporting the war in Ukraine while the US concentrates on China.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 143 - Politics in crisis, but the drive to war continues
Published Nov 11, 2025
Labour and the Tories, both parties of the political establishment, are mired in problems they have failed to address. They cannot resolve the contradictions of neo-liberalism that alienate them from the electorate and halt the decline in living standards and decaying services whilst they also vigorously support a drive to war.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 142 - How the Five Year Plans brought Prosperity to the People - A refutation of the case against socialism - Part 2
Published Oct 28, 2025
The challenges and successes of a planned economy focussing on the experience of the Soviet Union.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 141 - US campaign to destabilise South Africa
Published Oct 14, 2025
The US government under Donald Trump has recently been escalating its campaign to destabilise South Africa including false charges against the South African government as regards its treatment of the Africana population and fake videos claiming genocide against the white population. Trump is supported in these strategies by a group of ultra wealthy US individuals of South Afican origin who are determined to protect white privilege, waekjen the ANC and silence South African support for the Palest
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 140 - BAE Systems, a very special company
Published Sep 30, 2025
A review of BAE systems, a private company in which the UK government holds a 'golden share' which gives it a veto over decisions. Its principle business is with the US, the UK and Saudi Arabia and it operates in all sectors of the defence market. With growing global tensions and rising military budgets the BAE share price is rising ever upward as the world gears up for war.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 139 - The trade World War
Published Sep 16, 2025
The current global trade war initiated by the US government is having a serious impact on European economies and other nations but has not managed to weaken its main target, China, which has demonstrated it can resist caving in to any sanctions the US tries to impose. As China moves towards achieving self reliance in energy and parity in technological innovation we will witness the West's two centuries of global capitalist military and technical supremacy unravel.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 138 - Britain - imperialism abroad and austerity at home
Published Sep 2, 2025
While the UK economy stagnates at home, the government plans to increase military spending to 3% per annum. To pay for this funds will be taken away from social welfare services and further austerity measures seem inevitable. Claims that increasing military expenditure is necessary to defend the UK in a hostile world lack credibility. The reality is that it is an attempt to maintain and strengthen Britain's imperial role in the world and prevent fundamental changes in the world order.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 137 - British warmongering in Ukraine
Published Aug 20, 2025
Britain's relationship with Russia abruptly changed with the ousting of Ukraine's President Yanukovych in 2014 from one of close trade and investment partnership to naming Russia as Britain's principal enemy. This sudden pivot is tied to the struggle to secure access to Ukraine's valuable mineral assets. In promoting and prolonging the war in Ukraine Britain also hopes to promote its global arms exports and become an important player in central and eastern Europe.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 136 - The German Democratic Republic - a different world
Published Aug 5, 2025
Although German Democratic Republic (GDR) ended 35 years ago its achievements demonstrate what is possible in a society committed to the welfare of its citizens. It did this against enormous odds. It was economically disadvantaged after the end of the second world war and faced the West's attempts to isolate it from the rest of the world. Significantly it was determined that war would never again emanate from German soil and advocated for peace.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 135 - Syria and the implications of the fall of Assad
Published Jul 22, 2025
There is a long history behind the West’s objective of destroying the government in Syria. The long campaign of military action and sanctions which eventually led to Assad’s defeat. His overthrow will have a profound impact on future prospects for Syria and the region, including the Palestinians whose cause has been weakened by these events. The West backs the terrorists who now control the country and who are oppressing and killing people from ethnic and religious minorities and women from all
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 134 - Artificial Intelligence, China's challenge
Published Jul 8, 2025
The threat from China to the US and the West is real but it is not a military one, as the media would have us believe, which is used as the pretext for increased arms spending. In fact, it is the US that has threatened to annex Canada, take over Greenland, take back the Panama Canal (which it has partly succeeded in) take over Ukrainian mineral resources and redevelop Gaza ethnically cleansed of Palestinians. By contrast, what China has been doing is developing its technology and industry so tha
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 133 - Palestine solidarity united, defiant, focused
Published Jun 24, 2025
Although Trump is notoriously erratic, beneath the surface of this and his egregious, insulting behaviour there are consistencies. One is that he will continue to support Israel as the bastion of US interests in the Middle East and Palestinians who continue to suffer from Israel’s genocidal actions both in Gaza and the West Bank. One bright spot in a rather grim political landscape in Britian has been the unified and determined campaigning by activists in solidarity with Palestine. In particular
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 132 - Beginning of the end of the war in Ukraine
Published Jun 10, 2025
Trump is motivated by a desire to ensure US supremacy in the face of China which is developing rapidly. No other country poses such a threat and he wants to clear the decks for that fight, hence his attempt to end the war in Ukraine on terms favourable to the United States. Other aspects of Trump’s imperial agenda – his designs on Greenland and Panama and also relate to his desire to prevent China challenging US power.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 131 - Trump's world order, the West and the UK
Published May 27, 2025
Although Trump is notoriously erratic, beneath the surface of this and his egregious, insulting behaviour there are consistencies. One is that he will continue to support Israel as the bastion of US interests in the Middle East and Palestinians who continue to suffer from Israel’s genocidal actions both in Gaza and the West Bank. One bright spot in a rather grim political landscape in Britian has been the unified and determined campaigning by activists in solidarity with Palestine. In particular
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 128 - Israel interfering with democracy
Published Apr 3, 2025
Russia is routinely accused of interfering in democracy in other countries. While these accusations have been insubstantial, there is a growing body of evidence of Israeli interference in British politics. Both in the United States and in the UK pro-Israel groups have channeled cash into defeating pro-Palestine law-makers and funding a wide range of Members of Parliament. In the UK some of these groups have close working relationships with the Israeli embassy and have arranged for trips to Israe
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 129 - A Window into Russia
Published Apr 3, 2025
On a recent visit to Russia this commentator found a society that was functioning well with decent services and a sense of social cohesion. There was a sense of normality despite the war. Although people did not talk a lot about it, he found that people wanted peace, but not at any price.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 130 - Labour's Planning Reforms
Published Apr 3, 2025
The Labour government has made reform of the planning system central to its efforts to increase growth. There are problems with the system which has become increasingly fragmented and dominated by the private sector in recent decades. However Labour's response does not address the central problems and some of its proposals are quite negative, like changing the designation of green belt lad so that it can be built on. It seems to entirely have forgotten its own history where previous Labour gover
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 127- Housing Crisis, causes and cures
Published Apr 2, 2025
The current homelessness crisis can trace its roots back 40 years to the "right to buy" policy of the conservative Government that took council housing out of public ownership and into private hands. Subsequent governments have done nothing to reverse this trend and additionally a lot of social housing has been hived off to housing associations. Increasingly individuals and families find it hard to afford homes of a decent standard. When council housing was widely available it acted as a break o
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 126 - Cops And Robbers In The Climate Crisis
Published Mar 18, 2025
State intervention and planning are not capitalism’s preferred ways of working, yet the need for state and globally agreed action is essential to tackling global warming. Yet if there is no viable planet then there is no capitalism either. Could this existential threat force capitalism to deal with the climate crisis? Having posed the question and put forward demands for achieving progress, we certainly shouldn’t just wait for this to happen, nor can we afford to wait for socialism to rescue us
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 125 - BRICS - Strengthening Multilateralism For Just Global Development And Security
Published Mar 4, 2025
The BRICS alliance of Emerging Markets and Developing Countries took a major step forward at its 16th summit held in the Russian city of Kazan on October 22-24. Following decisions taken at last year’s summit in South Africa, a total of nine countries took part as full members for the first time, with Ethiopia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran joining Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. BRICS now represents nearly half of the global population. A total of 36 countries pa
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 124 - Policing The Borders Of Paradise As Schengen Disintegrates
Published Feb 18, 2025
Frontex, the EU border agency is armed and is the only EU body to have a uniform. It's task is to guard the EU's borders and to implement the aggressive push back of migrants trying to escape war and poverty to reach Europe. With an increasing budget it also operates unaccountably. But as the EU tries to maintain "Fortress Europe" it's own system designed to maintain free-movement of labour within the Schengen Agreement area is beginning to fall apart. There are increasing numbers of instances o
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 123 - Trump's Election, How It Happened And What It Could Mean For The World
Published Feb 4, 2025
What will the prospects for the world be with Donald Trump back in the White House? It is not entirely certain how Trump will approach the war in Ukraine, but there is an increasing shift in the establishment towards the realistic view that Ukraine cannot win on the battlefield and that there should be negotiations. Other things are clearer. Trump will maintain a firm support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza and ramp up hostility towards China as a prelude to war. But why was Trump able to win and
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 122 - The fight for peace and disarmament
Published Jan 10, 2025
The tasks of the peace movement in Britain are urgent, as people continue to suffer poverty, cuts to services and crumbling infrastructure yet the government plans to increase arms spending to 2.5%of GDP or £87.1 billion including massive expenditure on replacing the Trident nuclear weapons system. This has nothing to do with self-defence and everything to do with Britain playing its part in fighting wars and imposing military power across the globe. Not only could this money be better spent els
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 121 - The danger of world war - can it be stopped ?
Published Jan 6, 2025
The Danger of direct conflict between the great powers have recently multiplied. The US has refused to accept its declining supremacy, to compromise or negotiate. Ongoing conflicts in the Ukraine and the Middle East are in danger of reaching a point of no return.The growing appetite for change, away from war ,sham democracy, and climate catastrophe indicates that millions of people are disillusioned with the entire system. The promotion of a socialist alternative is vital.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 120 - Militarism Rises Again In Japan
Published Dec 3, 2024
One aspect of the build up for war with China is the rearmament and increasingly aggressive military posture of Japan. Imperialists in Japan have long sought to shed the constraints placed on it as a defeated nation after the Second World War and now they have been given the green light to do this by the United States, which wants Japan to be part of the military encirclement of China and of Russia in the East. However, as the only country which has experienced the use of nuclear weapons at Hiro
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 119 - Israeli Agression Increases.
Published Nov 19, 2024
Israel is continuously escalating its genocidal war against the Palestinians in Gaza and increasingly in the West Bank too. It has no interest in ceasefires or negotiations as it seeks to turn Palestine into an uninhabitable wasteland which it can permanently occupy. On the contrary it is now seeking to expand its aggression to Lebanon and Iran and to provoke a regional war.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 118 - Regime change in Bangladesh
Published Nov 4, 2024
In August the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina resigned. On the surface, and as reported in mainstream media outlets, she was forced to step down due to student protests, but there were deeper geopolitical reasons behind her ousting. Not least she had raised US ire by refusing to host a United States military base in Bangladesh and by drawing closer to China and the BRICS countries. The student movement, as has happened in similar situations in other countries, provided leverage for t
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 117 - Ukraine - West continues to escalate war
Published Oct 22, 2024
Despite the dangers to Europe and the world, the West continues to press on with its disastrous war in Ukraine. Even with the evident failures on Ukraine’s part to make progress in the war, including its incursion into Kursk and despite the suffering on all sides, the West is determined to double down on war. It has peremptorily dismissed peace plans and calls for negotiations. On the contrary, there are increasing moves to allow Ukraine to use weapons supplied by the West to hit targets within
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 116 - The South African Election 2024
Published Oct 8, 2024
Can the African National Congress renew and recover in the face of declining support from the electorate who are dissatisfied with rising poverty and a failure to address corruption.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 115 - A Labour Government - What Next
Published Sep 24, 2024
The new Labour government opens up new opportunities and also faces massive challenges. We will have to wait and see whether the movement can achieve real progress for working people in Britain.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 114 - The Soviet model and the economic cold war - Part 1
Published Aug 27, 2024
One of the main accusations leveled by capitalist ideologues against socialism is that it simply does not work. This is rather unconvincing coming from the system which has brought us close to the edge of climate catastrophe, decaying living standards and infrastructure, lower productivity and stagnating growth in western economies. And yet this critique of socialism is routinely accepted without examining the evidence of the achievements of the Soviet Union and other socialist countries. When t
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 113 - Chips - The Twentieth Century's Strategic Resource
Published Aug 13, 2024
Advanced computing systems are now essential to all aspects of our daily lives. They are also increasingly important to capitalism's power and to the West's military domination. Microchips are the fundamental components of key systems and hardware and the US in particular is battling to keep control of this strategic resource. This fight over tech lies at the heart of its confrontation with China and is the reason it threatens war.
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 112 - Capitalism's Crisis And The Threat To Democracy
Published Jul 30, 2024
In Britain we have seen a wave of strikes and massive demonstrations over Gaza. In response the Tory government has been passing multiple pieces of legislation designed to restrict free speech, the right to protest and the right to strike. This repressive agenda will give the government extraordinary tools to suppress opposition and represents a fundamental threat to democracy. And yet in defiance of these threats and ideological attacks protesters are still out in force in solidarity with the P
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 111 - Gaza, Zelensky, And The NHS - What They Have In Common
Published Jul 16, 2024
There is always money to be made from war and Ukraine and Gaza are no exceptions. The arms industry has certainly benefited from both these current conflicts. Increasingly, however, electronic systems are vital to fighting wars. the US company Palantir has contracts in Israel, Ukraine and here in the NHS. It has been described as “…the AI arms dealer of the 21st century” and works closely with the US government. So what is it doing in our NHS? Apparently “integrating health data”. Access to data
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 110 - 40 Years Of Injustice - Anniversary Of The Miners Strike
Published Jul 2, 2024
The miners' strike of 1984-85 demonstrated the power of the state acting in the interests of capital and against working people as jobs and mining communities were destroyed. That state power was no where more evident than the systematic attack on picketing miners at Orgreave with many injured and imprisoned. There were meticulous plans formulated by the government and the police to crush the miners. Orgreave became the blueprint for the policing of dissent and sent a harsh message to working cl
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 109 - Ukraine War Gets Even More Dangerous
Published Jun 18, 2024
Politically and economically the war in Ukraine is becoming less sustainable, with no sign that pouring more arms in is bringing Ukraine any closer to winning and every sign that it is losing. However, the mantra of western politicians remains that “Ukraine must win”. This has led to talk of dangerous escalation, like sending more advanced weaponry and NATO committing boots on the ground (more than the small number it already has). Desperation in Kiev and among Ukraine’s western backers is makin
- StandardSummaries onlyPodcast 108 - US And Israel Attack The UN And International Law
Published Jun 4, 2024
Israel has long defied international law and has been repeatedly censured by the United Nations, which has also supported the Palestinians. As the genocide in Gaza continues, Palestinians are now the front line of defence for international law and the United Nations as its institutional expression. The west does not talk about international law, but rather the rules based order – by which it means its rules and its order. Whilst the United Nation has not always been progressive – the security co