Life of the Party

Life of the Party
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  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Life of the Party takes you inside the debates, personalities and politics shaping the new left party in the UK. Hosts Shanice, Jonas and Joe bring critical analysis, unfiltered takes, and lively debates about Your Party, the Greens and the future of the left. Help keep the podcast ad free - ⁠become a Life of the Party supporter⁠. Go to lifeoftheparty.uk/support

  1. 2D AGO

    13: Left Parties That Win: Lessons from the DSA and the Belgian Workers’ Party

    With the Your Party CEC elections in full swing, Jonas breaks down the current state of play in the party - and the gang despair at Your Party’s deteriorating culture of political debate. Would Your Party and the Greens be better if they were a little bit more like the Belgium Worker's Party (PTB), or the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)? Joe challenges the assumptions of the British left, arguing that the PTB and DSA are very different organisations, and we need to analyse them on their own merits. Reading Between Autonomy and Control: Comparing the Democratic Socialist of America and the Belgian Workers Party - Joe Todd The Breaking of the English Working Class - Jonas Patrick Marvin We Found Love in a Hopeless Place - Gabriel Wynatt The History and Practice of Political Police in Britain - Tony Bunyan Parks and Houses For the People - Johan Pries Your Party's Infantile Disorder - Sam Joyce

    1h 15m

  2. FEB 2

    12: Matt Goodwin is a Loser

    With Andy Burnham out for the count - blocked by Keir Starmer and his allies from running to be Gorton and Denton's next MP - Joe, Jonas and Shanice grapple with the dynamics at play in this upcoming, historic by-election that could change the face of British electoral politics. Can the Greens really beat Reform in the North? Are Labour out of the race? And most importantly, why is Reform's candidate Matt Goodwin such an incorrigible loser? Reading A Very British Coup - Chris Mullen The Gorton and Denton by-election: a tale of two Manchesters? - Rob Ford Matt Goodwin and the Politics of Resentment - James Bloodworth How to Block ICE in Your City - Eric Blanc Support Help make Life of the Party happen. Donate at lifeoftheparty.uk/support

    1h 11m

  3. JAN 19

    11: Who Are the Trade Unions Really For?

    To kick off series two of Life of the Party Shanice, Jonas and Joe are back to their usual antics with spicy hot takes and pressing party news. This week Jonas gives you the lowdown on Your Party's CEC elections so far. Meanwhile Shanice goes against the grain: arguing that trade unions aren't the only site of working class struggle, and why Your Party and the Greens shouldn't formally affiliate to them. Readings: Disaster Nationalism - Richard Seymour Grub first, then ethics? - Jonas Marvin Lenin's Last Struggle - Moshbe Lewin

    1h 8m

  4. JAN 5

    10: Uprisings, New Leaders and the End of MAGA?

    Wrapping up the first season of Life of the Party Shanice, Joe, and Jonas give out awards for the major players (and wreckers!) on the burgeoning British left. Meanwhile your hosts dust off their crystal balls to give their predictions on the big political moments heading our way in 2026. Readings: Mistaken Identity - Asad Haider The Populist Moment: The Left after the Great Recession -  Anton Jäger and Arthur Borriello  Black Marxism - Cedric J. Robinson Become a supporter at lifeoftheparty.uk

    1h 17m

  5. 12/22/2025

    9: Are We Revolutionaries? Your Questions Answered

    In the run up to Christmas Joe, Jonas, and Shanice answer your listener questions. Are we revolutionaries, what does that even mean? Should the left run as councillors? What does community organising mean? Why have some of the Independent Alliance remained in Your Party? We answer these questions, and more - as well as give you our favourite reads of 2025. Readings: Workers Can Win - Ian Allinson Supermarket Struggle - Workers' Inquiry ⁠Pessimism of the Will - Asad Haider⁠ ⁠New Model Island - Alex Niven⁠ Liverpool and the Unmaking of Britain - Sam Wetherell Intermezzo - Sally Rooney

    1h 19m

  6. 12/08/2025

    8: A Wild Weekend at Conference

    ** Help keep the podcast ad free - become a Life of the Party supporter ** Coming back from a wild weekend in Liverpool, Jonas gives us an insider account of the vibes, schisms and politics shaping the long-awaited founding conference of Your Party. Meanwhile Joe probes at critical questions: have the Green party completely over-shadowed Your Party? Should Your Party ditch elections and focus on the hard work of building popular power? Reading: The Days of Abandonment - Elena Ferrante Three Women - Lisa Taddeo Social Infrastructure Proposals - Organising For Popular Power Your Party Conference: Total Chaos or the Future of Democracy - Novara Media

    1h 16m
  7. 7: Is This the End for Your Party?

    11/24/2025

    7: Is This the End for Your Party?

    As Your Party’s founding conference approaches, Joe breaks down the latest financial shenanigans and resignations, whilst Jonas makes the case that even if the launch has been a disaster, the historical opportunity presented by the crisis of British capitalism hasn’t been totally squandered. Reading: Melinda Cooper - Counterrevolution: Extravagance and Austerity in Public Finance Helen Walsh - Once Upon a Time in England Oliver Eagleton - Your Party: The Return of the Left

    1h 7m

  8. 11/10/2025

    6: The Irresistible Rise of Zohran Mamdani

    With Your Party's regional assemblies in full swing Jonas breaks down the dynamics and debates shaping the grassroots of the party. Meanwhile, Shanice puts the debates about class and identity politics under the microscope; making the case you cannot understand the seismic and irresistible rise of Zohran Mamdani without taking seriously how class is felt through identity. But what are the lessons for the British left? Reading We Were There - Lanre Bakare Can Apartheid Free Zones Help Liberate Palestine? - The Bristol Cable Michael Lange's Substack

    1h 10m
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About

Life of the Party takes you inside the debates, personalities and politics shaping the new left party in the UK. Hosts Shanice, Jonas and Joe bring critical analysis, unfiltered takes, and lively debates about Your Party, the Greens and the future of the left. Help keep the podcast ad free - ⁠become a Life of the Party supporter⁠. Go to lifeoftheparty.uk/support

Information

  • Creator
    Life of the Party
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Life of the Party
  • Show Website
    Life of the Party

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