How We Built a Mass Socialist Party in 10 Years, w/ Belgian MP Peter Mertens

How We Built a Mass Socialist Party in 10 Years, w/ Belgian MP Peter Mertens

Peter Mertens, Secretary General of the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PVDA-PTB) sits for a wide-ranging interview with Brian Becker, longtime socialist organizer and founding member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

They discuss everything from Europe’s economic and political crisis, the window of opportunity for socialism, the U.S.’s goal of encircling China, to how the PYB renewed itself as a mass force in Belgian politics by changing its internal culture and digging deeper roots into the working class. The interview is full of lessons and insights from the movement in Europe and the United States.

Mertens is a member of the Chamber of Representatives since 2019, and as a Municipal Councillor in Antwerp since 2013.

Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join and submit questions to the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.


Episoder(656)

Why the U.S. Economy Is Spiraling AGAIN w/ Prof. Wolff

Why the U.S. Economy Is Spiraling AGAIN w/ Prof. Wolff

The U.S. economy is headed into a downward spiral, with millions unemployed, prices going up, and myriad other poor economic indicators. Professor Richard Wolff & Brian Becker discuss how this is bake...

17 Sep 202529min

Majority of Americans Have No Hope in the ‘American Dream’ AKA Capitalism, w/ Prof. Wolff

Majority of Americans Have No Hope in the ‘American Dream’ AKA Capitalism, w/ Prof. Wolff

A new poll shows that the majority of U.S. residents—75%—don’t believe in the so-called American Dream: that if you work hard in the United States, you can succeed at having an economically secure lif...

10 Sep 202528min

U.S. Warships and Fighter Jets Threaten Venezuela as Millions Join in Military Drills To Defend the Country [Preview]

U.S. Warships and Fighter Jets Threaten Venezuela as Millions Join in Military Drills To Defend the Country [Preview]

Millions of Venezuelans participated in military drills to help defend the country as U.S. warships and fighter aircraft are deployed by Trump. Brian is joined by Manolo De Los Santos, Executive Direc...

9 Sep 202512min

Mass Arrests of Workers in U.S., Trump’s Policies Unite China, Russia, Iran & North Korea Into Anti-Hegemony Coalition [Preview]

Mass Arrests of Workers in U.S., Trump’s Policies Unite China, Russia, Iran & North Korea Into Anti-Hegemony Coalition [Preview]

Brian and Layan discuss the mass ICE raids and arrests in the last days of hundreds of workers at an auto factory in Georgia and a food production facility in Syracuse, NY. They also discuss the massi...

6 Sep 202511min

Trump’s $5 Billion Grift: How Capitalism Steals From Us

Trump’s $5 Billion Grift: How Capitalism Steals From Us

Trump’s family made $5 billion on Monday when they launched a new currency, a memecoin called $Trump. Along with propping up failing company Intel, these are recent examples of the resources the capit...

3 Sep 202525min

Wall Street’s Big Admission on Ukraine, Trump's DC Takeover, and How a General Strike Could Happen [Preview]

Wall Street’s Big Admission on Ukraine, Trump's DC Takeover, and How a General Strike Could Happen [Preview]

The Wall Street Journal provides evidence that the Ukraine war is a proxy war between the US and Russia. The Trump Administration’s attempt to takeover DC is part of the attempt to end the semblance o...

28 Aug 202512min

Trump: The ‘Art’ of Racist Scapegoating, w/ Prof. Wolff

Trump: The ‘Art’ of Racist Scapegoating, w/ Prof. Wolff

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that 1.6 million immigrants have left the United States since Trump took office due to the reign of terror the administration has perpetrated. Trump ...

27 Aug 202528min

Ukraine: Background to a Proxy War with No End in Sight [Preview]

Ukraine: Background to a Proxy War with No End in Sight [Preview]

Donald Trump met with Vladimir Putin on August 15th. 3 days later, with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, along with the leaders of the major NATO countries. Trump promised that his personal inter...

23 Aug 202513min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
i-retten
forklart
popradet
fotballpodden-2
rss-gukild-johaug
dine-penger-pengeradet
stopp-verden
nokon-ma-ga
det-store-bildet
bt-dokumentar-2
hanna-de-heldige
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
chit-chat-med-helle
frokostshowet-pa-p5
aftenbla-bla
e24-podden
rss-dannet-uten-piano