Ungagged!

Barricades on the Bridge of Hope?

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On this episode of Ungagged, introduced by Victoria Pearson, and edited by Neil Anderson, the collective are inspired by the theme "Barricades on the Bridge of Hope" (which was set by Neil Scott) and as usual, have interpreted that from a variety of left perspectives.
Red Raiph will be talking about Checkpoint Charlie, Paul Sheridan will be discussing both World Mental Health Day and the Brexit border situation, and Thomas Morris will be joining us from his travels to talk about water and plastic.
Debra Torrance will be telling us about her trip to the SNP conference and accessibility, and  Cllr Graham Campbell will be in conversation with Neil Anderson also about the SNP conference, specifically Graham's fringe meeting on 'Brexit, A Better Way, as well as Glasgow University reparative justice and their involvement in slavery related businesses.
Catriona Stevenson  will be talking about the Gaellic language, Laura Lundahl will be warning us not to lose momentum, and reminding us progress can be a barricade to progress, and of course we will hear from Chuck Hamilton, pondering a question of identity.
On this episode we also share  David Rovics podcast- This week with David Rovics, where he talks Palestinian protests and police numbers in Seattle in the 80s, and treats us to two original songs, and for you fiction lovers we will be featuring part one of  a murderous story of ordinary irradiated folk and peace in a Scottish village in an alternative reality - "Tales of the Gareloch" by Acting Strange Theatre Company...
With music from Alexander Martin, David Rovics, Sharon Martin, Jemma Freeman, Ms Mohammed, Petrol Girls, The Cundeez, The Hurriers, The Wakes, Mullen, The Empty Page, and The Babel Fish Project.
Remember we love hearing what you think, so get yourself over to Facebook, twitter or the comments right here on our website and get yourself ungagged.
 thank you If you love what we do, and can spare us some change, our collection tin is at PayPal.me/ungaggedleft. We are a not for profit collective, and we rely on your donations help us meet our hosting and equipment costs as well as fund our solidarity letter writing campaigns, and foodbank donations.

Step Aside Brother

This unintentionally woman-heavy episode of Ungagged, introduced by Neil Anderson,  is themed around "Step Aside Brother," but of course we are Ungagged, so not all of us have kept to the theme.
Thomas Morris will be talking about how sometimes brothers don't step aside once they've got what they want, Chuck Hamilton will discuss bi-erasure, neoliberalism, and the importance of slaying your gods, and Damanvir Kaur will give us an update Jagtar Singh Johal, the Scot imprisoned in an Indian jail.
Debra Torrance will be joining us twice - once to deliver a piece on behalf of the showmen at Feltnam, who feel silenced by their councillor as their home is threatened, and then again with a piece of her own, asking how many people are reached and persuaded by shouty men yelling slogans into a microphone.
Em Dehaney will be talking about gendered language, and how it subtly shapes our perceptions of feminism, Julie will be along to talk about representation for women and young people within the Yes Movement, and Ruth Hopkins will be talking about Kavanaugh.
Laura Lundahl will be talking about why developed countries need to step aside in developing ones, Catriona Stevenson will be talking about land reform, Victoria Pearson will be sharing a poem called Stand Aside Brother, that she wrote for this episode, and our Raiph will be wondering if Wee Vinny is a spy…
With music from The Franklys, Alexander Martin, Argonaut, The Babel Fish Project, Jackal Trades, LUV DOT GOV, Precious McKenzie, Sharon Martin, Steve McAuliffe & The Mighty Ur, The Empty Page, The Menstural Cramps and David Rovics.
 
Agree or disagree, love us or hate us, we always love to hear from you, so get yourself Ungagged on Facebook, Twitter, or here on our website, where you can find all of our old pods and a whole stack of writing from a range of left voices -from anarchists to democratic socialists and everything in between.
 
If you love what we do and can spare some change to keep us going, our collection tin is at PayPal.me/ungaggedleft - every penny helps our volunteers buy essential equipment, meet our hosting fees, and fund our charity campaigns, for example donating to foodbanks in need, and supporting and writing to political prisoners. 

Krassivy

For timings, go to our website, www.leftungagged.org or our Twitter account twitter.com/_ungagged
 
From Vanuatu’s Independence day, through butterfly conservation, Australian Prime Ministers, and a brief history of Capitalism, through to the apocalypse (with a few stops in between), the Ungagged collective are talking Krassivy… The Ungagged Collective are inspired this episode by the theme “Krassivy”, beautiful red, but as always, we haven’t all stayed on theme. Last month saw Vanuatu celebrate their independence day, just as Thomas Morris was visiting, so he will tell us all about that, Nelly Neal will be along to talk about The Diggers, and land ownership, Laura Lundahl will be taking a meander through how three countries manage socialist ideas, and George Collins will be lamenting the unwillingness of many U.S. journalists to risk their careers for the truth and the effects on the overall quality of news in the corporate media. Chuck Hamilton will be talking about social class in America and giving us a brief history of capitalism, Derek Stewart Macpherson discusses his home town of Clydebank, and promises to explain to why Australia has had seven Prime Ministers in just eleven years, Red Raiphtalks about the people’s vote campaign in Scotland, and travelling within the EU, and Rachael Horwitz discusses reasons for the decline in the UK’s butterfly population, and how you can help. Debra Torrance and Victoria Pearson are both (separately) talking about the apocalypse, after Theresa May’s insistence that this isn’t the end of the world left them worried. Debra presents a light hearted look at the many and varied types of apocalypse we might suffer, while V focuses on how to survive economic brexitocalpse. With music from The Wakes, Steve McAuliffe & The Mighty Ur, Zoe MacPherson, Rufio G, Mullen, Marshall Chipped, Joe Solo, Jackal Trades, The Cundeez, The Kara Sea, The Hurriers, and Attila the stockbroker. Pulled together, kicking and screaming, by Neil Anderson, with cat herding support from Neil Scott and Victoria Pearson.
 
Oh and then after the running time: Remember we always love to hear from you, so get yourself Ungagged on our Facebook, on Twitter, or on here our website, where you can find all of our old pods and a whole stack of writing from a range of left voices -from anarchists to democratic socialists and everything in between. If you love what we do and can spare some change to keep us going, our collection tin is at PayPal.me/ungaggedleft – every penny helps us buy essential equipment, meet our hosting fees, and fund our charity campaigns, for example donating to foodbanks in need, and sending letters of solidarity to political prisoners.
 

The Luxury Gap...

On this episode of Ungagged, themed around "the luxury gap", we hear Neil Anderson  and Sandra Webster,  interviewing Mhairi Black MP which she and recorded at Mhairi’s Paisley constituency office. Mhairi gives us insights to the House of Commons and some of its characters, why she entered politics, along with her views on Donald Trump and Jacob Rees Mogg. 
 We'll also have a listen in on a chat with Neil Scott  and Scottish Independence campaigner and artist,"Wee Skribbles" (Michael Larkin), who talks about his work and how he became an activist for independence.
We'll hear from Debra Torrance  on  Food Luxury, specifically about food production in the Netherlands, the second largest food producer in the world, Victoria Pearson ponders the psychological damage of poverty on children and why short breaks should be on the NHS, George Collins will be examining the conundrum of combating global economic injustice from an environmentalist standpoint, and the necessity of interdisciplinary thought among progressives, and Chuck Hamilton muses about the American white middle class and their view of the rest of humanity.
Nelly Neal asks whether the evils of want and ignorance seen by Dickens and quoted in the 1942 Beverage report are still here now and if they’ve ever gone away, Laura Lundahl tells us we are ALL immigrants, and says we can help immigrants by changing the way we talk about them, and the possibilities of food shortages after Brexit is discussed by Red Raiph, who has been practising his bartering skills so he can trade for food.
Sandra Webster was transported back in time by the title The Luxury Gap and reminisces about Heaven 17 and The Clockwork Orange before discussing poverty and having enough food to eat.
 
With music to get you moving from Steve McAuliffe & the Mighty Ur, Madame So, Gallows Circus, Jackal Trades, Attila the Stockbroker, The Blackheart Orchestra,  Ethical Debating Society, Argonaut, Nervous Twitch, The Potentials, and Sharon Martin.

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The People Spoke

On this episode of Ungagged, themed around "The People Spoke" and introduced by Victoria Pearson, we will hear from Flavia Trudoreanu from Scottish CND on 10 reasons not to have Trident, Jason Travis on the left and Brexit – and what he feels socialists should argue and organise for, Laura Lundahl on why the US government doesn’t represent the will of the people due to its many undemocratic practises, and Joe Solo on the rise and rise of the right.
Paul Sheridan reflects on Scotland’s angry voice and the impact we can have, Debra Torrance will be giving a more positive view of how the people can use their voices, and Graham Campbell will be on chatting with Neil Anderson about Graham’s recent trip to Jamaica, Donald Trump and Pride. Teresa Durran gives us a personal reflection of the London anti Trump march, which you can see loads of pictures of here.
It wouldn't be Ungagged without the wee man, we will of course be hearing from Red Raiph and  from the inimitable (and original) clever commie Chuck Hamilton, who will be talking about why jails profit from prisoners, and why bisexuals need to step up. The two are unrelated.
With music from Steve McAuliffe & the Mighty Ur, The Wakes, Robb Johnson, Argonaut, The Cundeez, Gallo Rojo, The BlackHeart Orchestra, Cascadia, The Creatures of Habit, and Joe Solo.
Pulled together, kicking and screaming, by Neil Anderson. With cat herding support from Neil Scott.
Remember we love to hear from you so get yourself Ungagged on our Facebook page, or on Twitter, or check out the latest news, views and opinion right here on on our website.
 
If you enjoy our want to give left voices space to put across sometimes controversial views we dont all agree with, and some we do, please think about donating! A few pounds/dollars/euros/Yen etc here, helps us stay Ungagged!
 

On the Road Again

In this episode, introduced by Neil Scott, we have news, views and analysis from Debra Torrance, on the journey to Scottish independence and what that might look like, Em Dehaney on sexism within the Music industry,  Damanvir Kaur with updates on jailed Scot Jagtar Singh Johal and Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa, Laura Lundahl, on what happens when there no body to bury, Thomas Morris on ethical travel,  Red Raiph on school holidays and mini-beasts Mhairi Hunter gives us an update on her work at Glasgow City council, Sandra Webster, talks about how it's the journey that matters, Teresa Durran shares a poem, and we'll be hearing from Chuck Hamilton. Our theme for this episode was "on the road again" and, as always, the collective have taken that theme in all sorts of different directions.
With music from Husky Tones, Argonaut, The Merry Jaynz, Milton Star, Cascadia, Gallo Rojo, Phat Bollard, The Kara Sea, Faber Whitehouse, Thunder on the left, and The Babel Fish Project

Rip it Up and Start Again...

On this episode of Ungagged, themed around the idea of "rip it up and start again" and  introduced by Victoria Pearson, we'll be hearing from Thomas Morris  with his piece “I am asexual, hear me roar," we'll have a round up of only the important public celebrations from Red Raiph, and we will hear Steve McAuliffe's Angel Wings.
 
Catriona Stevenson will be talking about Bannockburn, George Collins will be taking a more positive look at his specialist subject; the American manufacturing industry, Nelly Neal will be talking about our theme in relation to Ofsted, Debra Torrance will talk about ripping it up and starting again in relation to the UK, Derek Stewart Macpherson will be saying “Rip it up Donald" and Chuck Hamilton will assert that “the only away to improve capitalism is to set it on fire and burn that motherfucker to the ground.”
 
Along with our fab contributors we'll have music from Thee Faction,The Babel Fish Project, Husky Tones, The Exiles, Robb Johnson, Girobabies, The Hurriers, Emma Flowers and Cascadia Fault Line.
 
Pulled together, kicking and screaming, by Neil Anderson, Neil Scott and Victoria Pearson
 
Remember we love to hear from you so get yourself Ungagged on our Facebook page, or on Twitter, or check out the latest news, views and opinion right here on on our website.

The Privilege Course...

On this privilege themed Ungagged, introduced by Neil Anderson, we will be hearing from Steve McAuliffe, who will be talking about islamophobia, George Collins will be talking with ethnomusicologist and African religious scholar Javoen Byrd about Christian privilege in the United States and the suppression of African spiritual practices in times of resistance, and Debra Torrance will be talking about how great privilege comes with great responsibility.
We'll hear from Richie Venton on his USDAW unanimously passed policy proposal of guaranteed 16 hour contracts for all workers who want them in an attempt to bring income stability to part time workers, Red Raiph talking about the all under a banner march and naked gardening day, Julie will perform her spoken word piece The So Called Inclusive Movement, Thomas Morris will be talking cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation, and Chuck Hamilton will shock us all by sticking to the theme and talking about privilege.
 
With music from The Twisted Melons, Candidates, Rufio G, Faber Whitehouse, Joe Solo, Roy Møller, Pilgrims, St Christopher Medal, Stephen Smith, Steve White, Stuart McFarlane, The Eastern Swell, and Those Unfortunates.
 
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Lefty Life Hacks - For a Better Us!

This episode, introduced by Victoria Pearson, the Ungagged Collective are (mostly) talking Left Life Hacks.
We'll be hearing from Chuck Hamilton, with a follow up to his last piece, talking about the Egyptian Revolution, and why the poor are blamed for their poverty,  George Collins will be talking about Direct democracy and ranked choice voting, and  Debra Torrance will be telling us not to give abuse but give something of use, and running down her top left life hacks.
Francesca Testen, aka The History Twins (who you can find out more about in our newest Cuppa Minute Interview) will be talking about Scottish Independence, and her own independence, Mhairi Hunter will be giving us an update on her last ungagged podcast, about shooting galleries, and Graham Campbell will be talking about the Windrush scandal.
We'll hear from  Nelly Neal  who asks if we should continue to protest and demonstrate, Richie Venton, will be talking about getting his union conference to adapt maximum wage, Laura Lundahl will make her Ungagged debut with a chat about student visas, Teresa Durran will be talking about political correctness revisited, and Red Raiph will be singing us his salty blues.
 
With music from Phat Bollard, Argonaut, Faber Whitehouse, Gallo Rojo, Jackal Trades, Louise Distras, Victoria Långstrump, Roy Møller, Stephen Smith, The Agitator, Thee Faction.
 
With thanks, as ever, to Neil Scott and Neil Anderson for their tireless work with sound editing and pulling the whole thing together.

Peace, Cigarettes and Conspiracy...

Our theme this time is, “but sure they can afford smokes and a big telly.” 
Overtaking our theme was last weeks 20th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement-  To mark this we present a piece Neil Scott wrote almost twenty years ago inspired by of the troubles, is read by Anthea Irwin and edited by Neil Anderson.
 
In this podcast we’ll be talking Syria, Scottish History, the free jaggi now campaign, “hard working tories, or at least what they think hard work is, avoiding idiots who think they are activists, poverty, optimism  and “but they can afford fuck off big tellys and packets of  20 Silkcut,” On these topics and avoiding dodgy youtubers, Russia Today, British imperialist propagandists, and antisemetic conspiracy sites as sources are, Chuck Hamilton, Jason Travis, Catriona Stevenson, Damanvir Kaur, Joe Solo, Victoria Pearson (whose piece was recorded on Friday), Teresa Durran, Steve McAulliffe, Sandra Webster, wee Raiph, Paul Sheridan, Julie aka Politicious,,  and Debra Torrance.
If you can, please contact us on twitter through our ungagged account, @_ungagged or via email ungaggedleft@gmail.com
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We’ll add a list of music, musicians with links to where and how you can hear them asap.