E315: Conservative Marxism w/ Ralph Leonard

NEWS EP! We cover the true origins or the Warner Brothers buyout, Trump's new National Security manifesto, the death of the West, and say farewell to Asad Haider. Sign up on patreon to hear the fun half!! in which we discuss Death by Lightning, a miniseries about James Garfield and American crankery: http://patreon.com/c/thiswreckageReferenced articles: https://www.endnotes.org.uk/palabre/angels-and-demons https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/08/world/europe/zelensky-ukraine-war-peace-talks-europe-london.html?smid=nytcore-ios-sharehttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/06/world/europe/trump-europe-strategy-document.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share https://www.ft.com/content/953635f0-4b87-41a4-a087-e8b1d71470b6?accessToken=zwAGRXR0h59AkdOVNjXwS4dBpNOgh-ix1xRwtg.MEYCIQCiIhSoXOIILWLPg-7ZjoHpI708TFPiQa5dgUpQcYcNOAIhAIMOrTTL9rQQWQgwir0APRqS6mXhN5TCt2yC234GZ2rX&sharetype=gift&token=30118284-df0a-41b5-bea7-ddfbb92fc2e9https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/07/us/politics/biden-immigration-trump.html?smid=nytcore-ios-shareAsad Haider's writing:https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/news/3972-mistaking-identity-politics-a-conversation-with-asad-haider-part-ihttps://viewpointmag.com/author/asad-haider/Our interview with Asad from 2020: https://www.patreon.com/posts/36803245 Song: Justice - Civilization

Sean and Andy are joined by British-Nigerian writer and podcaster, Ralph Leonard, to talk about identity, politics and the Anglo Ummah. We discuss the parlous state of the nationalist left, what a proletarian socialist politics might look like in the 21st century and what might possibly be conserved of the classical Marxist movement which died in the beginning of the last century. Along the way we bring up the morphing politics of identity, the uneasy cohabitation between left populism and Islamism in the UK, remigration as capitalist politics and how pre-politics might could get us out of this mess.This is the first half of a full length conversation you can access by becoming a supporter of our show at www.patreon.com/thiswreckageFall book promotion: https://www.patreon.com/posts/fall-promotion-138957785Articles mentioned:https://buffsoldier-96.medium.com/can-israel-survive-for-100-years-8dbdd5bc9abfhttps://unherd.com/2023/07/mcdonalds-made-me-a-marxist/https://unherd.com/newsroom/is-kemi-badenoch-downplaying-her-nigerian-identity-for-political-gain/Song: The Equals - Baby Come Back

For the full episode (in audio only OR video) sign up at http://patreon.com/c/thiswreckage!&y and &ers J. Lee talk about Zohran's walkbacks, meeting with Trump, and relationship with the Satmar community. Then we watch and comment on a few old Conan monologues and interviews with Marc Maron, Kevin Spacey, and Jay Leno.

Jack Z. Bratich chats about the concept of "microfascism," a term coined by Deleuze as part of their project of tracing “the genealogy and the permanence of certain fascist machineries” in order “to refuse to allow any fascist formula to slip by, on whatever scale it may manifest itself, including within the scale of the family or even within our own personal economy." Happy Thanksiving!The concept suggests that fascist impulses don't just come from "above" (authoritarian leaders) but can emerge from "below" in how people treat each other daily. Deleuze and Guattari believed everyone has some "fascist" potential—desires for domination, control, or submission. Bratich's work looks at the idea in the current context of MAGA, stochastic terrorism, and the manosphere.Buy his book On Microfascism: Gender, War, Death and Conspiracy Panics: Political Rationality and Popular Culture from Common Notions.3WF interview: https://threewayfight.org/antifascism-in-2025-shane-burley-interviews-xtn-alexander-and-matthew-n-lyons/Klaus Theweleit's Male Fantasies: https://monoskop.org/images/5/54/Theweleit_Klaus_Male_Fantasies_Vol_1_Women_Floods_Bodies_History.pdfSupport This Wreckage and join our Discord discussion by signing up to Patreon

Sean interviews the ever charming Tony from video essay channel 1Dime and political podcast 1Dime Radio about what it's like to be young and/or Canadian. They discuss politics up north, the vagaries of the so-called left and what a younger cohort might teach us old-timers about the world.This is a preview of the extended version of this episode, to access the whole thing become a patron at www.patreon.com/thiswreckageSong: Blind Lemon Jefferson - One Dime Blues

We talk about Guillermo Del Toro's Frankenstein and decide: Worth it and/or woke?For the full episode subscribe at http://patreon.com/c/thiswreckageDel Toro interview: https://www.npr.org/2025/10/23/nx-s1-5577963/guillermo-del-toro-frankensteinMarx on alienated labor: https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1844/manuscripts/labour.htmSong: Alice Cooper - Teenage Frankenstein

In 1968, Huey P. Newton told an interviewer that whites who wanted to support the Black Panthers should create the White Panther Party. Later that year, a trio of Michigan radical artists (John Sinclair, Leni Sinclair, and Pum Plamondon) did just that. Gaining notoriety from their campaigns to legalize marijuana, support political prisoners, and the popularity of revolutionary rockers the MC5, the White Panthers formed chapters around the country, and continued their activity through the seventies, long after other New Left formations dissolved.Among them was our guest today, Larry Weissman, aka DJ PreSkool. He joined the party in 1971 until he was jailed during a public dispute over gun rights against mayor Dianne Feinstein. We talk about the history of WPP, their political line, their alliances and disagreements with other New Left groups, the importance of weed and rock n' roll to their program, and how he continues that spirit today as house DJ in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.Check out PreSkool's Underground Syllabus Friday at Casette in Ridgewood, Queens: https://dice.fm/event/eoanp6-dj-preskools-underground-syllabus-14th-nov-cassette-new-york-city-ticketsDJ PreSkool's BandcampRead Guitar Army by John SinclairMore on WPP food program: https://www.foundsf.org/Hard-Left_Politics_Enters_the_People%E2%80%99s_Food_SystemMore on WPP wiretaps and entrapment: https://www.necessarystorms.com/home/watergate-wiretaps-and-the-white-panther-partyhttps://fifthestate.anarchistlibraries.net/library/101-march-19-april-1-1970-the-history-of-president-pigCheck out the rest of the Armed Love Series: https://www.patreon.com/collection/87680?view=expandedSong: Henry Rollins & Bad Brains - Kick Out the Jams

We give our first reflections of Zohran's mayoral victory in New York: Sean from his coworkers, Andy from the Commie Corridor.Subscribe at http://patreon.com/c/thiswreckage for the fun half, in which film critic Payton McCarty-Simas pops in to discuss Yorgos Lanthimos' new film Bugonia.Bessner post: https://x.com/dbessner/status/1986204448092528758Song: Earth Wind and Fire - Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

Sean and Varn meditate on a moment full of incoherence that somehow coheres.Song: Nirvana - DiveFor the full episode sign up at http://patreon.com/thiswreckageBecome a patron of Varnvlog at www.patreon.com/varnvlog

Phil Neel guides our Halloween descent into HELLWORLD--his epic new horror-theory analysis of the megastructures of global capitalism, and a search of the revolutionary subjectivity necessary to revolt against our domestication into the planetary factory.Phil Neel's substack: https://philneel.substack.com/ Theory of the Party: https://illwill.com/theory-of-the-partySong: Merle Haggard - Are the Good Times Really Over?