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Like I'm A Six-Year-Old

Comedian Tom Ballard sits down with politicians, activists, thinkers and comedians to try to talk, laugh, cry and argue about politics. You will learn things and get fired up and hear some swearing. Enjoy.
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Like I'm A Six-Year-Old
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Now displaying: March, 2020
Mar 30, 2020

Hello! This week's ep is a bit early: my plan is to (try) to start posting multiple episodes a week if possible. Let's see how we go. 

Sean Kelly is a writer who writes for a range of Australian publications. He's a former adviser to Prime Ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard. 

I've always been a fan of Sean's analysis and writing and was keen to get his thoughts on how COVID-19 is unfolding in Australia, particularly in terms of the Morrison government's response. We take a look back at how the Coalition has tackled the crisis since January (sometimes okay but generally pretty bad!), why Sean thinks it's vital we see the modelling the government is relying on, the possibilities of nationalisation, the threat of "disaster capitalism" and how the ALP has responded to this situation. 

Please note that just after minutes we finished recording, the government announced the $130 billion JobKeeper economic package.

My show GRANDILOQUENT has been cancelled at the Brisbane and Melbourne Comedy Festivals: all tickets will be refunded in full 

The show’s season at the Belvoir Theatre in Sydney in June and at the 2020 Edinburgh Fringe Festival are, at this stage, still going ahead 

The live instalment of LIASYO with Andrew Denton at MICF has also been cancelled  

Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you

If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron

@mrseankelly 

Sean's writing for the Nine Fairfax papers

Sean's writing for The Monthly

Sean's writing for The Saturday Paper

ARTICLE: Morrison must give us more detail if we are to trust his judgment by Sean Kelly

ARTICLE: Scott Morrison's efforts at hazard reduction by Sean Kelly

ARTICLE: After the Coronavirus, Australia and the world can never be the same again by Katharine Murphy

ARTICLE: Scott Morrison's COVID-19 two-person rule explained from ABC News

ARTICLE: How each state will be enforcing the coronavirus two-person rule on gatherings from midnight from ABC News

Cause of the Week: The Indigenous Literacy Foundation (indigenousliteracyfoundation.org.au)

 

Mar 24, 2020

Emerald Moon is a Brisbane-based Leftist activist and former candidate for the Australian Greens who's passionate about climate action and renters' rights. Emerald ran for the Greens in the safe Liberal seat of Bowman in 2019 and is currently working on the up-coming Brisbane local and Queensland state election. 

Amid the insanity of COVID-19 (I hope you're all okay!), I ask Emerald about how she arrived at her socialist politics, how the Queensland Greens are making real progress with socialist ideas and policies, the truly cooked housing situation in Australia and how we can have a revolution while also practising social distancing. 

My show GRANDILOQUENT has been cancelled at the Brisbane and Melbourne Comedy Festivals: all tickets will be refunded in full 

The show’s season at the Belvoir Theatre in Sydney in June and at the 2020 Edinburgh Fringe Festival are, at this stage, still going ahead 

The live instalment of LIASYO with Andrew Denton at MICF has also been cancelled  

Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you

If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron

I'm on the latest episode of The Bugle with Andy Zaltzman and Nish Kumar, many LAFFS about the virus 

I was on the latest episode of The Little Dum Dum Club live in Adelaide in front of what is now an illegal-sized crowd  

@emeraldxmoon

The Queensland Greens

classwarxxx.bandcamp.com

ARTICLE: The Politics of the Virus by Mick Armstrong

ARTICLE: Here's a mad thought: let's save the real things like, er, the people by Guy Rundle

ARTICLE: What I like about the Coronavirus by Slavoj Zizek

Cause of the Week: Australian Unemployed Workers Union (unemployedworkersunion.com)

Mar 17, 2020

Welp. Gosh. Here we are, then. I hope you're doing okay. 

Amidst the chaos of the global Coronavirus pandemic, previous LIASYO guest Osman Faruqi joins me (via Skype) to reflect on what the hell is happening. Osman is a journalist is the editor of The 7am Podcast for Schwartz Media and has been tweeting and writing a lot about the unfolding situation. 

Here we discuss the most egregious examples of capital exploiting this crisis and the insane contradictions about this economic system it exposes, the Australian government's shitty response and how much needs to change in our society to make sure this kind of thing can never happen again. 

It was a slightly depressing but very cathartic conversation and I hope it gives you some comfort and ferments your (justifiable) rage towards those in power in these wild times. 

My show GRANDILOQUENT has been cancelled at the Brisbane and Melbourne Comedy Festivals: all tickets will be refunded in full 

The show's season at the Belvoir Theatre in Sydney in June and at the 2020 Edinburgh Fringe Festival are, at this stage, still going ahead 

The live instalment of LIASYO with Andrew Denton at MICF has also been cancelled :( 

Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you

If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron

@oz_f

7ampodcast.com.au

ilostmygig.net.au

ARTICLE: Should I keep my children home from school due to Coronavirus? (ABC) 

ARTICLE: Super-rich jet off to disaster bunkers amid Coronavirus outbreak by Rupert Neate

UNICEF's Coronavirus Appeal

Cause of the Week: Support Act (supportact.org.au)

Mar 10, 2020

Michael West is a Walkley Award-winning independent journalist covering the rising power of corporations over Australian democracy. After years working for both NewsCorp and Fairfax, Michael eventually went out on his own to cover the crimes of the corporate world and how big business get away with dodgy shit and poison our politics.

Here Michael lays out his experiences in and philosophy on journalism (plus some insights into Murdoch empire), the conflicts of interest in the big business of media corporations, the state of tax avoidance and political donations in Australia and how it's very clear that the economic creed of neoliberalism and privatisation has failed.  

I’m doing LIASYO live at the 2020 Melbourne Comedy Festival with special guest ANDREW FREAKING DENTON. Tickets are on sale now!

My show ENOUGH is on now the 2020 Adelaide Fringe, tickets available here

My new show GRANDILOQUENT is coming to the 2020 Brisbane Comedy Festival and the 2020 Melbourne International Comedy Festival

GRANDILOQUENT is coming to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August, it’s on sale now 

Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you

If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron

@michaelwestbiz

Michael's YouTube channel

Michael's writing at The Independent

Dirty Power: Big Coal's Network of Influence over the Coalition government by Michael West and Greenpeace 

ARTICLE: Ranking Australia's billionaires as taxpayers by Michael West 

ARTICLE: Australia's Top 40 Tax Dodgers 2019 

ARTICLE: Liberal party received $4.1m in donations from property tycoon's company by Paul Karp, Christopher Knaus & Nick Evershed

Cause of the Week: Support Michael's site and his journalism (michaelwest.com.au

Mar 4, 2020

Alex Bhatal is a social worker and activist. From 2001 to 2018 she was a six-time Greens candidate for the inner-city seat of Cooper (formerly Batman) but in 2019, Alex quit the party having been subjected to a campaign of abuse and “relentless organisational bullying” for years.

Here Alex lays out for her me her journey into politics, her passion for refugee rights and social work, why the Tampa incident inspired her to join the Greens and her experience of running in the same seat for 17 years. 

I also ask Alex to explain exactly what happened between her and the Darebin branch of the Greens, how bad it got for her and what it tells us about the state of the party today. Alex is extremely frank and honest talking to me about what was clearly a painful time in her life and for that I’m very grateful. 

I’m doing LIASYO live at the 2020 Melbourne Comedy Festival with special guest ANDREW FREAKING DENTON. Tickets are on sale now!

My show ENOUGH is on now the 2020 Adelaide Fringe, tickets available here

My new show GRANDILOQUENT is coming to the 2020 Brisbane Comedy Festival and the 2020 Melbourne International Comedy Festival

GRANDILOQUENT is coming to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August, it’s on sale now 

Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you

If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron

@alexbhathal

alexbhathal.com

ARTICLE: Alex Bhathal and discord in the Greens by Martin McKenzie-Murray

ARTICLE: Batman: How it went wrong for the Greens by Martin McKenzie-Murray

Alex's statement on why she resigned from the Greens

From solidarity.net.au: Alex Bhathal resigns - the latest victim of Greens' drift right

Cause of the Week: Refugee Legal (refugeelegal.org.au)

 

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