thebarricade

On the barricades" — s03e20 #onthebarricades ⚠️ SPECIAL EDITION ⚠️ This is part two of a special edition of our show this month, hosted by Canadian-American journalist and filmmaker Paul Jay, as part of a co-production between "The Analysis" and "The Barricade." See part one here: https://bit.ly/3pR56jX ➡️ https://theanalysis.news/ ➡️ https://thebarricade.online/ In this episode, we discuss the reasons behind the ongoing, rather fearmongering about Russia allegedly preparing to invade Ukraine. The entire story appears to be a hoax concocted by 'anonymous sources' who 'leaked intelligence' to the Washington Post and Politico in early November 2021. While the story received widespread coverage in the international media, there is no evidence that the Russian military made such preparations. The reasons for the creation of this artificial fear are mostly concentrated around the absolute implosion of the Ukrainian economy, which makes the entire country increasingly difficult to manage by its oligarchic directorate; the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and a few other nuances. We also discuss the situation in Eastern Europe briefly.

"On the barricades" — s03e19 #onthebarricades !!!SPECIAL EDITION!!! This is part one of a special edition of our show this month, hosted by Canadian-American journalist and filmmaker Paul Jay, as part of a co-production between "The Analysis" and "The Barricade." ➡ https://theanalysis.news/ ➡ https://thebarricade.online/ In this episode, we discuss and deconstruct the ongoing, rather irrational fearmongering about Russia allegedly preparing to invade Ukraine 🇷🇺 🇺🇦 The entire story appears to be a hoax concocted by 'anonymous sources' who 'leaked intelligence' to the Washington Post in early November 2021. While the story received widespread coverage in the international media, there is no evidence that the Russian military made such preparations. We also examine the historical context of the current conflict in the Donbass, the emergence of the two breakaway republics, and the overarching reasons for the major conflict in which the Kiev authorities have been embroiled with the Russian administration since 2014.

"On the barricades" — s03e18 #onthebarricades The so-called Summit for Democracy, convened by American President Joe Biden, is set to begin in a few days. Before it begins, Pat Byrne, our guest, analyzes the dominant model of 'democracy' based on western concepts. He is a long-time socialist activist, political analyst, and European left historian. Boyan Stanislavski and Pat Byrne deconstruct the dominant notion of democracy and discuss the key actors who prevent democracy from progressing beyond electoral rituals, while regimes formed through general elections frequently fail to provide for the people and leave them disillusioned and frustrated. Is it possible to have a successful democratic government without democratizing the media? What exactly does it mean to be governed democratically? Why do many societies in Europe and around the world accept and even support authoritarian measures? What has Eastern Europe's experience been after more than 30 years of democracy in comparison to the authoritarianism of the People's Republics?

"On the barricades" — s03e17 #onthebarricades We talk with Pat Byrne, a long-time socialist activist, political analyst, and historian of the European left, a week before the President of the United States convenes the Summit for Democracy. Boyan Stanislavski discusses the significance of this event as well as the nature of the current understanding of the concept of democracy with him. Is this summit a sign of the desperation of American imperialism? Is this a genuine mobilization of "democratic forces" or merely intimidation? How will this be perceived by the world's public opinion? Is everyone aware of the obvious hypocrisy in this? What exactly is Washington banking on? That everyone attending the summit will join the US in a war against Russia and China? That appears to be an absurd assumption.

"On the barricades" — s03e16 #onthebarricades We continue our discussion of the West's psychological problem caused by the emancipation of Russian sovereignty and the rise of China in this segment, co-hosted by Youri Smouter. We examine the western approach to our region in light of recent events, as well as the potential for further Russiagate implosion and additional thumbs-up and thumbs-down in November 2021.

"On the barricades" — s03e15 #onthebarricades Here's the latest installment of our monthly thumbs-ups and thumbs-downs. This time, the period is November 2021. This episode is hosted by Youri Smouter, the host of the "1+1" show on YouTube and a long-time friend of the show. We begin with the recent COP summit, which, as predicted, was a colossal failure, and then shift gears to Romania and the further deterioration of its political landscape, as well as the ineptness of its ruling class, which leads to major social implosion and the rise of increasingly pathological, right-wing extremist elements. We're also talking about the limitations of liberal democracy and its inadequacy in many Eastern European countries. And we debate all of this in the context of the global pandemic that has devastated Romania, Bulgaria, and other countries in the region this fall; unfortunately, we are once again compelled to criticize certain sectors of the left for developing rather peculiar explanations for the current situation, which only contributes to the problem's escalation rather than its resolution.

"On the barricades" — s03e14 #onthebarricades The 2021 "Yearbook" of transform!Europe examines capitalism's impact on the global ecosystem and the accompanying economic crisis, as well as the effects on logistics and borders, the structure of work, healthcare systems, European integration, geopolitical power relations, and gender relations — but also the breaches in neoliberal hegemony. Boyan Stanislavski of The Barricade speaks with one of this year's edition's editors, Haris Golemis, a long-time Greek leftist activist and author. "Transform Europe" is a network of 39 European organizations from 23 countries that work in the fields of political education and critical scientific analysis. It is the recognized political foundation corresponding to the European Left Party (EL). This collaborative project of independent non-profit organizations, institutes, foundations, and individuals aims to use its work to promote peace among peoples and the transformation of the current world. Since 2019, the Barricade has been actively supported by "Transform Europe" and regularly collaborates with this organization. 📚 The Yearbook can be purchased in print or as an e-book here — https://bit.ly/3DDC6St

"On the barricades" — s03e13 On November 14th Bulgaria held its third round of parliamentary elections after the first two rounds took place in April and July, and did not result in the forming of a government. For the first time in the history of the country the parliamentary elections coincided with the presidential elections. The incumbent president Rumen Radev a former army general ran against Anastas Gherdzhikov a university professor. Neither candidate was able to receive a majority of the vote so a second round of elections will be held on November 21st. The polls indicate President Radev as the winner. The parliamentary elections seemed more interesting since the results showed the newly formed political party. "We continue the Change” as the first runner up with 25% of the votes. GERB, the party of the former PM Boyko Borissov came second with 22% of the votes. The results for the Bulgarian Socialist Party were a disaster. They came in forth position with a little over 10% of the votes. But is this surprising victory for the newly formed "We Continue the Change” and its leaders. "The Harvard brothers” as they are called, something new, or it is just following the tradition of Bulgarians voting for the most appealing saviors? Are the Harvard educated Kiril Petkov and Asen Vasilev able to bring real change to Bulgaria? And how could we interpret the catastrophic fall of the Bulgarian Socialist Party? How come Bulgaria and other Eastern European countries are so prone to accept the idea that it is the fault of the corrupt Bulgarians, and not that of the system for the civilizational downgrade they experience? Maria Cernat and Boyan Stanislavski invited journalist and activist Georgi Hristov and sociologist and researcher Stefan Georgiev to discuss the results of the Bulgarian parliamentary elections and their complex political and social meaning and implications.

"On the barricades" — s03e12 #onthebarricades To believe that the Polish response to the migrant gathering on the Polish-Belarussian border could be even remotely rational and meaningful, one would have to be completely insane. Let us begin by recognizing that those individuals do not intend to settle in Poland and instead seek to travel to Western Europe. Despite this, Poland is erecting razor wire fences and mobilizing troops, police officers, border guards, and military police to combat what it calls a 'hybrid war' waged on Poland by Belarus' president. 15,000 uniformed and armed men have been dispatched to prevent an estimated 4,000 (some say 5,000 or even more) unarmed and defenseless migrants from crossing the border. The Polish authorities are wreaking havoc on those people, preventing humanitarian aid and medical care from reaching them. Journalism is also outlawed in the border region! Despite the government's prohibition, some journalists try their hardest to produce reports. Rut Kurkiewicz-Grocholska of the Polish portal Strajk.eu is one such journalist, whose report we have published on our website. She joins Maria Cernat and Boyan Stanislavski in a discussion about the situation on the Polish-Belarusian border.

"On the barricades" — s03e11 #onthebarricades The hosts of "On the Barricades," Maria Cernat and Boyan Stanislavski, discuss the situation on the Polish-Belarussian border in this episode, focusing on the Polish authorities' cynical, violent, and downright stupid response to what they refer to as a "hybrid war" waged on Poland by Belarus' president. Along the Belarusian border, the Polish government has deployed around 15,000 soldiers, police officers, military police officers, and border guards. They "defend" Poland with loaded guns and full uniforms against a few thousand completely armless, hungry, and freezing people, many of whom are women and children. This absurdity exists only to score political points with the Polish government's base, or at least the most demoralized segment of it. The entire nationalistic bluster is aimed solely at that goal. And migrants on the Polish-Belarusian border are dying from the cold, a lack of food, and medicine, all so that Catholic nationalists from Law and Justice (Poland's current ruling party) can gain a temporary boost in popularity. Unfortunately, the entire situation reflects the Polish Left's complete ineptness, as well as the major pathology that underpins all of Poland's "public debate" and "political culture."

"On the barricades" — s03e10 #onthebarricades In this episode, Maria Cernat and Boyan Stanislavski will discuss the tragic death of a young Polish woman with a dying fetus who was denied abortion and died of septic shock. The public learned about the case from the lawyer for the deceased woman's family, 30-year-old Izabela from the Polish town of Pszczyna in the south. Yesterday, massive marches were held in over 70 cities and towns across the country under the banner "Not even one more," implying that protesters want the law changed to prevent similar incidents in the future.

This is a special edition of "On the Barricades" produced in collaboration with Paul Jay's TheAnalysis.news ➡️https://theanalysis.news/⬅️ Please visit and subscribe to their YouTube channel 🎦 http://bit.ly/YT_TheAnalysisNEWS ‼️ 🇵🇱🇧🇾🇪🇺 The Polish-Belarussian border became a place of utter terror for thousands of Middle Eastern migrants who were enticed by Belarussian dictatorial leader Lukashenko with the prospect of easy access to the European Union. The Polish border guard retaliated in the most ruthless way possible, hunting them down in the woods, rounding them up in military trucks, and evicting them across the border. In the worst-case scenario, rubber bullets are fired at those attempting to cross the border while border police are present. There have been disturbing reports of women giving birth in the woods, children spitting blood being denied medical attention, and rumors of silent orders to bury dead bodies on the spot without reporting them. Activist groups that try to assist migrants by delivering blankets, sleeping bags, food, and water face a lot of danger. On the Polish side, the strip of land is under emergency law, and any such actions are strictly prohibited. The impression is one of a war raging in the towns and villages in that area. Every corner is guarded by masked uniformed soldiers wielding machine guns. Helicopters and drones are constantly in the air. On the main roads, massive columns of military and police vehicles can be seen. The humanitarian situation is deteriorating. While the EU backs the Polish authorities' harsh retaliation, it finds itself in an odd conflict with the Polish government in Warsaw, accusing it, along with the so-called democratic opposition in Poland, of attempting to disintegrate the European Union and stage a Polexit. Of course, it's complete nonsense. In this special episode produced in collaboration with The Analysis, Maria Cernat (Romania) and Boyan Stanislavski (Bulgaria) of "The Barricade" and Malgorzata Kulbaczewska-Figat (Poland) of "STRAJK" discuss these topics.

"On the barricades" — s03e08 Facebook was recently engulfed in a major scandal related to the release of internal documents proving things we already knew: the algorithm makes highly emotional content go viral, it pays no attention to combating human trafficking, it is extremely detrimental for children and teenagers, and finally, the profit is the only thing that matters! But this is not new nor specific for social media. So, what is indeed special about the latest revelations? We invited again to our show Patricia Gorky, member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, IT specialist, activist, and commentator to help us understand what is special about the latest revelations related to the informational capitalistic monopoly that is Facebook. Is there hope beyond this sensational controversy to see the IT workers unite and protest against the very companies they work in? Is there hope for a future where social media platforms are not censored, but made transparent and accountable, where information becomes a public service and not a commodity to be exploited by billionaires?

"On the barricades" — s03e07 #onthebarricades Technodeterminism is a very simplistic perspective that tells us how technological progress will automatically lead to social progress. While simplistic, it is a very suborn idea that is capturing the public’s imagination. In this edition of our show, we invited Patricia Gorky. She's originally from Eastern Europe, now living in the US. She's a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, IT specialist, activist, and commentator, to join us in a discussion about the (mis)uses of technology. Technology, especially IT, is mainly used by the US military to take down targets all over the world and to automate the war to an extent where moral responsibility for crimes or torture will be very hard to establish. The use of AI by the military proves to be of major importance, especially for Eastern Europe, where the US wanted to set up NATO bases in its quest for regional and international dominance. How many of the current dangerous jobs that Eastern European soldiers usually do will be automated? Why is it that AI suddenly became so important in the fight for world domination? More importantly, how do we get out of this logic of domination and control through militarization?

"On the barricades" — s03e05 Welcome back to Season 3 of our show "On the Barricades!" Youri Smouter, the Euro-Afro-American leftist and youtuber at "1+1," is hosting it today. After the summer break, Youri will relaunch the thumbs-up and thumbs-down series with Maria Cernat and Boyan Stanislavski. Today, we'll talk about Canada and Justin Trudeau's other term, as well as the implications for Canadians and, of course, Eastern Europe. We'll also be asking questions about the Left's political and organizational situation in Canada and our region, and we hope to provide our listeners and viewers with a plethora of interesting conclusions and points for further discussion.

"On the barricades" — s03e06 #onthebarricades As the fourth wave of the global pandemic hits Eastern Europe, the failure of Romanian statehood becomes more apparent. While the police, military, and intelligence services are flush with cash, hospitals are in disrepair. Recently, two major medical facilities burned down as a result of no one taking care of the electrical grid, which had never been repaired or renovated in the previous 30 years. Those hospitals were, of course, all built before 1989, but they are still considered part of Romania's "sad communist legacy" (sic!). On top of that, those hospitals are completely overcrowded as a result of a massive anti-vaccination campaign in Romania led by right-wing lunatics and the Romanian Orthodox Church. Patients are now being transported to Hungary for treatment. Not only that, but it's all taking place in the midst of a major political crisis. The state is in utter disarray. See Maria Cernat's intervention for more information and a competent commentary! Boyan Stanislavski describes the situation in Poland, or more specifically, on the Polish-Belarusian border. The Polish government is clearly involved in criminal activity. Many people have died as a result of the actions of the Polish police, border guards, and military, and many more are suffering incredible hardships as a result of the emergency state declared along that border over a month ago. No journalists are permitted to do their jobs, but many do. It's only because of them that we know anything about what's going on there. Unfortunately, the Left's behavior in this situation is also very ignorant, as it does not appear to want to challenge the government politically, but instead creates a moral outrage. While the Polish government's actions are morally repugnant, the public sees them as "border protection" rather than an act of war on a few hundreds or thousands of people who will all die like flies from the cold weather, a lack of food, or medicine. This, however, is of no concern to the West, which is to blame for the crisis. The Western establishment, along with the so-called "democratic opposition" in Poland, are hallucinating about Poland leaving the EU. Boyan Stanislavski's intervention provides all of this and more. This episode is part of our monthly "On the barricades" thumbs-up and thumbs-down series. Youri Smouter, a Euro-Afro-American Marxist and "1+1" youtuber, hosts it.

"On the barricades" — s03e04 This time, The Barricade's hosts sat down with David Schwartz, a Romanian theater director and, in some ways, political activist. His art is meant to motivate people to take political action and to instill hope that a better world is possible. Furthermore, his works demonstrate that unity on the Left is very much possible and that the type of approach to the general public that does not look down on the plebs works. David Schwartz's project is one of the few long-lasting ones on the Romanian Left, and its history speaks volumes about the situation of the Left in Eastern Europe as a whole.

"On the barricades" — s03e03 This time, The Barricade's hosts sat down with David Schwartz, a Romanian theater director and, in some ways, political activist. His art is meant to motivate people to take political action and to instill hope that a better world is possible. Furthermore, his works demonstrate that unity on the Left is very much possible and that the type of approach to the general public that does not look down on the plebs works. David Schwartz's project is one of the few long-lasting ones on the Romanian Left, and its history speaks volumes about the situation of the Left in Eastern Europe as a whole.

"On the barricades" — s03e02 The third season has begun! This is the first episode of The Barricade's flagship show, featuring Maria Cernat and Boyan Stanislavski, in its third season. We'd like to offer some strictly ideological and strategical deliberations in addition to our usual commentary on the most important events taking place in our region and around the world. Maria Cernat explains the nuances of feminism today, as well as the origins of the misunderstandings about the subject that have proven particularly toxic for the Left.

"On the barricades" — s03e01 The third season has begun! This is the first episode of The Barricade's flagship show, featuring Maria Cernat and Boyan Stanislavski, in its third season. We'd like to offer some strictly ideological and strategical deliberations in addition to our usual commentary on the most important events taking place in our region and around the world. Maria Cernat explains the nuances of feminism today, as well as the origins of the misunderstandings about the subject that have proven particularly toxic for the Left.

"On the barricades" — s02e57 #onthebarricades #otb #EasternEurope #Bulgaria #Borissov #corruption #Balkans #mafia #theft #EuropeanUnion #US #democracy #humanrights Bulgaria's transition from state-controlled socialism to capitalism and 'democracy' began as a ridicule of democracy and later devolved into a mockery of dictatorship. The latter were the nearly 15 years of Boyko Borissov's absolutist rule, a former personal guard and karate champion with a stellar criminal record. His regime could only exist because of the total support of Berlin and Washington, where the former helped him form a party and become a political figure known as "the face of Europe in Bulgaria," while the latter gave him orders on what policies he should introduce and carry out. After 30 years of civilizational decline, unprecedented in Bulgarian history, the world is looking at Bulgaria, and public opinion is scratching its head, wondering what went wrong that three rounds of parliamentary elections must be held this year. 'Political crisis,' as the phrase goes, is supposed to explain everything. It, of course, does not. It's a crisis, to be sure, but it's one that's been brewing for a generation. It's not a new phenomenon, and it's hardly a political one. It's more a matter of issues with theft administration. The Bulgarian oligarchic cliques have less and less to share in terms of resources and territories. For the last three decades, they have stolen everything produced by the People's Republic, as well as the much-touted 'European funds,' which have effectively become their pocket money. But even that money is becoming increasingly scarce. As a result, some reorganization is required, and the Americans would prefer to see a new and more appealing viceroy than Borissov, who has been plagued by corruption scandals. Then it's a perfect storm. However, reaching an agreement is difficult. The oligarchy formed three new parties, but they are unable to come to an arrangement. As a result, the third elections will be held in mid-November. Is there any ray of hope? Will this straitjacket ever be undone, and will Bulgarian society be liberated from this decaying machine of destruction?

"On the barricades" — s02e57 Is Russia any different now that the recent parliamentary election has passed? It doesn't appear to be. The growing popularity of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, on the other hand, deserves the attention of leftists all over the world, particularly those in Eastern Europe. There are reasons to believe that the elections in question were partially rigged in favor of the CPRF. Is it possible that this is the case? And, if so, what does it mean for the Russian and global Left? Will the Russian communists be the new force that effectively challenges Putin's stale rule model and achieves a breakthrough? This and much more can be found in our conversation with Ilya Budraitskis, a Russian historian and socialist activist who also happens to be a YouTuber — Ilya Budraitskis.

"On the barricades" — s02e56 Explaining Romanian politics to an international audience is not an easy task. Caught in an ever-lasting “transition”, Romania experiences original forms of democracy. Or, perhaps the periphery just makes our political experiences, in contrast to the ones in the West, harder to cover in PR. September 2021 will be remembered in Romanian politics as the month when, just as the fourth wave of the pandemic was beginning, Florin Câțu, the Prime Minister, decided that one crisis was not enough and basically threw the country into political chaos. He did so by firing the Minister of Justice who was the nominee of Union Save Romania, the party that partnered with Câțu’s party, The National Liberal Party, to form a governing alliance. In this episode of our show, Maria Cernat explains to Boyan Stanislavski the hidden reasons why Florin Câțu decided to start this political crisis and why the pandemic offers him an unexpected advantage since this exceptional situation makes it easier for the executive to circumvent parliament and other forms of democratic control.

"On the barricades" — s02e55 You have most likely not heard about the humanitarian crisis on the borders of Belarus and Poland, as well as Belarus and Lithuania and Latvia. This is because, as soon as the news went viral, the Polish government declared a state of emergency along the border between the two countries, and the entire area was immediately cleared of all journalists and activists. This is what emergency laws permit. The migrants are trapped on a small sliver of no man's land between Poland and Belarus, with border guards and the military preventing them from crossing. Before the state of emergency was declared, activists and politicians were physically prevented from assisting them with water, food, and blankets. The Polish government's policy is to starve those people or let them die of hypothermia. And it began to happen. At least five people have died in the last few days. Warsaw rushed to accuse Lukashenko of waging a hybrid war against Poland and the EU. There is little doubt that the Belarussian authorities are behind this, but no one is asking why they would do so or why this hybrid war is taking place. Additionally, you'll learn about a pretty famous or rather infamous birthday party of a well-known Polish journalist that was leaked to the press. It's quite amazing what happened there.

"On the barricades" — s02e53 Following a massive protest in the Polish capital on Saturday, healthcare workers established a 'white town,' essentially a tent city, next to the prime minister's office, with an initial stay of a week. 'White Town 2.0,' as the organizers refer to it, has been built in downtown Warsaw, near the prime minister's office, with a section of the street fenced off with barriers. Supposedly erected in connection with German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Poland at the time. This, of course, beggars logic. On Saturday last week, medics in Poland marched through the streets of Warsaw, demanding higher wages and better working conditions as the country facec a fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Tens of thousands of health workers from across the country marched in the previous week's demonstration. The protesters, many of whom were dressed in white uniforms, carried banners with slogans such as "We live short lives because we work hard," "The pandemic of nurse and midwife shortages has lasted for years," and "We demand decent wages." The 'white town' was pre-announced and is a legal gathering. One of the three white tents that had been set up would be used for press conferences. Another will host a foundation that will conduct activities such as collecting money for sick children. The third tent will be used for workshops. The atmosphere does not appear to be that of an angry working-class protest; rather, it appears to be festive. "There is a psychiatry day, a surgery day, an oncology day - they are important subjects, often the most neglected in health care," the Resident Doctor's Association's Piotr Pisula told Polish media. Experts will address one of the fields in the 'white town' each day. There will also be free tests, such as blood pressure and glycemia checks. A schedule of events has been posted on social media for the next week, up until yesterday. However, protesters have stated that if their demands are not met, the 'town' may continue to operate for a longer period of time. And this is the case. To discuss this and other topics, "The Barricade" sat down with Malgorzata Kulbaczewska-Figat, one of the editors of the Polish leftist portal Strajk.eu and a scholar specializing in Eastern European political and cultural issues.