Radio Reversal is a show that subjects aspects of everyday life to historico-political, theoretical, cheeky, irreverent, high brow, low brow, eye brow, warm-hearted analysis. Our aim is to see the world more clearly, think about what we'd like it to become, and how we can make that happen. We think that discussing these sorts of ideas is one way to lessen the alienation that affects many of us trying to make sense of a world that so often makes no sense of us. We also play loads of awesome music (sometimes thematic!) with great enthusiasm for requests and an emphasis on supporting local artists. It's fun!
Email us! radio.reversal(at)gmail.com. Find our podcasts on Substack.
Over the past few months, we’ve been talking more about fascism as a political mood and public feeling, trying to understand contemporary expressions of facism and fascist organisations, how they’re normalised, how they’re organised, how they’re fed, how they interact with structures of settler colonialism.
I confess I hadn’t really thought much about the impact of laws like the ‘Combatting Antisemitism, Hate & Extremism’ on far right and fascist movements - when I saw the NSN had disbanded ahead of these laws coming in, my thinking went about as far as, "haha get wrecked". But there is, of course, more to it than that, and to help us think through this, this morning we are delighted to be bringing you an interview with Tom Tanuki, conducted by Alice from Thursday Brekky, a show on community radio station 3CR Radical Radio down in Naarm.
Tom Tanuki is a writer, satirist and anti-fascist activist, and does the deeply unpleasant but critically important work of keeping watch on the far right and neo-Nazis here in so-called australia - what these movements are like here, what feeds them, how they operate, and how we can intervene - as leftists and antifascists - to prevent and to address far-right radicalisation. If you don’t already, follow Tom’s work on YouTube or Facebook and on the Independent Australia journal/website.
In this interview, Tom and Alice discuss the recent legislative moves, across multiple levels of government, that represent restrictions on pro-Palestinian political speech. They also reflect on the disbanding of Nazi organisation the National Socialist Network, which occurred right before the Fed Gov ‘Combatting Antisemitism, hate & extremism’ bill became law. They reflect on how these laws ultimately fail to meaningfully intervene in curtailing far-right recruitment and mobilisation, fail to deradicalise these people, and may in fact be dangerous.
Huge thanks to our mates at 3CR Thursday Brekky for letting us re-broadcast this interview, we’re very grateful! If you don’t already, follow 3CR and Thursday Brekky on socials, they do a lot of great interviews and a lot of excellent coverage of current affairs.
And of course - lots of new and local music here on
4ZZZ, as always.