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Socially Democratic is your weekly centre-left politics and campaign podcast hosted by Stephen Donnelly, founder of Dunn Street - a campaign agency bringing change by organising from the ground up. Each Friday, Stephen and guests breakdown the issues shaping Australia and the rest of the world and the social democrats leading them. Follow on Instagram at @dunn.street Facebook at @dunnstreetaustralia Twitter at @Dunn_Street_LinkedIn at Dunn Street Website at dunnstreet.com.au
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This week, Lissie Ratcliff and Todd Pinkerton are back to answer more questions from Patreon. If you’re not a Patreon member, not to worry - this episode is for everyone. In this conversation: ❓With flagging party membership across both the Liberals and the ALP, we ask: do these numbers really matter? 🤔What are the greatest threats and opportunities for the Victorian Labor Party in the 2026 State Election? 👉Victorian Liberals rolled their leader Brad Batten and elected Jess Wilson. Does...
"You wouldn't know the half of it." 🍔 What happens when McDonald's - a corporate behemoth so vast, so rich, so omnipresent that its logo is synonymous with globalisation and capitalism - is asked to compensate hourly workers for unpaid wages? It screams. That's where the SDA (Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association) - the union for fast food workers steps in. For years, they have been pursuing dozens of lawsuits against the fast food titan for a number of abuses, inclu...
⚡ Don't miss your chance to watch 'How to Capture a Prime Minister' online - Nov 11th only at howtocaptureapm.com⚡ ⌛ 11 November 2025, is the 50th anniversary of Governor-General Sir John Kerr's historic dismissal of Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. 👑 This remains the only time in Australian history that a democratically elected Prime Minister was dismissed by a representative of the Crown - sparking wild unrest across the nation but the eventual election of the Fraser Liberal gover...
Happy Halloween! 🎃🎃🎃 Stephen, Jessie, and David gather around the campfire to discuss the spookiest stories of the month, including: 🤝Albanese’s meeting with Trump and the run-in with Rudd. 🗽Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral run in New York City. 📵Anika Wells’s response to Optus outage. And more! Listen if you dare. 👻 Support the show New episodes every Friday. If you like the show, rate and review us on your favourite podcast app. Follow Us on Socials: Facebook (https://tr.ee/9jGIOy) I...
In this special overseas episode, Stephen Donnelly sits down with Harvard Senior Lecturer and veteran organiser Marshall Ganz to discuss his legendary work, and his thoughts on how we build power in the current environment. You can also watch the interview on Youtube. Mentioned in the episode: People, Power, Change by Marshall Ganz #MarshallGanz #organizing #USA #politics #peoplepowerchange #leadership #action Support the show New episodes every Friday. If you like the show, rate and...
👉 Todd Pinkerton, Director for Campaigns and Strategy at Unions New South Wales, and 👉 Lissie Ratcliff, former Chief of Staff to Daniel Andrews and managing partner at FMRS Advisory - join Stephen Donnelly to answer all your burning questions - and there were plenty. They cover: 🌀 The complex and evolving relationship between government ministers and the public servants who advise them. 🔎 The leadership of NSW Premier Chris Minns. Is he too harsh on unions and young people? ✍️ How did the...
In this episode of Socially Democratic, Stephen Donnelly sits down with Chris Hipkins, the 41st Prime Minister of New Zealand, to talk about his journey from the Hutt Valley to the halls of power. They dive into the highs and lows of leadership, lessons learned from nine years in opposition, and the challenges of rebuilding the Labour Party after a tough election loss. Chris also shares his thoughts on the complexities of tax reform, the need for bold leadership to address New Zealand’s nar...
Did the Socially Democratic hiatus week leave you feeling politically deprived? Not to worry. Stephen, Jessie, and David are back with a full episode covering all the major (and some minor) stories in politics for the month of September. Here’s what’s on the agenda: Albanese’s upcoming visit with Trump. What will it look like, and what is the aim, exactly?Jacinta Allan’s visit to China. Talking tunnels and making friends.Are the Greens returning to form? Greens Leader Larissa Waters has...
On August 31st, March for Australia spilled across the streets and into the headlines. But who organised it? And if not the neo-Nazis of Australia’s far-right National Socialist Network (NSN), then why did their notorious leader Thomas Sewell take the main stage in Melbourne? Victorian State Correspondent Benita Kolovos sits down with Stephen to explore: 📣 the complexities behind the rally’s messaging, 🔍 myths and lies about immigration, ❌ and the attack on Camp Sovereign. ...
When Sarah Witty de-throned Adam Bandt as the Member for Melbourne, it came as a surprise to many - none more than Adam Bandt. “He wouldn’t have been surprised if he was out talking to people like I was,” said Sarah. “There was a definite swing.” The newly-minted Melbourne MP joins Socially Democratic to talk about the core values that guided her - even when she didn’t know what she wanted to be when she grew up. She shares her journey through corporate life, foster parenting, the commu...
💰In June, Keir Starmer’s Labour government proposed significant cuts to disability benefits for the UK's most vulnerable citizens. 🟢 With his party holding a clear majority in Parliament, there should have been no issue getting it done. 💥 But in a surprise move, 126 Labour backbenchers rebelled - refusing to vote for the cuts, which had no basis in any real vision beyond saving money, or a bald “cash grab” as Starmer’s detractors put it. ☝️ This was just one of many high pro...
Welcome back to Socially Democratic! This week, we’ve got planes, trains, and ornery Teals. The Transport Workers’ Union wins a landmark case against Qantas. Where to from here? The Economic Reform Roundtable took place in Canberra last week. Journalists tried to spice it up with a Chalmers vs. Albo angle, but we think construction codes are more exciting! The Albanese Government moves to recognise the State of Palestine. Where do the Australian people stand? This, plus Jessie’s comms breakdo...
🤔 How much do you really know about Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan ? She joins us in the Socially Democratic office for a special episode with Stephen Donnelly. 📺 You can also watch the full interview on Youtube: https://youtu.be/gm-AP9OcHUw While “some” people have their knickers in a twist over her government’s Work From Home announcement, and the Suburban Rail Loop remains hotly contested, at least by one newspaper - 🔥Jacinta Allan is un-phased by the critics. She takes us thr...
Dive into the latest episode of Socially Democratic as Stephen Donnelly and Chicago-based Democratic strategist Katie Parsons unpack the whirlwind first six months of the Trump administration. From record-breaking executive orders to controversial immigration policies, the duo explores the political landscape, the Democrats' response, and what’s next for the American left. Support the show New episodes every Friday. If you like the show, rate and review us on your favourite podca...
📣Attention all shoppers - the Mailbag Episode is here! 📫 Our listeners have thoughts. Lots of thoughts. They wanted to hear more about: 🖊️Labor’s agenda. Will it be bold this term? Is now the time to act on tax reform? ♟️Without support of the crossbenches, how long with the Rockliff Tasmanian government last? 📹FriendlyJordies - why is he supposedly persona non grata with many in the Labor Party? 🇬🇧With cross-cultural tensions supposedly at a breaking point, is UK Labour on thin ice? 🧐And m...
Federal Labor Minister Chris Bowen wants Australia to be on the frontlines of the fight against climate change. And he’s in a hurry. Stephen Donnelly sits down with him for a fact-packed half-hour to discuss Australia’s most urgent energy challenges. They cover: 🇦🇺 COP31: Why he’s pushing to bring the world’s largest climate summit to Australia. 🎯 Labor’s bold target of 82% renewables by 2030. 🌳 Advice for climate activists when working with the government. 🔥 Australia’s dom...
It’s the end of the month and Feeney Files with Jessie McCrone is back. We’ve got a lot to cover this month, including: ✈️ Albanese's trip to China. Did he bring enough treats back for all of us? 🟢 The Greens Party’s internal fracas. What hill are they prepared to die on and why are they so bad at dissent? 🚄 The Age’s single-handed crusade against the Suburban Rail Loop. Why so mad? 🗳️ The Tasmanian election results. In keeping with the theme, Jessie and David just can’t agree on the be...
“If not us, then who? And the answer is no one. So you kind of find the other gear that you didn't know you had and you just keep going no matter how hard it gets.” This week, Stephen Donnelly sat down for an exclusive with Lissie Ratcliff, former Chief of Staff to Daniel Andrews, for her first-ever public interview. With 14 years of experience in Labor government and opposition, Lissie shares her candid reflections on political strategy and communication, crisis management, and what it...
Meet the man challenging the Libs for the leadership of Tasmania: Dean Winter. It’s been only 15 months since Jeremy Rockliff was re-elected the Premier of Tasmania, but last month a nail-biting, nearly-tied no-confidence vote in the government threw the state into political uncertainty. Opposition Leader Dean Winter was behind that motion. Now Tasmanians are returning to the polls on Saturday 19 July. This week he speaks to us about why he did it, how the Liberals have bungled the budg...
On May 8, 2025, Vatican reporter Colleen Dulle was in Rome, covering the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor. Her days were long, spent trawling through international coverage, meeting with sources inside the Vatican and other journalists, as well as attending daily Vatican press conferences. But once the conclave began, the flow of information screeched to a halt. Millions of eyes watched their only source: the chimney on the Sistine Chapel. In this stillness,...
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