World Socialist Radio

In this episode, we talk about Paul Lafargue's classic pamphlet 'The Right To Be Lazy'. Is work the highest virtue? Would a society without work be possible or desirable? How much of what Lafargue wrote in the late 19th century is still relevant today?World Socialist Radio is the official podcast of The Socialist Party of Great Britain. We have one single aim: the establishment of a society in which all productive resources – land, water, factories, transport, etc. – are taken into common ownership, and in which the sole motive for production is the fulfilment of human needs and wants.To read more news, views, and analysis please visit: worldsocialism.org/spgbor, for a free three-issue subscription to The Socialist Standard: spgb.net/podcastFeaturing music: 'Jungle Frequency With Heavy Tribal Percussion' by Alex Morgan. Source: Free Music Archive, licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0

What haunts capitalism? What monsters lurk beneath the surface of respectable society? In this episode of World Socialist Radio, we explore the dark imagination of socialist literature, where Gothic shadows, grotesque figures and tales of horror expose the brutal realities of class society. From the spectres that haunt the social order to the everyday terrors of exploitation and alienation, we examine how socialist writers have used the language of horror to reveal a world more disturbing than fiction.World Socialist Radio is the official podcast of The Socialist Party of Great Britain. We have one single aim: the establishment of a society in which all productive resources – land, water, factories, transport, etc. – are taken into common ownership, and in which the sole motive for production is the fulfilment of human needs and wants.To read more news, views, and analysis please visit: worldsocialism.org/spgbor, for a free three-issue subscription to The Socialist Standard: spgb.net/podcastFeaturing music: 'Silver Shamrock' by Partee Citee. Source: Free Music Archive, licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0

World Socialist Radio will return in autumn 2026 with a new series of live discussions with new releases every two weeks.In the meantime, we present a discussion of the article "Helicopters over Helvellyn" from the July 2026 edition of the Socialist Standard.In this episode, we discuss some everyday examples of voluntary cooperation and trust that demonstrate that human beings are naturally capable of working together without financial incentives.World Socialist Radio is the official podcast of The Socialist Party of Great Britain. We have one single aim: the establishment of a society in which all productive resources – land, water, factories, transport, etc. – are taken into common ownership, and in which the sole motive for production is the fulfilment of human needs and wants.To read more news, views, and analysis please visit: worldsocialism.org/spgbor, for a free three-issue subscription to The Socialist Standard: spgb.net/podcastFeaturing music: ‘Pushing P (Instrumental)’ by Tiga Maine x Deejay Boe. Source: Free Music Archive, licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0

Recent online claims portraying the Fabian Society as a secretive conspiracy are greatly exaggerated. These accusations gained traction after a judge connected to the society ruled against the UK government in a high-profile case, leading some commentators to suggest that Fabians had infiltrated key institutions. The society is neither secret nor hidden: it openly describes itself as a socialist membership organisation and think tank, founded in 1884, which seeks social change through gradual reform rather than revolutionary action. The society’s name comes from the Roman general Fabius Maximus, whose strategy of wearing down opponents inspired the Fabian belief in incremental political change.The Fabian approach has a fundamental weakness: it focuses on influencing elites and institutions rather than building conscious mass support for socialism. This article rejects both right-wing conspiracy theories about the Fabians and the Fabian strategy itself, concluding that socialism can only be achieved through the active self-organisation and democratic action of the working class, not through gradual reforms imposed from above.Taken from the June 2026 edition of The Socialist Standard.World Socialist Radio is the official podcast of The Socialist Party of Great Britain. We have one single aim: the establishment of a society in which all productive resources – land, water, factories, transport, etc. – are taken into common ownership, and in which the sole motive for production is the fulfilment of human needs and wants.To read more news, views, and analysis please visit: worldsocialism.org/spgbor, for a free three-issue subscription to The Socialist Standard: spgb.net/podcastFeaturing music: ‘Pushing P (Instrumental)’ by Tiga Maine x Deejay Boe. Source: Free Music Archive, licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0

The episode argues that recent developments in artificial intelligence reveal how autonomous AI systems can behave in unexpected and potentially dangerous ways. Using examples such as AI agents tasked with buying paperclips, running online businesses, or handling confidential information, the author describes how these systems often pursue their goals with relentless persistence while disregarding wider consequences. Experiments cited show AI agents breaking rules, leaking sensitive information, engaging in destructive behaviour in simulated environments, and even choosing extreme actions such as nuclear strikes in military simulations. As AI becomes more capable and autonomous, concerns about its reliability and safety become increasingly serious.AI companies, including those that began with ethical or research-driven ambitions, are pushed by competition, military contracts and investor pressure toward profit-making and strategic advantage. Governments and corporations are prioritising commercial and geopolitical competition over safety, even as researchers warn about risks such as infrastructure failures, cyberattacks and the misuse of powerful AI tools. From a socialist perspective, the deeper problem is the capitalist profit motive, which drives AI down “dark paths”; a society organised around human needs rather than profit would provide a safer framework for developing and using AI.Taken from the June 2026 edition of The Socialist Standard.World Socialist Radio is the official podcast of The Socialist Party of Great Britain. We have one single aim: the establishment of a society in which all productive resources – land, water, factories, transport, etc. – are taken into common ownership, and in which the sole motive for production is the fulfilment of human needs and wants.To read more news, views, and analysis please visit: worldsocialism.org/spgbor, for a free three-issue subscription to The Socialist Standard: spgb.net/podcastFeaturing music: ‘Pushing P (Instrumental)’ by Tiga Maine x Deejay Boe. Source: Free Music Archive, licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0