The Exciting Ideas of Antonio Gramsci: the Labour Left Podcast

A century ago this month, Antonio Gramsci was imprisoned in Mussolini’s Fascist Italy. On the latest Labour Left Podcast. Bryn Griffiths argues that Gramsci’s ideas are more relevant today than ever before.

In the latest Labour Left Podcast, Bryn Griffiths shares a talk which was first given to North Essex Transformed, a local World Transformed group. The podcast gives a basic introduction to the ideas of Gramsci; explains why his ideas are still so important to us all today; and ends by exploring how his ideas can be applied to our political activity today.

The Gramsci talk on the current Labour Left Podcast was first given at North Essex Transformed.  This picture is their first Songs of Resistance Event back in 2023. Photo: Bryn Griffiths.

Bryn, as the Labour Left Podcast host,  has become more and more fascinated with Gramsci as he has discussed the writer’s ideas with the guests on the Labour Left Podcast.  Most notably he discussed the application by Stuart Hall of Gramsci’s ideas to Thatcherism with Jeremy Gilbert, a Professor of Cultural and Political Theory at the University of East London; the use of Gramsci in his book The Starmer Symptom in the interview with Mark Perryman; John McDonnell MP’s use of his ideas when he was “in and against the state” at the Greater London Council; and, most recently, the impact of Gramsci’s ideas on David Renton’s writings on fascism and the extreme right. During these discussions, he has become more and more convinced that we must learn a lot from Gramsci if we are going to reignite socialist politics in Britain.

Gramsci’s ideas were always practical and designed to be tools to allow us all, as organic intellectuals, to wage class struggle. So, to bring Gramsci to life the Labour Left Podcast shares how his ideas are being used to practical effect in Colchester and beyond.

You can watch the podcast on YouTube, Apple Podcasts here, Audible here, Substack here and listen to it on Spotify here.  You can even ask Alexa to play the Labour Left Podcast. If your favourite podcast site isn’t listed – just search for the Labour Left Podcast and it should be there.

Bryn Griffiths is an activist in Colchester Labour Party and North Essex World Transformed. He is the Vice-Chair of Momentum and sits on the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy’s Executive. Bryn hosts Labour Hub’s spin off – the Labour Left Podcast.  You can find all the episodes of the podcast here. You can also link to all Bryn’s social media here https://linktr.ee/brynhgriffiths