In this second episode of our fascism series, Cameron and Ray trace the roots of fascism from the French Revolution through the 19th century and into the early 20th century. They explore how nationalism, the Enlightenment and Counter-Enlightenment, industrial upheaval, social Darwinism, Nietzsche’s philosophy, Bismarck’s realpolitik, futurism, and mass psychology all fed into the eventual rise of fascism. Along the way, they compare past anxieties about modernity with today’s fears of AI and technology, dig into the religious devotion of MAGA Trumpism, and unpack the Italian Fascist Manifesto of 1919. By the end, the groundwork is set for how Mussolini and others fused these cultural, philosophical, and political threads into a movement that would reshape the 20th century.

In this fiery and no-holds-barred episode, Cam and Ray dive into the geopolitics of U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, calling out the hypocrisy and propagandistic media coverage that frames these attacks as “preemptive” rather than “unprovoked” — a word the media reserved exclusively for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They draw sharp historical parallels, from the 1953 CIA-led coup in Iran to the weaponised narrative-building of Western governments and media. The episode also takes a tour through Iran’s actual military record (spoiler: mostly defensive or retaliatory), the ever-reliable military-industrial complex, and Trump’s sudden missile diplomacy. Plus, there’s a heartfelt tribute to Michael Madsen, a scathing takedown of media groupthink, and a sobering reminder that the real winners of war are the profiteers. As always, it’s a punchy mix of gallows humour, truth bombs, and righteous exasperation.

Cameron and Ray crack open the popcorn for a free-wheeling hour on the sudden Musk-Trump bromance breakup and the “one big beautiful bill” (HR 1).  They riff on Roman triumvirates, oligarch knife-fights, and the sneaky Section 70302 that could neuter America’s courts overnight.  Along the way they detour through the Byrd Rule, unleash dystopian what-ifs about AI, and ask whether the U.S. can out-collapse ancient Rome for speed.  It’s equal parts history lesson, constitutional autopsy, and late-night pub rant—served with extra swearing and zero deference. 

As I've been saying for years - Trump isn't the problem. He's just a symptom of the problem. The actual problem is stupid people. And they are justifiably angry. But to think billionaires are going to solve the problem is just stupid. It's billionaires and the politicians they control that got the U.S. into this situation in the first place.
Welcome to late stage capitalism.

The media coverage, and Western government commentary, of Israel's pager and walkie-talkie attacks in Lebanon have studiously avoided the use of the word "terrorism", even though that's what all of the world's human rights organisations are calling it and what we all know the media and governments would be calling if it any other single country did it. Today on the show we break down why.

In this episode of 'The Bullshit Filter,' we discuss the US's selective adherence to international laws, the complex US-Saudi relationship, and evolving power dynamics involving China. Discussions include potential ICC arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, the US's opposition to ICC jurisdiction over Israel, and the historical context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Additionally, the conversation explores US energy policy, Chinese and Russian competition, Boris Johnson's alleged role in derailing a Russia-Ukraine peace deal, and China's dominance in green technology markets. The episode concludes with a speculative look at the upcoming US presidential election, highlighting the strategic interests and long-term consequences of these geopolitical maneuvers.

The controversies and hypocrisies clouding the US's dance with TikTok and its awkward stance at the UN over Palestine, the US's veto power against Palestine's UN bid and the complex support web for Israel, parallel discussions tear into Australia's online safety efforts and the biased battleground of global news.

Today we delve into the ACTUAL reasons behind the US attempts to ban / force a sale of TikTok. And we also look at some newspaper headlines and break them apart.

My guest co-host today is Tony Kynaston from the QAV Investing Podcast. We're talking about the Tucker Carlson interview with Putin and breaking down the lies, distortions and misinformation ABOUT the interview that we're reading in the mainstream media, and asking why there is a need to distort Putin's words in the West.

This episode we're looking at South Africa's case against Israel in the World Court, accusing them of committing genocide in Gaza, the reasons for the cross-border tensions between Pakistan and Iran in Baluchistan, and why the Houthi are attacking ships in the Red Sea.

My old friend and colleague J. David Markham joined me today to talk about Russia and Ukraine. We planned to get to other topics, but ran out of time. Although we agree on most things related to Napoleon, David and I disagree on nearly everything else related to geopolitics, so this was a fun episode.

On this episode, we're fact checking the claims that Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and earlier annexation of Crimea, are all about getting their hands on Ukraine's gas and oil reserves. We also talk about how to use ChatGPT to de-bias a news article, "The Blob", Chris Hedges' analysis of "the pimps of war", and Alessandro Gagaridis' analysis of Prigozhin’s Mutiny.

This month we are looking into the following stories:

Economic coercion is BAD if it comes from China, but great if it comes from the USA (AFR)
John Mearsheimer can't see any room for peace talks in Ukraine as all sides see it as an existential threat (Youtube)
The Russian economy continues to flout Western expectations (The Guardian)
US Continues Dangerous Escalations in Ukraine, Sprinting Toward Catastrophe (Glenn Greenwald) 
Obama’s views on Ukraine in 2016 (The Atlantic)
Niall Ferguson on US strategy to bleed Russia dry in Ukraine  (Bloomberg)
Jeffrey Sachs on Nord Stream (YouTube)
Skepticism about Bellingcat (Glenn Greewald)
FBI lacked evidence for alleged Trump-Russia collusion probe, US Special Counsel finds (ABC Australia, Seymour Hersh)
Olver Stone's interviews with Putin (Youtube)


 

In this two hour episode, we're looking at the current war in Sudan - who and what is behind it, and the history of the region, going back to the good ol' days of British colonialism, US sanctions, Clinton's Wag The Dog bombing of a medicine factory, Obama's invention of South Sudan, Russia's Wagner Group extracting Sudanese gold to pay for the war in Ukraine, and more. 

Finland joins NATO; Maidan expose suppressed; Trump charged; Putin arrest warrant; Hersh on the Cover Up; Meta v TikTok; ABC headline tricks