Aug 2, 2026 · 41 min · 9 segments
This episode is a mash up of different recordings and interviews done at the rank-and-file conference, Labor Notes, earlier this summer. The central interview is a half hour discussion with Issac…
Isaac NelsonGuestHost, Workers' Inquiry PodcastHost
Ellen David FriedmanGuest
Josh McPheeGuest
The next record is actually one of the records that inspired doing the entire project.
um outside of the edge of london and it's interesting because um a number of there there was a sort of internal autonomous workers organizing group called ford workers combine that um called the strike outside of uh the union structure 15,000 workers walked out in Wildcat and within a week, I think 57,000 workers went on strike and it was so popular that the union had to sort of backtrack and support it.
People that were involved in this, not only this record, but the larger combine were part of a group called Big Flame, which was uh sort of the uk equivalent of the italian autonomous movement they were the ones who were translating a lot of italian um militant uh workers theory and um this record is sonically quite interesting because it mixes sort of pop music folk music and field recordings um so it's sort of like this whole similar kind of drop you into the site of struggle uh it also is a great example of a record that when you unpack it it shows you these kind of networks of solidarity because the record was made with the support of community radio which was being funded by the Greater London Council, which was sort of like this leftist wing, the last kind of vestige of the left in the government before Thatcher took over and then sort of dismantled the GLC.
And so this is sort of like a lot of different... elements that come together that are necessary to produce this record.
And then it also has this cute little line tagged on the front that says, Will John Peel play it? And so this is a time in which there's very little pop music that's being played on, you know, at the time, most of the radio is state radio in the UK still.
So John Peel was one of the few radio shows that was playing consistent popular music.
And so if you wanted to get your songs out into the world, then basically John Peel was one of the main avenues for popularizing their music.
So there's a sort of like acknowledgement that like, can we break out into the mainstream?
More than a thousand people, many of them Ford workers on strike, marched through London today.
The demonstration was called a day of action against the government's 5% policy and in support of the Ford strikes.
What do you reckon on the 5%? Rubbish.
What are you asking for then?
£20.
What
are you hoping to achieve today with the march? Oh,
it's going to prove it.
So much support has come.
Look how many people are here.
We've got a delegation coming from the hospitals around the corner and everywhere also.
It should be pretty good.
So you're really trying to show support for the
foreigners? Actually, our banners are here.
The next record is actually one of the records that inspired doing the entire project.
um outside of the edge of london and it's interesting because um a number of there there was a sort of internal autonomous workers organizing group called ford workers combine that um called the strike outside of uh the union structure 15,000 workers walked out in Wildcat and within a week, I think 57,000 workers went on strike and it was so popular that the union had to sort of backtrack and support it.
People that were involved in this, not only this record, but the larger combine were part of a group called Big Flame, which was uh sort of the uk equivalent of the italian autonomous movement they were the ones who were translating a lot of italian um militant uh workers theory and um this record is sonically quite interesting because it mixes sort of pop music folk music and field recordings um so it's sort of like this whole similar kind of drop you into the site of struggle uh it also is a great example of a record that when you unpack it it shows you these kind of networks of solidarity because the record was made with the support of community radio which was being funded by the Greater London Council, which was sort of like this leftist wing, the last kind of vestige of the left in the government before Thatcher took over and then sort of dismantled the GLC.
And so this is sort of like a lot of different... elements that come together that are necessary to produce this record.
And then it also has this cute little line tagged on the front that says, Will John Peel play it? And so this is a time in which there's very little pop music that's being played on, you know, at the time, most of the radio is state radio in the UK still.
So John Peel was one of the few radio shows that was playing consistent popular music.
And so if you wanted to get your songs out into the world, then basically John Peel was one of the main avenues for popularizing their music.
So there's a sort of like acknowledgement that like, can we break out into the mainstream?
More than a thousand people, many of them Ford workers on strike, marched through London today.
The demonstration was called a day of action against the government's 5% policy and in support of the Ford strikes.
What do you reckon on the 5%? Rubbish.
What are you asking for then?
£20.
What
are you hoping to achieve today with the march? Oh,
it's going to prove it.
So much support has come.
Look how many people are here.
We've got a delegation coming from the hospitals around the corner and everywhere also.
It should be pretty good.
So you're really trying to show support for the
foreigners? Actually, our banners are here.
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