Socially Democratic

In this episode of Socially Democratic, your Australian Labor politics and campaigns podcast, host Stephen Donnelly is joined by senior Democratic consultant and former Obama field organiser Katie Parsons for a deep dive into the state of the Democratic Party.
The DNC finally released its post-mortem of the 2024 Harris presidential campaign. It was, to put it diplomatically, not great. Neither the campaign, nor the post-mortem. So what do we actually know about what went wrong, and is the party any closer to having answers?
With the US midterms six months away and the 2028 presidential primary already taking shape, Katie and Stephen unpack it all:
📋 The DNC post campaign report: why it was delayed, why it disappointed, and what the better independent reviews actually found
🏛️ The Harris campaign's core problem: good tactics, no story 
📺 Why Democrats need to win the culture, master YouTube, and seriously reckon with AI 
🗺️ Redistricting and gerrymandering: how Republicans are gaming the map ahead of November 
🏠 The House and Senate: where Democrats can win and what the pathway to 51 looks like 
🎯 The 2028 presidential field: a tier-by-tier breakdown of who's running, who's circling, and who's dreaming 
⭐ From Gavin Newsom to Gretchen Whitmer, AOC to Andy Beshear: who Katie thinks can actually win
🇺🇸 If you love US politics, this episode is for you. 🇺🇸
Socially Democratic is an Australian Labor politics and campaigns podcast with expert guests. New episodes every Friday.
Support the show
Socially Democratic is an opinion-based political and campaign podcast that facilitates discussion on a range of topical issues. The opinions of guests are not an endorsement and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff at Dunn Street and Socially Democratic.
Access ad-free episodes and send in questions by joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SociallyDemocratic
If you like the show, rate and review us on your favourite podcast app.
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The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.au

This episode of Socially Democratic covers the May federal budget: the politics, the comms, and what it means for Labor heading into the next Victorian election.
David Feeney is away, so Stephen Donnelly and Jessie McCrone are joined this month by Lissie Ratcliff, former Andrews Chief of Staff and regular Mailbag guest, for a cracking Feeney Files sans Feeney.
They cover: 
🏠 Whether the budget's political reception actually matters, and why it's a three-budget plan. 
📱 The influencer lockup strategy: right call, mixed execution. 
🏛️ NSW Labor's budget pushback: tactical positioning or unhelpful noise? 
💧The pros and cons of a formal party structure, and the push to consolidate successful Independents.
📰 Plus all the nominations you know and love. 
Socially Democratic is an Australian Labor politics and campaigns podcast with expert guests. New episodes every Friday.

Support the show
Socially Democratic is an opinion-based political and campaign podcast that facilitates discussion on a range of topical issues. The opinions of guests are not an endorsement and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff at Dunn Street and Socially Democratic.
Access ad-free episodes and send in questions by joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SociallyDemocratic
If you like the show, rate and review us on your favourite podcast app.
Follow Us on Socials:
Facebook (https://tr.ee/9jGIOy)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sociallydemocratic)
LinkedIn (https://tr.ee/YxyYJh)
X (https://x.com/SocialDemPod)
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@DunnStreet)
The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.au

This episode of Socially Democratic discusses the UK local, Scottish, and Welsh election results, and what Labour's historic collapse means for social democracy.

Reform UK surged across England, Scotland, and Wales. Labour lost its 115-year dominance in Wales. And inside the Parliamentary Labour Party, calls for Keir Starmer to stand down are growing louder.

Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by two insiders who know British Labour politics intimately:

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 John McTernan, former senior advisor to Tony Blair and Former Director of Communications for Julia Gillard.

🇦🇺 David Feeney, former federal MP and State Labor Campaign Director.

Together they unpack:

🗳️ Why Labour still can't break through in Scotland, and what Reform's debut at Holyrood signals

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 What 115 years of Labour dominance in Wales falling apart actually means

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 How five-party politics and first-past-the-post are accelerating Labour's fragmentation in England

🔥 The rise of Nigel Farage — political genius or far-right accelerant?

🪑 The Labour leadership race — Andy Burnham, Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner, and who John thinks wins

💬 What social democratic governments must do when the ground shifts beneath them

Don't miss this ep.
Socially Democratic is an Australian Labor politics and campaigns podcast with expert guests. New episodes every Friday.
Support the show
Socially Democratic is an opinion-based political and campaign podcast that facilitates discussion on a range of topical issues. The opinions of guests are not an endorsement and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff at Dunn Street and Socially Democratic.
Access ad-free episodes and send in questions by joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SociallyDemocratic
If you like the show, rate and review us on your favourite podcast app.
Follow Us on Socials:
Facebook (https://tr.ee/9jGIOy)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sociallydemocratic)
LinkedIn (https://tr.ee/YxyYJh)
X (https://x.com/SocialDemPod)
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@DunnStreet)
The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.au

This episode of Socially Democratic discusses the 2026 Federal Budget — Jim Chalmers' most ambitious yet — with Emma Dawson, Executive Director of the Chifley Research Centre, and economist Adam Triggs, Partner at Mandala. 
Is this really the most significant tax reform package in a quarter of a century? Stephen, Emma, and Adam think so. Here's why.
💰 Negative gearing reform and capital gains tax — what's actually changing, who it targets, and why the grandfathering provisions matter more than the headlines suggest
🏡 Housing affordability — how the modelling behind 75,000 new homeowners works, and what the reforms could realistically do to property prices over time
🔁 Trust taxation — the quiet giant of this budget. Why changes to trusts are actually bigger than the CGT and negative gearing reforms combined
📈 Productivity and economic reform — is there enough in this budget for Australia's long-term economic challenges, or are the critics right that Chalmers left too much on the table?
🤝 Winners and losers — young people, aged care, First Nations communities, and the NDIS. Emma and Adam cut through the spin on who this federal budget really serves
🗳️ The political fallout — how will the Coalition, the Greens, and One Nation respond to a Labor budget that just pulled the rug out from under all of them?
Don't miss this ep.
Socially Democratic is an Australian Labor politics and campaigns podcast with expert guests. New episodes every Friday.
Support the show
Socially Democratic is an opinion-based political and campaign podcast that facilitates discussion on a range of topical issues. The opinions of guests are not an endorsement and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff at Dunn Street and Socially Democratic.
Access ad-free episodes and send in questions by joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SociallyDemocratic
If you like the show, rate and review us on your favourite podcast app.
Follow Us on Socials:
Facebook (https://tr.ee/9jGIOy)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sociallydemocratic)
LinkedIn (https://tr.ee/YxyYJh)
X (https://x.com/SocialDemPod)
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@DunnStreet)
The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.au

In this topical, fully-loaded episode of Socially Democratic , Stephen, Todd, and Lissie convene to answer our most pressing Mailbag questions - and add a few thoughts of their own. 
Our listeners asked:
🏡 If the Treasury scraps or reduces negative gearing and capital gains tax benefits in the next federal budget - will it actually help younger generations? 
🤑In focusing almost exclusively on concrete gains like worker protections and cost-of-living relief, is the ALP missing an opportunity to speak to the broader disaffection of Australian workers with an economy that appears to be leaving them behind?
🕵️How exactly does the Labor Party recruit candidates in pre-selection? Stephen shares a few anecdotes from his time as a party official. 
💡Where do Lissie, Stephen, and Todd stand on Future Made in Australia? Is the program aimed at making Australia a global energy superpower - or is it simply about energy sovereignty?
🗳️Plus, the Nepean and Farrer by-elections, Liberal’s disastrous One-Nation preferences, and a new segment: The Watchlist - our culture picks of the month. 
Don’t miss this ep. 
Socially Democratic is an Australian Labor politics and campaigns podcast with expert guests. New episodes every Friday.
Mentioned in the show:
👉 The Rest is History
Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/britain-in-the-70s-the-rise-of-thatcher-part-1/id1537788786?i=1000761089927
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2yFqDJovxWNpfSKsaMd0NM?si=ptghMRssRQ6BJRWVoXM6sQ
👉 Pike River
https://youtu.be/1YOnuqAzTj4?si=UDoj7S5IWm1pF_TN
👉 Tucker Carlson
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DV6ear0jdy9/?igsh=MXRrOXl5eWl1MDFoNg==
Support the show
Socially Democratic is an opinion-based political and campaign podcast that facilitates discussion on a range of topical issues. The opinions of guests are not an endorsement and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff at Dunn Street and Socially Democratic.
Access ad-free episodes and send in questions by joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SociallyDemocratic
If you like the show, rate and review us on your favourite podcast app.
Follow Us on Socials:
Facebook (https://tr.ee/9jGIOy)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sociallydemocratic)
LinkedIn (https://tr.ee/YxyYJh)
X (https://x.com/SocialDemPod)
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@DunnStreet)
The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.au