Socially Democratic

Host Stephen Donnelly sits down with NSW ALP General Secretary Dom Ofner ahead of the NSW Labor Conference, July 4–5 at Sydney Town Hall.
They cover:
🏛️ Why the NSW Conference is unlike any other political event in Australia, and why it has to be at Town Hall
📜 The McKell Model: how NSW Labor keeps government and party in balance
🎯 Safe seats aren't safe anymore. Rethinking the target seat strategy in five-party politics
🤖 NSW's nation-leading reforms on AI-generated campaign content
📅 What this conference sets up as the last one before March 2027
Plus:
Socially Democratic is LIVE at the Conference Fringe on
Saturday July 5th at 4pm
Sydney Town Hall!
First in, best dressed.
Socially Democratic is an Australian Labor politics and campaigns podcast with expert guests. New episodes every Friday.
#Australianpolitics, #progressivepolitics, #AustralianLabor, #SocialDemocracy, #AusPol, #LaborParty, #Podcast, #ALP, #Campaigns, #Elections, #Strategy, #Insiders, #Liberals, #Coalition, #ExpertGuests, #Housing, #Infrastructure, #Policy, #Inclusion, #Employment, #NSWLabor, #NSWConference, #StateConference, #DomOfner, #NSWPolitics, #OneNation, #ChrisMinns, #NSWElection, #SydneyTownHall, #LaborConference, #ALPConference, #CampaignStrategy, #AIElections
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 is the June Mailbag. Todd Pinkerton and Lissie Ratcliff answer your questions on AI, the budget, progressive media, and the future of cheap beer.
🤖 Is Labor seriously game-planning for an AI-driven jobs crisis? 
🏠 A month on from the budget, has it landed with people, and why is One Nation still rising? 
📱 Does Labor need its own media ecosystem, or do we already have one? 
📺 Why authentic, unpolished content beats polished TV ads every time, and why we still can't let go 
📖 The watch list: Tony Blair's big essay, anger and social media, and FIFA's relationship with Trump 
🍺 Should the Labor movement just buy a brewery?
DON’T MISS Socially Democratic LIVE at the New South Wales Labor Conference:
July 4,
4pm
Sydney Town Hall
(https://www.nswlabor.org.au/register_interest_conference26)
MENTIONED IN THE SHOW:
Tony Blair’s Essay (https://tr.ee/fK8o71)
‘Angertainment’ by Ed Coper (https://tr.ee/DxQSu2)
A Yearslong Effort to Woo Trump Culminates With the World Cup - NYT (https://tr.ee/nUx2oq)
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 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.
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 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