Gript Media Podcasts

Gary discusses identity politics in light of Minister Zappone's recent comments that Irish politics is to, 'male, pale, and stale'.

"I think in 20 years most of this progressive nonsense will be dead, totally dead, and we'll look back at it and it won't even be wrong, it'll just be ridiculous"

We discuss the recent sacking of philosopher Roger Scruton after a deceptively edited interview by George Eaton in the New Statemen; recent attempts to no platform the meetings of Gemma O'Doherty and the Irish Freedom Party; and the concept of free speech in a functioning society.

Michael and Gary discuss A Bittersweet Life, a 2005 ganster/noir film from South Korean director Kim Jee-Woon. The story follows an enforcer and hotel manager who betrays, and is subsequently betrayed by, his boss. A beautiful shot revenge story. Michael 6-10, Gary 7-10.

We discuss the news that a new offensive has started in the Libyan Civil War, with the forces of Khalifa Hifter, who currently controls roughly 90% of Libya and is this weeks 'one to watch', sieging the UN recognised government in Tripoli; we also discuss a recent article by Richie Sadlier on consent classes in Irish schools.

Mary McAleese has come out against Courage International, a support group for homosexual Catholics, saying that they are homophobic and support 'evil' therapies; and calls from clinicians in England to stop transgender 'experiments on children' as clinicians allege children as young as 3 put forward for gender transitions.

16:20 - Transgender youth clinic investigation.

We discuss the new 'genderfree' idea that's come out of mumsnet.com, how it links to the wider trasgenderism debate, and we also briefly discuss the review of the laws that allow children under 18 to change gender, and what that means for parents. Hat-tip to Graham Linehan for highlighting the concept of genderfree.

We sit down to review the Sisters Brothers, which opens in Irish cinemas this week. It's a critically acclaimed Western about two brothers serving as wandering assassins for the 'Commodore'. Gary gives it 4/10, and says, 'it's somehow less than the scenes that make up the film, I don't honestly know why this movie was made '. Michael gives it a 'soft' 6/10, and says, 'it's you're about town with a choc-ice and have nothing else to do for two hours you could do worse'.

Michael talks to Michael Barry, our man in Moscow, about Russian politics, the formal structure of political power and who really holds power; the impact of sanctions on the wider Russian economy; and areas in which Russia is innovating and adapting.

Project Sophia, in which European naval vessels patrolled the Mediterranean sea in order to rescue migrants who were attempting to cross into Europe, has now effectively come to an end.

We look at its disastrous legacy, including the massive increase in migrant deaths caused by the operation, and ask if it can be right to let innocent people drown in the Mediterranean if doing so prevents further deaths in the future, and how the desire to do an immediate good has led to the birth of far greater evils in the Mediterranean, Syria, Iraq, and, particularly, Libya.

We also discuss the recent hijacking of an oil tanker, and the suspected murder of the tanker's captain, by African migrants.

Gary and Michael review Out for Blood, a documentary which looks at how Theranos, a biomedical company valued at $10 billion, ended up being destroyed amid claims of fraud. It also touches on the life of the CEO of Theranos, Elizabeth Holmes, a woman who managed to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for Theranos.