We’ve normalised the idea that the world is ending, that society is tearing itself apart, that our countries — wherever we live — are falling apart. But what does that really look like? What does it feel like? What emerges in the aftermath?

In this episode host Aman Sethi speaks to Renata Salecl,  a Slovenian philosopher, sociologist and political theorist to decode how the experiences of post-socialist countries can help us understand the crisis gripping the West.

A Passion For Ignorance - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9780691240992

The Spoils of Freedom - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9780415073585

On Anxiety - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9780415312769

The Tyranny of Choice - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781846681868

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Story production by Ayodeji Rotinwa

Audio engineering by James Battershill

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

—

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

02:30 Post socialist societies

07:22 The modern respect for cunning

08:45 Lessons from pop culture

10:16 The (mis)use of fake news

13:53 On accelerationism

16:11 The dissolution of societies

18:53 Times when nothing and everything changes

20:50 Those that enjoy life the wrong way

22:24 Neoliberal collapse

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Earlier this year, Labour overwhelmingly voted in favour of an amendment that would end the criminalisation of women and pregnant people seeking abortions outside the 1967 Abortion Act exemptions. As the debate went through the Lords, we sat down with MSI Reproductive Choices’ Louise McCudden to discuss why we need decriminalisation now - and what this win means amid a global backlash against abortion rights. 

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/

Credits:

Presented by Sian Norris

Story production by Ayodeji Rotinwa

Audio engineering by James Battershill

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

—

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:07 What is the current legal state of abortion across the UK?

05:13 The women being imprisoned for abortion

10:16 The late-term abortion argument

13:10 Imported tactics from the US

16:21 The case for optimism

19:02 Anti-abortion's international bankroll

23:17 The future of the pro-abortion movement

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What can we learn about the future of consumer rights from the merger between Microsoft and Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard?

When Labour came into power in 2024, they accused regulators like Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) of inhibiting growth and appointed influential figures from the business world into key positions and advisory roles. This includes a former Amazon boss being made the head of the CMA, or as one lawyer observed “A monopolist had been appointed to lead the anti-monopoly watchdog”.

In today’s episode Ethan Shone tells us what we can expect from a government that has put growth and prosperity for business ahead of the rights of everyday consumers. 

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/

Credits:

Presented by James Battershill

Story production by Ayodeji Rotinwa

Audio engineering by James Battershill

Special thanks to Indra Warnes

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

—

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

02:28 Why do regulatory bodies matter?

04:35 Who is influencing the CMA now?

07:25 Why are Labour taking this 'anti-consumer' approach?

10:15 Who should we be paying attention to?

14:09 What can we expect from Labour based on this trajectory?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did Western media manufacture consent for Israel's ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza?

In the last two years since Hamas' attack on Israel, and the latter's bombardment of the territories of Palestine it partially occupies, mainstream media particularly in the U.S. and Europe have broken their own rules of fairness, accuracy, conflict of interest, objectivity and so-called "neutrality" in their coverage of Israel's actions. 

They have often repeated the Israeli government's statements as fact without critical context or analysis; for example the fact that Israel was considered to be imposing apartheid on Palestinians long before October 7th. They have underreported or omitted major events from coverage including attacks on aid flotilla for Palestinians or Israeli declarations of intent to commit genocide. In some cases it has been discovered that some news organisations hired former soldiers of Israeli Defence Forces, as reporters without disclosing this affiliation to their audience. 

Lila Hassan, an independent investigative journalist and educator who has worked closely with many outlets in the West in the last two years and prior - and has seen the media's role in shaping this conflict firsthand, joins us today to discuss how we got here and the real world harms of the media failing at delivering the one sacred thing required of journalists: the truth. 

Follow Lila:

https://www.instagram.com/bylilahassan/

https://lila-hassan.com/

—

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/

Credits:

Presented by Ayodeji Rotinwa

Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

Clips from Boston Globe, Al Jazeera, SJS news

—

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

05:45 We MUST say genocide

07:06 The tipping point

11:25 The forbidden words

14:44 Societal understanding vs Journalism

20:02 The perception of language

23:28 Western media betrays itself

27:30 Conflicts of interest in reporting

31:12 Misrepresentation from the media

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In early September, Nepal witnessed massive protests under the banner of GenZ protests to demonstrate against what they viewed as a hopelessly corrupt and sclerotic regime. 

The immediate trigger was a government ban on social media apps, but as the protestors themselves have made clear – their grievances run much deeper. 

The protests in Nepal bear parallels to similar uprisings in Sri Lanka in 2022 and Bangladesh last year. On this episode, journalists Roman Gautam and Aman Sethi discuss if we are witnessing a South Asian version of the Arab Spring.

http://www.himalmag.com

—

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

—

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:56 A week after revolution

06:38 How widespread were the protests?

07:55 The South Asian spring

12:40 Discord democracy

18:56 Respect for elders

23:42 What's next for Nepal?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The world is rightly horrified by how US President Trump is deporting people, including minors, without due process. Something similar is underway in India, but worse and under the radar. Even since the border skirmishes between India and Pakistan this year, Indian authorities have been rounding up Muslim citizens and deporting them on the spurious grounds that they either Pakistani or Bangladeshi infiltrators.

Abhishek Saha is an Indian journalist and author of No Land's People. He joins us on the show to discuss the devastating impact of India's forced deportations.

Read No Land's People: https://harpercollins.co.in/product/no-lands-people/

—

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/

Credits:

Presented by Aman Sethi

Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

—

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:44 What's happening in India?

05:02 Why Bangladesh?

07:05 The global pushback against migration

12:39 Punishing inherited people

14:42 Who determines what people are 'undesirable'

17:50 Identifying outsiders

21:48 Abusing bureaucracy

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Labour marked a year in government, Fawcett Society's Penny East asks: what has Labour done for women? And what needs to happen next? 

—

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/

Credits:

Presented by Sian Norris

Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

—

00:00 Introduction

01:50 The positive impacts of the Labour government

04:38 Third party sexual harassment and the so-called 'Banter ban'

07:35 The online backlash against feminism

09:10 Decriminalisation of abortion

10:05 Unfulfilled promises

12:28 Traumatic failures around maternity care

14:30 Labour's attitudes towards poverty and welfare

16:56 Financial vulnerability and abuse

19:03 Halving violence against women and girls

22:09 The online safety bill

25:39 Legislation is lagging behind

31:55 What does solidarity mean to you?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patriarchy refuses to die. In every country of the world, women are oppressed by male violence, patriarchal religions, and ideas of the family. But women are resisting, as Rahila Gupta explains, in a fascinating analysis that takes us from Riyadh and Russia, to Rojava. 

Buy Planet Patriarchy: Global Tales of Feminism and Oppression: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781805262879

—

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/

Credits:

Presented by Sian Norris

Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

—

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

02:30 Why write Planet Patriarchy now?

03:37 The violence of patriarchy

09:47 Family can be a form of violence

11:32 The women-led revolution in Rojava

16:56 The privilege of non-violence

21:07 Rojava's fragile future

22:31 What does solidarity mean to you?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Content warning: This episode discusses sexual assault, rape and trauma.

When our investigative reporter Sian Norris heard worrying claims about a Silicon Valley-style start-up targeting rape survivors at universities in Bristol, she knew she needed to uncover what exactly was going on.

Over the next six months, Sian interviewed more than a dozen people on and off the record, sent multiple FOI requests and reviewed countless social media posts. 

Working with a Lucy H Watson, a student at Bristol university, Sian uncovered the concerns raised by students, universities and the police about Enough's approach, that sexual violence experts have issues with its methodologies, and that one of the organisation’s co-founders has links to a former beauty queen who described sexual assault as a “multi-billion-dollar industry”.

Read Sian and Lucy’s investigation: 

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/enough-bristol-diy-rape-kits-bristol-university-start-up-katie-white-tom-allchurch/

Lucy has set up a Student-led Instagram account raising awareness about Enough and their self-swab kits:

https://www.instagram.com/enoughofenoughbristol/

—

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/

Credits:

Presented by James Battershill

Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

00:00 CONTENT WARNING

00:12 Introduction

02:17 What is Enough?

03:56 Investigating Enough

05:07 The US connection

06:55 Have rape self-swab kits ever been used in a criminal prosecution?

08:42 Experiences of Enough 'in the wild'

11:12 A lack of sensitivity

12:47 How unique is Enough's solution?

16:16 Visibility for victims

19:23 Is there evidence of Enough's 'assault prevention' claims?

20:52 Using the vulnerable as test users

22:38 Is there any harm in using the kits as a backup?

24:41 What data is collected and how is it protected?

27:46 How is the company organised?

28:38 Concerns over how Enough was pitching itself to Universities

29:48 How revolutionary is Enough really?

32:16 The shocking belligerence of Enough

33:20 What does solidarity mean to Lucy?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the first episode of our new mini-series exploring the financial interests of political parties in England and Wales. 

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has banked almost £5m from wealthy donors since 2023, including those with links to fossil fuels, the financial services industry and tax havens. It has also received significant financial investment from the general public in the form of party memberships. 

There seems to be a tension between the party’s desire to be seen as a grassroots, ‘by the people, for the people’ movement and its efforts to court the very billionaires its supporters believe they are rallying against. 

openDemocracy’s investigations reporter, Ethan Shone, examines this contradiction, discusses what Reform’s future might look like and asks whether the UK media is right to dedicate so much time to the party. 

Read Ethan’s investigation: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/reform-uk-funders-nigel-farage-5-million-donations-fossil-fuels-tax-havens/

—

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/

In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics.Support the show by visiting https://opendemocracy.net/donate

https://insolidaritypodcast.substack.com/

Credits:

Presented by James Battershill

Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu

Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela

00:00 Introduction

02:44 How was this data sourced?

04:25 What's the cut-off for reporting?

05:20 How does Reform's income compare to Labour and The Conservatives?

08:47 Off-shore benefactors for political parties

11:22 The people of note who back Reform

13:22 Backers shifting from Conservatives to Reform

14:34 George Cottrell - an unofficial aide?

17:49 The phantom punishments

19:22 What's Reform's future looking like?

23:48 Should we even be talking about Reform?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.