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I'll be honest, this is not really a candidate interview. There are a couple of mean questions. But it's more touching base with our friend Rory and wishing him well for Friday. How could we not?

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In this Reboot Republic, Rory discusses the new (at least new to Ireland) affordable rental housing model: cost rental housing. He talks with authors of the new report, The Impact of Cost Rental Housing: Security, Affordability and Place, Dr Michael Byrne, Dr Cian O Callaghan and Rosemary Hennigan of Tuath Housing and Aengus Hennessy a resident in new cost rental housing. Cost rental housing is public housing for those earning incomes above social housing thresholds, and new tenants highlight its importance for giving real long term stability, in contrast to private rental, the ability to put down roots and be part of community. We discuss challenges around making it genuinely affordable and how the Government can and should expand this through increased investment.

Read the report here: https://www.housingagency.ie/sites/default/files/The%20Impact%20of%20Cost%20Rental%20Housing.pdf

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In this episode of Sparks Will Fly, Ray is joined by Reboot Republic Host, Rory Hearne to chat with their very special guest, plumbing apprentice, Sadhbh Coffey Duff.

This is a belter of a conversation with a wonderful young woman. Please give it a listen.

Music is by the soon-to-be legend, Meryl Streek.

The GE 2024 Candidate Pods are here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-115656727

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In this Podcast Rory and Tony talk with Sally Hayden, Irish journalist and award winning author of My Fourth Time, We Drowned, about the reality of the Israeli invasion and attacks on Lebanon.

Sally has been living in Beirut since January and describes what she has seen and the experiences of people on the ground, as she has written about in her regular Irish Times articles. We talk about Israel's psychological war, the ill state of international human rights and the dehumanising of people that has accelerated over the last year. 

The GE 2024 Candidate Interviews are here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/115336691

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In this Reboot Republic we talk once more to award winning journalist and podcaster with the Guardian, John Harris about the tensions, achievements and neoliberal technocracy of the new Labour Government in the UK. We dig into the disconnect between the big parties and ordinary people. We also talk about autism, disability and the waste of energy that are the culture wars. Finally John tells us about his new book that'll be out early in 2025.

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In this Reboot Republic podcast, Rory discusses a new approach to addressing both climate and inequality - in changing the narrative and moving towards transformative changes, such as public investment in warmer green homes for everyone, with Dr Ciaran O'Caroll, Lecturer in TU Dublin and climate analyst. We also discuss the Budget, data centres, and a green social justice approach to the climate transition.

The General Election Starting Gun podcast:https://www.patreon.com/posts/114250721

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In this Reboot Republic, Rory dissects Budget 2025 with Michael Taft, economist , and Susanne Rogers of Social Justice Ireland and they find more tokenism than transformation,

We discuss how the Budget was actually regressive - those on higher incomes gained more - it failed to take transformative action on housing, health or child poverty. Michael points to a broad public retrofitting scheme as one measure that would have used the billions for transformation.

Rory is also joined by Mike Allen of Focus Ireland who highlights how shockingly there was not one mention of homelessness in the Budget, and no increase in funding for preventing homelessness. We also discuss the socially divisive narrative spread by the Taoiseach and others that are trying to deflect attention away from Government policy failure and blame immigrants and others vulnerable for homelessness.

We always enjoy your feedback, and please share the podcast around. Thank you for listening.

(Editors note: Don’t miss Michael Taft singing)

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In this Reboot Republic podcast Rory discusses the crisis in childcare and how a public system of Early Childhood Education and Care would work, with Orla O Connor and Eilish Balfe of the National Women's Council of Ireland, and Lynette Monk, manager of a Community Childcare and Afterschool Service, who was also involved with SIPTU's Big Start Campaign.

The childcare and early years education sector is in a crisis -from lack of places, unaffordable fees, under valuing and low pay of staff, there is a clear need for a new approach, a public model. Eilish, Orla and Lynette explain about the new Alliance for a Public System of Early Childhood Education and Care, #TogetherForPublic initiative and the ways we can build a more equitable, accessible, and high-quality early childhood education system for all children and families.

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n this Reboot Republic, Rory alongside Adam Boyle, Solicitor with the Mercy Law Centre, factcheck Taoiseach Simon Harris' claims that "homelessness numbers are heavily impacted by the fact we are seeing many people seek protection in our country, seek asylum in our country".

We highlight how asylum seekers are not included in the homeless numbers the Taoiseach references, how the majority of people presenting as homeless are doing so due to evictions from the private rental sector or household breakdown (which is often hidden homelessness). We also discuss the policy origins of homelessness -from the shift from direct social housing building to HAP, discrimination in the private rental sector, and failure of Government to provide renter protections. We also discuss the problems with current definitions of homelessness, the way in which presentations to homelessness are not capturing the true figures, and the danger of narratives blaming asylum seekers and immigration.

See mercylaw.ie for more

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In this podcast Rory discusess the issues of rising deprivation and homelessness amongst Ireland's children, with Tanya Ward, Director of the Children's Rights Alliance.

The number in children experiencing enforced deprivation has increased from 200,000 to 257000 between 2021 and 2023, while the number of children homeless with their families has increased by 87% since 2021, yet we have billions in Budget Surplus. We discuss how the lifting of the eviction ban resulted in an increase in children and families in homelessness and the on-going cost of living crisis for families, the failure of government to implement targeted measures, and the public support for new initiatives from free school books to school meals.

We highlight the need to continue to hold the ambition and hope to end child poverty and child and family homelessness.

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