Standing idly by

Elected in May 2019 Daisy and Grace reflect on a year in the role of County Councillors.

Perhaps seen as unlikely political candidates at the time, Daisy and Grace talk about the previous year by posing questions to each other that cover a wide range of reflections.
What has changed about you? What have you learned? What were funny moments? What failures did you learn from and how do you manage peoples perceptions of politicians?
An open and honest conversation that gives us a genuine sense of what the experience has been like and what goals they have for the future.

As the Officer Commanding in the H-Block prison during the Hunger Strikes of 1981 Bik McFarlane has a unique insight into how the story played out and what came after.
This conversation was part of a commemoration event hosted online by Sinn Féin Wicklow & Wexford during the restrictions of the Covid-19 Pandemic. 
Daisy invites Bik to share his memories, experiences, analysis and thoughts about the last 39 years as well as the current situation in Ireland and the prospect of Irish Unity.
Included in the recording is a reading from Deirdre Barker and a performance from Bik of "Song for Marcella" his tribute to Bobby Sands.

Connection is at the heart of the human experience but it has to be real! This episode explores and illustrates the full impact this pandemic is having on all of our human connections. In the absence of the gatherings that truly define us, what is left? 
You can't attend the funeral of a loved one nor the match of your local football team. Births and birthdays are off the radar! Going out for a few drinks is now at best drinking at home with your mates on a screen. The 'new normal' is fundamentally opposite to how we are hardwired as a species!
Knowing, recognising and accepting what is happening can serve us well as we project our imagination to the time when it is not like this! Resisting, avoiding or denying the impact of this virus is unhealthy for the human soul.

Everything has changed, everything that was 'normal' is not available to us anymore. We don't know when this will end and we have no idea what will be left when it does.
The biggest challenge at the moment is how we manage the impact of the Global Pandemic on us as humans who exist to connect, interact and spend time together in groups. This episode looks at our individual roles in life and how the lockdown is having a profound effect on who we see when we look in the mirror at the moment.
Paying attention to the roles and understanding what is happening gives us an opportunity to manage the impact right now and also to prepare us for the future.

When your work is in service to others and you spend your time in caring roles, the practice of Self Compassion can be the difference between flourishing and burning out. We often spend our time fully focussed and committed to those who we serve and forget to make time for self care. Some of us even dismiss self care because we prefer to prioritise the vulnerable people we work with and the thought of making time for ourselves feels almost like selfish indulgence!
In this Podcast Daisy talks about the importance of Self Compassion and his own tools for practicing it.

We need to start talking to Young People!!
This episode looks at the importance of the uncomfortable world of listening to young people on their terms, being open to not liking what they have to say, accepting their judgement, their criticisms and even their accusations!
In a time of Global Transformation the level of authentic dialogue between significant adults and young people will be the deciding factor when it comes to our chances of success.

What do you "think" about social issues?
How do you "feel" about SF in Government?
In this episode Daisy explores the relationship between Feeling and Thinking. He talks about the importance of understanding and managing the influences on what we feel and how we think. He uses examples of attitudes in the home and the current national political picture to illustrate how important it is to be aware of our own feelings and thoughts as well as the outside forces who would try to influence them.
He looks at Thinking Tools and how they becomes an asset for decision making while also outlining the Thinking Traps we sometimes fall into and the risks associated with them.

Within the backdrop of major political change in Ireland, Daisy discusses the 'Attitudes Spectrum' and the importance of appreciating that "change" has the most potential when we recognise that within our society there are people who are Antagonists, Indifferent, Bystanders, Sympathisers, Empathisers & Empathy Actors.
Having the courage to engage with people at every stage and take a role and responsibility to support and encourage positive movement along the spectrum can have a much more meaningful impact than preaching, patronising or judging people who find themselves at a different point than you.

A global issue, a local issue and a complex issue that sparks many conversations.
Daisy tries to unravel the complexity and move us away from demonisation while paying particular attention to the drug use among young people and how we need to talk about it urgently and more importantly we need to talk about it WITH young people.

Daisy interviews TD John Brady, candidate in the upcoming General Election in the Wicklow constituency.
Politicians exist in the public domain but we rarely get a chance to actually know them. 
In this episode John gets a series of personal questions, a round of "would you rather" questions and gives us a unique insight into the person behind the politician!