The Echo Chamber from Tortoise Shack

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The vote on the two referendums on the Family and Care is not far away and while opinion polls suggest a landslide for Yes Yes, events of recent days (Ministers misrepresenting the amendments and FLAC's criticism of the Care aspect) have made enough noise to at least make people investigate what they're voting on.

Joining us on the podcast is Constitutional Law expert and lecturer in the subject, Eoin Daly. If you have heard Eoin on with us before you know he "strives" to give clear and unvarnished information about the Irish Constitution, the role of the legislature and what it means in the real world.

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Hawaii and Palestine are tied together in many ways. Palestinians’ love for their land reminds us of Kanala Maoli’s love for Hawaii and vise versa.

In this episode, which kicks off our second season of PalCast, Dr Yousef Aljamal, cohost Helena Cobban and producer Tony Groves are joined by Uahikea Maile, a professor of indigenous studies at the University of Toronto, to talk about Gaza and the genocide there. The conversation covered the Mauna Kea protest movement, the connections Hawaiians and Palestinians have, modern settler colonialism, the ICJ ruling and much more.

The Gaza Fundraiser is here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/important-update-98690483

Outro music "If I Must Die" by Rachel Lynn

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Sinn Féin made headlines when they said that they wanted average homes to be within reach of average salaries. Their figure of €300,000 was scoffed at by the Society of Charted Surveyors, who put the cost of building a house in Dublin at €460,000. So what to think?

Joining us on the podcast is UCD Asst Prof of Architecture, Órla Hegarty, and she breaks it down not only with numbers, but with evidence of homes built for less than both of those estimates. We discuss finance, the developer-led approach and the politics of negative equity vs affordable housing.

The Gaza Fundraiser is here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/important-update-98690483

The Ireland's Housing crisis podcast with the ESRI's Prof Kieran McQuinn is out here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-98518421

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CW: This podcast contains subject matter that some listeners might find upsetting.

In this important Echo Chamber Podcast, Tony speaks with Irish-Palestinian, Zak Hania, who is in Rafah and young journalist, Mahmoud Mushtaha, who remains in Gaza City.

They talk about the ongoing Israeli military bombardment and what is happening now where they are. Zak explains how everyone is losing hope and lacks the energy to keep going and Mahmoud outlines a scene of destruction, starvation, sickness and desolation that should only exist in dystopian novels and not in his lived reality.

Note: We play out with Ciarán Moran's performance of his song 'It's OK' from Podcasts for Palestine as I just needed to hear it after these conversations. I've also lifted the paywall as I think it's important not to sit on this one.

Check him out here:https://open.spotify.com/track/1XNvcmBEN13UHcyAu0hw1u?si=fd8c340428f64d1e

For the Gaza Fundraiser click here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/important-update-98690483

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If you heard Baraa Albayari's interview from Podcasts for Palestine, then you'd know that after he'd left Gaza and swam from Turkey to Kos in Greece, he'd wound up homeless on the streets of Dublin. You'd also know that we weren't going to let that continue and things have improved a little now for him.

Joining Baraa in the shack for some pizza, some football on the tv and a catchup podcast are musician, activist and engineering student, Aziz Abushark and the Accidental Rapper himself. We find out how Baraa is doing since that night in the Sugar Club, we talk music as activism, why solidarity is still so strong with Palestine and we talk about the latest criminal scenes coming out of Rafah.

ICYMI: The chat plays out with the live recording of the guys.

The Gaza fundraiser:https://www.patreon.com/posts/important-update-98444823

The RTE Staff Podcast is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-98528883

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Most people don't look forward to the European election, but most people aren't political ners like us. So we were delighted to be rejoined on the pod for the first time this year by current (and going for it again) MEP, and a face-that-doesn't-fit, Luke Ming Flanagan.

He talks about fears that the balance in the EU parliament is tilting further right and how the EPP are more worried about immigration and the populist right than taking climate action that will lessen the necessity of migration. He also has some potential good news for the families impacted by the MICA scandal.

Details of the Rafah, Gaza fundraiser are here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/important-update-98444823

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

In this episode, Niamh talks to Dr Majella Mulkeen of Atlantic Technological University about her research on the framing of care within the Standards of Proficiency for Social Care Workers (SOPs) in Ireland. As Majella explains, the SOPs are set down by the Social Care Workers Registration Board.

They detail the skills and abilities that individuals must possess in order to enter the register of social care workers, i.e. to be able to legally practise in Ireland using the protected title of ‘social care worker’. Drawing on research outlined in her 2020 paper in the Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies, Majella explains the background to these developments and offers a critical yet constructive reading of the SOPs.

This is a timely interview, not only because the Social Care Workers Register opened in November 2023, but also because how care is understood, practised and valued in Irish society is a pressing concern, whose significance extends far beyond one sector.

The latest report from the West Bank with Hannah McCarty is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-98331907

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The last time we spoke with activist-artists, Pattern Up and Adam SpiceBag Doyle, they'd caused a lot of pearl clutching with their Crack Zone posters in Dublin. This time they've done something very different and very much appreciated us in the Shack. They've repainted the iconic Free Derry Wall with words from the poem of our friend Dr. Refaat Alareer, who was murdered by the Israeli military last December. A tribute to Refaat and a symbol of the solidarity between Ireland and Palestine, a shared struggle.

Not content with that, they then went to Belfast and installed a DUP urinal (now destroyed), because of course they did. Art and activism go hand in hand and Pattern Up and SpiceBag are developing quite the activist art portfolio. Yup!

The podcast with Baraa, Aziz and Brian is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-98319156

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Whether it's Biden or Trump, it seems Corporate Democracy will win again. But much like the President and former President, America seems to have lost a step. This, ladies and gentlemen, might be what empire in decline looks like.

Joining us on the podcast to delve into this and a lot, lot more is one of the best writers, reporters and wry commentators there is, the Intercept’s Jon Schwarz.

2024 has a lot in store for the U.S of A, and while we're not big into the predictions game, we aren't overly enamoured with the possibilities. A great listen!

The Adam SpiceBag Doyle - Free Derry Wall podcast is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-97890834

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Personal stories move people and hearing them from Gaza matters even more today. PalCast founder Dr. Yousef Aljamal, shares the story of his mom and brother getting out of Gaza and their experiences of the last 120 days with his co-hosts Helena Cobban and Tony Groves.

The PSTD is clear, they lost so much weight and they now have problems eating three meals a day as they'd gotten used to eating much, much less. People’s savings are running out as food prices are too expensive, one kilo of onions costs 10-13$. You'll also hear how Yousef’s uncle died of complications of kidney failure in Rafah, and why his extended family only found out about it days later due to blackout. Hear more stories, but remember to take action to help end the genocide in Gaza. Ceasefire Now!

Let it Bring Hope - The Free Derry Wall Podcast is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-97890834