The Echo Chamber from Tortoise Shack

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Within the text of the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement there is provision for engagement with civic society, intended to foster better understanding between communities and to act as a much-needed mechanism for broadening political engagement through a Civic Forum to promote participative democracy. The Civic Forum was a consultative mechanism on social, economic, and cultural issues first proposed amid the multi-party talks.

The Forum was constituted and met over a two year period before being dismantled as a result of the collapse of the Northern Ireland Executive in 2002. It was never re-established. Subsequent Agreements have referred to potential mechanisms for civic engagement, albeit in a more limited format.

To date this has not been implemented in practice. Bronagh Hinds, founding member of the Northern Ireland Women's Forum and David Holloway, Director, Community Dialogue join Emma to discuss the doomed Civic Forum and various attempts to fill the void left by its absence since.

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Ireland is experiencing an economic boom that would make Jeff Bezos blush, yet we're increasing the working poor at Ebenezer Scrooge percent. What gives?

Joining us to talk about the need to move away from a failing wealth redistribution model towards a more equal pre-distribution future is UCD's Associate Professor, Aidan Regan. Enjoy!

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On April 19th a 23 year old woman was shot and killed by police in North Macedonia, after having her asylum application rejected in Greece. Fatmata was a warm and lively young woman. She had recently told her husband, Abu Bakar, that she was pregnant. Her friends and family are devastated, but are seeking justice for Fatmata in the hopes that incidents like this will not reoccur.

Joining us from North Macedonia is founder of secondtree.org and friend of Fatmata and Abu Bakar, Giovanni Fontana. He tells us about the wonderful woman he knew, the dangers Fortress Europe and bad migrant policies are creating and how the fight for justice for Fatmata is a fight for all.

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Women made up just 10 per cent of the negotiation team in the all-party talks leading up to the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, yet they wielded far greater influence than such a position would suggest. In this episode of Lost in Implementation Emma speaks with SDLP MLA Cara Hunter, Aoife Clements, Director at 50:50NI, and founding member of Northern Ireland's Women's Coalition Kate Fearon to discuss the Agreement's commitment to the right for women to avail of full and equal political participation; the progress, the barriers, and what needs to change to give meaning to this commitment.

The Echo Chamber Podcast on the shocking killing of Fatmata is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-82392164

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(Editors note: Recorded Tuesday May 2nd)

Listeners in Gaza got in touch with us when the news broke this morning of the death of Khader Adnan in an Israeli jail, following an 87 day hunger strike and asked that we cover his passing. So we went back to Dr. Yousef M. Aljamal, the Palestinian writer and activist who helped collate the book A Shared Struggle - Stories of Palestinian and Irish Hunger Strikers.

Yousef, who knew Khader from working with him on the book, tells us why he was so beloved by the Palestinian people, how he was never factional, how he an activist to the end and was incredibly defiant against settler colonialism despite everything he endured.

"Our freedom is the most precious thing we have. Prison cells worsen our wounds and increase our suffering."

Khader Adnan

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It was a pleasure to be rejoined on the podcast for the first time in 2023 by primary school teacher and INTO union activist, Jana Lyons, (speaking in a personal capacity) to discuss the recent changes and actions within her profession.

We discuss that pay rise and what message it sends to ordinary members and we delve into the real issues and challenges facing teachers outside of the manufactured "gender" debates that seem to make the news with alarming regularity at the moment.

Note: The Ditch episode is free until 10am on May 2nd.

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Leo Varadkar continually told the Dáil that our "eviction ban" was a winter eviction moratorium similar to that in other countries. So we decided to fact check his claim with our friend and regular tortoise shack contributor in Helsinki, Finland, Dan Nickstrom. Needless to say the facts did not support the Taoiseach's claim. We also discuss why your electricity prices are more than twice of Dan's, the rise of far right culture wars in countries previously held up as bastions of social democracy and the scary electoral success some are having with these "issues." A great chat.

The Live Niall Collins/Micheal Martin reaction podcast with Ditch journalists Roman and Eoghan is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-82174893

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Human rights run like a thread through the Good Friday Agreement, including a right to Equality of Opportunity, but what does this aspiration mean in practice? And do the people of Northern Ireland really have equality of opportunity? Emma is joined by Women's Sector Lobbyist Elaine Crory, and Shrapnel Podcast Host Sam McElwaine to discuss the challenges and barriers to equality of opportunity and how this aspiration has not been felt by some of the most marginalized in society.

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(Editors note: Tony addresses the reaction to the Ditch, Niall Collins podcast and the criticisms of new media)

Martin, Tony and Sam Mcilwaine sat down to chat about the news of the week both sides of the border and to get Sam's report from his very productive few days at Queens University for the Agreement talks that took place earlier this week. This might be the first time you'll hear about Gerry Adams, Jamie Bryson and Coddle in one conversation.

We also talk criminalising poverty, Fox Views $790m Dominion settlement, Calpol as the most stolen item in Tesco, our corporate tax 'windfall' and Martin's re-watching of The Day After Tomorrow as a documentary.

Full episode available here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-81884758

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Rejoining us on the podcast to discuss the biggest political social media story of the week are Roman Shortall and Eoghan McNeill of https://www.ontheditch.com/

We go through the facts about the property dealings of Fianna Fáil TD Niall Collins and his wife Eimear Collins (nee O'Connor) and what it says about standards in public office. We also discuss the almost complete silence about what are very serious issues from mainstream media and some of the reasons for them. Finally we talk An Bord Pleanala and the current state of the board.

The Bertie Ahern, Jamie Bryson and Coddle (yes, really) podcast is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-81884758