The Suss

This week Steph enlists Osaro Azams (Ep. 2 on Activism) as co-host to help facilitate the chats. Guests this week are artist and activist River and artist/poet Caoimhe LaVelle, for a chat about bodily autonomy after the 8th Amendment, and in advance of an upcoming exhibition entitled Body Battleground.

"Body/ Battleground; bodily autonomy beyond the 8th amendment” is a group art exhibition looking to highlight peoples relationship to their body outside of mainstream activism. Through bringing artists of different backgrounds together the hope is to foster a critically engaged visual culture that values the perspective from the margins."

We discuss the need for greater awareness surrounding the lives excluded from the status quo including sex workers, people with disabilities and the non binary community.

We also chat with Ronan Clarke, a writer who was diagnosed with Friedreich's ataxia at the age of 11 for a chat about stereotypes surrounding people with disabilities.

Exit track - Petrol Girls - Touch me again

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This week Steph enlists Osaro Azams (Ep. 2 on Activism) as co-host to help facilitate the chats. Guests this week are artist and activist "River" and artist/poet Caoimhe Lavell, for a chat about bodily autonomy after the 8th Amendment, and in advance of an upcoming exhibition entitled Body Battleground.

"Body/ Battleground; bodily autonomy beyond the 8th amendment” is a group art exhibition looking to highlight peoples relationship to their body outside of mainstream activism. Through bringing artists of different backgrounds together the hope is to foster a critically engaged visual culture that values the perspective from the margins."

We discuss the need for greater awareness surrounding the lives excluded from the status quo including sex workers, people with disabilities and the non binary community.

We also chat with Ronan Clarke, a writer who was diagnosed with Friedreich's ataxia at the age of 11 for a chat about stereotypes surrounding people with disabilities.

Exit track - Petrol Girls - Touch me again

Following on from last week's episode where we highlighted objections to a growing corporate presence at Dublin Pride, we delve deeper into its origins and its true meaning. Glenn and Steph are joined by Sadhbh of Queer Action Ireland, a group keen to ensure that Pride events do not lose their core function as a protest. 

All too often, the assumption is that the battle is over because the referendum on equal marriage was passed. Recent events show us clearly that homophobia, transphobia and other forms of bigotry did not simply evaporate overnight once the votes were in. Some of the more marginalised entities within the LGBTQI+ community still face all sorts of challenges. We were blown away by the heightened importance that QAI place on intersectionality. 

Also with us and extremely well placed to comment on matter surrounding Pride is the new President of the Union of Students in Ireland, Síona Cahill. We get the lowdown on her aims and ambitions for the next 12 months and ponder some of the biggest challenges facing Third Level students, namely the battle against tuition fees, student housing provision and building a common understanding of consent on campus. Síona also paints us a picture of the trojan work that goes on in students' union circles that is often difficult to communicate to students who ask where their €5 annual membership fee goes. 

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Reunited after 3-weeks apart, Steph and Glenn return to dissect the goings on in Irish politics and wider society. As you've come to expect, they've got a few bones to pick.

First up is the recent spate of problems surrounding the 38th annual McGill Summer School, namely its grossly uneven gender quotas leading to many labeling the event 'pale, male and stale'.

Next, we look at LGBTQ Pride celebrations happening around the city and probe into its popularity and indeed lucrativeness for major corporations in gaining social capital with Irish citizens.

Then it's on to the upcoming Papal visit happening in Dublin next month and concerns over homeless families, currently housed in hotels and hostels, being moved out of the city to accommodate tourists - we look at the recent trend of 'tourismphobia' in Spain and wonder if some similar movements may spring out of Dublin and the rest of the country.

Finally, Michael Lowry, "Independent" TD is finally convicted of tax fraud but will not serve any time in prison for his crimes; we ask if there is one rule in this country for the rich and one for the poor.

Before all of this, we run through our highlights of Body & Soul 2018, reserving special praise for the mantra behind the increasingly popular festival and their approach to Suss-tainability.

Exit Track; Bitch Falcon - Of Heart

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On this week's episode of The Suss, Steph and journalist Paulie Doyle talk the biggest stories of the week at home and internationally. There's talk of Sinn Fein TD Carol Nolan leaving the party after her suspension following the Dáil debate on the Abortion Bill, Father Ted co-writer Graham Linehan's Twitter trans outburst. We also chat Bloggers Unveiled - a masked Instagram account that's "dissembling Irish influencers". Plus we look to America and Trump's recent immigration policy that's separating families across southern borders.

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On this week's episode of The Suss, Steph and journalist Paulie Doyle talk the biggest stories of the week at home and internationally. There's talk of Sinn Fein TD Carol Nolan leaving the party after her suspension following the Dáil debate on the Abortion Bill, Father Ted co-writer Graham Linehan's Twitter trans outburst. We also chat Bloggers Unveiled - a masked Instagram account that's "dissembling Irish influencers". Plus we look to America and Trump's recent immigration policy that's separating families across southern borders.

With the issue kicked down the road for the time being, you would have to be pretty naive to think that the battle over water charges and ownership is at any stage further than half-time. This week on The Suss, Glenn sits down with Dave Gibney of Mandate Trade Union and the national #Right2Water campaign to go through a chronological timeline of the attempt to introduce a water charges regime in Ireland.

Why the need to railroad legislation through the Dáil? This episode offers an explainer on why the politics of water matter and why we all have a stake in keeping it in public ownership. Dave also provides a unique insight into the coming together of community groups, workers and some parties/politicians to form an effective opposition and indeed play a role in rupturing the political landscape at the 2016 General Election. When all is taken into account, government reasoning such as the conservation argument simply don’t stand up to scrutiny.

Globally, the fight is on for the provision of water services with it having overtaken oil as the most profitable resource out there. The #Right2Water movement is a hugely significant part of our recent history that has been downplayed and denied legitimacy. It successfully fought off a charging regime once. It may be needed to do it again soon.

Closing track – Never Miss the Water by Chaka Chan

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A brave new world! Glenn and Steph bask in the aftermath of the referendum on the 8th Amendment and ponder ‘what’s next’ for a society absolutely gagging for an overhaul.

There’s loads to digest as notions of ‘Middle Ireland’ and an urban/rural divide are absolutely blown away. We talk about our heroes of the campaign and take issue with pundits trying to frame Repeal campaigners as somehow being mean to those who voted No. There’s also much to consider in terms of how this will all impact on the political landscape on both sides of the border.

The energy gathered to push through such a monumental change could be a game-changer for other pressing social issues. Can Ireland grab the bull by the horns? We ponder if the hope furnished by the comprehensive victory for YES can weave its way into the fight against a worsening housing/homelessness crisis, the grotesque institution that is Direct Provision and the links that still exist between Church and State. 

#8thRef #Repealedthe8th #EndDP #mynameis #SeparateChurchandState

Closing track – Ketamine by Versatile

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May 25th is edging ever closer and in this week’s offering, Glenn and Steph talk to Caoimhe Anglin, founder of Everyday Stories about their role in breaking down stigma in relation to abortion in Ireland. 

Everyday Stories is a project publishing personal accounts from people who have been affected by the 8th Amendment. In 2016 ten women a day gave Irish addresses at UK abortion clinics. Many more cannot travel and others order abortion pills online risking a 14 year jail sentence. We share these stories. [[www.everydaystories.org](www.everydaystories.org)]

There’s also plenty to say about the way in which the Claire Byrne Live debate went down. Also with us this time is Chris Guilfoyle. Chris is a jazz musician and lecturer in Dublin City University and shared with us his insight into how so many strands of the arts survive and thrive in spite of a lack of support from the state ‘Seattle’ by his band Umbra is the track to play us off this week.

We’ve also got plenty to say about the latest wave of killings in Gaza, with Israel’s win at the Eurovision Song Contest happening front of house. We also check in on Slumleaks and the ongoing work to name and shame slumlords making extortionate money from the most vulnerable of tenants. 

#8thref #Together4Yes #BDS #TheSuss #PodernFamily

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In one of the foremost cases of the Brits being ‘at it’ in recent times, the #Spycops saga continues to unfold, showing us that truth is often stranger than fiction. In this episode, Glenn and Steph sit down with media commentator, activist and all-round good guy Mark Malone. Mark blogs and tweets under the [Sound Migration](https://soundmigration.wordpress.com/) brand where he outlines:

_Personally I’m coming from a place of radical doubt and militant hope, two of the most useful co-ordinates a life worth living, and one that questions the underlying assumptions which underpin systemic injustice and inequality._

You’ll want to hear about his insight into the lives of undercover British policemen who have sought to infiltrate and undermine community groups and campaigns both here and in England ([You can read in more detail here](http://undercoverresearch.net/2018/04/30/the-spycops-inquiry-dealing-in-half-truths/)). We spread out then to have an all-encompassing chat about the justice system, injustices and Garda malpractice.

Also in this week’s episode, we take a look at the latest on #8thRef and highlight the bravery of Vicky Phelan.

Closing track – “Stuck Upon The Staircase” by Lemoncello

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