Things Worth Fighting For

Aneurin Bevan established the National Health Service in 1948 on three core principles: that it meets the needs of everyone, that it be free at the point of delivery, and that it be based on clinical need, not ability to pay. 72 years later it continues to carry out that promise, day in, day out. But how many more storms of austerity cuts can it endure?

Blaine meets paediatric doctor and Sunday Times best-selling author Dr Rachel Clarke, to hear how her sleepover protest outside the Department of Health ignited the Junior Doctor strikes in 2016. Rachel also shares her experiences of working in end-of-life care during the pandemic.

This week’s opening thought comes from Captain Sir Tom Moore, the centenarian who’s world-famous fundraising efforts during the UK Lockdown in April raised over 33 million pounds for NHS Charities together.

At the end of this episode, you will hear ‘Hospital Radio’ from Mystery Jets’ critically-acclaimed new album ‘A Billion Heartbeats’. You can buy and stream the album here.

This episode of ‘Things Worth Fighting For’ was brought to you by Acast and produced by Matthew Twaites. Thanks to CourtneyAiesha Mortimer and Kate Jones at UROK for production assistance and coordination. 

Read ‘Tomorow Will Be a Good Day’ by Captain Sir Tom Moore (Waterstones)

Donate to the Captain Tom Foundation to fight Loneliness 

Dr Rachel Clarke TEDx Talk: Love and Loss at the end of Life (Youtube)

Follow Dr Rachel Clarke on Twitter

Jeremy Hunt and the Junior Doctor Strikes (opendemocracy.net)

Dr Rachel Clarke’s dispatches from the frontline during COVID (Guardian)

Buy Rachel’s books ‘Dear Life’ and ‘Your Life in My Hands’ (from her website)

Danny Boyle’s Tribute to the NHS at the London 2012 Olympics (Youtube)

Shorts Banger.com

The Covid Letters: Sportsbanger at the Foundling Museum

Thank you NHS: Rainbows for Key workers in pictures (bbc.co.uk)

Buy limited edition Mystery Jets merch and collectables on the Jetstore 

How the NHS inspired our song ‘Hospital Radio’ (bbc.co.uk)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Throughout modern times, some of the most effective campaigns for positive change have been led by young people. It is estimated that over 6 million people took part in the Global Climate Strikes in September 2019, and at the helm were School Children marching for their future.

Whether environmental justice is being called for at a geo-political level or in the streets, history has taught us that rarely is one effective without the other. 

Blaine sits down with 17 year-old Bella Lack, an ambassador for the Born Free Foundation, The Jane Goodall Institute and the RSPCA to hear how her passion for wildlife conservation have fuelled her activism and documentary work. 

This week’s opening thought comes from Noga Levy-Rapoport, a young environmental activist and organiser of school strikes across the uk, speaking about the climate crisis, and the urgent need for green reform.

At the end of this episode you will hear ‘Wrong Side of the Tracks’ from Mystery Jets’ critically-acclaimed new album ‘A Billion Heartbeats’. You can buy and stream the album here.

This episode of ‘Things Worth Fighting For’ was brought to you by Acast and produced with Matthew Twaites. Thanks to Courtney Aiesha Mortimer and Kate Jones at UROK for production assistance and coordination. 

Martin Sheen Full Address at Jane Fonda’s Fire Drill Friday Rally, 2019 (Youtube)

Noga Levy-Rapoport on Mystery Jets’ Speakers Corner (Youtube)

Noga Levy-Rapoport interview (Euronews)

Follow Noga Levy-Rapoport on Instagram

Read ‘A Life on our Planet’ by Sir David Attenborough (BookShop.Org)

Greta Thunberg’s full speech to world leaders at the 2019 Climate Action Summit (Youtube)

Bella Lack TEDx Talk: ‘You can solve the extinction crisis’ (Youtube)

Bella lack featured in ‘Generation Activism’ Short film (BBC3)

Explore Bella Lack’s Blog: ‘Call from the Wild’

Follow Bella Lack on Twitter

‘A message from the future’ with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Youtube)

Chirstina Figueres TEDx Talk: The inside story of the Paris Agreement (Youtube)

Subscribe to ‘Outrage + Optimism’ podcast (spotify)

Buy a gift for someone who...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The term ‘Toxic Masculinity’ has come to represent society’s expectation that men be active, aggressive, tough, daring and dominant. Some believe this narrative to form part of a politically-motivated war on men, whilst others argue men should be encouraged to share their vulnerabilities, failures and doubts, so as to spark a bigger conversation. With Suicide the most common cause of death for men under the age of 50 in the UK, are we having enough of these difficult conversations?

Blaine travels to IDLES’ hometown of Bristol, to talk with vocalist Joe Talbot about male vulnerability, overcoming grief and to hear about his experiences over the band’s meteoric rise, ahead of the release of their mighty UK No1 third album, Ultra Mono. 

This week’s opening thought comes from Frank Carter, vocalist with Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes, speaking about the pressure on men today to measure up against outdated male archetypes.

At the end of this episode you will hear ‘Watching Yourself Slowly Disappear’ from Mystery Jets’ critically-acclaimed new album ‘A Billion Heartbeats’. You can buy and stream the album here.

This episode of ‘Things Worth Fighting For’ was brought to you by Acast and produced with Matthew Twaites. Thanks to Courtney-Aiesha Mortimer and Kate Jones at UROK for production assistance and coordination. 

Grayson Perry on Masculinity (Channel 4 News)

Read ‘The Descent of man’ by Grayson Perry (Waterstones)

Gillette commercial: ‘The best men can be’ (Youtube)

Order ‘End of Suffering’ by Frank Carter and the RattleSnakes (Rough Trade)

Frank Carter on Instagram

IDLES on Instagram

Order IDLES new album (Banquet Records)

Catch IDLES on tour in 2021

Watch Joe Tracini’s videos (Twitter)

Watch Gaspard Noe’s chilling 2003 movie ‘Irreversible’ (Amazon Prime)

Samaritans.org

MusicMindsMatter.org.uk

Worried about a friend? (mind.org)

Listen to Frightened Rabbit’s album ‘Tiny Changes’ (Spotify)

‘Tiny Changes’ mental health community

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Studies show that the average smartphone user checks their screen up to 150 times per day, scrolling through an Eiffel Tower’s worth of posts. Meanwhile rates of anxiety have soared in young people, and scientists tell us that we’re lonelier than ever. But movements like #MeToo and BLM have shown that social media can also be a powerful tool in the fight for inclusivity and social justice.

In Part Two of this special bumper episode of the pod, Blaine catches up with actor, broadcaster and advocate Jameela Jamil to hear how a move to Los Angeles fuelled her drive to speak out on toxic body-shaming in the media and Celebrity endorsements of weight-loss products. Blaine also hears how Jameela’s organisation #IWeigh has evolved into a community platform celebrating radical inclusivity.

At the end of this episode you will hear ‘Petty Drone’ from Mystery Jets’ critically-acclaimed new album ‘A Billion Heartbeats’. You can buy and stream the album here.

This bumper episode of ‘Things Worth Fighting For’ was brought to you by Acast and produced with Matthew Twaites. Thanks to Isabel Offler as well as Courtney Aiesha Mortimer and Kate Jones at UROK for production assistance and coordination. 

Jameela Jamil on ‘Ways to change the world’ with Krishnan Guru-Murthy (Youtube)

Jameela and Lizzo discuss finding confidence and dealing with social media criticism (Youtube)

Follow IWeigh on Instagram

IWeighCommunity.com

Listen to the IWeigh Podcast (Apple)

Forest Bathing in Japan (National Geographic)

Attitude is Everything: Improving deaf and disabled people’s access to live music

Watch Adam Curtis’ documentary ‘HyperNormalisation’ (IPlayer)

Support the amazing MermaidsUK Charity

Pre-Order Jamie Windust’s book ‘In Their Shoes’ (Waterstones)

LGBTQI+ Glossary (Amnesty International)

Listen to Steve XO’s Sounds of Silence podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Studies show that the average smartphone user checks their screen up to 150 times per day, scrolling through an Eiffel Tower’s worth of posts. Meanwhile rates of anxiety have soared in young people, and scientists tell us that we’re lonelier than ever. But movements like #MeToo and BLM have shown that social media can also be a powerful tool in the fight for inclusivity and social justice.

In Part One of this special bumper episode of the podcast, Blaine sits down with non-binary activist and writer Jamie Windust to hear how Instagram allowed them to find an online community which supported their journey towards discovering their true authentic self. Jamie also speaks about being a part of #IWEIGH, as well as their campaign to give trans and gender non-conforming people the right to self-identify on legal documents in the UK. 

This bumper episode of ‘Things Worth Fighting For’ was brought to you by Acast and produced with Matthew Twaites. Thanks to Isabel Offler as well as Courtney Aiesha Mortimer and Kate Jones at UROK for production assistance and coordination. 

Follow Jamie Windust on Instagram

Pre-Order Jamie’s book ‘In Their Shoes’ (Waterstones)

Watch Jamie Windust’s TEDx Talk (youtube)

BBC film on Jamie’s passport campaign (youtube)

Watch: Ivan Pavlov ‘classical conditioning’ (Youtube)

Forest Bathing in Japan (National Geographic)

Edward Snowden: How your smartphone spies on you (Youtube)

Read: Shoshana Zuboff speaks about survillance capitalism (theintercept.com)

Watch Adam Curtis’ documentary ‘HyperNormalisation’ (IPlayer)

Support the amazing MermaidsUK Charity

LGBTQI+ Glossary (Amnesty International)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The number of people sleeping rough in London has almost trebled in the last ten years, with an estimated two in ten ex-servicemen ending up on the streets. Users of food banks in the UK have more than doubled in the same period. Why is our society failing it’s most vulnerable so badly?

Blaine sits down with David Tovey, a former chef in the armed forces and survivor of homeless, to find out what led him to set up the One Festival of Homeless arts. David also recalls the heartening story of how a park enforcement officer saved his life, and how the experience had a powerful impact on his own art.

This week’s opening thought features Bastille's Dan Smith reading an excerpt from Paul Auster’s 1999 essay ‘Reflections on a Cardboard Box’, recorded especially for TWFF. It’s lovely to have Dan on the pod.

David’s instagram is the best place to catch a first glimpse of his artworks as they emerge. And the excellent re-orchestrated version of Bastille’s award winning album ‘Doom Days’ is out now. Links below!

At the end of this episode you will hear ‘Endless City’ from Mystery Jets’ critically-acclaimed new album ‘A Billion Heartbeats’. You can buy and stream the album here.

This episode of ‘Things Worth Fighting For’ was brought to you by Acast and produced with Matthew Twaites. Thanks to Courtney Aiesha Mortimer at UROK for production assistance and coordination. 

RELATED LINKS:

Paul Auster: ‘Reflections on a Cardboard Box’

Catch up on Dan Smith’s ‘Distraction Tactics’ Book and Film Club (Instagram)

Bastille Store

Streets of London.org

David Tovey Art

The One Festival of Homeless Arts

David Tovey on Mystery Jets’ Speakers’ Corner (Youtube)

Learn about Help for Heroes

Support Veterans Aid

Listen: Stuart Semple investigates hostile architecture (BBC Sounds)

Sarah Ross: ‘Archisuits’

Listen: Gavin Bryars’ Haunting ‘Jesus Blood Never Failed me Yet’ (Youtube)

Follow Streetwise Opera

Listen’: Off the Beat and Track’ podcast, feat. Orlando Weeks (Acast)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meeting your musical heroes isn’t something that happens everyday, and rarely are they as engaging or open-hearted as our incredible guests on this week’s episode of the Pod.

Blaine sits down with one of his favourite guitarists, Ed O’Brien from the Oxford band Radiohead, to discuss feeling re-politicised for the first time since both attending the ‘Stop the War’ March in 2003, the social significance of Acid House, and ‘finding your tribe’ at Glastonbury. It’s a heart-warming conversation with many twists and turns.

This week’s opening thought features the ‘Bard of Barking’ Billy Bragg ruminating on the power of music to change the world, recorded especially for TWFF. It is a true privilege to have the ‘punk poet laureate of protest’ on the show.

Ed’s beautiful and hypnotic debut solo album ‘Earth’ is out now, as is Billy’s critically acclaimed new book ‘The three dimensions of freedom’, a pocket-sized exploration of personal liberty and the responsibilities of citizenship. Links below!

At the end of this episode you will hear ‘Campfire Song’ from Mystery Jets’ critically-acclaimed new album ‘A Billion Heartbeats’. You can buy and stream the album here.

This episode of ‘Things Worth Fighting For’ was brought to you by Acast and produced by our man Matthew Twaites. Thanks to Kate Jones at UROK for production assistance and coordination. 

RELATED LINKS:

Watch Billy Bragg Live at The Dominion Theatre in 1988 (Youtube)

Buy Billy Bragg Records Books and T Shirts

Follow Billy Bragg on Instagram

Buy/ Listen to Ed O’Brien’s magnificent album, Earth 

Watch Ed play ‘Shangri-La’ live on Jimmy Kimmel live (Youtube)

Check out the Fender EOB Sustainer Stratocaster® (Youtube)

Watch Radiohead at the Tibetan Freedom Concert in Washington DC, 1998 (Youtube)

Watch The Clash live in Victoria Park for Rock against Racism, 1978 (Youtube)

Watch the award-winning documentary ‘We are Many’ about the Iraq War protest (Amazon Prime)

Read ’33 Revolutions per minute: A History of Protest Songs’ by Dorian Lynksey (Abe Books)

Read/ Listen to ‘Drunk Folk Stories’ by Beans on toast

Attitude is Everything: Live Music is for Everyone

Attitude is Everything: Good night out Campaign

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

George Floyd’s brutal murder at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis has ignited a global conversation about structural racism in America. But how does Britain compare today? And how far have we really come in reconciling our dark colonial past?

Blaine sits down with author Nikesh Shukla, named by Time Magazine as ‘’one of the twelve leaders shaping the next generation of artists’’ to find out how ‘The Good Immigrant’ has helped change the face of publishing in the UK, and receives a surprise visit from a familiar face.

This week’s opening thought features journalist and author Reni Eddo-Lodge reading from her No.1 bestseller ‘Why I’m no longer talking to white people about Race’, recorded especially for TWFF.

At the end of this episode you will hear ‘Screwdriver’ from Mystery Jets’ critically-acclaimed new album ‘A Billion Heartbeats’. You can buy and stream the album here.

This episode of ‘Things Worth Fighting For’ was brought to you by Acast and produced by Matthew Twaites. 

Thanks to Courtney Aiesha Mortimer at UROK for production assistance and coordination. 

RELATED LINKS:

Read ‘Why I’m no longer talking to White people about Race’ by Reni Eddo-Lodge (Blackwells)

Listen to Reni Eddo-Lodge’s award-winning podcast ‘About Race’ (Acast)

Reni Eddo-Lodge interviewed by Emma Watson (Youtube)

Read ‘The Good Immigrant’ and Nikesh’s other books (Amazon)

Nikesh Shukla on Mystery Jets’ Speakers’ Corner (Youtube)

Nikesh Shukla TEDx Talk (Youtube)

Nikesh Shukla on The Guilty Feminist podcast (Acast)

Nikesh Shukla: How the Buddha of Suburbia let me into a much wider world (Guardian)

Read Hanif Kureishi: The Buddha of Suburbia (Waterstones)

Toni Morrison interviewed in 1998 (Youtube)

Akala reads his book ‘Natives’ (Audible)

Racial Equity Tools: Anti-Racist Glossary

Black Lives Matter Global resources

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Womens’ March in 2017 took place the day after President Trumps’ inauguration and was the largest single-day protest in U.S history. How have #MeToo and #TimesUp shaped the landscape of gender politics?

What does it mean to be a feminist today?

Blaine sits down with artist and influencer Florence Given to find out the answers to these questions, and learns what steps men can take towards becoming better allies within intersectional feminism.

This week’s opening thought features New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo reading her poem ‘Spear’.

At the end of this episode you will hear ‘History has it’s Eyes on You’ from Mystery Jets’ critically-acclaimed new album ‘A Billion Heartbeats’. You can buy and stream the album here.

This episode of ‘Things Worth Fighting For’ was brought to you by Acast and produced by Matthew Twaites. 

Thanks to Courtney Aiesha Mortimer at UROK for production assistance and coordination. 

RELATED LINKS:

Elizabeth Acevedo: ‘Spear’

Elizabeth Acevedo TEDx talk (Youtube)

Follow Elizabeth Acevedo on Twitter

Discover Elizabeth Acevedo’s books

FlorenceGiven.com

Follow Florence Given on Instagram

Order Florence’s book ‘Women don’t owe you pretty’ (Waterstones)

40 New Feminist classics you should read (LitHub)

Dear Ijeawele: A Feminist Manifesto In Fifteen Suggestions (Amazon)

The Guilty Feminist (podcast)

A Feminist Glossary (because we didn’t all major in gender studies)

Help fight period poverty (Bloody Good Period)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

72 people died in the fire at Grenfell Tower, a building recently refurbished in non-compliant, highly flammable cladding. Three years later, still no arrests have been made. How come?

What is the legacy of the tragedy and will justice ever be done to those who lost their lives?

Blaine sits down with Justice4Grenfell director Judy Bolton to find out the answer to these questions and hears how the community came together in the wake of that devastating night in June 2017.

This week’s opening thought features Ricky Nutall from the LFB reading his poem ‘The Firefighter’.

At the end of this episode you will hear the title track from Mystery Jets’ critically-acclaimed new album ‘A Billion Heartbeats’. You can buy and stream the album here.

This episode of ‘Things Worth Fighting For’ was brought to you by Acast and produced by Matthew Twaites. 

Thanks to Courtney-Aiesha Mortimer at UROK for production assistance and coordination. 

RELATED LINKS:

Ricky Nuttall: ‘The Firefighter’ (Youtube)

Ricky Nuttall interview on BBC Newsnight (Youtube)

Judy Bolton on Mystery Jets’ ‘Speakers’ Corner’ (Youtube)

Three Billboards outside Grenfell (Independant)

Follow the Grenfell Tower Enquiry (Guardian)

The BBC Grenfell Tower Inquiry Podcast (Apple)

Voices of Grenfell at the Oxford Union

LOWKEY ft. Mai Khalil: ’Ghosts of Grenfell’ (Youtube)

Join the Grenfell Silent Walk of remembrance

justice4grenfell.org

justice4grenfell on facebook

justice4grenfell on instagram

GrenfellUnited.org.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.