It's Episode #47 - #FreePalestine and we are joined by Dalia Fakih to talk about the very important issues that face us with regard to Palestine and Israel. We aim to set these discussions in a historical context and in light of the recent reports from Human Rights Watch and B’Tselem, which categorise Israel to be an apartheid state that persecutes the Palestinian people in the occupied territories, Israel proper and the Gaza Strip. 

Key Message: As Martin Luther King once said, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Some of the key points we touch on in this episode:

- Zionism and History

- Geographical lay of the land

- Current situation - this is a human rights issue

- Recent escalations - how did this gain momentum?

- Media, censorship and international complicity

- Distinction between criticism of Israel & anti-semitism

- What is different this time and the solution?

- How to help

Who is Dalia?

Dalia Fakih, citizen of the world. A Cypriot of Palestinian and Lebanese decent, educated in the UK. Dalia is a law graduate here to start the conversation on Palestine and human rights. Talking about apartheid, persecution and what we can each do to see a free Palestine with justice and equality for all. Join the fight against selective human rights worldwide.

Further Resources

Human Rights Watch Report

B’Tselem – The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories Report

Jewish Voice for Peace

BDS Movement

Eye on Palestine

Further resources are available on our website: https://tomstuandyou.com 

You can now watch our podcasts on Youtube if you’d prefer to also check us out while listening to our beautiful voices. Head over to our Youtube channel at Tom, Stu and You Podcast 

Like us on Facebook and Instagram @tomstuandyou or send us an email at [email protected] with any questions, comments, thoughts, or queries you have on the topics we’ve discussed or any suggestions of topics you’d like to hear us address. 

Thanks so much for your support! 

In this episode, Tom finally gets to talk about Football!

Yes, that's right, we're wading in with our thoughts on the recent European Super League debacle and pondering the problems that there are with the modern game. Are fans becoming increasingly seen as customers and consumers rather than fans? What were the proposals and why did they fail? Why wouldn't it be awesome to watch Liverpool v Real Madrid every week? What are the solutions to issues of ownership?

The backlash to the announcement of the European Super League from fans of all tribes and backgrounds was a fantastic moment for civil disobedience, people power and solidarity. It was a teachable moment and served as a microcosm of our society in this era of neo-liberal capitalism. Were the owners of the football clubs not just trying to secure their economic futures and pursue profits? The basis of our capitalist system.

We know there are many footaball fans out there with strong opinions on the European Super League plans. We hope that you enjoy the episode and get in touch to let us know what you think about what we've had to say here. What were your thoughts on the plans? Can the same impetus and movement be created around other social institutions that belong to the people; the NHS for example?

You can get in touch at all the usual places. Thank you for listening and we look forward to hearing from you!

T&S

To talk about violence against women, with invited back onto the podcast the amazing Kaley Ames for Episode #45. Continuing on from last episode’s chat about toxic masculinity, we explore the experience of women & the increased violence they face throughout their lives which can go largely unknown to the men around them. This isn’t a topic we think should be left for women to suffer silently, and so as usual, we think this is an incredibly important conversation to have. 

Some of the topics we cover in this episode:

• the case of Sarah Everard 

We want to thank Kaley for her insightful conversation, providing a unique perspective on an issue Tom & I don’t have first-hand experience with. It’s through conversations such as this, that we can continue to open minds to the realities faced by our friends & family. By sharing stories of difficulties & moments of vulnerability, we can turn our sympathy into empathy and hopefully bring about the societal change that is so desperately needed. 

Like us on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram @tomstuandyou or send us an email at [email protected] with any questions, comments, thoughts, or queries you have on the topics we’ve discussed or any suggestions of topics you’d like to hear us address. 

Thanks so much for your support! 

Full show notes at tomstuandyou.com

Welcome to Episode #44 where we ask the question; “What is Toxic Masculinity?” Having personal experience with this subject, and recognizing the importance of discussing this topic with others, we were both excited and apprehensive to dive right into such a controversial topic. Masculinity is so tied up in our sense of identity, that it’s hard not to feel personally attacked whenever someone questions our manliness...but that’s kinda the problem in a nutshell. We need to redefine what it means to be a good man, because toxic masculinity affects not only boys & men, but society as a whole. 

Key message: “By far the worst thing we do to males — by making them feel they have to be hard — is that we leave them with very fragile egos.”

— Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, award-winning author

Here are some of the topics we look into throughout this conversation:

• What is toxic masculinity?

• Argument that biology supports gender differences

We know this is a difficult conversation to have. It’s hard to come to terms with our own self-identity, and when we question what makes us ‘a real man,’ it can be hard to put into words our feelings & values. That’s why we need to have this conversation though, because it’s hard is exactly why it’s so important. 

Like us on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram @tomstuandyou or send us an email at [email protected] with any questions, comments, thoughts, or queries you have on the topics we’ve discussed or any suggestions of topics you’d like to hear us address. 

Check out our website https://tomstuandyou.com for a full list of our episodes & guests, as well as further resources we recommend on some of the topics we regularly discuss. 

Thanks so much for your support! 

Episode #43, our second of 2021, and it’s our most comprehensive episode yet! We chat to the incredible Robin Clapp about socialism, the current state of the political movement, its leadership challenges and why he’s still optimistic about youth in politics. Heads up, this is a long episode but if you’ve ever felt curious about socialism and want to learn more, Robin is a fascinating storyteller and the most knowledgeable guest we could have possibly found to discuss this topic. 

Key Message: Socialism is a form of activism that’s necessary for a better world. We just need to go to where the workers are.   

What we talk about in this episode:

• Robin’s political journey to socialism

Further Resources

• The Capitalist Crash and the New Challenges Facing Socialists

Who is Robin?

Robin has been a socialist since 1973 after witnessing his father lose 3 jobs in 12 months as a result of a massive recession. He currently sits on the National Committee of the Socialist Party of England and Wales. Full bio at Robin Clapp | Tom, Stu and You

You can follow Robin’s work at the below links:

Website

You can now watch our podcasts on Youtube if you’d prefer to also check us out while listening to our beautiful voices 😉 Head over to our Youtube channel at Tom, Stu and You Podcast 

Like us on Facebook and Instagram @tomstuandyou or send us an email at [email protected] with any questions, comments, thoughts, or queries you have on the topics we’ve discussed or any suggestions of topics you’d like to hear us address. 

Thanks so much for your support! 

Hello and happy new year everyone!

We hope that you are doing well and keeping safe at this difficult time! Episode 42 of the podcast is now live and available for you to listen to one the website, YouTube and all major podcasting platforms. We’re back after the Christmas and New Year break, shaking the rust off by looking back over the past year and pondering the future for 2021.

We appreciate that a lot of people will be keen to forget 2020 as quickly as possible but we feel it is important to look back over the year, review it, see what lessons there are to be learned and take that learning into the future. We talk about the things that have been revealed by the coronavirus pandemic, our value systems, the performance of our leaders, our relationship with the natural world and how our economic systems have worked during this time. We talk about what we’ve learned personally, what we can learn collectively as a society and what we hope for the future.

As always, we love to hear from you. Let us know what your thoughts are on the past year, lessons you’ve learned, things that have been highlighted to you and what you hope for 2021 on a personal and societal level. You can get in touch with us by email at [email protected], leave us a comment on YouTube or leave us a comment or send us a direct message on social media. Happy listening. We look forward to hearing from you.

Stay safe and take care everyone!

Further resources:

Ceeroo: 2020 Remixed https://youtu.be/eMOUTgWQM74 

Stu's 2020 Year in Review https://youtu.be/z7kJ8V4ZJgI 

Hello everyone,

We hope that you are keeping safe and well during this time! Episode 41 of the podcast is now live and available for you all to listen to on all major podcasting platforms, the website (link in bio) and YouTube. In this episode we’ve been inspired by BBC Radio 4’s “Desert Island Discs” so we are discussing songs that are meaningful to us, that remind us of certain people or certain times of life, we discuss what book (other than the bible and the entire works of Shakespeare) we’d take and what luxury item we’d take with us were we to find ourselves marooned on a desert island. We also extend the conversation to discuss which people we’d like to invite to a dinner party from any time in history, what period of time we’d travel if we could and what we think an outside alien would find were it to come to earth; what would it think about the state of humankind in the 21st century?

We hope that you enjoy the episode! As always, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch and let us know what songs, books, luxury items you’d take to a desert island, who you’d invite to a dinner party and what you think an alien would make of the state of humankind in the 21st century. You can get in touch with us by email [email protected], leave us a comment or send a direct message on Facebook or Instagram and don forget to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel!

Thanks, everyone, take care! 🙂✌🏼

We’re living our best lives in this conversation with the wonderful Topanga on Episode #40 of the Tom, Stu and You Podcast. Topanga matched with Stu on Bumble a few months ago, and after months of hilarious chats, they decided to share their wisdom with people in a podcast episode. We cover quite a few different topics in this chat, so sit back, and enjoy the sounds of our beautiful voices as you try not to fall asleep (if you know, you know! haha).   

Key Message: Remember to take the time to check in with yourself, and look after others where you can. 

What we talk about in this episode:

• Finding love online

Who is Topanga?

Topanga updated her location on bumble to Toronto and it led her to this podcast. She’s a career-focused woman in NYC, with a fresh start on the horizon in Chicago. If you’re looking to rebrand, for a good laugh or to simply make a friend in the U.S. - she’s your girl.

You can check out Topanga’s life at the below links:

Instagram

Thank you! 

You can now watch our podcasts on Youtube if you’d prefer to also check us out while listening to our beautiful voices 😉 Head over to our Youtube channel at Tom, Stu and You Podcast 

Like us on Facebook and Instagram @tomstuandyou or send us an email at [email protected] with any questions, comments, thoughts, or queries you have on the topics we’ve discussed or any suggestions of topics you’d like to hear us address. 

Thanks so much for your support! 

Well, well, well, would you look at that? We’re talking about Capitalism again, but this time we’re looking at billionaires. Billionaires are the poster boys for Capitalism, and so much of what we are talking about in this episode is directly critical of the capitalist system in which the concept of billionaires is merely a symptom. 

Key Message: Take time to reconsider why it is we believe success equals enormous wealth. 

Some of the things we’re talking about in this episode:

• What does a billion even look like?

Further Reading:

• 'Winners Take All': Generous Giving Or Phony Philanthropy?

Counter Argument:

• Why a “Billionaire” Wealth Tax Would Hurt the Working Poor and the Middle Class | Mark Hornshaw (this is a great example of a slippery slope argument in favour of the billionaire class)

Full show notes can be found at tomstuandyou.com 

Like us on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram @tomstuandyou or send us an email at [email protected] with any questions, comments, thoughts, or queries you have on the topics we’ve discussed or any suggestions of topics you’d like to hear us address. 

Thanks so much for your support! 

It’s Episode #38 and we’re talking about why our democracy is broken in today’s episode. In light of the current US election shit show that’s going on, the protests that have been happening through the year, and with many other elections being held around the world, we thought it was a good time to discuss the concept of democracy that so many of us take for granted, and for which, there is plenty to discuss. 

Key Message: Fight for increased accountability & transparency, and look for ways to introduce democracy into the non-political sphere (i.e in the workplace). 

Some of the topics we’re touching on today:

• What is democracy?

Like us on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram @tomstuandyou or send us an email at [email protected] with any questions, comments, thoughts, or queries you have on the topics we’ve discussed or any suggestions of topics you’d like to hear us address. 

Thanks so much for your support!