(Recorded Feb 19th) Joining me in the tortoise shack is Progressive Unionist Party member and Community Activist in Rathcoole, Rosey Bell. Rosey tells me how my assumptions on her upbringing are wrong, why the she believes in an inclusive and equal Northern Ireland, while maintaining her Loyalist identity and culture. We talk about what the NI Protocol means to her […]
As the fighting and losses of life continue across the Ukraine, I was joined by opposition MP Lesia Vasylenko to discuss the latest situation. We discuss the tragic loss of life, the resilience of the citizens of Ukraine and the further ramping up of international action against Russia. Lesia also runs the numbers and estimates just how long the Russian […]
35, Still Living in my Childhood Bedroom – Robert’s Story In this Reboot Republic, Rory talks talks to Rob Walsh, who tells his #housingcrisis story. He is 35, has worked all his life, but is still living in his parent’s house. He explains how this impacts on his independence, being able to have relationships, his sense of shame. He also […]
As the fighting continues in Ukraine I was joined from Kyiv via WhatsApp phone line by Govt MP and Head of the Permanent Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Maria Mezentseva. Maria describes the morale as “tired, but inspired” and talks me through the last 48hrs of combat and political action. She tells me about the actions of the […]
A few minutes ago Ukrainian Opposition MP, Lesia Vasylenko, joined us to tell us about the situation there on the ground. Lesia was a bit distressed and had to leave her home for safety reasons. Nonetheless she tells us what is happening currently, what the international community are and are not doing and what she now believes the Russian endgame […]
(Recorded Feb 12th) This week the government announced details of one of its key climate actions in the National Retrofitting Scheme. I was joined on the tortoise shack by Green Party Cllr Oisín O’Connor to discuss whether its any good or just more incrementalism. Oisín talks about the merits of the scheme and is pretty frank about the flaws as […]
This Reboot Republic talks to Mark Smyth, Chartered Clinical Psychologist and Tanya Ward CEO of the Children’s Rights Alliance about its recent ‘Report Card’ that grades and assesses the Government’s policy for children. Tanya outlines the main areas such as progress, but also areas that have worsened such as child and family homelessness. Mark discusses the situation of children and […]
On Wednesday, Sinn Féin Senator Lynn Boylan with introduce a Bill that if enacted would allow for the coroner to use the same process used for selecting a criminal jury for the Stardust Inquest, using the electoral register and allowing for legal teams to dismiss jurors without any given reason during selection. This is something both the Families and the […]