Reboot Republic Podcast Brough To You By The Tortoise Shack Ireland

Reboot Republic is the innovative Podcast that delves beyond the headlines and soundbites and pulls up the roots of our Social Crises to unearth progressive solutions. We talk to world leading experts, politicians, activists and everyday change-makers. This not about tinkering around the edges. Hosted by Lecturer of Social Policy in Maynooth University and Social Justice Campaigner Dr Rory Hearne and independent podcast nerd Tony Groves, we look beyond the political speak for real, globally tried and tested solutions. Reboot Republic aims to be the podcast for an optimistic and inclusive future and not the polarised present. @RebootPod

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Going Backwards – The New Legislation for Renters

We discuss the failings of the Government’s new rental legislation to protect tenants and the need for greater measures to help those in rent arrears. Ann-Marie O Reilly and Gavin Elliott from Threshold talk about the new Bill which removes the COVID ban on evictions and rent freeze for most tenants and ask why the moratorium was not extended in the interest of both the common good and the Exchequer.

The new Bill once more means that tenants can be evicted if a landlord “intends” to sell their property or to move a family member in. We also discuss how the COVID measures positively reduced homelessness, and why a referendum is needed to put a right to housing in the Constitution, so that measures to protect tenants can be put in place without fear of legal challenge.

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Green Goals
Neasa Hourigan TD

Green Party TD for Dublin Central, Neasa Hourigan, recently joined Rory and Martin to talk about her own decision to not support the program for government and the fallout from that. We discuss the ambitions the Greens have for this government and why they feel it is better to be in the room disagreeing than on the opposition benches. Neasa also talks about what wins she hopes they can achieve within this term, while acknowledging that it might come at some electoral cost and more.

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A Rural Voice
Mairéad Farrell TD

This Reboot Republic Podcast is with Sinn Féin TD for Galway West/South Mayo, Mairéad Farrell. We discuss the accommodation crisis beyond Dublin and other urban areas, generation rent and how the Left needs to have a conversation about the needs of those who live outside the main cities.

We also discuss Sinn Féin’s role in opposition and the need for the Covid-19 emergency measures of rent freezes and eviction bans to be extended a lot longer than the few more weeks proposed by the new government.

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The Alternative
Government

We are joined by SIPTU researcher and political economy commentator, Michael Taft.

We discuss the new Government and the claims that they are radical centrist and what that means. We also talk about the Apple Tax ruling and what will happen no matter the verdict. Finally we talk about the need for the Alternative Government to begin to come together and put forward solutions to the big issues that people care about during the lifetime of this new Dáil.

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Empowering Renters
Dr Michael Byrne

This Reboot Republic podcast talks to Dr Michael Byrne, from UCD School of Social Work, Policy & Social Justice about his new report ‘Security and agency in the Private Rented Sector’. We discuss the issues facing renters, the role of cuckoo funds making housing unaffordable, the ineffectiveness of subsidising homeownership, the power landlords have over tenants, the legislation that needs to change to make renting a secure home in Ireland and the importance of tenants taking action, such as the new tenants union CATU.

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A Poverty
of Ambition?

This Reboot Republic podcast speaks to Tricia Kielthy, Head of Social Justice and Policy at St Vincent de Paul about the new report, the Hidden Cost of Poverty which shows 4.6bn is spent each year dealing with the effects of Poverty in health, housing, policing etc. It also shows the persistently high levels of Poverty with 225000 children in poverty. We also talk about poverty and the Programme for Government, a New Poverty Act to legislate for binding targets to reduce poverty.

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Housing Shock
Book Launch

This Reboot Republic podcast was recorded live at the book launch and webinar of Rory Hearne’s new book ‘Housing Shock: The Irish Housing Crisis and how to solve it’. It features Dr Rory Hearne, Leilani Farha, Fr Peter McVerry, Homelessness campaigner, Prof Michelle Norris and Vincent Browne asks Rory some interrogatory questions. Chaired by Dr Mary Murphy, Department of Sociology, Maynooth University and attended by a cast of hundreds online, this was a terrific event.

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Housing Shock
The Irish Crisis

In this Reboot Republic podcast Rory Hearne reads excerpts from his new book ‘Housing Shock: The Irish Housing Crisis and how to solve it’ – outlining the two possible housing futures -a dystopia of homelessness & housing distress & exclusion or a future of affordable homes, flourishing communities & sustainable planet – the books shows the devastation of the first scenario & how we can achieve the second. Tony asks Rory What motivated him to write the book and his thoughts on the crisis now.

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Make The Shift
Leilani Farha

Having recently completed her term as UN Special Rapporteur for Housing, Leilani Farha rejoined us on the pod to discuss her time in the role and what she is doing now.

We discuss the financialisation of housing, the impact Covid-19 has had on homelessness and the emergency measures that there can be no going back from. Leilani also explains what her new initiative makethshift.org is and how she is continuing to advocate for the Right to Housing now.

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John Harris
Live in LockDown

Guardian Columnist, features writer and co-creator of the excellent series Anywhere But Westminster, John Harris joined us along an audience of our Tortoise Shack members for a conversation about the UK’s response to Covid-19 and how it’s exposing and deepening the inequalities that already existed pre-pandemic.

We also discuss what might be around the corner politically and economically; we even almost nostalgically talk about Brexit before a Q&A at the end.

Thanks to John for his time and to our members for joining us.

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#NoGoingBack
Dr Gabrielle Colleran

We were delighted to be joined again on the pod by Consultant Paediatric Radiologist at the Children’s University Hospital, Temple Street and the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street, Gabrielle Colleran.

Gabrielle talks to us about the reality of where we were pre-Covid-19 and where we are now. We discuss the very real danger of people who need medical care not seeking it by avoiding the hospitals and we go into the groupthink that is being used to silence debate on the solutions to our predicament and ideas on how we move forward to a health system based on need rather than ability to pay.

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Dr Niall Muldoon
The Children’s Ombudsman

Covid-19 has seen huge changes to how we live our lives. But as social distancing becomes the norm, we bring you a talk given by the Children’s Ombudsman and friend of the pod, Dr Niall Muldoon. Niall talks about the work of his office and speaks passionately about the real lived experiences of children living in emergency accommodation and “family hubs”. That nearly 4,000 children are homeless in Ireland is already a crisis, now in the face of a global pandemic, it is an emergency that requires immediate attention. This talk was part of the NUI Maynooth, New Public Housing Conference.

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Orla Hegarty
New Public Housing

We have seen large parts of the commentariat declare that we must build smaller units up into the Dublin skyline to tackle the housing crisis. The only problem with that is there’s no evidence that this race to the bottom will work. In this short podcast Assistant Professor at UCD’s School of Architecture, Orla Hegarty, outlines how real livable communities can be built and delivered at prices not beyond the average person. She gives the facts around the land profit extraction and bursts a few myths of the “build up to the sky” merchants.

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#GE2020
In The National Interest

Fine Gael seem to have forgotten that all the parties of the Dáil stood by and assisted in delivering a stable (but ineffective) government throughout the Brexit process. Now that they’ve lost they seem to want to take the ball and go home. We talk about the need for all sides to be grown ups now and the need for a no red lines talks.

Then Solidarity PBP’s newly re-elected Paul Murphy joins us to discuss what 3 things he wants to see as front and centre in a Left Unity Government.

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The Results
An Epic Day

If anything the Exit Poll underestimated the Broad Left Vote and while FF/FG might end up with more seats than SF, the Broad Left is the real winner. The people have said they no longer want a €5er in tax cuts and poorly funded public services and the people have said that politicians who think accountability is only for the working class will no longer be tolerated.

To talk about all this and what it might mean I’m joined by 2 candidates who are very likely to be TD’s in the coming hours: Green Party’s Dublin Central, Neasa Hourigan and Sinn Féin’s Meath East, Darren O’Rourke.