1188. I Live in a Rich Country. Why am I so Poor?

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack We are bombarded with “we’ve never had it so good” opinion pieces and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar recently warned against fixing the housing crisis too quickly. So it can be hard to understand why many of us feel poorer than ever. The truth is that inequality is not a bug of our economic system, it’s a […]

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1207. The Care Referendum – No Justiciable Rights?

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack The vote on the two referendums on the Family and Care is not far away and while opinion polls suggest a landslide for Yes Yes, events of recent days (Ministers misrepresenting the amendments and FLAC’s criticism of the Care aspect) have made enough noise to at least make people investigate what they’re voting on. Joining […]

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1195. Making Affordable Homes Actually Affordable

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack Sinn Féin made headlines when they said that they wanted average homes to be within reach of average salaries. Their figure of €300,000 was scoffed at by the Society of Charted Surveyors, who put the cost of building a house in Dublin at €460,000. So what to think? Joining us on the podcast is UCD […]

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1204. “If the bombs don’t kill me, starvation will” – Mahmoud Mushtaha in Gaza City

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack CW: This podcast contains subject matter that some listeners might find upsetting. In this important Echo Chamber Podcast, Tony speaks with Irish-Palestinian, Zak Hania, who is in Rafah and young journalist, Mahmoud Mushtaha, who remains in Gaza City. They talk about the ongoing Israeli military bombardment and what is happening now where they are. Zak […]

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1201. Homeless in Dublin, While my Family is Struggling in Gaza

Help keep this show on the road by clicking:patreon.com/tortoiseshack If you heard Baraa Albayari’s interview from Podcasts for Palestine, then you’d know that after he’d left Gaza and swam from Turkey to Kos in Greece, he’d wound up homeless on the streets of Dublin. You’d also know that we weren’t going to let that continue and things have improved a […]

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1187. The European Misfit – Luke Ming Flanagan

Join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack Most people don’t look forward to the European election, but most people aren’t political ners like us. So we were delighted to be rejoined on the pod for the first time this year by current (and going for it again) MEP, and a face-that-doesn’t-fit, Luke Ming Flanagan. He talks about fears that the balance in the […]

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1196. Let It Bring Hope – The Free Derry Wall with SpiceBag and Pattern Up

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack The last time we spoke with activist-artists, Pattern Up and Adam SpiceBag Doyle, they’d caused a lot of pearl clutching with their Crack Zone posters in Dublin. This time they’ve done something very different and very much appreciated us in the Shack. They’ve repainted the iconic Free Derry Wall with words from the poem of […]

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1181. A Look Inside America, with Jon Schwarz

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack Whether it’s Biden or Trump, it seems Corporate Democracy will win again. But much like the President and former President, America seems to have lost a step. This, ladies and gentlemen, might be what empire in decline looks like. Joining us on the podcast to delve into this and a lot, lot more is one […]

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