966. We’re All Brothers and Sisters

Listeners will be familiar with our guest, Chair of United Against Racism, Memet Uludag, and his work in countering the far right in Ireland. What is news to most is that he was recently in Lesbos, Greece, for the (sham)trial of 24 people charged with all sorts of trumped up charges for trying to help save people from drowning in […]

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960. There Are No Grownup’s in the Room with Prof Richard Murphy

Scandal, scandal, and scandal. What has 2023 got in store for the UK, and how might that impact us? Rejoining me in the tortoise shack to answer these questions is listener-favourite, Prof Richard Murphy. We look at the NHS under pressure, Rishi Sunak’s unhelpful pledges, Labour’s lightweight opposition and what lies ahead for climate action, housing policy and health. Please […]

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956. What’s Ahead for Housing in 2023 with Killian Woods

With far right elements pushing blame for the housing crisis towards people seeking international protection, rather than decades of bad government housing policy, 2023 could be a very volatile year. Joining us to discuss where the Govts Homes For All plan is at and what might be ahead, is Senior Business Reporter with the Business Post, Killian Woods. We talk […]

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950. War Crimes in Ukraine

Listeners will recall Executive Director with Irish Rule of Law, Aonghus Kelly, last spoke to us about taking a sabbatical from his role and going to Ukraine to work with the EU’s Advisory Mission into war crimes and other atrocities taking place following the Russian invasion. Well he’s home for a few days and dropped into the tortoise shack to […]

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959. Ballymun: An Up the Flats Mentality with Adam Mohamed

It was fantastic to sit down with musician, spoken word poet, artist and Ballymuner, Adam Mohamed. We talk about growing up in Ballymun as a Black person, telling his truth and not accepting the narratives imposed on him, finding expression in poetry and creating an anthem for himself. We also discuss the protests in Ballymun, his disappointment with them and […]

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953. The Left Eats Itself? – Joao Pina

It was great, as well as timely, to have Vice Deputy Leader of the Portuguese Socialist Party (Party of Govt), Joao Pina, back on the the tortoise shack. His government are currently undergoing another reshuffle as resignations and allegations engulf the body politic. We talk all about it, the health service under pressure, their ambitions for 2023 (a year of […]

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940. The Day the Music Died

Matt McGranahan is one of Ireland’s best known trad musicians. His talent is appreciated far and wide and he has played alongside the best known names in the industry. He’s been on TV, played in the Aras, was involved in cross border music collaborations bringing trad music to all traditions on the island. It’s fair to say that Matt is […]

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943. Is Tax Avoidance Ireland’s ‘Natural Resource’?

In November, Ireland took in almost as much corporation tax as it did in the entire year of 2015. Many paint this as a success story where everyone is a winner. But it’s not as simple as that. Bizarrely much of our success is built on the type of creative accounting that means Ireland is the single largest export market […]

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