Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack We said we'd return to the horrific attack on Parnell Square that injured several people and left a 5 year old child in critical condition, and the subsequent chaotic scenes that played out in Dublin city centre. So here it is. Our podcast with the best immigration reporter in the country, the Dublin Inquirer's Shamim Malekmian, Green Party Cllr and former Dublin Lord Mayor, Hazel Chu and our bastion of sanity, Mr irishelectionprojections.com Harry McEvansoneya. We delve into the topics of classism, racism, the far right opportunists, the medias soft ..read more

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack If you read the piece A Lucky Gazan Routine, that we posted a few days ago by 20 year old Literature Student, Noar Diab, then you'll be familiar with her experiences of the last 49 days. If you haven't then you can read it here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/free-to-all-noar-93352128 Noar joined us hours before the temporary ceasefire began to tell us about her story, her plans to travel, her passion for performing and her love/hate relationship with writing and how the Israeli destruction of Gaza has taken all of those dreams away. She is a remarkabl ..read more

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack Argentina only went and bloody did it. They elected the chainsaw wielding, tantric sex coaching, ultra-neoliberal and libertarian, Javier Milei. So What Now? Rejoining us on the podcast is Colombian journalist with El Pais, Nicholas Dale Leal. He talks us through the why of Milei's victory, the what next for the region and the hope that it won't be a costly salutary tale. We also discuss the kidnapping of the father of Liverpool footballer, Luis Diaz and why the media have gotten the "good news story" wrong and why the response of Colombian President ..read more

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack Bashar Murad is a Palestinian singer, lyricist, director and composer born and raised in Jerusalem. Bashar uses pop music and art as a vehicle to challenge stereotypes, normativity and to highlight social issues facing young generations of urban Palestinians. He’s also an icon. He joined us to talk about the pain of watching the suffering in Gaza and the survivors guilt that has developed in the space between Jerusalem and Gaza. He also explains why the IDF’s pinkwashing doesn’t help any members of the Palestinian LGBTQ community. This is a conversat ..read more

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack The second episode of Palcast discusses the shared struggle of the Palestinian and Irish peoples. From Captain Boycott, to Bloody Balfour, to hunger strikes, Dr Yousef Aljamal, Helena Cobban and Tony Groves delve into the shared struggle between the two nations, and indeed the anti-apartheid movements globally. We also look at the mistakes that Ireland has made and what the movement for Palestinian self-determination can learn from them. For more see:https://justworldeducational.org/ The Podcast with Palestinian Pop Star, Bashar Murad, is out now her ..read more

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack There is a lot going on, but we can't lose sight of the housing crisis that continues to make life miserable and unaffordable for tens of thousands of our citizens, and while the housing crisis was created by bad policies, our guest, Sinn Féin's Housing Spokesperson, Eoin Ó Broin, thinks (if given the chance) it can be fixed with good policies. We look at some of the key areas, making rent affordable and secure, cutting down on rogue holiday-rentals and implementing good just transition style planning laws. We also have a small barney over Sinn Féin ..read more

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack (Note: The first 15 minutes of this podcast (patron-only) are more about domestic politics) As the world watches events in Gaza, the West Bank is also in a state of chaotic violence. Joining us on the podcast for the first time in a while is Ramallah-based journalist, Gareth Browne. He explains the problems in the area with settler violence, the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government. Gareth also outlines the dangers of a wider conflagration and why Israel currently having no plan beyond the current violence is a danger to the region. Subsc ..read more

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack CW: The podcast opens with a voice note sent from Zak Hania that some listeners may find upsetting I was rejoined on the podcast by our friend and young Gazan journalist, Mahmoud Mushtaha, from inside Al-Shifa hospital. He reports on the awful decisions doctors and nurses are been forced to make because of a lack of medical supplies, he outlines the horrendous conditions people are living in, the scarcity of food and water and more. He also outlines that during previous escalations that families that families would always "split up" so that if one wa ..read more

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack Asad Abusharkh is a legend in the anti-apartheid movement. Asad, a child of the Nakba, has dedicated his life to fight for not just Palestinian freedom, but the freedom of all people. So it was very upsetting to read in a Facebook post that his family home was destroyed in Rafah by the Israeli airstrikes. An emotional, angry, but unbelievably resilient Asad joined me to discuss this "war" on his people and how the world needs to wake up to what is unfolding on our phone screens. The podcast with Jacob Woolf of Jews for Palestine, Ireland is out now h ..read more

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack Note: Hours after this podcast the Israeli army bombed and destroyed Muhammad's family home. He's not a terrorist. This is collective punishment. It was a great pleasure to be joined on the podcast by Gazan writer, analyst and researcher, Muhammad Shehada for a barnstorming podcast on the events right now in Gaza, the history of the conflict, the geopolitics of the "war" and the best explanation you'll hear of the factions, groups and civil society movements in Palestine. I've done well over 1,500 podcasts and this is instantly one of my favourite co ..read more