https://tortoiseshack.ie/feed/podcast/

In this Reboot Republic, Rory speaks with Senator Eileen Flynn and Dr Seamus Taylor of the Department of Applied Social Studies Maynooth about the Hate Crime Bill which is progressing through the Dail and Seanad currently. Seamus and Eileen explain why it is important in making it clear that hate crime is not acceptable in Ireland, ranging from anti-minority and ethnic groups, gender identity, ant...

We've ended up doing an accidental economic series within a series and what better way to wrap it up than with Head of Economics in UL, Stephen Kinsella. We discuss the President's comments and why Stephen robustly disagrees, how he teaches economics and the differences between the economics in colleges and the much of the stuff in the newspapers. We also get stuck into what Ireland should and sho...

“If you have to kill me, kill me. But I am telling you to your face: you won’t silence me.” Those are the prescient words of Colombian journalist, Rafael Moreno, who must have known when he was saying them that he had not long left to live. But he kept on reporting until his murder. Rejoining us to tell us about this story of incredible bravery and how fellow journalists have stepped in to seek ju...

Sportswashing works and lots of people have resigned themselves to that sad truth. Rejoining us on the podcast is longtime human rights campaigner, writer, journalist and "unaccepter" of the current situation, Nicholas McGeehan. He brings us up to date on how human rights and workers right haven't actually improved in the States that are using football and golf to wield soft-power on the global st...

In this Reboot Republic, Rory talks to Lorraine from the Muslim Sisters of Eire, who are doing trojan work providing hot meals to those who need it on the streets of Dublin, and also working to support integration and tackle racism. We discuss the on-going cost of living crisis, what they are seeing in terms of social needs in Dublin, how it is beyond anything seen in recent years, we also discuss...

Rising intergenerational and social inequality in Ireland’s economy: what is going on with economics? In this Reboot Republic, Rory talks to Dr Tom McDonnell, Director of the Nevin Economic Research Institute about where the Irish economy is headed, interest rates and inflation, why tax cuts just benefit those on higher incomes and will result in poorer public services, how the older generation ha...

A few months ago we spoke with schoolteacher, podcaster and sound out Corkonian, Padraig Wilson McCarthy, about the fact that the rents he was seeing in Dublin were more than his monthly salary. Lots of you said that we needed to get him back on. So here he is. We talk about Pride as protest and not corporate crap, the horrifying rise of homophobic hate crimes, the shitty Dublin rental market and...

In this Reboot Republic, Rory talks to organisers of this weekends (Saturday June 10th) Raise the Roof rally taking place in Cork City.  Joining Rory are Barry Murphy, general secretary of the plasters union, Eva Mitchell, union organiser with SIPTU, and Martin Leahy, musician.  We talk about the need to challenge the normalisation and powerlessness in the housing crisis but also understanding tha...

A very tortoise shack member only podcast: The latest on the Public Services Card, Fine Gael's EPP duplicitousness, boom time for inequality, no to dryrobes, homelessness, some good news and last call for you before we go public on the live shows... Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/tortoise-shack-live-tickets-632859177837?aff=oddtdtcreator Enter Promo Code SHACK23Live for your discount. 

Generation Rent living in insecurity: Uplift Town Hall meeting This Reboot Republic podcast is a recording of the Longford WestMeath Uplift TownHall meeting  with Rory, Saoirse  Mchugh and people's stories from generation rent,  on the impact of the lifting of the eviction ban. We also hear from Peter Burke, Fine Gael TD and ask what is his Government doing about this housing crisis?

(TW: Contains references to suicide) A couple of weeks ago MEP, Luke Ming Flanagan, posted a few tweets in which he addressed his own mental health struggles and his frustration with the governments lack of resources for people who need support.  We reached out to Luke to see if he'd be willing to delve into this on the podcast and this is the conversation that followed. We also touch on the Citiz...

It took 3 years, 7 months and 23 days for the Data Protection Commissioner to deliver a finding that listeners to this podcast knew about ages ago, that the Public Services Card was been used to illegally monitor Free Travel users. But that is only one part of the story. Martin, who invested months into this, breaks down the issues, the many remaining concerns and the questions now that need answe...

The narrative that "austerity saved the economy" still floats around in the corridors of Leinster House and occupies much of the mainstream economic commentary. But it's not true. Joining me for a chat about the current economic model, the truth about austerity and the austerity-by-stealth that most people are enduring now is Economist with NERI, Ciaran Nugent. 

A Martin and Tony very patreon-only podcast. We talk about a few stories that didn't make the news this week and a few that did, but shouldn't have. Strong language throughout.

The US is having a huge banking crisis, there's a debt ceiling disaster looming and politically the place seems more polarised than ever. So we went back to our Irish-Russian Colorado-based Professor of Economics pal, Constantin Gurdgiev, to look at what is going on and what is likely to happen. Constantin, as always, doesn't disappoint.

Stockholm-based journalist, Philip O'Connor has spent years warning people about the rise of ugly nationalism and the far right and he rejoined us on the tortoise shack to discuss what the events in Sandwith Street and Inch and point out the obvious machinations of the far right playbook. We look at the role of politics, media and a minority in civil society in sowing the seeds that allowed these...

It has been called a historic victory for Sinn Féin and a calamity for the SDLP and the small progressive parties. Joining us to dig into it all is Shrapnel co-host, left-leaning Unionist, Sam Mcilwaine and campaigning journalist and writer, Emma DeSouza. We talk: a big win for Sinn Féin, where now for political Unionism, will Stormont return, and what lessons can the smaller left wing parties lea...

 The Interconnecting Housing and Health Emergencies In this Reboot Republic podcast, Rory talks to nurses about how they are being affected by the housing crisis (paying three quarters of their salaries on rent, huge personal stress) and how its also impacting the health system (hospitals unable to recruit staff due to lack of housing), and on their patients (the impact of stress, substandard hous...

The Minister for Housing, Darragh O'Brien, came back to the tortoise shack for the first time this year for a full and pretty frank conversation on the many challenges the housing emergency has created.  We discuss the 'right to housing', the no-fault eviction ban, the 11,998 people who are officially homeless, the asylum seeker accommodation crisis, the tension between government departments, the...

Yesterday evening I found myself briefly on a live broadcast with The Ditch journalists, Eoghan McNeill and Roman Shortall, where they discussed the recent complaint made to Sipo by Fianna Fáil Senator Malcolm Byrne about them and their "political organisation. It was, as always with the two lads, very interesting.   So if you're interested, here's the recording for all of you. Do please listen to...

Until yesterday our guest, Karen Sugrue, was best known for as an Reproductive Healthcare Activist and an organiser with Together For Safety. What you didn't know was that she had been successfully sued by Iona Institute CEO, David Quinn, for a defamatory tweet, for which Mr. Quinn received €8,000. Karen joins us to talk about the ordeal, the laws as presently constituted, the proposed changes, ho...

Listener favourite and tortoise shack's Royal Correspondent, Professor Richard Murphy, rejoins us to talk about the state of UK politics post-local elections, the struggling economic environment and the insanity of the Central Banks across the globe who seem intent on continuing the beatings until the public morale improves. Another cracker of a podcast with the Prof. 

We all witnessed a mob attack a small encampment of vulnerable asylum seekers on the streets of Dublin in horror. But our mood wasn't much helped by the political reaction and much of the reporting on what happened. Joining us to discuss the ongoing failure of the Irish State to live up to our international obligations around the protections of persons seeking asylum, is the best reporter covering...

In this episode of Reboot Republic, Rory and Tony are joined by music producer and artist Meryl Streek, to discuss the inspiration and motivation behind his music, and his latest single "If this is life then I don't want it", which is released today (May 16th).  This single is a reaction to the housing crisis in Ireland and samples Rory's voice on the issue of generation locked out. Meryl talks ab...

The cost of living crisis, rent arrears and isolation Rory's guest this week is Dr Tricia Keilthy, Head of Social Justice and Policy at St Vincent De Paul. They discuss the intensifying cost of living crisis, the 50% increase in calls to SVP for energy support, people going without heat, the need for a rent arrears support fund as a key homelessness and poverty prevention measure. They look at how...