Companies are making billions from anti-immigration fears
For many years, politicians have sold the public a simple story: The answer to undocumented immigration is a strong, fortified border. This story has a seductive, common-sense reasoning — but it is also wrong. Decades of research has shown that people determined to move, find a way to move. And when States respond with border controls, people turn to smugglers to circumvent these controls; and on and on this cycle goes with increasingly militarised borders on the one hand, and increasingly desperate people on the other. But politicians don’t want to engage with this research, when it is much more politically palatable to spend billions buying shiny technology from private corporations to prop the myth of strong borders. Our guests today have published research that shows the UK government has spent over 3.5 billion pounds in public money to support a sprawling, almost entirely privatised, apparatus to stop desperately vulnerable people from using small boats to cross the English channel and apply for asylum in the United Kingdom.Listen in to learn moreThis research was part of the collaborative Channel Crossings project who are Dr Arshad Isakjee, Dr Thom Davies and Dr Tesfalem Yemane, Dr Lucy Mayblin and Dr Joe Turner. We would like to thank Corporate Watch and Tipping Point UK in supporting this work. Here is a link to the initial report: https://channelcrossings.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/border-security-contracts-briefing.-april-2025.docx-1-1.pdfTo find out more about the border security economy see here https://corporatewatch.org/category/companies/ and here https://www.tni.org/en/publication/financing-border-wars—Get our independent journalism delivered direct to your inbox, join the openDemocracy Newsletter today. In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. It’s hosted by openDemocracy editor-in-chief Aman Sethi, an award-winning journalist and author of A Free Man. Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.Credits:Presented by Aman SethiEdited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla AbreuTheme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela00:00 Introduction03:30 The manufactured border crisis06:30 How to understand borders11:20 The economic migrant 'myth'15:09 The Borders industrial complex18:08 Technological underpinnings22:20 Investigating surveillance contracts25:09 Companies profiting from war and refugees28:25 We're all complicit Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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31:55
Why organising locally matters
Community organisers around the world have long argued that to change a country, canvas a community. But is that really true? In this episode, we catch up with someone who literally wrote the book on the subject. Our guest George Goehl started organising in a soup kitchen in Southern Indiana 30 years ago in the Clinton era and continues to do so in the time of Trump. Listen in to understand how to fight effectively for change and why immigration is such a divisive issue. The Fundamentals Of Organizing - George Goehl —Get our independent journalism delivered direct to your inbox, join the openDemocracy Newsletter today. In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. It’s hosted by openDemocracy editor-in-chief Aman Sethi, an award-winning journalist and author of A Free Man. Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.Credits:Presented by Aman SethiEdited and produced by James Battershill & Ayodeji RotinwaTheme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela00:00 Introduction01:18 How to George get into community organising05:37 The state of rural America08:12 Can community organising go national?11:45 Recharging for the fight ahead12:45 The public opinion of migration16:30 AD - The World Unspun podcast17:55 Progressive meekness21:31 Meaning making23:37 How progressive are Democrats really?25:54 Political vs Community organising28:55 Tangible change34:01 Tales from the doorsteps36:55 What does solidarity mean to you? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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40:29
Palestine, Musk and BRICS: the issues dividing US and South Africa
The already fraught relationship between the United States and South Africa has been put under even more strain with Donald Trump's decision to cut foreign aid, not to mention South Africa's case against Israel at the ICJ.Menzi Ndhlovu, a political economist and risk analyst at Signal Risk a risk analysis consultancy focused on Africa, joins us to discuss this critical moment for South Africa.—Get our independent journalism delivered direct to your inbox, join the openDemocracy Newsletter today. In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. It’s hosted by openDemocracy’s Africa Editor, Ayodeji Rotinwa. Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.Credits:Presented by Aman SethiEdited and produced by James Battershill & Ayodeji RotinwaTheme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela00:00 Introduction02:51 South Africa's support for Palestine09:19 The street that caused a geopolitical issue14:06 How the ANC has changed16:26 Trump's issues with South Africa22:10 Musk's issues with South Africa24:10 Is the US trying to bring South Africa to heel?28:00 How can South Africa appease the US?31:30 Is there an upside to the rift with the US?34:28 South Africa's moral quandary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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41:36
Populism's Silver Lining
Danny Sriskandarajah is the author of Power to the People: Use your voice, change the worldSriskandarajah discusses the shift from a positive phase of civic engagement to a reversal over the past decade, emphasising the importance of community networks beyond state and market fixations. He highlights the role of civil society in nurturing democracy and the need for international solidarity. Sriskandarajah shares personal experiences from his childhood in Sri Lanka and the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, underscoring the power of collective action and the interconnectedness of global issues.—Get our independent journalism delivered direct to your inbox, join the openDemocracy Newsletter today. In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. It’s hosted by openDemocracy editor-in-chief Aman Sethi, an award-winning journalist and author of A Free Man. Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.Credits:Presented by Aman SethiEdited and produced by Nandini Archer, James Battershill & Ayodeji RotinwaTheme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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29:14
Escaping The Alt-Right Pipeline
Jimmy The Giant is a popular YouTuber who did what many would consider to be beyond the pale - he changed his mind about politics. Jimmy went from heading down the right wing pipeline of self improvement gurus to U-turning and becoming, dare we say, ‘woke’. In today’s episode Aman Sethi talks to Jimmy about how and why he changed his mind about the political landscape and together they examine the changing online landscape that is making it all too easy for mainly young men to slip gradually into the world of alt-right politics. Jimmy the Giant: @JimmyTheGiant—Get our independent journalism delivered direct to your inbox, join the openDemocracy Newsletter today. In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. It’s hosted by openDemocracy editor-in-chief Aman Sethi, an award-winning journalist and author of A Free Man. Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.Credits:Presented by Aman SethiEdited and produced by Nandini Archer, James Battershill & Ayodeji RotinwaTheme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward AbelaFeaturing audio clips from CSPAN, Jimmy The Giant and Rebel News. 00:00 Introduction03:32 Jimmy's history08:30 The rightward turning point13:22 The popularity of Elon Musk15:17 The need for hope17:23 Ad - The World Unspun Podcast18:48 Disillusion in young men24:11 How do we get people thinking about the world again?27:47 Are algorithms actually the problem?30:13 Understanding online culture Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In Solidarity is an openDemocracy podcast about people, power and politics, co-hosted by our editors based in London, Abuja and Montevideo and featuring guests from the around the world.Get our independent journalism delivered direct to your inbox, join the openDemocracy Newsletter today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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