The Echo Chamber from Tortoise Shack

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"It always looks hopeless, until it's not."
In this Tortoise Shack podcast, Tony speaks with journalist Nicholas Leal of El País about Lula da Silva’s narrow and historic presidential-election victory in Brazil.
(Isn't it great to have some good news for a change?)
Nicholas outlines the grassroots mobilisation that overcame a first-round deficit, turned out an incredible extra 10m voters, and the deeply polarised political and economic constraints ahead. They also examine Meta’s campaign bias, Brazil’s place in regional politics, the unhappy markets, and the latest developments involving Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado.
And yes, Lula's campaign grew a WhatsApp group that included 7% of the Brazilian electorate. Not bad, considering he only got his first mobile phone a week before the vote.
Change is happening podcast:https://www.patreon.com/tortoiseshack/posts/patron-exclusive-173857414
Rethinking Housing at an EU Level:https://www.patreon.com/tortoiseshack/posts/patron-exclusive-174147727

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack
Tarak AlFarra is a Palestinian Digital Storyteller, Social Media Creator and Humanitarian Activist from Gaza, who was evacuated and is now in Italy.
His work focuses on humanitarian storytelling, visual documentation, social media advocacy, and short-form creation related to war, displacement, identity, and resilience.
Through photography, interviews, public speaking, and digital media, he's documented the lived experiences from Gaza and helped to amplify underrepresented voices through creative storytelling and his own empathetic style.
The EU Housing Podcast:https://www.patreon.com/tortoiseshack/posts/patron-exclusive-174147727
The Unity Conversation:https://www.patreon.com/tortoiseshack/posts/patron-exclusive-173857414

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack
In this Tortoise Shack Podcast, Tony challenges Matt Carthy, Sinn Féin's spokesperson on Justice, Home Affairs, and Migration, on his Party's new proposals on long-term residency and citizenship.
They discuss the evolving (devolving?) conversation around immigration in Ireland, and the changing public perceptions of our current system.
The conversation delves into the nuances of immigration policy, including the distinction between residency and citizenship, the criteria for good character, and the economic contributions of migrants to Irish society. It also touches on the issue of racism and the recent controversy surrounding Palestinian student visas, advocating for a more humane approach to immigration.
Lula's Historic Comeback:https://www.patreon.com/tortoiseshack/posts/patron-exclusive-173459419
Sigh for Change and our boiled social media brains:https://www.patreon.com/tortoiseshack/posts/patron-exclusive-173195588

Dr. Mahmoud Altarabin is an Associate Professor of Translation and Linguistics and Deputy Head of the Department of English at the Islamic University of Gaza. He is an author and scholar known for his textbooks and research on Arabic-English translation, media, legal, and technical translation. He joins us from his displacement tent in Khan Younis to discuss how he has maintained and diversified his teaching over the past three years; the need to support students' education and well-being; and his hope for greater solidarity with international academia.
This is a must-listen podcast.
Lynn Boylan vs The State:https://www.patreon.com/tortoiseshack/posts/patron-exclusive-173553999
Lula's historic comeback:https://www.patreon.com/tortoiseshack/posts/patron-exclusive-173459419

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack
"Race hate crime is a year-long problem."
In this episode, Tony speaks with journalist Luke Butterly of The Detail about recent developments in Northern Ireland, including the Drumcree court cases, cross-community tensions, and the challenges of addressing racial and political issues. They explore the impact of government policies, community responses, and the ongoing crisis of political inaction. Luke’s reporting has revealed some very uncomfortable facts about the racist pogroms and the weakness and or ineptitude of the Stormont government.
Lula's Historic Comeback podcast:https://www.patreon.com/tortoiseshack/posts/patron-exclusive-173459419
The piece: https://thedetail.tv/articles/stormont-emails-warn-of-permacrisis-of-racist-unrest
Permacrisis https://thedetail.tv/articles/stormont-emails-warn-of-permacrisis-of-racist-unrest
Ballymena report https://share.google/wxWzdmP63VNvlKfNA