Episodes

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Reboot Republic, Rory is joined by producer Tony Groves to talk the reality of our homelessness crisis, the horror of AI/X Grok's CSAM, Simon Harris joining Jim O'Callaghan on the anti-immigrant bus, Climate Action getting binned by government and why the Left needs to focus on kitchen table issues in 2026. Editors Note: Rory subsequently abandoned his twitter/x account. Ireland’s GDP is a mirage podcast with Prof Aidan Regan is out now here: h...

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Reboot Republic, Rory talks with Ber Grogan, executive director of the Simon Communities of Ireland about what are real reasons for the ongoing rise in homelessness, finding hope in solutions like a ban on evictions, and is it fair to call out landlord greed to get the market rent & the HAP trap. Venezuela Podcast with el Pais journalist Nicholas Dale Leal:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-146527115 Support Simon here:https://www.s...

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Reboot Republic podcast, Rory talks with leading author and researcher Conor McCabe about the Irish economy - is this really record economic growth? How does foreign direct investment mislead what is really going on, how it shapes our policy and leaves us wondering why are things so difficult for so many if this is record economic growth. We also talk about how Governments turned housing into a global asset class and created our housing disaste...

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Reboot Republic Podcast, Rory chats with tortoise shack editor Tony Groves about the government's new housing plan, that is so impressive that the Minister for Housing, James Brown, didn't even bother hanging around to answer questions on it in the Dáil. This is a short insight into what is and more importantly is not in the "plan." The Philip O'Connor in Stockholm podcast is here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-143333372 Suppor...

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Reboot Republic, Rory is joined by tortoise shack editor and producer, Tony Groves and Mr irishelectionprojections.com, Harry McEvansoneya, to talk about the Presidential Election, the broad Left-unity movement that may emerge and the far right in Ireland. We also pit Rory's enthusiasm against Tony's cynicism and Harry looks at what lessons might be learned from what was a bit of a mad campaign. Harry's latest:https://irishelectionprojections.c...

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack Editors Note: This was a member-only podcast from Sept, but members asked for it to go out for free, so here it is. In this Reboot Republic, Rory talks who is buying our homes with Lorcan Sirr, Senior Lecturer in TUD. Lorcan breaks down who exactly is buying up newly built homes in Ireland - the answer is - increasingly it's not first time home buyers - it's investor funds & the state. We discuss the market supply myths and what needs to be done to get...

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack Leilani Farha is a human rights lawyer, host of PushBack Talks, founder of Right to Housing organisiation, The Shift, former UN Special Rapporteur for the Right to Adequate Housing and most importantly a Tortoise Shack fan. She rejoins us to talk about the ongoing global financialisation of housing, the ways some cities have pushed back, what the genocide in Gaza says about international law and why she still believes human rights are worth fighting fo...

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Reboot Republic podcast, Rory talks with Tanya Ward, Director of the Children’s Rights Alliance about the reasons underlying the shocking figure that 1 in 5 children in Ireland are in poverty after housing costs are paid. We discuss the impact of the housing costs – as families are forced into food poverty and overcrowding, the impact on children of growing up in poverty, and the solutions – investment in early years intervention and targeted m...

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Reboot Republic podcast, Rory talks with Khalid El-Astal, who was born in Belfast in 1993, and Melissa Murphy who is part of the Kildare Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Khalid is now living in Ireland with his two young children, Ali and Sara, who were injured in an Israeli airstrike that struck their home in October 2023, killing their mother, grandmother and uncle. His brothers Abdurrahman and Abdullah — both Irish citizens born in Belfast — r...

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack When journalist and accidental genocide correspondent, Abubaker Abed, left Gaza a few months ago the only thing certain was that he would continue to speak up and report on what is happening in his homeland. He rejoins us to discuss his advocacy, campaigning and reasons for hope in the face of so much suffering. Latest on the Drone Strike on the Global Sumud Flotilla with Paul Murphy in Tunis is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusi...

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Reboot Republic, Rory chats with Sean McCabe who is Head of Climate and Sustainability at Bohemians Football Club about the potential for community wealth building and cooperatives to create a sustainable more equal economy. We chat about the work that's happening in Spark the Bohs communities cooperative initiative, and hear about a growing community wealth building movement from Cleveland to Mondragon to Dublin. We're looking for hope in a ne...

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Reboot Republic, Rory talks to Louise Bayliss, Head of Social Justice & Policy with the St Vincent De Paul. 250,000 people sought support from SVP last year showing the scale of on going cost of living crisis. We discuss the stigma of poverty and its continued pervasiveness despite this country's wealth. The 11,000 volunteers with SVP shows hope in so many people working for social justice and giving practical support to people - a counter to t...

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Reboot Republic, Rory discusses the new apartment standards the Government have brought in with Orla Hegarty of the UCD School of Architecture and Planning. Orla outlines the major flaws in these new guidelines, around creating liveable homes, and analyses the Governments justifications as lacking evidence. These will boost speculative developers profits and create tenements of the 21st century charged at unaffordable rents. Creating a dystopia...

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Reboot Republic, Rory talks with Orla O Connor who has recently announced that she is leaving her role as Director of the National Women's Council of Ireland. We talk about Orla's 23 years of experience of campaigning for women's equality and social justice in the National Women's Council, the learnings and lessons of campaigns like the Repeal Referendum, intersectionalism and what is or should be a vision for feminism today - for all women, fr...

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack What are the new rental measures? In this Reboot Republic podcast Rory and Dr Michael Byrne from UCD break down the latest rental measures and explain what they are, what is the likely impact on rents and supply, and who will actually benefits. The verdict? TBD. The Week in Housing newsletter is a weekly one-page analysis of new housing research and policy. Read it here: https://theweekinhousing.substack.com/ The illegal Public Services Card with Simon...

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Reboot Republic, Rory talks to economist Michael Taft about the impact of tariffs on the Irish economy and jobs, our over dependence on US multinational investment, how we can create a diversified strong indigenous economy, the importance of collective bargaining, workers rights and wages, cooperative and community led enterprise and civil society and progressive parties working together in Raise the Roof. Donate to Dignity for Palestine:https:...

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Reboot Republic Rory & Tony talk to the incredible young Gazan journalist Abubaker Abed about his journey from Gaza to Ireland, the importance of solidarity and speaking up, the daily reality of surviving a genocide, and what Ireland can do to show a common humanity when the world turns its backs on the Holocaust of the 21st Century. Liam Cunningham on Gaza and the cost of speaking out:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-129443800 Do...

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Reboot Republic Rory & Tony discuss The national housing disaster - how it is worsening and while its an acknowledged emergency, the government appear to be about to bend to the landlord lobby and lift the minimal protection that exist for renters . Rory outlines the rent cap protest he's organising for Wednesday evening and Tony sets out the investor model and why its unreliable. Do check out Dr Michael Bynre's https://theweekinhousing.substac...

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Reboot Republic Rory and Tony take a critical eye to the big issues of the week discussing Rorys idea on a state savings scheme to build affordable homes, the emotional pain of Gaza and solidarity, what does the latest poll tell us about the state of the parties and how the government is u turning again on commitments this time on living wages & workers protections. The John Harris podcast is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-ex...

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Reboot Republic podcast Rory talks with economist and author of ‘Vulture Capitalism: How to Survive in an Age of Corporate Greed,' Grace Blakeley. We discuss what is going to happen to the economy under Trumpism, the isolation and alienation in our societies, and what can we do in the face of this - building community, solidarity and action to create more equal societies, challenging austerity of Governments and creating spaces of identity and ...

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Reboot Republic, Rory is joined by the always brilliant Soairse McHugh for a chat about all things despondent and rise in popularity of things that we thought had been settled back in the 1930’s… The Grace Blakeley podcast is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-125909419 Donate to Dignity for Palestine here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/shoutout-to-mr-126186702

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Reboot Republic, Rory is joined by producer Tony Groves to talk the continuing fallout from the Lowry Lackeys, the Ceann Comhairle's role, the ESRI housing report and then take your (frankly excellent) questions. The Mexican 'Extermination Camps' podcast is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-125079339 Donate to Dignity for Palestine:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-your-124980167

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Reboot Republic, Rory is joined by UCD's Dr Michael Byrne (his substack:https://theweekinhousing.substack.com/ is a weekly must read) to discuss the hybrid-housing market that we have and why Mick feels that the Left are losing in their messaging around housing. A great conversation. Support Dignity for Palestine:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-your-124980167

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Reboot Republic, Rory sits down with Exec Dir at Progress Ireland to discuss the (newish) think tanks goals and values, Seán's view that growth is essential and the reaction to their suggestion that small homes should be added to back gardens in an attempt to alleviate some of the housing supply shortage. The Week in Housing Podcast with Dr Michael Byrne is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-124069292