Afleveringen
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Is Reform fascist, far-right or merely right wing? And do we really need to get into this?
Our guest on this episode, thinks we should: Daniel Trilling is a journalist, a long-time openDemocracy contributor, and the author of a new Book: If We Tolerate This: How the British Establishment Made the Far Right Respectable.
Daniel has spent decades covering the wild west of right-wing politics in England— from the fascists to the conservatives.
And his point, which we dig into over the length of this episode, is we need to correctly diagnose what Reform is, and what they are tapping into, before we decide what to do about it.
I found this conversation particularly thought provoking for two reasons: Whenever we cover Reform on openDemocracy (and we go at them very hard), we often get readers writing in saying, “I support Reform but I’m not racist”; On the other hand, I worry — to borrow from the title of Daniel’s book, if we are making a dangerous group respectable.
So yes, we need to get into it, and Daniel is just the person to do this with.
Buy Daniel's book: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781037411571
Subscribe to openDemocracy: opendemocracy.net
00:00 Introduction
01:05 The Collapse of the UK's Two-Party System
02:18 The First-Past-The-Post Lottery
03:07 What is the "British Establishment"?
04:19 The Media Elite & Private School Pipelines
05:32 The "Punitive State": Working Class vs. The State
07:37 The Nigel Farage Playbook
10:48 The False Promise of "Fixing the Country"
13:30 "Anti-Nationals" & The Right-Wing Identity Crisis
16:32 Scottish Nationalism vs. Englishness
18:23 The Identity Void of Post-Empire Britain
21:40 How to Actually Defeat Reform UK & The Far-Right
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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The climate crisis is changing the way nations think about food, energy, resources, war and peace. Melting ice caps are opening up new trade routes fought over by the world's great powers, conflicts are waged over food and mineral resources, shifting climates are fuelling migration – and Donald Trump says it's all just a scam.
Join Arthur Snell as he discusses his new book Elemental: the new geography of climate change and how we survive it. Spanning conflict in the Sahel, Russia's war in Ukraine, the US coveting Greenland, NEOM in Saudi Arabia, and China's energy push, Snell explores how the climate crisis is now in every part of our politics. But while there is much to concern us here, there's hope too. The world faces various futures, and it can adapt and respond to the realities of a changing climate.
📕 Buy Elemental: The New Geography of Climate Change and How We Survive it
https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781035412945
👉 Stay informed. Sign up for the openDemocracy newsletter: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/
✊ Support our work. In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. We rely on listeners like you to keep our independent journalism free. Donate today: https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:20 The Petro-State Panic: Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the End of Oil
03:32 The Sahel Crisis: Climate Migration and Fragile States
08:24 Uranium & Mercenaries: Russia vs. France in Africa
10:25 The Arctic: Melting Ice, Shipping Routes, and Donald Trump
16:21 Ukraine: Why Putin is Weaponizing Food and Farmland
21:35 China’s Monopoly & Russia's Future as an "Economic Colony"
28:18 The Surprising Winners: Morocco, Interconnectors, and Climate Hope
32:41 Outro
Credits: Presented by Sian Norris
Audio engineering by James Battershill
Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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"My ultimate vision... was to achieve by means of AI and technology, what Jeremy Bentham tried to do with his panopticon." — UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
When the state openly admits it wants its eyes on you at all times, how do citizens fight back?
In this episode of In Solidarity, Matthew Linares sits down with Jim Killock, Executive Director of the Open Rights Group. We cut through the Silicon Valley PR to expose the terrifying reality of the modern surveillance state. From the aggressive rollout of facial recognition and predictive policing to the "revolving door" between Big Tech lobbyists and policymakers, we explore how our democratic infrastructure is being hollowed out for corporate profit.
This isn't just a warning - it's an escape plan. Jim breaks down the illusion of corporate regulation, the realities of "enshittification," and the actionable steps you can take to reclaim your digital sovereignty today.
Get involved offline. Find an Open Rights Group meetup near you: https://www.openrightsgroup.org/get-involved/
👉 Stay informed. Sign up for the openDemocracy newsletter: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/
✊ Support our work. In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. We rely on listeners like you to keep our independent journalism free. Donate today: https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/
Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:01:27 - The AI Panopticon
00:04:18 - The Lobbyist Loop & The “Rip-Off”
00:10:26 - “Enshittification” & The Illusion of Choice
00:14:48 - Why relying on tech regulators is a “mug’s game”
00:18:51 - Escaping the Matrix: Interoperability, analog meetups, and fighting back
Credits: Presented by Matthew Linares
Audio engineering by James Battershill
Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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As the US-Israeli war on Iran continues to escalate, the effects of the conflict are spiralling outwards across a world already whiplashed by cross-border violence, global tariffs, and the unravelling of regional alliances.
There is much that we do not know: How will spiking energy prices affect developing economies in Asia and Africa? What are the long term impacts of the destabilisation of the Gulf, a region that has long served as a magnet for labour and capital from around the world? What does the conflict in Iran reveal about the latest chapter in the relationship between international finance capital and nation states?
To talk through these questions, I interviewed analyst and columnist Mihir Sharma. Sharma is a principal research fellow at IPPR, and has been a Bloomberg Opinion columnist on global economics and politics for over a decade.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Why are British and European politicians obsessed with Denmark's immigration strategy? We uncover the dark reality of the "Danish Model" and how it punishes asylum seekers by design.
Politicians across Europe - including the UK government - increasingly point to the so-called "Danish Model" as the ultimate solution for controlling borders, immigration, and asylum. But beyond the political talking points, what does this model actually look like on the ground?
In this episode of In Solidarity, host Aman Sethi sits down with Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen, the first-ever Danish Professor in Migration and Mobility Law. They break down the harsh reality of "indirect deterrence," how Europe's most liberal border became its strictest, and the secret history of the modern passport.
Finally, they unpack the recent push by the UK and Denmark to bypass the European Court of Human Rights, and what that means for the future of global mobility. If you want to understand the reality behind the political rhetoric on border control, this is your essential briefing.
Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen is the director of MOBILE, the Danish National Research Foundation's Center of Excellence on Global Mobility Law.
👉 Stay informed. Sign up for the openDemocracy newsletter: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/
✊ Support our work. In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. We rely on listeners like you to keep our independent journalism free. Donate today: https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/
Chapters:
00:00 The Cruelty of the "Danish Model"
01:59 What Actually is the Danish Asylum Strategy?
05:39 Does "Indirect Deterrence" Actually Stop Migration?
07:16 The Human Cost: Punishing Migrants to Send a Message
14:18 The Secret History of the Modern Passport
19:00 The UK and Denmark's Plot Against Human Rights Law
Credits:
Presented by Aman Sethi
Audio engineering by James Battershill
Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Are anti-rights movements infiltrating high schools? We uncover the deliberate, decades-old strategy the far-right is using to target young people, weaponise their insecurities, and build a pipeline of extremist power.
In this episode of In Solidarity, openDemocracy’s Senior Investigations Reporter Sian Norris sits down with Jamie Vernaelde, Senior Researcher at Ipas. They dive deep into a chilling new report detailing how far-right and anti-rights movements are actively grooming the next generation. From exploiting economic and physical insecurities to pumping massive financial investments into youth pipelines, Jamie exposes the conservative playbook for molding young minds.
More importantly, they discuss what the progressive movement is getting wrong about youth engagement and how we can fight back by giving young people the space and resources to lead.
Read the full report here: https://www.ipas.org/resource/future-proofing-the-professionalization-of-an-anti-rights-youth-generation/
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/
In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/
Credits:
Presented by Aman Sethi
Audio engineering by James Battershill
Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela
—
Chapters:
00:00 How the Far-Right Targets Gen Z
04:15 Why Young Women are Drifting to the Far-Right
06:23 The 'Tradwife' Trend: A Pipeline to Radicalisation?
08:13 Rebranding Extremism for Secular Youth
11:36 The Wellness-to-Alt-Right Pipeline Explained
13:07 Why Contraception is the Right’s Next Target
15:12 Exposing the Dark Money Behind Anti-Rights Groups
18:04 The Playbook to Weaponise the Courts
20:08 Inside the Global War on Human Rights
22:57 The 'Elite' Seduction: Recruiting on Campus
24:39 Weaponising Victimhood: The Conservative Media Strategy
28:13 The Left’s Blindspot: How Progressives Can Fight Back
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Over 71,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since the war began on Oct 7 2023, in what a UN inquiry has described as a “genocide”. When a US-brokered ceasefire was declared in October last year, the world's attention moved on to the next crisis. Since then at least 463 Palestinians had been killed by Israel as of Jan 21 this year, of whom 100 were children, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency.
Anywhere where else in the world, this would be an active conflict. In Palestine, this is what a ceasefire looks like.
In this episode, we speak to Jamil Sawalmeh, the Director of ActionAid Palestine on the situation on the ground in Gaza.
https://palestine.actionaid.org/
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/
In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/
Credits:
Presented by Aman Sethi
Audio engineering by James Battershill
Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela
—
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:41 What is the situation on the ground like Gaza?
07:04 The 'Yellow Line'
10:40 A lack of fresh water
14:00 The great displacement
14:53 Returning to Palestine is impossible
20:08 Reality of the Board Of Peace
24:08 The local infrastructure
28:12 What should the world be doing to help?
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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If the US once claimed it was “defending Democracy” to justify attacking countries without pretext, the current administration has made no such excuses.
Last week US security forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife from a compound in Caracas in an operation that killed 70 people.
Maduro was presented in a courtroom in Manhattan, on charges of supposedly “importing tons of cocaine into the United States”, and his deputy Delcy Rodriguez was installed in his place as acting President.
To make this all make sense, we speak with Laura Tedesco, a long time openDemocracy contributor and professor of political science and international relations at St. Louis university in Madrid. Prof. Tedesco is also the author of several books on democracy and politics in Latin America.
Read Laura's Book, Latin America's Leaders: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781783601028
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/
In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/
Credits:
Presented by Aman Sethi
Audio engineering by James Battershill
Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Waring factions have dominated the headlines, but inside the Your Party conference the embers of hope for a different kind of politics were still burning.
Investigative reporter Ethan Shone tells what the mood was like among the party members following months of public spats and PR disasters.
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/
In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/
Credits:
Presented by James Battershill
Audio engineering by James Battershill
Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela
—
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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We’ve normalised the idea that the world is ending, that society is tearing itself apart, that our countries — wherever we live — are falling apart. But what does that really look like? What does it feel like? What emerges in the aftermath?
In this episode host Aman Sethi speaks to Renata Salecl, a Slovenian philosopher, sociologist and political theorist to decode how the experiences of post-socialist countries can help us understand the crisis gripping the West.
A Passion For Ignorance - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9780691240992
The Spoils of Freedom - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9780415073585
On Anxiety - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9780415312769
The Tyranny of Choice - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781846681868
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/
In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/
Credits:
Presented by Aman Sethi
Story production by Ayodeji Rotinwa
Audio engineering by James Battershill
Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela
—
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
02:30 Post socialist societies
07:22 The modern respect for cunning
08:45 Lessons from pop culture
10:16 The (mis)use of fake news
13:53 On accelerationism
16:11 The dissolution of societies
18:53 Times when nothing and everything changes
20:50 Those that enjoy life the wrong way
22:24 Neoliberal collapse
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Earlier this year, Labour overwhelmingly voted in favour of an amendment that would end the criminalisation of women and pregnant people seeking abortions outside the 1967 Abortion Act exemptions. As the debate went through the Lords, we sat down with MSI Reproductive Choices’ Louise McCudden to discuss why we need decriminalisation now - and what this win means amid a global backlash against abortion rights.
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/
In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/
Credits:
Presented by Sian Norris
Story production by Ayodeji Rotinwa
Audio engineering by James Battershill
Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela
—
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:07 What is the current legal state of abortion across the UK?
05:13 The women being imprisoned for abortion
10:16 The late-term abortion argument
13:10 Imported tactics from the US
16:21 The case for optimism
19:02 Anti-abortion's international bankroll
23:17 The future of the pro-abortion movement
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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What can we learn about the future of consumer rights from the merger between Microsoft and Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard?
When Labour came into power in 2024, they accused regulators like Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) of inhibiting growth and appointed influential figures from the business world into key positions and advisory roles. This includes a former Amazon boss being made the head of the CMA, or as one lawyer observed “A monopolist had been appointed to lead the anti-monopoly watchdog”.
In today’s episode Ethan Shone tells us what we can expect from a government that has put growth and prosperity for business ahead of the rights of everyday consumers.
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/
In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/
Credits:
Presented by James Battershill
Story production by Ayodeji Rotinwa
Audio engineering by James Battershill
Special thanks to Indra Warnes
Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela
—
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
02:28 Why do regulatory bodies matter?
04:35 Who is influencing the CMA now?
07:25 Why are Labour taking this 'anti-consumer' approach?
10:15 Who should we be paying attention to?
14:09 What can we expect from Labour based on this trajectory?
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Did Western media manufacture consent for Israel's ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza?
In the last two years since Hamas' attack on Israel, and the latter's bombardment of the territories of Palestine it partially occupies, mainstream media particularly in the U.S. and Europe have broken their own rules of fairness, accuracy, conflict of interest, objectivity and so-called "neutrality" in their coverage of Israel's actions.
They have often repeated the Israeli government's statements as fact without critical context or analysis; for example the fact that Israel was considered to be imposing apartheid on Palestinians long before October 7th. They have underreported or omitted major events from coverage including attacks on aid flotilla for Palestinians or Israeli declarations of intent to commit genocide. In some cases it has been discovered that some news organisations hired former soldiers of Israeli Defence Forces, as reporters without disclosing this affiliation to their audience.
Lila Hassan, an independent investigative journalist and educator who has worked closely with many outlets in the West in the last two years and prior - and has seen the media's role in shaping this conflict firsthand, joins us today to discuss how we got here and the real world harms of the media failing at delivering the one sacred thing required of journalists: the truth.
Follow Lila:
https://www.instagram.com/bylilahassan/
https://lila-hassan.com/
—
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/
In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/
Credits:
Presented by Ayodeji Rotinwa
Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa
Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela
Clips from Boston Globe, Al Jazeera, SJS news
—
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
05:45 We MUST say genocide
07:06 The tipping point
11:25 The forbidden words
14:44 Societal understanding vs Journalism
20:02 The perception of language
23:28 Western media betrays itself
27:30 Conflicts of interest in reporting
31:12 Misrepresentation from the media
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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In early September, Nepal witnessed massive protests under the banner of GenZ protests to demonstrate against what they viewed as a hopelessly corrupt and sclerotic regime.
The immediate trigger was a government ban on social media apps, but as the protestors themselves have made clear – their grievances run much deeper.
The protests in Nepal bear parallels to similar uprisings in Sri Lanka in 2022 and Bangladesh last year. On this episode, journalists Roman Gautam and Aman Sethi discuss if we are witnessing a South Asian version of the Arab Spring.
http://www.himalmag.com
—
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/
In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/
Credits:
Presented by Aman Sethi
Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu
Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela
—
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:56 A week after revolution
06:38 How widespread were the protests?
07:55 The South Asian spring
12:40 Discord democracy
18:56 Respect for elders
23:42 What's next for Nepal?
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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The world is rightly horrified by how US President Trump is deporting people, including minors, without due process. Something similar is underway in India, but worse and under the radar. Even since the border skirmishes between India and Pakistan this year, Indian authorities have been rounding up Muslim citizens and deporting them on the spurious grounds that they either Pakistani or Bangladeshi infiltrators.
Abhishek Saha is an Indian journalist and author of No Land's People. He joins us on the show to discuss the devastating impact of India's forced deportations.
Read No Land's People: https://harpercollins.co.in/product/no-lands-people/
—
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/
In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/
Credits:
Presented by Aman Sethi
Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu
Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela
—
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:44 What's happening in India?
05:02 Why Bangladesh?
07:05 The global pushback against migration
12:39 Punishing inherited people
14:42 Who determines what people are 'undesirable'
17:50 Identifying outsiders
21:48 Abusing bureaucracy
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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As Labour marked a year in government, Fawcett Society's Penny East asks: what has Labour done for women? And what needs to happen next?
—
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/
In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/
Credits:
Presented by Sian Norris
Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu
Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela
—
00:00 Introduction
01:50 The positive impacts of the Labour government
04:38 Third party sexual harassment and the so-called 'Banter ban'
07:35 The online backlash against feminism
09:10 Decriminalisation of abortion
10:05 Unfulfilled promises
12:28 Traumatic failures around maternity care
14:30 Labour's attitudes towards poverty and welfare
16:56 Financial vulnerability and abuse
19:03 Halving violence against women and girls
22:09 The online safety bill
25:39 Legislation is lagging behind
31:55 What does solidarity mean to you?
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Patriarchy refuses to die. In every country of the world, women are oppressed by male violence, patriarchal religions, and ideas of the family. But women are resisting, as Rahila Gupta explains, in a fascinating analysis that takes us from Riyadh and Russia, to Rojava.
Buy Planet Patriarchy: Global Tales of Feminism and Oppression: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781805262879
—
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/
In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/
Credits:
Presented by Sian Norris
Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu
Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela
—
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
02:30 Why write Planet Patriarchy now?
03:37 The violence of patriarchy
09:47 Family can be a form of violence
11:32 The women-led revolution in Rojava
16:56 The privilege of non-violence
21:07 Rojava's fragile future
22:31 What does solidarity mean to you?
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Content warning: This episode discusses sexual assault, rape and trauma.
When our investigative reporter Sian Norris heard worrying claims about a Silicon Valley-style start-up targeting rape survivors at universities in Bristol, she knew she needed to uncover what exactly was going on.
Over the next six months, Sian interviewed more than a dozen people on and off the record, sent multiple FOI requests and reviewed countless social media posts.
Working with a Lucy H Watson, a student at Bristol university, Sian uncovered the concerns raised by students, universities and the police about Enough's approach, that sexual violence experts have issues with its methodologies, and that one of the organisation’s co-founders has links to a former beauty queen who described sexual assault as a “multi-billion-dollar industry”.
Read Sian and Lucy’s investigation:
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/enough-bristol-diy-rape-kits-bristol-university-start-up-katie-white-tom-allchurch/
Lucy has set up a Student-led Instagram account raising awareness about Enough and their self-swab kits:
https://www.instagram.com/enoughofenoughbristol/
—
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/
In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics. Support the show by visiting https://www.openDemocracy.net/donate/
Credits:
Presented by James Battershill
Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu
Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela
00:00 CONTENT WARNING
00:12 Introduction
02:17 What is Enough?
03:56 Investigating Enough
05:07 The US connection
06:55 Have rape self-swab kits ever been used in a criminal prosecution?
08:42 Experiences of Enough 'in the wild'
11:12 A lack of sensitivity
12:47 How unique is Enough's solution?
16:16 Visibility for victims
19:23 Is there evidence of Enough's 'assault prevention' claims?
20:52 Using the vulnerable as test users
22:38 Is there any harm in using the kits as a backup?
24:41 What data is collected and how is it protected?
27:46 How is the company organised?
28:38 Concerns over how Enough was pitching itself to Universities
29:48 How revolutionary is Enough really?
32:16 The shocking belligerence of Enough
33:20 What does solidarity mean to Lucy?
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This is the first episode of our new mini-series exploring the financial interests of political parties in England and Wales.
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has banked almost £5m from wealthy donors since 2023, including those with links to fossil fuels, the financial services industry and tax havens. It has also received significant financial investment from the general public in the form of party memberships.
There seems to be a tension between the party’s desire to be seen as a grassroots, ‘by the people, for the people’ movement and its efforts to court the very billionaires its supporters believe they are rallying against.
openDemocracy’s investigations reporter, Ethan Shone, examines this contradiction, discusses what Reform’s future might look like and asks whether the UK media is right to dedicate so much time to the party.
Read Ethan’s investigation: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/reform-uk-funders-nigel-farage-5-million-donations-fossil-fuels-tax-havens/
—
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/
In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics.Support the show by visiting https://opendemocracy.net/donate
https://insolidaritypodcast.substack.com/
Credits:
Presented by James Battershill
Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu
Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela
00:00 Introduction
02:44 How was this data sourced?
04:25 What's the cut-off for reporting?
05:20 How does Reform's income compare to Labour and The Conservatives?
08:47 Off-shore benefactors for political parties
11:22 The people of note who back Reform
13:22 Backers shifting from Conservatives to Reform
14:34 George Cottrell - an unofficial aide?
17:49 The phantom punishments
19:22 What's Reform's future looking like?
23:48 Should we even be talking about Reform?
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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On 17 June 2025 UK Parliament voted to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales, reversing a Victorian-era law. The amendment will prevent women from being prosecuted for ending a pregnancy after 24 weeks or without approval from two doctors.
We spoke to our senior investigative reporter Sian Norris, author of Bodies Under Siege: How the Far-Right Attack on Reproductive Rights Went Global.
Get Bodies Under Siege by Sian Norris: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781839764738
Read Sian’s full piece on this vote: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/mps-vote-decriminalise-abortion-important-increasing-prosecutions-global-backlash-us/
—
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/newsletters/
In Solidarity is openDemocracy’s podcast about people, power, and politics.Support the show by visiting openDemocracy.net/donate.
Credits:
Presented by James Battershill
Edited and produced by James Battershill, Ayodeji Rotinwa & Carla Abreu
Theme song ‘Odyssey’ performed by Edward Abela
00:00 Introduction
00:55 A huge achievement for women's reproductive rights
01:55 'Isn't abortion already legal in the UK?'
07:19 The 24 week question
09:44 Telemedicine
13:24 What does this mean on a global level?
14:51 What happens next?
17:22 On to the next fight!
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