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There's a lot of popular economic narratives out there at the moment that don't seem to tally with the lived experience of a majority in our society. It can be hard to make sense of it all. So it was great to chat again with UCD's Assoc Prof of Political Economy, Aidan Regan, to delve into it framing, figures and facts. Aidan simplifies the complicated and outlines some of the options available to Ireland in dealing with the crises of housing, climate and inflation. We discuss the need for urgent action in all three areas and how the EU, with some creative thinking, can turn these crises into opportunities. Join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

In this Reboot Republic podcast Rory talks to Chloé Serme-Morin, external researcher & coordinator of the annual Overview of Housing Exclusion in Europe produced by FEANTSA & Abbé Pierre Foundation. We discuss what have EU Governments committed to in ending homelessness by 2030, the rise in, and impact of, evictions across the EU, the lifting of pandemic housing prevention measures, and rise in homelessness, the cost of living, and the need for policy to make a major shift to prevent evictions, build social housing & deliver the right to housing for all in law and in reality. Join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

In this Reboot Republic, Rory and Tony discuss the preliminary results of Census 2022 which showed that 166,000 homes are vacant across the country, including 35,000 vacant rental properties, while there are just 850 properties available to rent nationally. We break down the figures, and highlight the gap in housing provision around the country. We also discuss the Generational mental health crisis of young adults, the policy being made for the banks, lack of regulation of profiteering and the cost of living, and the REIT investor funds. Warning; contains some strong language and high anger levels! Join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

In this Reboot Republic Rory talks to Head of Social Justice and Policy at St Vincent De Paul, Tricia Keilthy, about the cost of living crisis and its impact on households, energy poverty, and how it is not a case of can we afford to provide for welfare increases, but can we afford not to? We discuss Ireland's economic and social system that has the highest cost of living in Europe because of a lack of public services and neoliberal unregulated markets. We also outline why we should have the ambition, and policies, to end poverty, particularly child poverty. Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

In this Reboot Republic Rory and Tony speak with Jane Ann McKenna, CEO of Dochas, the Irish Network for International Development and Humanitarian Organisations, about the fact that 23 million people in the Horn of Africa face extreme food insecurity, and are on the brink of famine. She explains what can and should be done at a global level, to respond now, and their pre-budget call on the Irish Government to meet global Aid targets, we also discuss the role of tax injustice, debt, Climate and billionaires in contributing to global inequality. Join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

In this Reboot Republic Rory talks to Louise Bayliss, Focus Ireland Campaigns Coordinator, Macdara Doyle, ICTU and Raise the Roof and Dr Lorcan Sirr, TU Dublin. We discuss the worsening homelessness crisis, the cost of living and housing crisis facing people, and the housing policies that got us into the crisis, and the solutions. This podcast is highlighting the Raise the Roof meetings taking place around the country which you can attend; Check out: Raise The Roof Join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

This Reboot Republic talks to John Gibbons, long time climate action activist, environmentalist and campaigning journalist about the Environmental Protection Agency's latest report on the Irish Government's climate targets. We are supposed to have a 51% reduction in emissions by 2030, but on the basis of current responses, we will only get a 20% reduction. We discuss what's wrong with concentration in Irish agriculture, food sovereignty and security, the problem with the dominant climate economics, which models, the cost efficiency of climate investment at a 4 degree increase, basically when the planet is destroyed. And we discuss inequalities and billionaires, and why we need a redistributive transition to change our economies and societies through the climate changes. A terryifing and neccessary, but also determined podcast. please like, leave a review and share it around to your friends and on social media. Its not just a podcast, its a movement for change. Join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

In this Reboot Republic Rory talks to Leilani Farha, former UN Rapporteur on the Right to Housing, and director of the Shift, the new global movement for the right to housing. Leilani and Rory discuss a new direction for housing – where housing is understood and implemented as a human right to address the global housing crisis. In particular, they discuss the financialization of housing – where governments have brought investor funds – the vulture and vampire funds – into their housing markets, only to have them take over housing stock, and increasing rents, turning a Generation into their tenants, locking them into unaffordable rents and locking them out of home ownership. Leilani introduces the new Shift Directives which she and her organization have recently developed with input from global experts, as a proposal for Governments to tackle the financialisation of housing and tame the investor-fund takeover of housing. You can check out The Shift Directives here: www.maketheshift.org Join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

This Reboot Republic talks to Lisa O Shea, who is being evicted from her and daughters home in Cahersiveen Co Kerry. Lisa explains how hard it has been packing up her stuff, how upset her daughter is. The anxiety and worry about where will they go. She talks about the trauma of the loss of their home, their neighbours, their vital support network. She is determined to stay in her home. Why should Lisa have to be evicted from their home for the person who bought it to turn into an Air B n B. Lisa has a small business and has done everything she can and yet she feels abandoned by the Government and council? Her home is a former council house, a multiple property owner has bought it, and is now evicting her and her daughter, she is being supported in her rent by the council, so the council should buy it and keep Lisa and her daughter in her home. She is rightfully determined to stay in her home. A home is a human right. Join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

This Reboot Republic talks to musician Martin Leahy, who has released a song called Everyone Should Have a Home, and is holding a weekly protest at the Dail on Thursdays at 1pm. He talks about the insecurity of renting, the mental health impact, of never having a sense of a secure home, how he now faces eviction and is priced out of the market, what home means to him, what motivated him to write the song and hold a weekly protest at the Dail. He feels its time for people to stand up. Join him! Video available here:https://youtu.be/h55D4xUZlFw Join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

In this Reboot Republic Rory and Tony analyse some of the big housing and economic issues of the last few weeks. We discuss the pathetic affordable housing figures, rising rents, and the potential impacts of rising inflation, interest rates and recession, what is coming down the line? And what impact it will we have. We highlight some positive signs on a referendum on the right to housing but get angry about the reemergence of the homelessness crisis with a 30% increase in children homeless with their families in just 10 months. Join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

Closing Schools to Pay the Debt! This Reboot Republic talks to Dereje Alemayehu, Executive Coordinator of the Nobel Prize nominated Global Alliance for Tax Justice. Dereje has served as Senior Economic Justice Advisor at Christian Aid. Prior to that he was Christian Aid’s Country Manager for East Africa for 15 years and he has a PhD in Economics. We discuss the African debt crisis , and where it came from, and what are the solutions. How it results from scavenger capitalism, how western countries and their financial institutions such as the IMF, and banks, have imposed austerity, and forced African countries into poverty and essentially destroying them to get them to pay pack their debt, while multinationals make massive profits while paying very little tax to African countries, and how the west extracts huge natural resources. The solution is action through the UN - to get a coordinated international response, based on solidarity, and Ireland has a key role. More info:https://www.globaltaxjustice.org/ Join us patreon.com/tortoiseshack

Why we need Personal Assistant Services with James Cawley of ILMI This Reboot Republic talks to the always wonderful James Cawley, policy officer with Independent Living Movement Ireland (ILMI) and proud disabled person, about the ILMI's campaign for Personal Assistant Services for disabled people, to be available as a right. The ILMI is led by disabled people and James explains how it promotes a rights-based social model of disability, challenging the charity/medical view of disability. James outlines the barriers in society such as the lack of Personal Assistant Services that prevent the active and equal participation of disabled people. We also discuss how the housing crisis has a particular impact on disabled people who face additional costs of living. The podcast is released to mark European Independent Living Day and the ILMI is hosting a webinar today about their campaign for Personal Assistant Services. Check out ILMI or email jamescawley@ilmi.ie to find out more. Join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

This Reboot Podcast talks to Dr Rob Sweeney of TASC and author of the new report 'Trading Places: Report on Land and Housing'. Rory and Rob discuss what role land speculation plays in our housing crisis, and how it impacts on market supply of housing, and what role the state could be playing in being an active manager and purchaser of land to provide affordable housing. They discuss the value of setting up a state construction company and how to tackle dereliction. Read the Excellent Report - Trading Places - here:https://www.tasc.ie/assets/files/pdf/tasc_report_on_land_and_housing.pdf Join us:patreon.com/tortoiseshack

In this Reboot Republic, Rory and Tony discuss the lack of a real emergency response from the Government to what we call, the triple housing emergency - of needing to provide homes for Ukrainian refugees, for the already in homelessness/inadequate housing (including Traveller accommodation crisis and those in Direct Provision) and those stuck renting and at home looking to buy or rent a forever home. The Government cannot be allowed to cynically blame the humanitarian Ukraine crisis for failing to meet its housing targets that it already was failing to achieve, and we argue that it needs to implement a real emergency response, like COVID, whereby every resource is put to tackle these triple housing emergencies. Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

In this Reboot Republic podcast I talk to Siobhan O’Donoghue, founder and director of Uplift, about the Ukraine humanitarian crisis, and how we can, and must provide homes -not tents and warehouses -for Ukraine refugees, and provide homes for those homeless in Ireland already. We discuss how through proper leadership and action like during COVID, the Government and Irish State could use the massive number of vacant holiday homes, and wider vacant and derelict property. We could direct private construction to do up that property quickly into homes. It is about the political will. Siobhan outlines what you can do - Uplift have a petition set up - please sign it and share:https://action.uplift.ie/campaigns/empty-homes-open-letter Join us patreon.com/tortoiseshack

Listeners might have seen the recent twitter post about a young mother living in their parents box room sharing a bed with their toddler. We reached out to Emily and they agreed to tell us their story. Emily speaks candidly about her feelings of failure, shame and at times hopelessness. But it is not their fault. This is the reality and the lives delayed by the housing crisis created by years of government policy. There are, as we discuss, solutions. And we need to remove the shame. Join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

In this Reboot Republic I talk to Marissa McMahon, of the Participation and Practice in Rights Project, based in Belfast and Northern Ireland. I visited Belfast and met with Marissa and homeless families and listened to their experiences of a worsening housing and homelessness crisis. We talk about how the crisis is impacting on people, the structural sectarian division through walls and gates, and hope in the work done by PPR and the homeless families in developing proposals for cooperative sustainable homes to be built on public land in Mackies, and other parts of Belfast. We also chat about finding hope of change in very difficult circumstances. Join us:patreon.com/tortoiseshack Tickets:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tortoise-shack-live-easter-sunday-special-tickets-296620518957?keep_tld=1 For more see takebackthecity.ie

In this Reboot Republic, Rory and Tony discuss the Global Investment Funds that are now the biggest players in Residential Property. They look at how they operate, the impact they have in areas where they gain dominance and most importantly they discuss the solutions and alternatives to this Generation Rent model. Tickets for our Live Show:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tortoise-shack-live-easter-sunday-special-tickets-296620518957?keep_tld=1 Join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack