The Echo Chamber from Tortoise Shack

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack On this episode we are joined in the tortoise shack by activist, podcaster and former US army veteran, Greg Stoker and actor and activist Liam Cunningham to talk Gaza, the military industrial complex, the freedom flotilla and the intersectionality between all struggles for human rights and freedom. We also discuss international law, the occupied territories bill and more. The Yousef Aljamal in Belfast podcast is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-130618100 The Frances Black podcast is here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-130406374 Support Dignity for Palestine here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-129326641

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this echo chamber pod Martin and Tony are joined by Madrid-based journalist Eoghan Gilmartin to discuss the huge power blackout in Spain, how it’s been weaponised by the far right, what impact it and similar events are having on politics and ask if the last lefty leader standing, Pedro Sanchez, can navigate his government through it all. Check out Eoghan's podcast Sobremesa here:https://open.spotify.com/show/7ogRBLVUKaIUahKnlbkJsz The Liam Cunningham podcast is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-129443800 Donate to Dignity for Palestine here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-129326641

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this PalCast hosts Yousef and Helena are joined by producer Tony to talk about the cruel and disastrous "aid plan", the ongoing genocide, the change in rhetoric from some western leaders and why even in a week of unbearably devastating news there are some reasons to feel hope. Music at the end is a new song by recent Sparks Will Fly guest Tadgh Conroy. Donate to Dignity for Palestine here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-129326641

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack Alexa Moore is the Policy Campaigns and Communications Manager at the Rainbow Project in Northern Ireland. She's also an LGBTQ activist and a formidable Trans woman. She joins us to talk about Trans Rights on the island of Ireland, the UK Supreme Court decision, the turbulent politics of this time and why Brexit is actually a good thing for LGBTQ people in the North. Exclusive RTE Media Committee Podcast is here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-130160241 Donate to Dignity for Palestine:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-129326641

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack US-based Dr. Feroze Sidhwa has travelled to Gaza over the course of the ongoing Genoide to heal the wounds of many, many Palestinians. As a trauma surgeon, he has witnessed many multi-fatality events, including the bombing of the surgery department of the Nasser Hospital and an airstrike that killed a patient, a young boy, whom he saved only a few days earlier. He joins this PalCast episode to speak of why he went to Gaza, what he saw there, the US's complicity and the strength of the Palestinian people who he worked alongside. The Gaza Food Aid-Concentration Camps Podcast is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-130001829 Donate to Dignity for Palestine here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-129326641

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack Lexi Alexander is the daughter of a Palestinian father and German mother; she is also a former World Kickboxing Champion and close-quarter-combat instructor, who worked her way up from stunt woman to Oscar-nominated director. In fact you've probably watched a few episodes of that kickass show that she directed. (Tony was a big Arrow fan) But when the genocide in Gaza continued and barely any of her peers spoke out, she decided to walk away from Hollywood and move to Ireland. So you know we had to chat with her and this is what we hope will be the first of many conversations with the talented, smart, steadfast, outspoken and kickass, Lexi Alexander. The Spanish Blackout Inquisition Podcast is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-129598733 Donate to Dignity for Palestine:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-129326641

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 Donate to Dignity for Palestine:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-129326641

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack You asked us to look closer at the Trade Union movement in Ireland, so consider this an opening conversation with two Union stalwarts, Scott Miller and Paddy Cole, who are also two of the main organisers of the Tressell Festival. Some mild disagreements. Talk soon again, lads. Limited tickets:https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-robert-tressell-festival-2025-tickets-1270717663739 Donate to Dignity for Palestine:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-129326641 The Abubaker Abed podcast is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-129356565

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this podcast we are joined from Gaza by teacher, storyteller and mother, Banyas Abu Harab, who focuses on educating, comforting and inspiring young learners in Gaza, even as the bomb blasts are audible above her voice. This is a very different insight into the reality of the ongoing Genocide in Gaza. Thank you, Banyas Donate to Dignity for Palestine:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-129326641 The Abubaker Abed podcast is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-129356565 English Translation of the story Banyas tells in Arabic below The Woodcutter and the Three Wishes Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, there was a poor woodcutter. Every day, he went into the forest to cut wood. He sold the wood to people in the village, just so he could feed his children at the end of the day. One afternoon, while he was chopping wood, he suddenly heard a loud, strange noise. He stopped, looked around, and saw a big, glowing blue light. He didn’t know what it was, and he thought maybe it was going to rain. Then, out of nowhere, he heard a deep, scary voice: “Ask for anything you wish—I will give you three wishes!” The woodcutter was surprised, but he quickly made his first wish. “I want food for my children,” he said. And just like that, a table full of delicious food appeared! For his second wish, he said, “I want lots of money!” The genie brought him piles of gold and coins. For his third wish, the woodcutter said, “I want a big house for my family.” In the blink of an eye, a beautiful, large house stood in front of him. The woodcutter ran home happily and told his children the whole story. But his children didn’t believe him. He took them to the forest to show them the genie—but the genie was gone. The woodcutter felt sad that his children didn’t see the magic. Still, they all went back to their new home, ate the delicious food, and were very happy. But as time passed, they spent all the money. Soon, it was all gone, and the family became poor again. The woodcutter went back to the forest to look for the genie and ask for more money—but the genie was nowhere to be found. That day, the woodcutter learned a very important lesson: Instead of asking for money, he should have wished for a good job, something that could help him earn and care for his family for a long time. And that’s why we should never depend on magic or other people’s money. We should work hard, believe in ourselves, and build our future with our own hands. The woodcutter was kind—but he had been a little greedy. Next time, he would make wiser choices—not just for himself, but for his children too.

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this extraordinary podcast, Prof Richard Murphy pulls no punches in addressing Keir Starmer's recent speech on migration and the so-called "island of strangers." He outlines how these new policy positions are also contrary to the Labour promise that Growth will underpin all of their actions in government. He also discusses the major flaws in First Past the Post relative to Proportional Representation. The Lexi Alexander podcast is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-129134515 The Tressell Festival pod is here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-129099555 Support Dignity for Palestine here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-129326641