I4C Trouble with Daly and Wallace

This week on the podcast we’re discussing the gathering momentum for the anti-war movement across Europe. We also discuss how government policies in Ireland are driving people into the arms of the far-right, the approach of the international community to the war in Ukraine and the recent fighting in Sudan.

Mick and Clare join us from Strasbourg. They discuss the parliament plenary debate on China, EU “battlegroups”, the European Green Deal and the EU’s inconsistency when it comes to defending media freedom.

This week we have something a little different. Mick sits down with Ilia Lobjanidze of the United Communist Party of Georgia to discuss recent unrest in Georgia with the foreign agents law and the protests which followed. They talk about what life is like for those in Georgia today and the attitudes of Georgians towards their government and towards the EU.

This week Mick and Clare are hot off the heels of their visit to China, they discuss their impressions of the place and the people, and China's place in the geopolitical sphere.

This week on the podcast we discuss: greenwashing, carbon credits, Interpol, and how the EU is lecturing African countries to take sides in the war in Ukraine.

This week on the podcast we're talking about a strange week in Strasbourg. We discuss some debates where Mick and Clare did not get to contribute - notably on Israel and Iran, as well as a heated debate over the issue of sending arms to Ukraine.

This week we're focusing on Israel. Attacks on Palestinians by Israeli armed forces and settlers have increased dramatically in the past year, meanwhile, within the EU, any criticism of Israel's actions is increasingly being smeared as anti-Semitism.

This week on the podcast we discuss the growing anti-China sentiment in the EP and where things are headed in terms of EU-China relations. We also discuss Sajid Khan Nasiri, a young Afghan man who visited the parliament last week to discuss his journey to Europe and the pushbacks he experienced along the way. Finally we get into the reluctance of certain groups in the EP to ban dangerous pesticides.

This week on the podcast Mick, Clare and Damien discuss the Ukraine war, one year on and where it could go from here. They also discuss #winegate - the recent media storm that developed around comments made by Mick that he owned wine bars in Dublin.

This week on the podcast Mick and Clare are in Strasbourg. They discuss the Nord Stream attack, a debate on the Istanbul Convention on violence against women, a debate on CO2 emissions from cars, and the devastation caused by the recent earthquakes particularly in Syria, where sanctions are preventing aid from getting in to save lives.

This week Mick and Clare are discussing the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, the unfolding humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan where the World Food Programme is not getting the money it needs to distribute food. They also discuss Zelensky’s visit to the Parliament and the need for independence in international organisations and monitoring bodies.

This week Mick, Clare and Damien are in Strasbourg. They discuss the 30 year anniversary of the single market; the parliament voting yet again to reject calls for peace; a resolution on the establishment of a special international tribunal to prosecute Russia for crimes of aggression; the protests in Iran; and Clare pays to a friend, we finish the podcast with her speech this week about the late poet Kevin Higgins.

Mick and Clare are back in the parliament for the last episode before the Christmas break. They discuss their recent trip to Lithuania where they visited journalist Algirdas Paleckis in prison, Julian Assange’s nomination for the Sakharov prize, the US Inflation Reduction Act, the Qatargate corruption discovery in the parliament and the end of Michael Martin’s time as Taoiseach

** NOTE ** this is part two of Mick and Clare’s interview with Katie Halper, if you haven’t already listened to part I, we recommend you go back to last week’s episode before listening to this one.

This week we're sharing part one of our appearance on The Katie Halper Show. We talk about the EU-US in the context of the war, among other things. Part two to follow!

This week we’ve got something different for you. Clare and Mick recently appeared on Sina Rahmani’s the East is a Podcast to talk about the EU in the context of the war, the energy crisis, and what this all means for the future of the EU. Today we're sharing that episode. Follow the East is a podcast on Twitter @east_podcast

This week Mick, Clare and Damien are in Strasbourg and the Parliament is making a lot of noise. They discuss the vote to designate Russia a state sponsor of Terrorism, the imprisonment of activists in Egypt and EU arms flows into the country, the EU’s cosying up to Qatar despite its horrific human rights record, and finally a vote on decoupling the EU economy from China.

Clare kicks things off this week with a rundown of recent events in the parliament, most notably, the recent visit by Guatemalan peasant and indigenous movement CODECA. Then Mick joins her, straight from the COP climate conference in Egypt. He fills us in on what he saw there, the geopolitical machinations driving the talks, and the question of loss and damage - whether the Global North is prepared to pay for climate damage it has caused in countries of the Global South.

This week on the podcast Mick and Clare are joined by Dr. Helen Yaffe, coproducer of the documentary "Cuba's Life Task: Combatting Climate Change." They discuss Cuba's climate change adaptation and mitigation plan "tarea vida" and how Cuba is dealing with climate change despite the US sanctions regime and blockade. Find out more about the campaign to defeat the extraterritorial effects of the US blockade at 1C4Cuba.eu

Mick and Clare are just back from a trip to Pakistan. The country is still grappling with the effects of the devastating floods that happened during the summer. Our I4C MEPs met with various government ministers, political groups and industry representatives to hear about how they were dealing with the floods and Pakistan’s place on the world stage.

This week, Clare and Mick are joined by Damien again. They discuss increasing calls for peace coming from the political mainstream, EU double standards around migrants and asylum seekers, unrest in Haiti, debt trap disaster capitalism in action in Tunisia, the proposal for a windfall tax on excess profits of energy companies and finally the question of tracing arms being sent to Ukraine.

This week we’re in Strasbourg and the parliament has been debating the war in Ukraine from every angle imaginable - from the idea of state-sponsored terrorism, to the impact of the war on culture, on research, and migration. We also chat about the Sakharov price, changes in European states’ laws on sex work, the climate impact of the military sector and Josep Borrell’s disgusting comments comparing Europe to a garden and the rest of the world to a jungle.

This week we’ve got something a little different for you. It’s the recording of the event we held at the parliament to launch our report on sanctions and their status under international law. It’s a long one but there’s lots of good stuff in here from the report’s authors Alina Miron and Antonios Tzanakopoulos, as well as from Alena Douhan, the UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of sanctions on human rights. Find the report here: https://mickwallace.net/study-unilateral-coercive-measures-and-eu-law/

This week Mick, Clare and Damien wonder what people talked about in the European Parliament before the war. They discuss a debate on “Putins cronies” in Europe, an excuse to bash any voices for peace, and the explosion of the Nord stream pipelines. They also discuss the release of a report on sanctions (read the report at https://mickwallace.net/study-unilateral-coercive-measures-and-eu-law/), EU presence in Africa and finally the ongoing floods in Pakistan.

This week on the podcast: Mick’s trip to Mozambique, Clare’s trip to Ireland and the question of Irish data protection laws, a new film on the Assange case, and the parliament doubling down on the disinformation narrative.

This week Mick, Clare and Damien are in Strasbourg discussing Commission President Von der Leyen's speech on the "State of the Union" - though it was really more of a rant on behalf of US imperialism.

We’re back as the parliament swings into action after the summer break. We discuss sanctions and why the Russians economy is doing better than ever despite them. We also touch on energy prices and inflation and the hard winter ahead for many in Europe. Finally we run through a recent discussion Mick had with the EU head of delegation for China and Taiwan about Nancy Pelosi’s recent ill-advised visit to Taiwan.

Mick and Clare were interviewed by Katie Halper and Aaron Maté for the Useful Idiots podcast back in July. On the podcast they discuss: war in Ukraine, Julian Assange, and Syria. To hear more from Useful Idiots follow @UsefulIdiotpod on Twitter or watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/usefulidiots

This week is our last episode before the Parliament goes on break for the summer. Mick, Clare and Kate talk about the increase in Irish defence spend, a recent exchange of views with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, what is happing to the arms flooding in to Ukraine, and finally, the protests in Macedonia against the EU accession process which has come with some hard-to-swallow conditions.

This week Clare, Mick and Damien are in Strasbourg, where the Parliament has just voted to classify gas and nuclear as “sustainable” - a huge win for interests in those industries and a huge loss for the planet. They also discuss the question of the rising cost of living and how the EU political establishment is reframing dissent on any issue as “support for Russia”.

This week on the podcast we talked about the wider implications of the war in Ukraine - particularly how it is affecting the cost of living and recent geopolitical shifts that it has occasioned. We also discuss the massacre of migrants in the Spanish enclave of Melilla in Morocco and the shocking reaction of the Taoiseach when asked about this in the Dáil. Finally we discuss how accusations of spreading disinformation are being used to silence dissenting voices

We’re coming to you little late with some updates from last week. We discuss the recent vote on Ukrainian accession to the EU, the US Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the EU Emissions Trading System, and finally, inflation and spiralling inequality.

This week Mick, Clare, Damien and special guest Aoife are discussing: food and fuel scarcity resulting from the war, a recent survey on opinions in Europe which found that a majority of European citizens favour peace over punishing Russia, this week's vote on the sustainable finance taxonomy and the reconvening of the EU- Catalunya dialogue.

It’s been a busy week in Strasbourg. Mick, Clare and Damien discuss a vote on an important climate change file - Fit for ’55 which collapsed this week after it was watered down beyond recognition by some of the far-right groups in the EP. We also discuss the war in Ukraine and the fact that the most right-wing elements in the Parliament are shaping EU policy in that area. We also chat about Michael Martin’s visit to Strasbourg and his address to the Parliament. Finally, the World Food Program in Afghanistan and their shortfall in resources to feed the hungry there.

This week on the podcast we're discussing the latest in the European Parliament. First the EU Taxonomy for sustainable investments and the repercussions of classifying gas and nuclear as "sustainable". We also discuss increasing militarism with Denmark's decision to become involved in European Defence and moves by Sweden and Finland towards NATO membership; migration and the decision to give FRONTEX, the EU Border and Coast Guard Agency lethal weapons for the first time; Irish fishers' visit to Brussels and the changes they are fighting for; finally an answer we received to a question on the legal feasibility of Frances Black's Occupied Territories Bill.

3 months into the war in Ukraine nothing has changed and everything has. This week we’re discussing media coverage of the war and access for journalists, global increases in military spending, the war being fought on the level of narrative and information, NATO expansion, and the International Criminal Court.

A few weeks back Mick and Clare were interviewed on Think For Yourself with Ewan MacKenna. They discuss the war in Ukraine and the debunk some of the accusations that have been levelled at them by the Irish media.

This week we're discussing the changing dynamics of the war in Ukraine and the international community’s response along with the insulated world of the media. Also covered is a recent event we hosted in the Parliament about the criminalisation of migrants and legal discussion the trials of Akif Razuli and Amir Zahiri. A school from Dublin and humanitarian activists all took part in the panel and highlighted the selective humanitarianism of the EU. The housing crisis in Ireland features in this episode upon a recent virtual visit from Paschal Donohoe to Brussels. We tackle the financialisation of the housing market and explore how investor interests are prioritised over the concerns of the ordinary people. Finally, we touch on the current state of the JCPOA and the other forces at play relating to nuclear weapons in Iran.

This week Daly and Wallace are back in Strasbourg and they're discussing all that went on at this week's plenary. First a debate on the impact the war in Ukraine will have on the EU economy as well as some recent comments Pope Francis made about the war which sound very familiar... We also discuss the rule of law enforcement mechanism the EU is using in Poland and Hungary, World Press Freedom Day and the EU's selectivity when it comes to which journalistic voices should be part of a free press, proposals to address the democratic deficit in the EU, and the impact of the war in Ukraine on women and children.

This week we’re discussing: the impact EU membership has had on Irish fishing and the changes that need to happen; the revolving doors phenomenon between the EU institutions and lobbying organisations; new attempts to regulate the environmental and human rights impact of corporations, military transport, and finally EU plans to switch to LNG gas.

This week Mick and Clare discuss their recent trip to Lesvos for the trial of Amir Zahiri & Akif Razuli, the asylum seekers in prison in Greece, charged with people smuggling. Their appeal has been postponed, yet again, meaning eight more months before they can challenge their sentence. We're also discussing Frontex, the European border and coast guard agency, and their involvement in migrant pushbacks, Irish neutrality, sanctions on Afghanistan, and the need to investigate war crimes in Ukraine.

Mick and Clare were interviewed by Joanne Leon on Around the Empire this week. We discussed the war in Ukraine, sanctions, flooding the war with more arms and how all of these things lead to more war and destruction, not peace. To hear more from Around the Empire follow @aroundtheempire and @joanneleon or visit https://aroundtheempire.com/

This week Mick and Clare were in Strasbourg. They caught up on Wednesday to discuss sanctions, recent resolutions on Afghanistan and Ukraine, media narratives about the war, Clare’s recent trip to Guatemala and more. Just after this podcast was recorded Clare went to Greece for the appeal of Amir Zahiri & Akif Razuli, the asylum seekers in prison in Greece, charged with people smuggling. The appeal has been delayed until December, meaning eight more months in prison before these two innocent men can challenge their sentence.

This week we’re talking about the war in Ukraine from a different point of view. We discuss the period of undoing that we’re seeing in EU policy- across all areas hard-won environmental and social progress is being sacrificed in the name of the war. We discuss military mobility and transport, energy, food security and data privacy laws. We also discuss the upcoming EU-China Summit and EU sanctions on Russia.

Calls for increased militarism, and now abandoning environmental goals… A month in to the war in Ukraine and it is becoming clear how certain interests are taking advantage of the crisis. This week we’re discussing one example of this- the recent EU plan for ensuring food security in the context of the war, a win for big agri and a huge loss for the planet. We’re also discussing recent updates from Ukraine, Zelensky’s international speeches and government appearances, oligarchs and corruption, and the impact that sanctions will have not just on Russia but also on the people of Europe.

This week Mick and Clare are in Lesvos, Greece for the trial of Amir Zahiri and Akif Razuli who are being prosecuted as "people smugglers" for trying to seek asylum. They face 50 years each. We discuss their case and how Fortress Europe is allowing member states to criminalise asylum seekers through anti-smuggling laws. We also discuss a recent trip to Lithuania for another trial- this time that of Algirdas Paleckis, a writer being charged with espionage. Finally, the latest on the war in Ukraine.

This week we discuss Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. Things have ratcheted up yet again and we are continuing to watch disaster unfold. Among other things, we discuss what we mean when we call for de-escalation and diplomacy, what that could look like at this stage and why it has not been seriously pursued. We also discuss how the dominant, pro-military narrative around the war is making this de-escalation less likely.

Eight days on from the invasion of Ukraine and much has changed since our last episode. We discuss our vote against the European Parliament resolution on Ukraine which has drawn considerable anger. We didn’t vote against condemning Russian aggression, we voted to condemn Russian aggression and will continue to do so. Our vote was against accelerating the provision of military equipment and weapons to Ukraine, strengthening NATO’s forward presence, further increasing defence spending, and activating European common and joint defence efforts. We discuss the question of Ukrainian defence and why channelling arms to the Ukrainians to fight this vastly unequal war will only lead to more devastation. We talk about the need for dialogue and diplomacy and the idea that calls for dialogue are rooted in naivety. Finally we discuss the possible ways out of the conflict. There's a lot to unpack here and this one dives deep

Russia launched attacks on Ukraine this morning. This is the moment we had hoped would never materialise. We discuss what we know about what has happened so far, how things have come to a head in this way and the way forward.

This week on the podcast we’re talking about the Winter Olympics and how they’re being covered in the media. Then on to the biggest foreign policy question of the day - Ukraine. Last Wednesday when we recorded the episode was supposed to be the day the war would start but that’s not what’s happening. Mick talks about challenging the general narrative about this in the parliament. There was also a plenary debate on the death penalty in Iran. Mick and Clare are against the death penalty anywhere but they point to the timing of this debate and the ongoing JCPOA talks in Vienna. Then we talk about the visit of Iván Duque, the president of Colombia to Strasbourg. From condemning the death penalty in one country, to inviting a ruler responsible for the deaths of hundreds of his own citizens to address the parliament, the EP is nothing if not inconsistent with how it deals with human rights violations abroad. Finally we touch on the recent US theft of Afghan money, frozen assets belonging to one of the world’s most impoverished countries which Biden has transferred to the family of 9/11 victims.