In Solidarity - by openDemocracy

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In Solidarity is an openDemocracy podcast about people, power and politics, co-hosted by our editors based in London, Abuja and Montevideo and featuring guests from the around the world. Get our independent journalism delivered direct to your inbox, join the openDemocracy Newsletter today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 1D AGO

    Gaza's Illusionary Ceasefire

    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.

    33 min

  2. JAN 9

    After Maduro: Storm Warnings in Venezuela

    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.

    29 min

  3. 12/05/2025

    Democracy from the ashes: Inside the Your Party conference

    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.

    21 min

  4. 11/21/2025

    End Times: What Post-Socialist Societies Teach Us About Today

    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.

    28 min

  5. 11/12/2025

    Abortion decriminalisation now

    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.

    28 min

  6. 10/24/2025

    Labour puts capital over consumers

    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.

    18 min

  7. 10/03/2025

    Now that we have to say 'genocide'

    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.  — 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.

    35 min

  8. 09/19/2025

    Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal: Is This A South Asia Spring?

    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.

    27 min
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About

In Solidarity is an openDemocracy podcast about people, power and politics, co-hosted by our editors based in London, Abuja and Montevideo and featuring guests from the around the world. Get our independent journalism delivered direct to your inbox, join the openDemocracy Newsletter today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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