In Solidarity - by openDemocracy

openDemocracy
  • 5.0 (1)
  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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. MAR 5

    The "Danish Model" of Asylum Explained: Cruelty by Design?

    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.

    24 min

  2. FEB 27

    The Secret Pipeline: How the Far-Right is Radicalising Gen Z

    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.

    33 min

  3. FEB 19

    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

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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
See All (32)

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.

Information

You Might Also Like