I4C Trouble with Daly and Wallace

As the lockdown gradually eases, the Commission is unveiling a hodgepodge of plans and work is furiously underway to scrutinize them all. Clare and Mick break down the highlights of a busy week at the European Parliament: state aid rules and bail outs; food sustainability and big farms; public private partnerships and corporate lobbying; how the EU enables the settlement of the Palestinian territories; the rule of law during the pandemic; and the EU's flawed COVID-19 economic recovery plan. Bonus content: how to make sure you find a partner at the dance.

Clare and Mick discuss European exceptionalism and the real values of the European project. What is going on with coronavirus tracking apps and why are they a threat to civil liberties? Why is the EU fast-tracking bailouts for airlines but overlooking workers rights? What is Europe doing in the Sahel region of Africa and why are the Irish Defence Forces involved? Tune in to find out, share, like and subscribe. Happy Europe Day!

Clare and Mick discuss parliamentary dress codes, propaganda efforts by the European External Action Service and the work they have been getting up to over the last week in their seven parliamentary committees.

In the eleventh episode, disability and autism activist Jane Johnston tells Clare and Mick how the pandemic has impacted carers and the people they care for, and gives her thoughts on what’s included in the Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael joint framework document. Presented by Damien Thomson, political adviser to the GUE/NGL group. Thanks for listening! 👂

Clare and Mick interview Medea Benjamin of Code Pink about the ongoing media and sanctions war being perpetrated against the government of Venezuela. They discuss the increasingly aggressive US state department moves on the international stage, the impact of these regime change operations on the ground, the role of the EU, and modes of resistance to the imperialist war machine.

Clare and Mick are back with a quick round-up of the week in politics at the European Parliament. Whether it's about the deterioration of the rule of law in member states or hiking defence spending while cutting health budgets, the coronavirus continues to place the European Union at a crossroads. Our MEPs tell Damien about their work across each of their committees, and how things in Brussels are shaping up while most of the EU is in lockdown.

The reports from the Houses of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice and Equality mentioned in the episode can be found at the following links:

Report on Penal Reformand Sentencing (May 2018)

Report on Direct Provision and the International Protection Application Process (December 2019)

A video of the ceremony, including a speech by Councillor Declan Bree, can be viewed here.

Emma Clancy's report, Discipline and Punish: End of the Road for the EU's Stability  and Growth Pact can be found here.

“We’re all in this together” is one of the mantras we’ve read and heard most over the last month in dealing with the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. But are we really? In episode 6 of I4C Trouble Clare and Mick take a closer look at modern day solidarity and some of the issues that would suggest not all individuals, businesses and Governments are in it together. Kindly presented by Damien Thomson, political adviser to the GUE/NGL group. Thanks for listening! 👂