Podcast
People Just Do Something
Hosted by The Bristol Cable · EN
People Just Do Something is a relaxing and possibly enraging podcast about people who might self-identify as activists. Join professional busybody Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins, The Bristol Cable’s in-house Columbo, Priyanka Raval and a special guest each week as they attempt to untangle the means of effecting change in Bristol, broken Britain and beyond.
Episodes release ever other week with the first season spanning 6 episodes.
To secure the future of the show and The Bristol Cable, head to www.thebristolcable.org/join
12episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
E031: LIVE with Aman Sethi, Banseka Kayemba and Liz Pendleton on the state of the media
Yesterday01:11:24Tap to summarizeWe’re living in an age of media capture. Rupert Murdoch built newsrooms that ran on scandal, entrapment, and phone hacking, filling tabloids with “tits and gossip”. In return for flattering coverage, successive governments helped clear the runway for his ever-expanding media monopoly. Billionaires and hedge funds buying up national and local titles, gutting newsrooms, and turning journalism into a vehicle for shareholder returns. And now, a deranged band of tech bro-oligarchs shape how information spreads online. We’ve seen Elon Musk amplify hateful speech to mass audiences with a single click – fueling real-world violence on our streets. Something needs to change.That’s why we’ve launched our membership campaign: News You Own, Can’t Be Bought - a call to reclaim journalism as a public good, and build a people-powered newsroom in our city. This live recording brings together people fighting to change the system – through policy, campaigning, and alternative newsroom models.Join Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins in conversation with Aman Sethi, editor-in-chief of openDemocracy, Banseka Kayemba, Director of Naked Politics, and Liz Pendleton, co-founder of the Media Revolution, as we ask: what would it take to take the media back? The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative.
Transcribe →E030: LIVE with Rob Miller and the Cuba Solidarity Campaign
1w ago01:13:33Tap to summarizeThis week we explore the nuts and bolts of international solidarity. Cuba Solidarity Campaign director Rob Miller delivers a crash course on the country’s revolutionary legacy, blockade politics, and what meaningful global resistance actually looks like. The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative.
Transcribe →E029: Why Health Workers For A Free Palestine are campaigning against Palantir
4w ago01:10:42Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins speaks to a former NHS data analyst about Palantir’s growing role in the NHS. We learn why Health Workers For A Free Palestine are campaigning against the software company, its links to military surveillance, and concerns about private-sector control of NHS data and what it could mean for patients. The episode also explores the influence of Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel, the billionaire tech investor whose political views and close ties to defence and intelligence agencies have made him one of Silicon Valley’s most controversial figures. Health Workers 4 Palestine: https://linktr.ee/hw4fp.uk Med Act toolkit: www.medact.org/2024/resources/toolkits/no-palantir-in-the-nhs-campaign-toolkit/ The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative.
Transcribe →E028: Tegan Vincent-Cooke on becoming Jamaica’s first para dressage-rider and finding Coco
Jun 800:56:48Tap to summarizePara equestrian Tegan Vincent-Cooke first began riding at the age of four as part of her physiotherapy for quadriplegic cerebral palsy. In this episode, Tegan tells Priyanka Raval how she quickly fell in love with riding, her journey to finding a horse of her own, and how alongside her mum she’s broken barriers in equestrian sport. Having previously represented Team GB, Tegan now rides for Jamaica, becoming the country’s first para dressage-rider on the international stage.Help Tegan reach the World Equestrian Games: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-me-reach-the-world-equestrian-games?attribution_id=sl:bb2c6b04-0918-4e7d-9f68-533f09c4e994&lang=en_GB&ts=1779485159&utm_campaign=man_ss_icons&utm_content=amp20_t1&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative.
Transcribe →E027: LIVE from City Hall: LaToyah McAllister-Jones on citizens’ assemblies
Jun 101:00:08Tap to summarizeThis week we’re throwing the doors of City Hall wide open with Carnival executive director LaToyah McAllister-Jones. In this episode, LaToyah discusses the Citizens of Culture community-first arts initiative, and answers the questions your MP has been dodging. We hear how communities can build campaigns together that have real influence, and the cultured life that exists beyond what institutions can offer. The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative.
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E026: Benn Trowell on the Global Sumud Flotilla and being detained at sea
May 2501:11:48Tap to summarizeBristol-based activist Ben Trowell has just returned home after being detained by the Israel Defence Forces in international waters near Crete. In this episode, Ben speaks to Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins about the training he underwent before joining the Global Sumud Flotilla, daily life on board, and what happened when the IDF boarded the boat 600 nautical miles from Gaza. From dealing with land sickness to going on hunger strike while detained, Ben shares his firsthand account of the flotilla’s attempt to break the maritime blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. Sign the Bristol Apartheid Free Zone pledge: https://www.bafz.org/the-pledge/ The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative.
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E024: Life of the Party on the disaster of Your Party and the rise of the Greens
May 1801:08:23Tap to summarizeThe team from Life of the Party join us for a live recording in conjunction with our friends at Bristol Transformed. In this episode, Jonas and Joe tell us what really went wrong with Your Party, reflect on the historical moment of Momentum, and explain why the Green Party might be a limited project. We also discuss the differences between Zack Polanski and Jeremy Corbyn, and how no party can keep everyone happy. Plus, Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins and Priyanka Raval reflect on how the team fared in their election predictions. The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative.
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E023: Sarah Jaffe on love in the time of fascism
May 1101:03:23Tap to summarizeJournalist and author Sarah Jaffe joins us for a live recording at Jikoni East Africa where we chat about commodified connection, manufactured isolation, and how we create true relational care under capitalism’s intimacy-crushing yoke. In this episode, Sarah Jaffe answers our live audience’s questions on everything from how can we make straight men better, how to tell your partner they’re bad at sex, and the art of declining rather than rejection. The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative.
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E022: Nicholas Beuret on disrupting the climate transition
Mar 2301:10:00Tap to summarizeActivist scholar and lecturer at the University of Essex, Nicholas Buret joins us for a live podcast recording at the Cube. With a focus on justice labour rights and ecological politics, Nicholas tells us why the green transition was doomed from the start and how unions have a contradictory relationship with it. Nicholas tells us how there’s been a shift away from the power of disruptive action, what really goes on at climate camps, and how policy documents are often just a substitute for politics. The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative.
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E021: Onboard the Global Sumud Flotilla with Mathilda Mallinson
Mar 401:01:05Tap to summarizeSpecial guest Mathilda Mallinson discusses her time on board the historic Global Sumud Flotilla where she was reporting for Middle East Eye. The 42-strong pro-Palestinian flotilla was intercepted by Israeli forces between October 1-3 while attempting to break Israel’s siege on Gaza. We hear about the psychology training Mathilda underwent ahead of departure, how the boat dealt with everything from drone attacks to bed bugs, and how her journey was cut short when the boat was sabotaged in an attack. But most of all, Mathilda shares how a fleet of people from all over the world were united by a shared sense of justice for Gaza. The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative.
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