#22 | Bones to pick

Reunited after 3 weeks, Steph and Glenn return to dissect the goings on in Irish politics and wider society. As usual, they’ve got a few bones to pick. Episode 22 looks in detail at some of the key happenings as the month of June comes to an end.

First up is the recent spate of problems surrounding the 38th annual McGill Summer School, namely its grossly uneven gender quotas leading to many labeling the event ‘pale, male and stale’. That it could be so lopsided during such a significant period for Irish women beggars belief.

Next, we look at LGBTQI Pride celebrations happening around the city and probe into its popularity and indeed lucrativeness for major corporations in gaining social capital with Irish citizens. Not everyone is too pleased however and some parts of the community have started to push back. Does rainbow capitalism threaten to dilute the Pride message at a time when it needs to kick on?

Then it’s on to the upcoming Papal visit happening in Dublin next month and concerns over homeless families, currently housed in hotels and hostels, being moved out of the city to accommodate tourists – we look at the recent trend of ‘tourismphobia’ in Spain and wonder if some similar movements may spring out of Dublin and the rest of the country. With taxpayers money being used to finance the visit, does this make us all complicit in making life even harder for struggling families?

Finally, Michael Lowry, “Independent” TD is finally convicted of tax fraud but will not serve any time in prison for his crimes; we ask if there is one rule in this country for the rich and one for the poor. The consistency of the sentencing judge is also called into question.

Before all of this, we run through our highlights of Body & Soul 2018, reserving special praise for the mantra behind the increasingly popular festival and their approach to Suss-tainability.

Exit Track; Bitch Falcon – Of Heart