Inform My Opinion: Recent Episodes
Inform My Opinion
Inform My Opinion is a podcast series on various social, political, economic, environmental subjects and activism (mainly in London), featuring voices of people who are well-informed and those who want to speak.
We aim to provide a comprehensive explanation of chosen topics as well as a range of opinions and arguments to kickstart discussions around the issues we cover.
We value the truth and use progressive voices to spread it around.
[First broadcast at 11 am on 9th May 2016 on ResonanceFM]
For our final show in this climate change series on Resonance FM, we asked campaigners and demonstrators what their 'action plan' would be to combat climate change in the most significant way possible. Thank you to all those who shared their knowledge with us for this podcast. Namely, thank you to Al Williams, Brian Utton, Lola Perrin, Martin Vainstein, Peter Mumford, Suzanne Dhaliwal, Terhas Hagos.
Produced and presented by Abla Kandalaft and Nandini Uppluri Edited by Abla Kandalaft and Nandini Uppluri Music: 'Beauty Loss' from 'Now You See It' (Lola Perrin 2015) http://www.lolaperrin.com/special-projects
Find us and continue the discussion: Email: informmyopinion@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/informmyopinion Twitter: @InformMyOpinion
[First broadcast on Resonance 104.4 FM on 2nd May 2016] Al Williams from Campaign Against Climate Change and Frack Off London; Suzanne Dhaliwal from UK Tarsands Network; Terhas Hagos, a consultant looking at gender issues related to #climatechange; and engineer Peter Mumford discuss what climate justice means. #World #Poverty #Inequality #GlobalSouth #Wealth #FossilFuels #Immigration #Energy #EnergyReserves
Blog post by Al Williams: http://dragontrailz.tumblr.com/post/142266123572/what-is-climate-justice
Make sure you continue the discussion and get in touch! Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/informmyopinion Twitter: @InformMyOpinion Email: informmyopinion@gmail.com Produced and presented by Abla Kandalaft and Nandini Uppluri
Edited by Nandini Uppluri
[First broadcast on 25th April 2016 at 11 am on Resonance FM] Marxist historian, archaeologist and political activist Dr Neil Faulkner and George Barda from Reclaim the Power and co-founder of Compassionate Revolution explain why it is not possible to do anything significant about #climatechange under neoliberal capitalism. Then Brian Utton from Citizen’s Climate Lobby and engineer Peter Mumford explain how the current economic system can be used to combat climate change.
Produced and presented by Abla Kandalaft (@AblaGeorge) and Nandini Uppluri (@NandiniUppluri) Edited by Abla Kandalaft GET IN TOUCH to work with us or submit an idea for our next podcast! Email: informmyopinion@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/informmyopinion Twitter: www.twitter.com/informmyopinion
This was first broadcast on Resonance 104.4 FM in London as a part of a six-part series on key points of contention within the climate change movement presented by Abla Kandalaft and Nandini Uppluri, aiming to enable further research and provoke discussion. In this show, campaigners Duncan Law from Biofuelwatch, Dan Goss from Fuel Poverty Action, George Barda from Occupy London and co-founder of Compassionate Revolution, and Brian Utton from Citizens’ Climate Lobby discuss whether we can stop burning fossil fuels today.
Follow us on social media and get in touch for any podcast ideas! Email: informmyopinion@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/informmyopinion Twitter: @InformMyOpinion
Presented and produced by Abla Kandalaft (@AblaGeorge) and Nandini Uppluri (@NandiniUppluri)
Edited by Nandini Uppluri
A new six-part series on key points of contention within the climate change movement presented by Abla Kandalaft and Nandini Uppluri, aiming to enable further research and provoke discussion. This week filmmaker and campaigner Robbie Lockie from Viva, Louise-Claire Cayzer from Poppy and the Bees, and producer and actor Luca Zizzari try to answer the question ‘Is veganism the solution to climate change?’
This programme was first broadcast on Resonance FM on 11th April 2016 at GMT 11 am.
Produced and presented by Abla Kandalaft (@AblaKandalaft) and Nandini Uppluri (@NandiniUppluri) Edited by Nandini Uppluri
Carry on the conversation! Twitter: @InformMyOpinion Facebook: www.facebook.com/informmyopinion
This is the first of Inform My Opinion's six-part Climate Change Special on Resonance FM. Originally broadcast on April 4th at 11 am GMT. This week PhD researcher Kristine Belesova at the Department of Social and Environmental Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical #Medicine; amateur climatologist John Davies and Professor Iain Colin Prentice at Imperial College's Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Life Sciences explain how #climatechange is affecting the health of the #biosphere, including #humanhealth. Post your comments and questions below and carry on the discussion!
Find us on social media: Twitter: @InformMyOpinion Facebook: www.facebook.com/informmyopinion Email us for feedback and anything else: informmyopinion@gmail.com
Presented and produced by Abla Kandalaft (@AblaGeorge) and Nandini Uppluri (@NandiniUppluri) Edited by Nandini Uppluri
The second of our podcasts with Real Media on successful environmental grassroots campaigns. This one focuses on Fuel Poverty Action, a campaign started by activists from Climate Camp to address the real economic issue of fuel poverty, highlighting the hardship and fatalities faced by vulnerable people locked in expensive contracts with profiteering energy companies.
We talked Ruth London about the work they do. One of their actions not mentioned in the podcast is the implementation of an energy bill of rights, which they describe as:
"giving people inspiration and confidence to stand up against the rip-off Big 6 energy companies who are leaving us to freeze and to join the movement for a clean, affordable and renewable energy system owned by us."
More info on this and the rest of the campaign at: https://fuelpovertyaction.wordpress.com/ and @fuelpovaction
Fracking #COP21 #grassroots #campaign #FuelPovertyAction #fuelpoverty #austerity #environment #socialjustice
The first of our podcasts with Real Media on successful environmental grassroots campaigns. This one focuses on the one led by the Roseacre Awareness Group against fracking in their area. We talked to Jamie Peters from Friends of the Earth and Barbara Richardson, campaign spokesperson, about how they got residents together, took action and eventually defeated the fracking company's efforts to drill in the area. More info on the campaign at frackfreelancashire.org.uk
Frackfreelancs #COP21 #grassroots #campaign #fracking #environment #socialjustice
We caught up with Tom Barlow and Kam Sandhu from Real Media, a cooperative of journalists dedicated to public interest journalism, who IMO is currently working with.
They were present at the Take Manchester Back demo, held to protest the Tory Party Conference to provide media coverage and collaborate with other journalists to produce articles and videos from the event. We chatted to them about how they set up Real Media, what its aims are and how they hope to reach the largest number of people.
Produced and edited by Abla Kandalaft @AblaGeorge
RealMedia #RealJournalism #TakeBackMCR
This week, the #Palestinian flag was raised at the #UN for the first time. However, the situation in #Gaza is still dire, with settlements expanding and tensions mounting around Al-Aqsa.
We look back at the protest that took place during Isreali Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to London last month. Protesters argued that he should face war crime charges over the previous summer's brutal assault on Gaza, which left over 2200 Palestinians dead. We also spoke to a group of people that had turned up to show their support to Netanyahu and counter the accusations.
We will tackle the situation in Palestine over a number of podcasts, as it is a particular dense subject to cover. In subsequent podcasts, we will explore such topics as the impact on the ground of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions) movement, which will hopefully offer more background and context (#occupation, #settlements, Gaza #blockade...).
Our aim at IMO is to inform and explain to help our listeners understand the issue at stake to better engage with it. Like all good media outlets, we have a stance that informs the topics we choose to cover. We oppose colonialism, racism, imperialism and aim to uphold the respect of human rights and the environment.
We encourage our listeners to diversify their sources of information to get a more rounded picture. In keeping with our stance, the following link offers a pretty comprehensive and user-friendly factsheet on Palestine: http://www.palestinecampaign.org/information/factsheets/facts/
Hope you enjoy listening. Do follow us on Twitter @InformMyOpinion and check out our Facebook page for updates: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Inform-My-Opinion/797381456982885
Produced by Emily Williams and Nandini Uppluri @NandiniUppluri Voicers: Emily Williams and Abla Kandalaft @AblaKandalaft Edited by Nandini Uppluri
Palestine #Israel #Netanyahu #BDS #Apartheid #Hamas #solidarity
So, what was the emergency budget all about? This podcast explains the emergency budget introduced by George Osborne on 8th July, shedding light on often misunderstood and complex terms and concepts such as #deficit, #recession and #debt. Our contributors also discuss the effectiveness and problems with #austerity.
The podcast starts with a (fairly long-hang in there!) introduction to the topic, featuring input by economists James Meadway and Pr Steve Keen, as well as Jubilee Debt Campaign's Hadiru Mahdi. Then, you can hear the people's opinions and views at the #Balls2theBudget demonstration organised by DPAC and others which shut down Westminister Bridge and the junction at Parliament Square that morning.
Many thanks to all our contributors! Any feedback, questions, queries or comments about any of the issues discussed, please get in touch: Twitter: @InformMyOpinion Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Inform-My-Opinion/797381456982885?ref=hl Email: informmyopinion@gmail.com
Voicers: Abla Kandalaft and Emily Williams Produced by: Abla Kandalaft @AblaGeorge Edited by: Abla Kandalaft and Nandini Uppluri @NandiniUppluri
The very basics of the Greek #financialcrisis and the current situation. Speeches recorded at the Solidarity with Greece-- No to Austerity, Yes to Democracy! on 29th June 2015 00:00 Introduction to the Greek financial state 04:10 Jeremy Corbyn, Labour MP and candidate for Leader of the Labour Party 7:45 Owen Jones, Journalist at The Guardian 11:50 John McDonnell, MP of Labour Party, talks about the role of Britain in the Greek crisis 13:41 John Rees, People's Assembly Against Austerity, makes three points 16:54 Caroline Lucas, Green MP, speaks about the money lent by banks to bail out banks 19:51 Speaker from Left Unity and Greece Solidarity Campaign speaks about free public transportation in Greece 20:54 Speaker from #Syriza Party in #London speaks about #achievements of the first five months of Syriza in power 24:19 Ken Loach, director and a co-founder of Left Unity, speaks about the importance of #tradeunions 25:23 Romaine Phoenix, co-chair of the People’s Assembly and Executive of the Greece Solidarity Campaign
Like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Inform-My-Opinion/797381456982885 Tweet to us @InformMyOpinion Produced and edited by Nandini Uppluri @NandiniUppluri
democracy #Greece #Oxi #referendum #IMF #EU #Eurozone #EurozoneCrisis #Austerity
We covered 'Create Revolutionary Movement! Create Revolutionary Culture' at Harts Lane Studios on 6th June 2015. We will be releasing podcasts of the various speeches and discussions over the next few weeks. This one is of an artist speaking about the Native American struggle and Leonard Peltier.
Incident at Olga: https://youtu.be/W-TzSt4EBcI They Buried the Heart of Leonard Peltier--But Not in the Spirit of Crazy Horse (1982): https://youtu.be/81s4ZeeTGqc
Here is a link to Create Revolutionary Movement! Create Revolutionary Culture: https://www.facebook.com/createrevolutionary Like our Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Inform-My-Opinion/797381456982885 Tweet to us @InformMyOpinion
Produced by Emily Williams Edited by Nandini Uppluri (@NandiniUppluri)
nativeamericans #FreeLeonardPeltier #AmericanIndianMovement
We attended the End Austerity Now demo in London on 20 June and spoke to various people marching with different contingents (or on their own). We recorded some of the highlights from the key speakers (Mark Serwotka-PCS, Sam Fairbairn-People's Assembly, Charlotte Church, Francesca Martinez, Shappi Khorsandi...)
0:40 Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st Century (RS21) 2:13 Revolutionary Communist Group (RCG) 2:50 The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) 3:17 The People's Assembly 4:52 The Green Party 5:36 New protesters! 6:51 Shappi Khorsandi, Comedian 7:31 Sam Fairbairn, National Secretary of the People's Assembly 8:49 Julie Hesmondhalgh, Actress 9:42 Marina Prentoulis, Syriza Representative 10:40 Mark Serwotka, General Secretary of PCS 12:11 Francesca Martinez, Comedian 13:46 Charlotte Church, Singer
Like our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Inform-My-Opinion/797381456982885 Tweet to us @InformMyOpinion Produced and Edited by Abla Kandalaft [@AblaGeorge]
EndAusterityNow #PeoplesAssembly #CharlotteChurch #celebritiesagainstausterity #RussellBrand #Austerity #20June #comedians
This is one of our shorter "one-off" podcasts, covering punctual events. We attended a protest held to urge the British government to take action against the persecution of Rohingya communities in Burma. We spoke to one of the organisers Rehman Adil and included audio from the protest, including speeches by Mohammad, a member of the Rohingya community, Lord Nazir and activist Yvonne Ridley.
Rohingya #Burma
Produced and Edited by Abla Kandalaft (@AblaGeorge)
2:05- Some arguments for and against the scrapping of the Human Rights Act 3:40- Rachel Robinson, Liberty 9:25- Professor Helen Fenwick, University of Durham 15:15- Equality and Human Rights Commission Statement 16:00- Your opinion: Why do you care about the human rights act? [At Great British Right Off-Protest for the Human Right Act] 21:56- Jon Warner, organiser of The Great British Right Off- Protest for the Human Rights Act 24:10- Your opinion: What will a march for the human rights achieve? [At Great British Right Off-Protest for the Human Rights Act] 26:25- A number of speeches made at the Great British Right Off- Protest for the Human Rights Act
Tweet us! @InformMyOpinion Find us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Inform-My-Opinion/797381456982885?ref=hl
Producers: Abla Kandalaft (@AblaGeorge), Emily Williams and Nandini Uppluri (@NandiniUppluri) Editor: Abla Kandalaft
With only days to go before the #GeneralElection in the UK, we asked academics, historians, journalists, campaign groups, #activists and ordinary people whether they thought it was worth voting.
00:00-01:33 Introduction to Inform My Opinion 01:33-03:20 Introduction to topic, is it worth voting? 03:30-05:05 Basic information about General Election 05:15-20:30 Interview with Dr Neil Faulkner 22:38-26:53 Interview with Sara Jaffar from Bite the Ballot 29:49-34:19 Interview with Will Brett from Electoral Reform Society 36:26-43:41 Interview with Warwick Smith We went to the #VoteOutTrident, #MarchForHomeless and #ReclaimBrixton demos to get YOUR OPINIONS! Listen to the podcast to hear them. :)
Tweet us! @InformMyOpinion Find us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Inform-My-Opinion/797381456982885?ref=hl
Producers: Abla Kandalaft @AblaGeorge and Nandini Uppluri @NandiniUppluri Editor: @NandiniUppluri Music: jooniquebeats' Epic hip hop instrumental beat, Royalty Free Music - Call Me Epic https://youtu.be/u-Lr54tPoMk All other content was gathered and created by us.