Posts in category Podcasts

Here’s How 68 – Comreg and Protecting Customers

Feb 06, 2018 ~ Written by William Campbell

I talked to Director of Retail and Consumer Services at Comreg, Barbara Delaney.

Yourtel appear to still be advertising to the Irish market, despite being convicted on 88 sample charges (out of 880) of ripping off their customers. They were fined just €750 of a maximum fine of €5,000 in each case – a total of €66,000. Their pricing scheme and the fact that they have ~ read more ~

Here’s How 67 – Mysterious Case of the Disappearing Videos

Oct 09, 2017 ~ Written by William Campbell

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Ken Foxe

Ken Foxe is a lecturer in DIT and a freelance journalist.

On June 27 last, the Irish-American academic and blogger Catherine Kelly was leaving Ireland through Dublin airport when she was detained by two plain clothes gardaí, and questioned about ~ read more ~

Here’s How 66 – A Libertarian in Ireland

Jul 25, 2017 ~ Written by William Campbell

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Keith Redmond is an independent member of Fingal County Council, having been elected on the Fine Gael ticket in 2014 previously run for the Progressive Democrats and briefly been a member of Renua Ireland. He’s also a founder member of the Hibernia Forum.

The Libertarian Party in the US is known for its anti-government stance and espousal of Austrian economics.

Here’s How 65 – Cop on Comrades

Jun 30, 2017 ~ Written by William Campbell

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

I normally wouldn’t do a podcast about a blog post, but this is a blog post that has been signed by almost 500 people, so it’s not an ordinary blog post.

You might have heard about Dean Scurry, he’s one of the activists who organised Home Sweet Home, the occupation of Apollo House by the homeless. Dean also set up a ~ read more ~

Here’s How 64 – Investigation: Unproven Meds Part 3

Jun 14, 2017 ~ Written by William Campbell

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

In the main interview, I talked to Gino Kenny of the People Before Profit party.

Gino’s Facebook page shared the Facebook group Medical Cannabis Testimonials Ireland & UK, and encouraged people to share supposed ‘testimony‘ of people benefiting ~ read more ~

Here’s How 63 – Investigation: Unproven Meds Part 2

Jun 01, 2017 ~ Written by William Campbell

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

I interviewed Dr Mariano García de Palau of the Kalapa Clinic about his claims to treat a wide range of ailments with cannabis. As he mentioned, there are no clinical trials to validate most of these cures.

I also interviewed Dr Robert O’Connor, Head of Research for the Irish Cancer Society.

Here’s How 62 – Cannabis Oil or Snake Oil?

May 23, 2017 ~ Written by William Campbell

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

This podcast is the first part of a major investigation into people selling unlicensed substances that they claim will treat or cure serious conditions. This first part of the investigation, focussing on the Dublin-based Hemp Company.

The Hemp Company’s page selling the Charlotte’s Web product for up to €5,500 per litre is here, That page contains a link on the text “View Everyday Advanced hemp oil supplement facts” with a link to this page which recommends the oil for treating depression and multiple sclerosis, and a comment apparently from a doctor saying “patient of mine uses this for cancer“.

Here’s How 61 – Brexit Negotiations

May 17, 2017 ~ Written by William Campbell

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Derek Mooney is a public affairs and communications adviser as well as a former adviser to the Irish government. He’s a columnist on Broadsheet.ie and Slugger O’Toole.

***

In the last podcast, I was talking to Tom Geraghty of the PSEU, that’s the union that represents higher level public sector workers. The interview was in the aftermath of the PSEU annual conference, where Tom was demanding a ~ read more ~

Here’s How 60 – Pay Restoration

May 02, 2017 ~ Written by William Campbell

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Tom Geraghty is the General Secretary of the Public Service Executive Union.

Tom disputed a couple of the references that I made during the interview. The report of MABS staff dealing with an average of two new cases per week here. The minister for justice has confirmed that there are gardaí suspended on pay for up to seven years. ~ read more ~

Here’s How 59 – Seanad Referendum Revisited

Apr 18, 2017 ~ Written by William Campbell

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Opposition parties have called for the Disclosures Tribunal to be expanded. The MacLochlainn Tribunal does exist, but the Boyle Tribunal does not. Yet. Honest.

Village magazine summarised the Morris Tribunal report in 2005 saying “the gardaí are in a state of disarray, with low morale, poor discipline, lack of oversight, and a culture of silence…”

The Moriarty Tribunal found as fact in 2011 that Michael Lowry had an “insidious and pervasive” influence over the awarding the 086 licence to Denis O’Brien’s company Digifone. Since then, on at least five separate occasions justice ministers have given the exact same answer – word for word – as an excuse for why no criminal investigations have begun yet, here, here, here, here and here. ~ read more ~

Here’s How 58 – Déjà Crash All Over Again

Apr 05, 2017 ~ Written by William Campbell

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Tony Groves writes the blog Trickstersworld, and we discussed this article which he wrote for Broadsheet.ie.

Tony Groves

Here’s How 57 – What is the Pay Gap? Are Women Being Short-Changed?

Mar 21, 2017 ~ Written by William Campbell

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Lughan Deane is the Communications Executive for the IMPACT trade union, who are currently running the #ClockedOut campaign.

Lughan Deane

In the discussion I slightly overstated the dominance of women in Iran’s technical and engineering facilities, but the point stands. By contrast, women in Norway are remarkably reluctant to enter many male professions.

In Ireland it is illegal to pay someone less based on their gender. TheJournal.ie have prepared an excellent analysis of the raw Eurostat figures.

Eurostat also report that males suffer almost 80 per cent of workplace injuries and 95 per cent of workplace deaths.

Here’s How 56 – Tuam Babies and Reaction Part 2

Mar 13, 2017 ~ Written by William Campbell

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Bill Donoghue is the President and CEO of the Catholic League. The article that he wrote claiming that the Tuam babies story is a hoax is here. The report by the Mother And Baby Homes Commission Of Investigation which detailed the forensic findings is here.

Bill Donohue

The text of the letter by Terry Prone, pouring scorn on Catherine Corless’s work and denying the existence of a grave related to the home is here. A letter a year earlier from Prone’s client, Sr Marie Ryan country leader of the Bon Secours nuns confirms that, in fact, she was well aware that children from the homes were buried on the grounds of the home.

Part of Mary Merrit’s story detailing life in one of the homes is here. In response to the findings, the bishop of Limerick, Brendan Leahy said in reaction to the findings “we hang our heads in shame”.

The Bon Secours nuns own the profitable Bon Secours healthcare group, and finance minister Michael Noonan opened their new €21m hospital in Limerick last week.

The annual birth rate in Ireland is here, and information about the effects of malnutrition were found by the Laffoy Commission.

Wages in Ireland in the 1940s (see table 9) were typically between £2 and £4 per week; in the 1920s, wages for agricultural workers were less than 15s (£0.75) per week. In 1928 the Connaught Tribune reported that local politicians thought that the payment to the Tuam home of 10s (£0.50) per week was excessive. It is clear that the Bon Secours nuns had a far more generous budget to feed and clothe the children than many families, before taking into account the profits from their businesses that used the slave labour of their mothers, or the profits of selling adoptive babies to American couples.

Here’s How 55 – Tuam Babies and Media Coverage

Mar 09, 2017 ~ Written by William Campbell

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Brendan O’Neill is the editor of Spiked Online. His 2014 article that we discussed is here, and the interim report of the Mother And Baby Homes Commission Of Investigations is here.

The second part of my coverage of this topic will be published next week.

Brendan O Neill

The global infant mortality statistics that I mentioned are here, and the historical Irish data is here. ~ read more ~

Here’s How 54 – Media Independence; RTÉ, the Gardaí and EU Web Controls

Feb 17, 2017 ~ Written by William Campbell

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

This is the link to Episode 41 where I originally interviewed RTÉ’s news planner, Donal Byrne, and this is the original of the set-up interview with Paul Reynolds where he gave what he said were details of the contents of the O’Higgins report, which was published two days later.

Paul Reynolds of RTÉ

That report, and the possibility that it was made in collusion with the embattled Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan, has since become one of the terms of reference (item g) of the Commission of Investigation announced by An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, into the affair.

Reynolds’ report was the unspoken target of another report by Philip Boucher Hayes the next day, which rebutted many of his claims. A transcript of Boucher Hayes’ report is here, but the audio of it seems to have been removed from the RTÉ website. Edit: the audio of this report now seems to have been restored by RTÉ.

Ruth Coustick-Deal

Ruth Coustick-Deal of Open Media was talking to me about EU proposals for a ‘Link Tax‘ which would require websites to pay for links with snippets to news articles, and require websites to filter posted content to suit rights-holders.

Here’s How 53 – Conservative Peter Lilley MP on Brexit

Jan 27, 2017 ~ Written by William Campbell

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Peter Lilley is the Conservative party MP for Hitchin and Harpenden, and the former Secretary of State for Social Security, and the former President of the Board of Trade.

Peter Lilley MP

I mentioned George Eustace’s speech at the Farmers Club, where he talked about restoring powers over farming to Westminster, not to the Northern Ireland, Scottish and Welsh devolved governments.

EU rules don’t allow individual countries to enter into trade deals with countries outside the EU. Tweets sent by David Davis MP seem to indicate that he didn’t understand this. Peter Lilley, in the interview, disputed this interpretation of the tweets. You can read them for yourself and decide: ~ read more ~

Happy New Year from Here’s How

Jan 01, 2017 ~ Written by William Campbell

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Happy New Year, and a short message from the podcast host.

Happy 2017

Here’s How 52 – Fiona O’Leary and Riko Muranaka on Vaccines

Dec 06, 2016 ~ Written by William Campbell

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Fiona O’Leary is the mother of five children, two of whom are on the autistic spectrum. She was a witness in the prosecution that led to the conviction of Patrick Merlehan for selling unlicensed and dangerous medicines.

Fiona O’Leary

Riko Muranaka is a Japanese journalist and medical doctor. She is a specialist in infectious diseases. Her work has appeared in many publications including the Wall Street Journal.

Dr Riko Muranaka

This is RTÉ’s Prime Time programme on REGRET, and the Irish Times’ report on the likely effects of the vaccine scare.

This is the form on the HPRA website where anyone can report an adverse reaction for any drug of vaccine. This is the claim on Regret’s GoFundMe page that their group represents 200 girls who are on 24-hour suicide watch.

There are examples here, here and here of abusive comments on social media against Fiona O’Leary in the names of Regret activists. I have contacted the people identified as having written the comments to ask if they were indeed the authors; they have not responded.

Here’s How 51 – Smári McCarthy of the Icelandic Pirate Party

Nov 04, 2016 ~ Written by William Campbell

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Smári McCarthy is a programmer, a writer and one of the founders of the Pirate Party of Iceland. This interview was recorded shortly before his recent election to the Icelandic parliament.

Smári McCarthy

Here’s How 50 – REGRET Update and Procession against Islamic Terrorism

Oct 27, 2016 ~ Written by William Campbell

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

This is the document that I was pointed to while searching for the source for Anna Cannon’s claim that one in 30 or one in 40 people are struck with an autoimmune disease after receiving the Gardasil vaccine. In fact, what the table on page 8 shows is that 2.3 per cent (one in 43) develop illnesses on a list which is potentially indicative of a systemic autoimmune disorder. This doesn’t mean that they have a systemic autoimmune disorder; that is one of the potential explanations.

It is also evident that, whatever their illness, it is not caused by Gardasil, because the incidence is identical in the groups that did and did not get Gardasil.

Arbaeen Procession poster

Waqar Haider is a spokesman for the Hussaini Islamic Trust UK, a Shi’ite organisation that organises the annual Arbaeen UK procession, marking dates in the Islamic calendar. The event is used to express disapproval of terrorism in the name of Islam.