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Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning
Free State covers various topics from politics to sports
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427. ‘We used to be neo-Nazis but we're all right now’ - Why Sweden is a warning for Ireland's future
50:53||Ep. 427Few things make Irish people feel more inadequate than being told how well everything functions in Scandinavia. We are constantly told about their education systems, its welfare system and its work-life balance.But have we got it wrong?On Free State, Philip O’Connor, who has been based in Sweden since 1999, talks to us about the upcoming election in Sweden.He explains the rise of the Sweden Democrats and how a party with Neo-Nazi origins may now hold the balance of power.He also tells us how they did it, how they switched from talking about race to talking about culture even if their message is the same. And he explains why Ireland should be concerned.A reminder that on Sept 3rd, Free State will be live in Belfast with Paul Howard to talk about his brilliant new book ‘A Nation Once Again’. Book your free ticket here - https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-free-state-podcast-live-paul-howard-in-conversation-tickets-1998226075984?aff=oddtdtcreator
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426. Agreement, what agreement? Donald Trump and his disappearing pens
35:03||Ep. 426‘We recognise sometimes its signature is written in pencil’With these words Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney declared a trade war with its unreliable neighbour, the United States.On Free State today, we look at why so few want to assert what Carney stated so baldly, that America under Donald Trump cannot be trusted.This is a reality the world knows but the leaders instead of acknowledging it, run from it as they try and pretend the world is still the same.A reminder that on Sept 3rd, Free State will be live in Belfast with Paul Howard to talk about his brilliant new book ‘A Nation Once Again’. Book your free ticket here - https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-free-state-podcast-live-paul-howard-in-conversation-tickets-1998226075984?aff=oddtdtcreator
425. How the world might end with Annie Jacobsen
44:20||Ep. 425Annie Jacobsen deals in scenarios. As she says on today's Free State, there are other scenarios around biological war. They are worse. Jacobsen talks to Dion about the world's failure to learn from the pandemic, the Wuhan lab theory and what we can do to prepare for an even more devastating lab leak.
424. How James McClean became football’s Kneecap
32:02||Ep. 424James McClean’s return to Derry hasn’t worked out as anticipated.But beyond the headlines, what was at stake when he was on the receiving end of abuse on social media, in the English media and from the football grounds of England?On Free State today, Dion and Joe look at how McClean was reduced to caricature and how the outrage machine shaped it. We also have some Free State news. On Sept 3rd, Free State will be live in Belfast with Paul Howard to talk about his brilliant new book ‘A Nation Once Again’. Book your free ticket here - https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-free-state-podcast-live-paul-howard-in-conversation-tickets-1998226075984?aff=oddtdtcreator
423. The Tragedy of Jason Arday
40:25||Ep. 423On August 14, Jason Arday was found unresponsive at his home in Battersea in London.In a statement, his family said they were "in shock to have lost this amazing father, partner, brother, uncle and son".They added that the “campaign of misinformation was too much for Jason, who was a gentle man and who always wanted to see the best in everyone."On Free State today, we look at the life and death of Jason Arday. A man who made mistakes in his life but was pursued relentlessly by sections of the media until it became too much.Was it just sport for them or was there something more sinister at stake?
422. Mo Salah: The Most Important Footballer in the World?
55:24||Ep. 422"Can you tell us how he died, where and why?" On August 9, 2025, Mo Salah tweeted this above a Uefa post which said "Farewell to Suleiman al-Obeid, the Palestinian Pele". Salah's tweet has been viewed 140 million times. On Free State today, Melissa Reddy talks to Dion about the cultural importance of Mo Salah, how he has been held to a different standard and why his last year at Liverpool wasn't what it seemed.
421. Total Eclipse of the Heart: How the Gambling Industrial Complex stole sport. With Darragh McGee
51:47||Ep. 421Darragh McGee understands sport. As a Donegal man he understands the hold and the importance sport has across this land. So as an academic when he went to investigate the betting industry, he didn’t expect to discover all that he learned about its hold on so many individuals and on society.On Free State today. Darragh McGee talks to Joe and Dion about his book Imitation Games - How Gambling Hijacked Sport. He explains why the digital age caught everybody by surprise, but while the betting industry was quick to grasp what it could do, the legislators were asleep at the wheel and then slow to act.He explains what happens to someone who bets and why we are all sitting ducks.