The Party Line

Ignore the haters – journalist Aaron Maté is a vital voice for peace and for Palestine, in the face of imperial projects to destroy them both.He joined Eoghan McNeill of The Ditch and Harry Browne in the People's Hall to talk about many things, including the USA, Ukraine, and his own relationship with an Irish whistleblower on a Syria story.The Party Line is a podcast from The Ditch, https://www.ontheditch.com.You can also watch here https://www.youtube.com/@wereontheditchPre-order Aaron Maté's 'Their Blood, Our Bullets' https://orbooks.com/catalog/their-blood-our-bullets/Mick Wallace & Clare Daly report on the OPCW https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Nh2bbo1wU--hShjknEZH_--KOq2ncZUg/view?usp=sharing Music by Fionn DempseyRecording by Emmet WhiteEven more thanks than usual to Art O'Connor of the WhistleblowerEmail theditchpartyline at gmail

Whether they play or not, the Irish men's soccer team fixtures with Israel have further expanded the space for fighting genocide and apartheid with boycotts.Campaigner, basketball player and researcher Rebecca O'Keeffe tallies up the score for the movement, and makes a final plea for the players to act when the institutions have failed.The Party Line is a podcast from The Ditch, hosted by Harry Browne, with Eoghan McNeill of The Ditch.You can also watch here: https://www.youtube.com/@wereontheditch'League of Ireland partner has received more than $4 million in US Department of War contracts' https://www.ontheditch.com/league-of-ireland-partner/'FAI will remove all sponsor branding for upcoming Nations League matches' https://tinyurl.com/2xd5ncuvMusic by Fionn DempseyEmail theditchpartyline at gmail

The media and political establishment acts like we're already at war – and seeing 'threats' everywhere is part of the fight.In a world where just talking can mark you as a hybrid warrior, Trinity College Dublin academic, writer and activist Rory Rowan joins us to discuss what it all means, and fails to mean.The Party Line is a podcast from The Ditch, hosted by Harry Browne, with Paulie Doyle of The Ditch.You can also watch here: https://www.youtube.com/@wereontheditch'Social Democrats TD Eoin Hayes boasts about co-leading team that cut 200 tech jobs' https://www.ontheditch.com/social-democrats-td-eoin-hayes-boasts/'Reported drone sighting 'not in same league' as activity seen during Zelensky visit - expert' https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2026/0909/1590825-drone-irish-sea/'REPORT on Hybrid warfare and the protection of the EU’s territorial integrity and critical security and defence infrastructure' https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-10-2026-0212_EN.htmlMusic by Fionn DempseyRecording by Emmet WhiteEmail theditchpartyline at gmail

Gardaí extracted false confessions and protected their own. Politicians and developers rigged the planning system.And journalist Frank Connolly helped expose the corrupt players and the class interests they represented.We discuss why the stories in Connolly's new book, 'Exposed', are deeply relevant to today's Ireland.The Party Line is a podcast from The Ditch, hosted by Harry Browne, with Eoghan McNeill of The Ditch.You can also watch here: https://www.youtube.com/@wereontheditch'Exposed: Scandals that Rocked the Irish State' by Frank Connolly https://www.irishacademicpress.ie/product/exposed/'Comment: A reflection on An Garda Síochána and whiny proceduralism' https://www.ontheditch.com/comment-a-reflection-on-an-garda-siochana/'Garda suspended following anti-corruption probe' https://tinyurl.com/yxpay94pMusic by Fionn DempseyRecording by Emmet WhiteEmail theditchpartyline at gmail

Ireland was a crucible for colonial mass murder. The brilliant playwright and actor Donal O'Kelly has been reflecting on what his award-winning show 'Catalpa' left out of the history it depicts – including genocide, and the value of direct action to resist it.Plus: Kate Shanahan RIP, and The Ditch takes a victory lap three years after it was attacked over its Niall Collins reporting.The Party Line is a podcast from The Ditch, hosted by Harry Browne, with Eoghan McNeill of The Ditch.You can also watch here: https://www.youtube.com/@wereontheditch'SIPO launches inquiry into Collins land deal' https://www.ontheditch.com/sipo-launches-inquiry-into-collins-land-deal/'Eoin O’Malley: Working in a university, I’ve seen how ideology has overtaken the pursuit of truth' https://tinyurl.com/43fp2xvr'International academics call off Irish event in protest at Palestinian visa refusals' https://www.ontheditch.com/international-academics-call-off-irish-event/'It is wrong to boycott Israeli universities' https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/2023/11/07/it-is-wrong-to-boycott-israeli-universities/'The Catalpalyst: The Reading List' https://www.afri.ie/category/the-catalpalyst-the-reading-list/Music by Fionn DempseyRecording by Emmet WhiteEmail theditchpartyline at gmail

Crime journalism is a massive and growing phenomenon in Irish media – much bigger, if you look at international comparisons, than Irish crime.Maynooth author and researcher Cian Ó Concubhair has been talking to reporters about whether and how they view such reporting as having a role in democracy.The Party Line is a podcast from The Ditch, hosted by Harry Browne, with Paulie Doyle of The Ditch.You can also watch here: https://www.youtube.com/@wereontheditch'Enterprise Ireland: cocktail networking for the arms industry in the French embassy' https://www.ontheditch.com/enterprise-ireland-cocktail-networking-with-the-arms-industry-in-the-french-embassy/'Paul Williams: New generation of wannabe Generals or Monks are out-of-control thugs who simply don’t value life' https://tinyurl.com/yuecftz4Lisa-Marie Berry, 'Naming and faming not naming and shaming' https://villagemagazine.ie/naming-and-faming-not-naming-and-shaming/Cian Ó Concubhair and Glory Anumudu, 'The Role of Crime and Security Journalism in Irish Democracy' https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/sites/default/files/assets/document/The%20Role%20of%20Crime%20and%20Security%20Journalism%20in%20Irish%20Democracy.pdfMusic by Fionn DempseyRecording by Emmet WhiteEmail theditchpartyline at gmail

How relevant is the search for 'good Israelis' to the struggle for Palestinian liberation?As the world's attention turns to Israel's internal politics in advance of October elections, Gaza journalist Eman Mohammed brings powerful insights into what we can expect and what it ultimately means – and we also dig into the letter and spirit of the Boycott Divestment Sanctions movement.The Party Line is a podcast from The Ditch, hosted by Niamh Ní Bhriain and Harry Browne, with Paulie Doyle of The Ditch.You can also watch here: https://youtu.be/Y4VcW4WGArE'Weapons manufacturer linked to Gaza genocide lobbied Department of Finance on "unintended impact" of economic sanctions' https://www.ontheditch.com/weapons-manufacturer-linked-to-gaza-genocide/'How Biden Enabled Israel’s Aggression Toward Gaza—and Iran' https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/07/27/how-biden-emboldened-israels-aggression-toward-gaza-and-iranEman Mohammed on Substack: https://substack.com/@emanitThe Stokely Carmichael quote that Eman refers to: "Dr King's policy was that nonviolence would achieve the gains for black people in the United States. His major assumption was that if you are nonviolent, if you suffer, your opponent will see your suffering and will be moved to change his heart. That's very good. He only made one fallacious assumption: In order for nonviolence to work, your opponent must have a conscience. The United States has none."Music by Fionn DempseyRecording by Emmet WhiteEmail theditchpartyline at gmail

FIFA and its boss Gianni Infantino are irredeemably corrupt – but is UEFA in any position to preach?Writer and researcher Andy Storey breaks down the football power play on The Party Line, a podcast from The Ditch – hosted by Harry Browne and Paulie Doyle of The Ditch.You can also watch here: https://youtu.be/uYiuF6V69gQ'Official Ireland wants a diaspora of visitors and investors' https://www.ontheditch.com/comment-official-ireland-wants-a-diaspora-of-visitors-and-investors/'Soccer has given Europe a rare geopolitical victory' https://www.afr.com/world/europe/soccer-has-given-europe-a-rare-geopolitical-victory-20260804-p60lcl'Gianni Infantino’s demise isn’t enough – Fifa must fundamentally change' https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/gianni-infantino-fifa-exit-resign-sacked-replacement-b3025815.htmlMusic by Fionn DempseyRecording by Emmet Whiteemail theditchpartyline at gmail

Are borders sites of 'sovereignty' – or is it more relevant to understand them as, inevitably, sites of terrible, seemingly arbitrary violence and harm?From Ceuta to Donegal, we talk about the borders that divide us.Postdoc researcher Niamh Keady-Tabbal of Maynooth University joins The Party Line, hosted by Niamh Ní Bhriain and Harry Browne, with Paulie Doyle of The Ditch.You can also watch here: https://youtube.com/@wereontheditch?si=xFeNbqep9F3SqwXm'TG4: RTÉ is a monopoly and government is breaching EU media freedom law https://www.ontheditch.com/tg4-rte-is-a-monopoly-and-government-is-breaching-eu-media-freedom-law/'Chaos of border crossing gives way to limbo for Moroccans on Ceuta’s streets' https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/02/ceuta-border-crossing-spain-moroccoMusic by Fionn DemspeyRecording by Emmet WhiteEmail theditchpartyline at gmail