People Just Do Something

Journalist and author Sarah Jaffe joins us for a live recording at Jikoni East Africa where we chat about commodified connection, manufactured isolation, and how we create true relational care under capitalism’s intimacy-crushing yoke. In this episode, Sarah Jaffe answers our live audience’s questions on everything from how can we make straight men better, how to tell your partner they’re bad at sex, and the art of declining rather than rejection. The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative. 

Activist scholar and lecturer at the University of Essex, Nicholas Buret joins us for a live podcast recording at the Cube. With a focus on justice labour rights and ecological politics, Nicholas tells us why the green transition was doomed from the start and how unions have a contradictory relationship with it. Nicholas tells us how there’s been a shift away from the power of disruptive action, what really goes on at climate camps, and how policy documents are often just a substitute for politics. The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative. 

Special guest Mathilda Mallinson discusses her time on board the historic Global Sumud Flotilla where she was reporting for Middle East Eye. The 42-strong pro-Palestinian flotilla was intercepted by Israeli forces between October 1-3 while attempting to break Israel’s siege on Gaza. We hear about the psychology training Mathilda underwent ahead of departure, how the boat dealt with everything from drone attacks to bed bugs, and how her journey was cut short when the boat was sabotaged in an attack. But most of all, Mathilda shares how a fleet of people from all over the world were united by a shared sense of justice for Gaza.  The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative. 

As co-director of Adfree cities, Veronica Wignall and her team campaign to reclaim public spaces from corporate advertising. During a live podcast recording at the Cube, Veronica tells us how our brains subconsciously register advertising, why billboards are often placed in the poorest parts of the city, and how the companies which can afford to advertise are often the ones that only widen issues like health inequalities. Veronica argues how corporate advertising is entangled in so many parts of life and that it’s time to stop promoting overconsumption. The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative. 

Award‑winning playwright, poet, and artist Ros Martin shares stories from a lifetime of resistance. From her London childhood, to her work as a social worker and how she ended up taking on one of the world’s largest toymakers, LEGO! Since moving to Bristol, Ros tells us how she draws on her Quaker roots to speak out on injustice, from anti-racism work, to responding to the Colston statue toppling and recently launching Raising the Red, a public art project highlighting violence against women and girls. The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative. 

Isaac finds himself at the Green Party conference in Brighton. The main interview is with the co-founder of Greens Organise, Steve Jackson. GO are organising the left within the Greens at a moment when the party is surging in the polls under the left populist leadership of Zack Polanski, whose leadership campaign Steve was part of.The interview discusses the dangers of being a jaded ex-Corbynista and the unsettling quality of organising within a party that actually wants you to be there. Our hosts discuss the good, the bad and the cringe of Green politics and whether they actually stand any chance of becoming a mass force in British politics.The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative. 

As Pride becomes more visible each year, it risks leaving behind the very people who helped build it. Too often, Pride ignores the deep inequalities within its own institutions and sidelines the queer voices of the Global Majority. Mose-Issie, Lisa Inneh, and Teena Lashmore discuss the intersection of being a member of the Global Majority and queer, being capable of speaking truth to power, and challenging the status quo, and they explore the institutional racism still embedded in Pride organisations; the lack of funding and recognition for Global Majority-led queer events; and what true inclusion and solidarity actually look like.

So, this is a bit of a break from the usual, but we figured the lessons we can learn from radicals 200 years ago are every bit as relevant as those from today. Isaac is back out exploring, and this time he's in a Hotwells building that was once ground zero for radical science and politics in England: The Pneumatic Institute. This place was a hotbed in the late 1700s, right around the time of The French Revolution. Joining Isaac is cultural historian Mike Jay, author of Free Radicals, who gets stuck into this history and the psychedelic science it sparked. The conversation revolves around Nitrous Oxide (NOS) - re-criminalised in 2023 but still wildly popular - and the experiments a motley crew of renegades conducted with it. They were essentially getting high, but these weren't just parties; they sparked revolutionary thinking across medicine, chemistry, and the arts, ultimately forging groundbreaking ideas about public health. The cast:Thomas BeddoesHumphrey DavySamuel Taylor ColeridgeJames WattPeople Just Do Something (PJDS) is the podcast for people who want to change the world. It is for those who act, instead of waiting for others. It is for those who understand the impact of local change. If you’ve found this episode, then you’re not far from action.From The Bristol Cable's award-winning newsroom, hosts Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins and Priyanka Raval, along with producer George Colwey, bring you relaxing and possibly enraging conversations with activists, organisers, and change-makers tackling everything from local Bristol struggles to global movements.The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom—fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.Support independent journalism and help us bring more vital conversations to Bristol: become a Bristol Cable member.

[TRIGGER WARNING: Communism]This episode comes from our last live show where we had international super comrade, professor Jodi Dean, blessing us with a discussion focussed on Communism in the modern age. As an outwardly left wing academic residing in the U.S.A, Jodi is often at the sharp end of the discourse, and she eloquently describes the importance of building a solidarity movement in tough times. Jodi is clearly wedded to the old guard of revolutionary thought, and this chat dives into some of the sticky stuff in framing those ideas for a contemporary audience. Questions like; is Comrade a cringe word? [obviously it is but Jodi and Isaac don’t think so.. c’est la vie].People Just Do Something (PJDS) is the podcast for people who want to change the world. It is for those who act, instead of waiting for others. It is for those who understand the impact of local change. If you’ve found this episode, then you’re not far from action.From The Bristol Cable's award-winning newsroom, hosts Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins and Priyanka Raval, along with producer George Colwey, bring you relaxing and possibly enraging conversations with activists, organisers, and change-makers tackling everything from local Bristol struggles to global movements.The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom—fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.Support independent journalism and help us bring more vital conversations to Bristol: become a Bristol Cable member.

Number one Potter fanboy (joking please no more libel) Ethan Shone gives us a whistle stop tour of the sketchy world of The Dark Arts, aka secretive political lobbying. How is Bristol MP Darren Jones connected to a globally influential organisation set up by MI6 operatives? Why has Starmer's Labour party been described by former Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy as "the first private sector government in Labour's history"? Who's pulling the strings and how has corporate capture become the overarching narrative of our political era? Journalist Ethan Shone shines a light into these murky corners in an attempt to establish the parameters of the playing field to support campaigners and activists.The Dark Arts substackHakluytPeople Just Do Something (PJDS) is the podcast for people who want to change the world. It is for those who act, instead of waiting for others. It is for those who understand the impact of local change. If you’ve found this episode, then you’re not far from action.From The Bristol Cable's award-winning newsroom, hosts Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins and Priyanka Raval, along with producer George Colwey, bring you relaxing and possibly enraging conversations with activists, organisers, and change-makers tackling everything from local Bristol struggles to global movements.The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom—fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.Support independent journalism and help us bring more vital conversations to Bristol: become a Bristol Cable member.

Annie McGann aka The People's Lobbyist, graced us with her presence at the last PJDS live event to talk about her favourite topic, night-life. Her campaign group Save Bristol Nightlife has been pivotal in supporting the city's night-time economy, acting as a resource hub as well as a go-between for industry workers, Bristol City Council representatives, property developers and more. She calls it "interfering" but it would more commonly be called lobbying. Annie talks us through what led her to this point, her fascination with David Bowie, The Blitz Club, Soundsystem culture and the importance of doing the paperwork if you really want to effect change...

"Tommy Robinson's worst nightmare" is how Taj Ali described his experience at Uni. He came to town for PJDS live to talk about the past, present, and future of trade unionism and activism in the UK. Drawing from his time as an industrial correspondent and his upcoming book on British South Asian resistance, Taj connects the dots between working-class history, racial identity and common struggle. He manages to stay focussed on the love, care and solidarity that still exists in working class communities, whilst also exposing how the far right exploits and encourages division within them. Most importantly he offers a roadmap for fighting back against divisive narratives, using community organising for the sake of the community.Oh and Isaac talks about his camping trip where he almost climbed into a pyre in a yard outside a church where they speak in tongues??

The queue for the women's toilet was tiny at the Reform UK rally according to Sian Norris, our guest this week. She's a journalist who has used undercover reporting to lift the lid on on the rise of right-wing populism and misogyny, particularly in relation to reproductive rights. She's a Senior Reporter at openDemocracy and has written several books, most recently Bodies Under Siege: How the Far-Right attack on reproductive rights went global. Join us as we look into the moment to moment experience of going undercover, how to do it and what it feels like. Featuring badly thought out acronyms, UFO conspiracies and a number of moral dilemmas, Sian takes an extremely considered approach to understanding the people involved in this movement and what makes them tick.

We sent Isaac to Cribbs Causeway to meet the organisers of a local iteration of the international protest movement dubbed Tesla Takedown. The movement has been calling for Tesla owners to sell up and boycott the company in response to owner Elon Musk's involvement in Donald Trump's extremist government. This week, Tesla announced record losses with sales dropping 71%. Can the Tesla Takedown movement claim this? And does this result mean Communism has officially been defeated? Isaac talks with organisers from American-Bristolian group Americans for Action toget their perspective. Oh and along the way Isaac sees a small horse and meets a magician.. I hope you enjoy it.

Content warning: descriptions of violence and war"The belief in one's rights is more important than anything else. If I am confident about my rights, nothing will make me despair...When you resist an Israeli soldier by peaceful means, their weapons become irrelevant." - Iyad BurnatIyad Burnat is a Palestinian activist involved in non-violent resistance against the Israeli occupation in the West Bank. He is the head of the Bil'in Popular Committee against the Wall, which has led weekly demonstrations since 2005 against the Israeli West Bank barrier. He is also head of Friends of Freedom and Justice in Bil’in, a pro-Palestinian organisation with the stated aims of building a "wide network of people from all over the globe who support Freedom and Justice for all". In this interview, he shares his personal experiences, including the confiscation of his village's land, the destruction of olive trees, and the regular demonstrations he and his community have organised. He is joined by Laura, a British organiser campaigning for Palestinian rights.

We're bringing you one more non-PJDS episode from The Bristol Cable's feed this week before resuming our regular schedule. Sit tight. It's The Debrief; where cable journalists take listeners behind the headlines of their latest investigations.Priyanka sits down to talk with Dr. Amelia Cussans from health justice campaign group Medact. The group recently released a report in collaboration with ACORN the union describing the evacuation of Barton House in 2023 as a mass traumatising event. Amelia and Priyanka discuss this report, its implications and some of the moving testimonies from residents contained within it.Barton house one year onMedact's report

As our season break continues, we bring to you an episode of The Debrief from The Bristol Cable's main feed.Adam Quarshie, the latest addition to The Bristol Cable's core reporter team, takes the lead in conversation with Sean Morrison about his latest investigation into the trial of the so called Filton 18; a group of activists who broke into an arms factory in Bristol last year (2024).Sean's article: Filton 18: ‘The more you oppress people, the more they will rise’Petition: Stop the use of counter-terrorism powers against pro-Palestine activistsMore on the topic:Inside Bristol's 'murder factory'The Cable's Palestine coverage

Producer George is having a week off and the team is busy planning the next batch of guests and an exciting development for the series...Mystery button

Crypto is everywhere just now, after reinstalled President Trump’s recent pronouncements on the subject – including launching his own meme coin, which has soared in value. That’s great, because it gives PJDS a rare aura of being bang on the news agenda, as we sit down with Joshua Dávila, author of Blockchain Radicals, How Capitalism Ruined Crypto And How We Can Fix It. Join ‘crypto-naive’ Priyanka and Silk Road pilgrim Isaac as we ask whether these digital tools can be put to positive uses – and whether it’s time to put the Cable on the blockchain.Josh's book, Blockchain RadicalsBread Chain CooperativeHead to www.thebristolcable.org/join to become a member, and subscribe to People Just Do Something wherever you get your podcasts.

Gen Z listeners, do you actually know what a strike is? If not, we’ve got just the episode for you. PJDS this week features Bristol teacher Nik, National Education Union rep and co-host of the Requires Improvement podcast, who joins Isaac with his feet still freezing cold from standing on a picket line in January. So how does one go about organising workers? What is the point of industrial action – and what are the key ingredients to make it successful? Tune for an authentic union bro love-in…Requires Improvement PodcastHead to www.thebristolcable.org/join to become a member, and subscribe to People Just Do Something wherever you get your podcasts.

“I’m definitely not an activist,” says Jake Hanrahan at the start of this week’s episode, pushing back hard on People Just Do Something’s tagline of being about people who might identify as one. Either way, Jake, who founded grassroots conflict media organisation Popular Front, is a fascinating character. What led him in his twenties to decide to be a war reporter? What does he see as rotten in the state of modern journalism? And will he kick off at Priyanka for comparing him to “a gritty version of Louis Theroux”? Listen in to find out…Popular frontThe Women's WarAway daysHead to www.thebristolcable.org/join to become a member, and subscribe to The Bristol Cable wherever you get your podcasts.

Content warning: This episode tackles issues to do with sexual violence.Burned out and disillusioned by their experience of working in mainstream charities for women who have survived sexual violence, Megan and Bryony took some time out before deciding they could do better. So they set up SLEEC (Survivors Leading Essential Education & Change), a radical support organisation that seeks to change the system and dismantle the roots of male violence. How does that all work then? And why the hell can so few men express how it feels to be male? Your hosts, Priyanka Raval and a squirming Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins, dive into some uncomfortable questions.SLEEC's upcoming men's courseApply/donate to The Resilience FundHead to www.thebristolcable.org/join to become a member, and subscribe to The Bristol Cable wherever you get your podcasts.

In 2018, four friends in a Stoke Newington pub, frustrated by post-Brexit chaos, had an idea. Weeks later, they were plastering a giant tweet on a billboard. The stunt went viral, and Led By Donkeys was born. Known for bold, satirical interventions, they’ve taken on hypocrisy with billboards, projections, pranks, and daring campaigns. Join Priyanka and Isaac as co-founder Ben unpacks their journey in Season 2.Head to www.thebristolcable.org/join to become a member, and subscribe to The Bristol Cable wherever you get your podcasts.Oud

What is meant by the term reparations? How do the aims of the reparations movement – which aims to repair the many and vast injustices meted out by slavery and colonialism – differ from more well-known racial justice campaigns such as Black Lives Matter? And what would real progress on reparations actually look like anyway?Head to www.thebristolcable.org/join to become a member, and subscribe to The Bristol Cable wherever you get your podcasts.

Of all the controversial police powers, why does stop-and-search matter? What are your rights? And can communities targeted by stop-and-search do anything to push back? With Habib Kadiri from stop and search campaign group Stop Watch.The Bristol Cable's No to section 60 petition

How did hearing the Specials’ ‘Nelson Mandela’ as a teenager set future Faithless guitarist Dave Randall on a lifelong journey into music and activism? And in an age of streaming services and corporate-sponsored festivals, has music lost its political bite?Head to www.thebristolcable.org/join to become a member, and subscribe to People Just Do Something wherever you get your podcasts.Sound System: The Political Power of Music by Dave RandallHold on by BarbarellaCounterfire

How did Bristol mum Fadumo Farah end up confronting Holiday Inn staff with a ‘horrendous’ mattress after being forced out of her home last year? And why has community union ACORN been so successful at organising among Bristol’s high-rise communities?Head to www.thebristolcable.org/join to become a member, and subscribe to People Just Do Something wherever you get your podcasts.

What does it take to organise a pro-Palestine student encampment and resist being dispersed? And how can we force universities to stop funding firms complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza?Head to www.thebristolcable.org/join to become a member, and subscribe to People Just Do Something wherever you get your podcasts.

We launch the series with the fabulous Grace Blakeley, live at the Cable’s 10th birthday party. A lethal combination of jargon, banter, big ideas and small ones.Buy her new book ‘Vulture capitalism’ here: www.graceblakeley.co.ukSubscribe to People Just Do Something on your podcast app, jump on our mailing list or visit thebristolcable.org/catagories/podcasts.