9. Refugees: Towards a Politics of Accountability

Aaand we’re back! We didn’t mean to drop one episode about the bin fire of 2021 and then have a hiatus for a few weeks, but Steve and Elana got busy with National Vice Presidential tasks for the party and time flew. In light of the events overtaking the world at the moment, Elana thought it would be timely to share the audio of a special members’ webinar we hosted with Dr Nathan Bell in October 2021. Dr Bell presented his book Refugees: Towards a Political of Accountability. In the book, Dr Bell argues for nothing less than a new concept of the political: that all societies embrace an ethos of responsibility for refugees as a primary duty, where the right to seek asylum becomes foundational for politics itself, rather than a secondary duty. The ongoing plight of mass displacement, which we’re seeing unfolding in Ukraine, will only increase with the effects of climate change, and make such a turn in politics one of the fundamental questions of the twenty-first century. Audio Warning: As Elana explains at the top of the episode, Dr Bell was having difficulties with his internet and couldn’t join us online for the discussion, and had to dial in on his mobile phone, which resulted in poor quality audio for him. We apologise in advance for this, but please persevere as Dr Bell’s message is crucial listening. Show Notes Buy Dr Bell’s book Our articles on asylum seekers Our position on an asylum seeker amnesty Let them out! A sorry tale of death and endless despair Crisis in the refugee assessment program Grant Afghan asylum seekers visas now The futile 20 year war on terror Government fails Afghan people, again Like the podcast and want to support us? Toss a coin to us to help with production and hosting costs