People Just Do Something

We're taking a break for the rest of the summer and will be back in September! The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative .

We’re back for a second episode with Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins as he joins Bristol’s Hunt Saboteurs for the day. Isaac manages to talk to some voices on the other side of the Beaufort Hunt, including the “stalkers” and the terrier men. We also hear why the Hunt Sabs keep showing up week after week, despite the doxing and intimidation they face. The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative .

Every week during hunting season, hundreds of riders take part in the Beaufort Hunt, one of the largest hunts in the country. In the first episode of this two-part special, Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins joins Bristol’s Hunt Saboteurs for the day. We hear about the group’s direct action and disruption tactics, how technology has transformed their approach, and ask whether despite the ban, fox hunting is still happening. The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative .

The Cable’s trailblazing activismcast continues its rabble-rousing run with Kojo Karam and Transform’s Dr Mary Ryder. In this episode, we trace the changing global terrain of drug regulation via corporate profit, environmental harm, and racial injustice. Having already launched his own attack on the war on drugs with The Next Fix , Koram brings clear analysis and academic rigour to this live recording with Cable journalists Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins and Priyanka Rival providing cutting-edge local insight. The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative .

We’re living in an age of media capture. Rupert Murdoch built newsrooms that ran on scandal, entrapment, and phone hacking, filling tabloids with “tits and gossip”. In return for flattering coverage, successive governments helped clear the runway for his ever-expanding media monopoly. Billionaires and hedge funds buying up national and local titles, gutting newsrooms, and turning journalism into a vehicle for shareholder returns. And now, a deranged band of tech bro-oligarchs shape how information spreads online. We’ve seen Elon Musk amplify hateful speech to mass audiences with a single click – fueling real-world violence on our streets. Something needs to change. That’s why we’ve launched our membership campaign: News You Own, Can’t Be Bought - a call to reclaim journalism as a public good, and build a people-powered newsroom in our city. This live recording brings together people fighting to change the system – through policy, campaigning, and alternative newsroom models. Join Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins in conversation with Aman Sethi, editor-in-chief of openDemocracy, Banseka Kayemba, Director of Naked Politics, and Liz Pendleton, co-founder of the Media Revolution, as we ask: what would it take to take the media back? The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative .

This week we explore the nuts and bolts of international solidarity. Cuba Solidarity Campaign director Rob Miller delivers a crash course on the country’s revolutionary legacy, blockade politics, and what meaningful global resistance actually looks like. The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative .

In this episode, Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins speaks to a former NHS data analyst about Palantir’s growing role in the NHS. We learn why Health Workers For A Free Palestine are campaigning against the software company, its links to military surveillance, and concerns about private-sector control of NHS data and what it could mean for patients. The episode also explores the influence of Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel, the billionaire tech investor whose political views and close ties to defence and intelligence agencies have made him one of Silicon Valley’s most controversial figures. Health Workers 4 Palestine: https://linktr.ee/hw4fp.uk Med Act toolkit: www.medact.org/2024/resources/toolkits/no-palantir-in-the-nhs-campaign-toolkit/ The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative .

Para equestrian Tegan Vincent-Cooke first began riding at the age of four as part of her physiotherapy for quadriplegic cerebral palsy. In this episode, Tegan tells Priyanka Raval how she quickly fell in love with riding, her journey to finding a horse of her own, and how alongside her mum she’s broken barriers in equestrian sport. Having previously represented Team GB, Tegan now rides for Jamaica, becoming the country’s first para dressage-rider on the international stage. Help Tegan reach the World Equestrian Games: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-me-reach-the-world-equestrian-games?attribution_id=sl:bb2c6b04-0918-4e7d-9f68-533f09c4e994&lang=en_GB&ts=1779485159&utm_campaign=man_ss_icons&utm_content=amp20_t1&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative .

This week we’re throwing the doors of City Hall wide open with Carnival executive director LaToyah McAllister-Jones. In this episode, LaToyah discusses the Citizens of Culture community-first arts initiative, and answers the questions your MP has been dodging. We hear how communities can build campaigns together that have real influence, and the cultured life that exists beyond what institutions can offer. The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative .

Bristol-based activist Ben Trowell has just returned home after being detained by the Israel Defence Forces in international waters near Crete. In this episode, Ben speaks to Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins about the training he underwent before joining the Global Sumud Flotilla, daily life on board, and what happened when the IDF boarded the boat 600 nautical miles from Gaza. From dealing with land sickness to going on hunger strike while detained, Ben shares his firsthand account of the flotilla’s attempt to break the maritime blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. Sign the Bristol Apartheid Free Zone pledge: https://www.bafz.org/the-pledge/ The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative .

The team from Life of the Party join us for a live recording in conjunction with our friends at Bristol Transformed. In this episode, Jonas and Joe tell us what really went wrong with Your Party, reflect on the historical moment of Momentum, and explain why the Green Party might be a limited project. We also discuss the differences between Zack Polanski and Jeremy Corbyn, and how no party can keep everyone happy. Plus, Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins and Priyanka Raval reflect on how the team fared in their election predictions. The Bristol Cable is one of the UK’s only independent, investigative local papers. Become a co-owner of the cooperative .

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 Beddoes Humphrey Davy Samuel Taylor Coleridge James Watt 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.

[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.