You made it to episode two, you absolute diamond. So, what's been in our ears, in front of our eyes and grinding our gears recently:

WHAT’S BEEN GRINDING OUR GEARS…?

• The NHS pay cut (essential read: Denis Campbell, “NHS England boss says staff deserve 2.1% pay rise rather than 1%” The Guardian 9/3/21 https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/mar/09/nhs-england-staff-deserve-pay-rise-simon-stevens)
• The attack on the right to protest (essential read: Ian Dunt, “Anti-protest bill: Freedom dies in silence” Politics.co.uk 16/3/21 https://www.politics.co.uk/comment/2021/03/16/anti-protest-bill-freedom-dies-in-silence/)
• Violence Against Women (essential read: Marina Hyde, “Women killed: 118. Statues ‘killed’: 1. So guess which is the national priority?”, The Guardian 16/3/21 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/16/women-statues-government-tougher-sentences)

WHAT’S BEEN IN OUR EARS…?

• The Guardian Long Read: “‘A reckoning for our species’: the philosopher prophet of the Anthopocene” podcast https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2021/feb/24/from-the-archive-a-reckoning-for-our-species-the-philosopher-prophet-of-the-anthropocene-podcast Timothy Morton “Humankind: Solidary with Non-human people” (Verso, 2017) https://www.versobooks.com/books/2809-humankind
• Jungle - For Ever (Xl Records, 20018) https://xlrecordings.com/buy/jungle-forever

WHAT’S BEEN IN FRONT OF OUR EYES…?

• Rose Matefeo “Horndog” on BBC iPlayer https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p096kdf5/rose-matafeo-horndog; The Adam Buxton Podcast https://www.adam-buxton.co.uk/podcasts/7-bfk9m-4l8kp-blcga-jwabs-blbb8-b9mjx-fj3gr-j4lyp-9jlhe-a4bhm-c67yy-szhgm-m8pcd-l376z-zjb32-wh9dr-za87b-c8l3j-byyhb-segba-hlsc6-5m648-aef2d-2n3wg-tpcha-fsb4a-stlxm-7hb5z-ekrdd-6hdmt
• Sunderland fans raising money though virtual Wembley tickets https://rokerreport.sbnation.com/2021/2/26/22300948/sunderlands-virtual-wembley-ticket-charity-fundraiser-passes-the-28000-mark

WHAT’S THIS EPISODE’S ENTRY INTO THE MACKEM TREASURE TROVE…?

• The Concrete Boat in the River Wear https://www.durhamatwar.org.uk/story/12714/ & https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/history/17551513.north-easts-short-dabble-concrete-boats-amazingly-floated/

Thanks for listening, please rate us on your podcatcher of choice, share on your social media, and we’re sure we'll get onto ranting about the monarchy another time.