Budget 2025, reminiscent of the bonanza Celtic Tiger years, was leaked almost entirely before Ministers Jack Chambers and Paschal Donohoe took to the floor of the Dáil yesterday to deliver it. Political editor, Pat Leahy, believes that's down to the reality of coalition parties needing to publicise their particular wins ahead of an impending election. The 2.2 billion euro spending package is widely viewed as an attempt to curry favour with voters instead of addressing more long-term systemic...

Host Hugh Linehan is joined by Harry McGee and Jack Horgan-Jones to look back on the week in politics: ·      The budget was somewhat overshadowed this week by stories with far less cost involved, but no shortage of outrage – not least the final cost of Government Buildings security hut hitting €1.4 million and the row over the announcement of new sports capital grant funding for local clubs.   ·      Sinn Féin’s alternative budget has many worthy pledges but is ultimately futile without the...

It's not that long ago that a Sinn Féin-led government after the next election was seen as something of a sure bet. Now, with polls showing the party losing almost half its support in the past year, the party's future seems much more uncertain. So what happened to Sinn Féin's support, can it regain ground and where should it target its resources in the forthcoming campaign? Political scientists Theresa Reidy and Aidan Regan join Hugh to discuss. Aidan Regan is an associate professor of...

Host Hugh Linehan is joined by Jennifer Bray and Cormac McQuinn to look back on the week in politics: ·      Political parties are eagerly pitching eye-catching measures ahead of Budget 2025 with 50 per cent of respondents in the latest Irish Times / Ipsos poll saying they want the Government to prioritise ‘immediate help’ with the cost of living.   ·      Has Simon Harris reached peak popularity? The Taoiseach’s surging personal approval ratings mirrors that of his predecessor Leo Varadkar...

Support for Fine Gael has increased, according to the latest Irish Times/Ipsos B&A opinion poll, with approval ratings for Taoiseach Simon Harris surging since the last poll in early summer. Support for Sinn Fein has fallen since the last poll, while the personal rating for party leader Mary Lou McDonald also declining sharply. Pat and Hugh analyse all the findings of the poll. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jack Power and Derek Scally join Hugh Linehan to discuss developments in European politics: Michael McGrath was handed the EU Commission's justice portfolio when commission president Ursula von der Leyen assigned roles this week. How did Ireland end up with this particular job? Von der Leyen's consolidation of power at the centre of the commission may be good for reaching consensus. But as Europe faces an uncertain future in a range of areas from the economy to technology and security, does...

This week’s host Pat Leahy is joined by Harry McGee and Jack Horgan-Jones to look back on the week in politics: ·      The fallout from Apple’s tax case continues with what to with decision on what to do with the €13bn plus interest expected within three weeks. The windfall won’t be available to the State until next March, but some sources in Government are saying there is already a consensus among Coalition parties that pressing infrastructure requirements and housing are at the top of the...

Jack Horgan-Jones and Cormac McQuinn join Pat Leahy to talk about three big political stories of the day.  First they analyse last night's debate between US presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. It was a battle Harris is widely considered to have won, but will it make an impact?  Next the final judgement on the €13 billion plus interest of Apple tax that Ireland can, indeed must now collect. What will the Government do with this bounty?  Finally, today is day one of the Fine...

This week’s host, Pat Leahy, is joined on the line by Irish Times Europe Correspondent Jack Power to discuss Taoiseach Simon Harris’s visit to Ukraine earlier this week. Taoiseach Simon Harris met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday to pledge €36 million in funding to humanitarian organisations operating in Ukraine, funding of a non-lethal character and therefore would not contravene Ireland’s neutrality. Simon Harris also signed an agreement of understanding with...

This week’s host, Pat Leahy, is joined by Jack Horgan-Jones and Harry McGee to discuss the big political stories of the week. Following Tuesday’s publication of the scoping report into sexual abuse at religious-run schools, the panel discusses the next steps for the Government on the issue. When will a Commission of Investigation be established, how long will it take, and with no commitment given to setting up a redress scheme for survivors, how much will it cost the State? This week also saw...

What was it about Ireland in the 1970s and 1980s that a man like Charles Haughey could become its leader? Did he improve the country, despite the corruption? And how did Garrett FitzGerald make such a mess of the abortion question? Following our recent podcast series on the era-defining rivalry between Charlie Haughey and Garrett FitzGerald, Hugh Linehan and Pat Leahy return to the subject one last time, taking on listener questions they received via email and social media. They also...

Host Hugh Linehan is joined by Pat Leahy and Jennifer Bray to take stock as the political system cranks back into gear. With frequent political signals being sent about what should be in the upcoming budget, tensions within the coalition are growing. And it wouldn't be the Inside Politics podcast without some speculation on the timing of the next general election. Whenever it comes, this election will see many new faces fighting for seats. The panel talks about some of them. Hosted on...

In an interview with the Irish Times Taoiseach Simon Harris offered some major clues as to what he would offer voters ahead of the general election. Pat and Hugh listen back to snippets from the interview and analyse the Taoiseach's comments on tax, spending, infrastructure, his leadership and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Covering pivotal events from the two elections in 1982 to the fall of a scandal-ridden government, part three of Pat Leahy and Hugh Linehan's exploration of the political rivalry between Charles Haughey and Garret Fitzgerald explores the stark differences and surprising similarities between these men, the two foremost political leaders of their era. This episode also looks at how their legacy shaped modern Ireland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pat Leahy continues the story of the rivalry between Fine Gael's Garret FitzGerald and Fianna Fáil's Charles Haughey, the defining politicians of their era. This episode traces their dominance within their parties and the electoral battles they fought as they drove Ireland's politics from the late 1970s into the early 1980s. The story weaves together the efforts to fix Ireland's waning economy, Haughey's controversial leadership style and methods, Fitzgerald's reformist agenda, and the...

Throughout the 1980s, two men dominated the Irish political landscape. Charles Haughey and Garret FitzGerald embodied and articulated very different visions of Ireland and its future. Born a year apart, one a Northsider, one a Southsider, both sons of Civil War veterans, divided by social class, personality and beliefs, they came to epitomise their two respective parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. In the first instalment of a special three-part Inside Politics podcast series, Pat Leahy and...

Jack Horgan-Jones and Jennifer Bray join Hugh to tie up political loose ends as the summer finally arrives. With a General Election around the corner, Sinn Féin and Fine Gael have tricky tasks. Mary Lou McDonald must reset the party's message after disappointing results in June, while Fine Gael must select candidates to replace the 15 TDs who will not stand again. The panel also looks at the prospects of the proposed defamation reform bill progressing in the lifetime of this Government,...

Can Kamala Harris win against Donald Trump? Former Irish Times Washington correspondent Suzanne Lynch covered Harris's unsuccessful 2020 primary and the early part of her vice-presidency. She joins Hugh Linehan and Irish Times columnist Fintan O'Toole to look at who Harris is and how her White House experience has changed her, and at the shape of the race for the presidency after an extraordinary period in US politics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Republican National Convention is taking place this week in Milwaukee, just days after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. Irish Times Washington Correspondent Keith Duggan is attending the four-day event and talks to Hugh Linehan about the “celebratory spirit” among Republicans who believe “the election is over in many ways”. The pair also discuss the appointment of Trump’s new running mate J.D Vance, who was once one of the former president’s fiercest critics.  Later on, Hugh is...

Hugh Linehan is joined by Harry McGee and Cormac McQuinn to look back on the week in politics. They discuss the end of the Dáil term, the timing of the next general election (of course) and the Government's outstanding legislative agenda. In part two we hear some of Harry's conversation with newly-elected leader of the Green party Roderic O'Gorman. He talks about his attitude to electoral pact with parties like Labour and the Social Democrats, the use of focus groups to hone his party's...

After depicting the musical culture of Dublin's northside in his acclaimed documentary North Circular, director Luke McManus is now looking at the area's politics. His new documentary The Locals follows a range of candidates in the run-up to the June 2024 local elections, painting a picture of a diverse area and an equally diverse group of politicians. Luke talks to Hugh Linehan about making the documentary, the people it portrays and the issues they care about. The Locals is on RTÉ One on...

Labour has won the 2024 UK general election with a massive landslide. Beyond that, huge shifts have taken place across the political map of Britain and Northern Ireland. To take a look at what has happened and what comes next, Hugh talks to London correspondent Mark Paul, Northern editor Freya McClements and Denis Staunton. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Political commentator with The Guardian Rafael Behr returns to the podcast to talk about the UK general election. By Friday we will know if the widely-expected Tory implosion and Labour majority have materialised. But what comes next? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Washington correspondent Keith Duggan joins this week's wrap to discuss what could turn out to be one of the year's most consequential political developments: US president Joe Biden's disastrous performance at Thursday's debate with former president and Republican candidate Donald Trump. In a debate format that accentuated Biden's weaknesses, he handed the momentum to his rival and prompted intense debate about whether he should remain the Democratic candidate. After that Jennifer Bray looks...

Hugh Linehan is joined by Irish Times columnist Gerard Howlin and political editor Pat Leahy to discuss the appointment of Jack Chambers as Minister of Finance and other political news. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.