Irish Times Inside Politics

In the run up to the US midterm elections, polls and political spectators forecast a landslide for the Republicans, but as the results continue to pour in, a different picture is beginning to emerge. The red wave that was expected on the back of the cost of living crisis, failed to materialise, with the Democrats performing far better than anticipated. To go through the winners and losers so far and to discuss what the results will mean for the Biden administration, Hugh is joined by Washington Correspondent Martin Wall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New legislation will give extra protection to members of groups affected by crimes motivated by hatred. But critics say the law will be an unacceptable infringement on freedom of speech. To dig into a thorny subject Hugh talks to speech rights expert Eoin O'Dell, a Fellow and Associate Professor at Trinity College Dublin's School of Law. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The latest Irish Times/Ipsos opinion poll shows that despite a strong desire to support Ukraine, 61 per cent of voters are concerned that “too many refugees” are coming here. And more than half of voters also disagree that Ireland should continue to accept refugees from Ukraine “no matter how many arrive”. To discuss this and more of the findings from the poll, including an unexpected rebound in support for the government and a slightly more optimistic outlook for the country in terms of the cost of living crisis, Hugh is joined by Political Editor Pat Leahy.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Time to look at the big picture; what does it mean for me?”Pat Leahy and Harry McGee join Hugh Linehan on this week’s Inside Politics to discuss Rishi Sunak’s elevation to PM, his appointments to cabinet and what the changes might mean for relations with Ireland.This week saw another heated row between Sinn Fein’s Mary Lou McDonald and the Taoiseach in the Dáil; this time over the Ukrainian accommodation crisis.Plus, after McDonald’s husband, Martin Lanigan, threatened legal proceedings against Shane Ross over his new book, we ask how far should the scrutiny of politicians’ assets extend? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The debacle of Liz Truss's short premiership has cast the entire UK political system into crisis. Not least the system used by the Tory party leadership to select its leader, which is now being accelerated to wrap up within a week. Pat Leahy and Jennifer Bray join Hugh to talk about an extraordinary week and what comes next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many Irish Times readers were talking this week about Fintan O'Toole's column on the subject of the IRA and the appropriateness of chanting "Up the 'Ra'.Hugh talks to Fintan about his column, the debate around the chant and how the history of the Troubles is understood today.Plus, a look at what's happening in Westminster following an extremely turbulent week for prime minister Liz Truss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"A grim agenda" of recession, UK bond crisis and global energy crisis awaits later in today's podcast, so first the team enjoy a relatively light topic: The mini-controversy over Shane Ross's axing from RTÉ radio. The former minister had been due on air to discuss his new biography of Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald. Censorship, or run-of-the-mill editorial decision?Plus: Is a u-turn on the controversial concrete block levy imminent? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The European Political Community, a new forum for European leaders including wannabe EU members and Brexit Britain, met for the first time yesterday at a summit in Prague. The brainchild of French president Emmanuel Macron, the EPC seems to be going well so far, says political editor Pat Leahy - but what is it actually doing? Plus, how far is the UK really willing to go to secure agreement with the EU on the Northern Ireland protocol? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gerard Howlin, Pat Leahy and Jennifer Bray join Hugh to talk about this week's politics:Who is satisfied or dissatisfied with last week's budget Irish politics and the generational divideThe complications that will come with the imminent swapping of jobs between coalition partnersSteve Baker's unexpected apology Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Follow-up analysis of Budget 2023 including childcare measures and the concrete levy, plus a look at the difficult political choices facing UK prime minister Liz Truss after a week of turmoil on the markets. Pat Leahy talks to Jack Horgan-Jones and Cormac McQuinn. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Now that the dust is beginning to settle on Budget 2023, it’s time to pick it all apart. With €11 billion to dish out, it was by all means “a budget day bonanza”, but will it go far enough? Will it work economically or politically and is there more to come? To discuss this and more, this week’s host Pat Leahy is joined by director of TASC Shana Cohen, economics columnist Cliff Taylor and political reporter Jack Horgan-Jones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For a quick catchup on the political news of the week, Harry McGee and Pat Leahy join Hugh Linehan. Topics include: Sinn Féin holds a pre-budget press conferenceCensus in Northern Ireland shows Catholics outnumber Protestants for the first timeGovernment announced its plan for pensions Our panel's favourite reads from the week Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Europe correspondent Naomi O'Leary talks to Hugh about forthcoming elections in Italy that look likely to return a government led by the far-right. What will that mean for the rest of Europe? They also discuss the recent victory of the far-right Sweden Democrats and the EU's ongoing dispute with Hungarian PM Viktor Orban. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a new book Kevin Rafter explores how art and artists have been treated by our taoisigh, from W.T. Cosgrave to Micheál Martin, and how those men have been portrayed by artists in turn. The book is a history of the relationships between well-known artists and the taoisigh of their day, such as that between Brendan Behan and Sean Lemass.Kevin Rafter is a professor of political communications at DCU and currently serves as chair of the Arts Council. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Party think-ins have been happening, a cost of living crisis is raging and the Dáil is back today - so there is lots to discuss. Harry McGee and Pat Leahy join Hugh to talk about Sinn Féin's positioning, the cost of living package being prepared by the government, failing to meet climate commitments and the opportunity for Liz Truss to take control presented by the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

London editor Denis Staunton and political editor Pat Leahy join Hugh to discuss the dawning UK premiership of Liz Truss. How will she govern, and what approach is will she take on the Northern Ireland protocol? Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor Brendan O'Leary returns to the show to talk about his new book Making Sense of a United Ireland, in which he explores the issues around a possible future reunification in an accessible way. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

This winter, thousands of Irish households will be pushed into energy poverty, as the price of oil and gas continues to skyrocket. So, what options do politicians have to protect consumers and what trade-offs will have to be made along the way?On today’s Inside Politics Podcast, Cormac McQuinn and Jack Horgan-Jones join Hugh Linehan to discuss how the government will mitigate the energy crisis over the coming months. They also tackle the other political stories making waves this week including the public sector pay talks, a new report by the State’s commission on tax and welfare which recommends an increase on wealth, property and inheritance taxes, plus Dara Calleary’s new gig. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Wednesday Fianna Fáil TD Robert Troy stepped down from his role as Minister of State after weeks of controversy over his failure to properly declare business interests, including rental properties and company directorships. To discuss the affair and what's been learned from it, Hugh is joined by Fintan O'Toole, Jennifer Bray and Pat Leahy.  Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Religious belief has declined in Europe, but the strength of people's political views is stronger than ever - or at least, it often seems so online.Has political identity replaced religion in people's lives? British journalist and Atlantic magazine staff writer Helen Lewis explores this question in The Church of Social Justice, a new radio documentary for the BBC.She talks to Hugh about where political identity and religion overlap, the value and limitations of each, and the influence of American culture wars on discourse this side of the Atlantic.You can listen to The Church of Social Justice by Helen Lewis here. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.