Irish Times Inside Politics

Tomorrow Northern Ireland goes to the polls, in what’s been dubbed the most important vote in a generation. For the first time in more than a century, there is the prospect of a nationalist being elected to the top job in government. What could that mean for power sharing? In the rest of the United Kingdom, local elections are taking place. Will disgruntled Tory backbenchers use the results as an excuse to get rid of Boris Johnson? Hugh talks to our London Editor Denis Staunton and Mick Fealty, editor of the Slugger O’Toole political news and opinion website. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Pat and Jen join Hugh to talk about all the political stories of the past week including tension within the coalition over a proposed ban on the sale of turf, the prospect of an increased number of TDs due to a growing population and what that will mean for politics, and an argument in the Seanad over remarks by one Senator during a debate on surrogacy legislation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Next weekend, French voters decide whether Emmanuel Macron should remain president or Marine Le Pen should replace him. The latter result would transform France and Europe. Next month, Northern Irish voters elect their MLAs in a vote that could see a Sinn Féin First Minister appointed for the first time. Freya McClements and Lara Marlowe report on these two consequential campaigns. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There is overwhelming support for a retention of Ireland’s current model of military neutrality, according to the latest Irish Times/Ipsos poll. Two- thirds of voters do not want to see any change in neutrality, with less than a quarter (24 per cent) saying they wanted to see a change. Pat Leahy explains the poll results in detail. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Part one: The political controversy over the appointment of Dr Tony Holohan to a position in Trinity College has raised some awkward questions for Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and his departmental Secretary General extraordinaire Robert Watt. Part two: The Dáil is in recess this week - time to run the rule over the performance of the various political parties and the challenges that lie before them in the rest of 2022. Guests: Harry McGee and Cormac McQuinn See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Neoliberalism means different things to different people. As a set of economic policies it is mainly associated with reducing state intervention in commerce and society. In the course of its late 20th century heyday, neoliberalism transformed the world - for better or worse. But now its dominance is challenged by different models, such as the authoritarian capitalism of China. In his new book The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order, Gary Gerstle looks at how neoliberalism took hold, how it shaped society in the United States and beyond, and what its decline means. Gary Gerstle is Paul Mellon Professor of American History Emeritus and Paul Mellon Director of Research at the University of Cambridge. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hugh is joined by Jennifer Bray, Cormac McQuinn and Harry McGee to discuss the big political stories of the week, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s historic address to a joint sitting of the Oireachtas earlier this morning, the debate surrounding the impending carbon tax increase and the result of the recent Seanad by-election. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ivana Bacik’s uncontested election as Labour Party leader came after the swift removal of Alan Kelly from the role and her own relatively recent appointment as a TD in the Dublin Bay South by-election. She talks to Hugh and Pat about her recent elevation, her vision for the future of the Labour Party and the challenges it faces in re-establishing itself as a medium-sized force in national politics. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hugh catches up with Pat Leahy, fresh from his trip to Washington for Micheál Martin’s ill-fated St Patrick’s Day visit. They’re also joined by Jennifer Bray to discuss the future of the coalition and the big political challenges it faces, including the resurgence of Covid, the war in Ukraine and inflation.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As Russia’s brutal assault on Ukraine enters its fourth week, with little sign of an outcome, the question of what an endgame of this war might look like is increasingly the subject of international debate. Former editor of the Financial Times, Lionel Barber, is one of the few Western journalists to have conducted an in-depth interview with Vladimir Putin. He talks to Hugh about Putin’s motivations, how this war could end and what the geopolitical consequences of it may be.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In her new book Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st Century, Helen Thompson, a professor of political economy at Cambridge University, gets to grips with the overlapping geopolitical, economic, and political crises faced by Western democratic societies in the 2020s. She talks to Hugh about some of these moments and the disorder that emerged from them. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sinn Féin finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty joins Hugh and Pat to discuss what his party's priorities and policies would be, if they were to lead the next government. They also discuss Ireland’s neutrality and security into the future, in light of the war in Ukraine, and whether cuts to excise duties on fuel, announced by the Government today, go far enough. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has brought about enormous changes in European policy in an incredibly short space of time. To discuss how it happened, what it means and what happens next, Hugh is joined by Europe correspondent Naomi O'Leary and Berlin correspondent Derek Scally. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Businessman-turned-campaigner Bill Browder returns to the podcast to talk to Hugh about Russian president Vladimir Putin's actions and motivations, the impact of sanctions and other measures on him and his inner circle as well as the outlook for Ukraine as it fights back against invasion.Browder has spearheaded a campaign against Putin and other Russian officials whom he blames for the death in 2009 of his lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in a Moscow prison. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Professor Jane Suiter and political correspondent Harry McGee join Hugh to talk about the week's political stories. The National Women's Council of Ireland annoyed some government politicians by failing to invite them to an International Women's Day event. The row raised interesting questions about the role of civic bodies like the NCWI and their relationship with politics. Citizens' Assemblies were designed to help the political system digest divisive societal issues. But are they working as well as they could? Sinn Féin's opposition to carbon taxes sets it apart among the big parties. What's their alternative? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Academic and author Lea Ypi talks to Hugh about her unique and insightful memoir Free, in which she recalls her youth in Albania under communism, the regime's economic and political downfall and the disappointment of what came after.Lea Ypi is professor of political theory at the London School of Economics. Free is published by Penguin. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jennifer Bray and Pat Leahy join Hugh to talk about how a relaxation of the remaining Covid restrictions might play out, the merits of Ireland’s Defence Forces and the new statutory agency for domestic and gender-based violence. They also discuss Helen McEntee’s ministerial performance and how government policy is preventing local authorities from limiting Buy To Rent.www.irishtimes.com/podcasts See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The pandemic is not over but the emergency phase of the State's response to it is. So, how did we do? What lessons can be learned from the state's response and what's the best way to find out what those lessons are? To discuss Hugh is joined by Irish Times columnist Fintan O'Toole and by political reporter Jack Horgan-Jones, who is the co-author with Hugh O'Connell of a new book, Pandemonium, about the pandemic in Ireland and the State's response. Pandemonium will be available in April and you can preorder it now at the link below. https://www.bookstation.ie/product/pandemonium/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Fiona Hill is a former White House official who advised presidents Bush, Obama and Trump on European and Russian affairs, and who is perhaps best known for her testimony in President Trump's impeachment hearings. Now she has written a book, There Is Nothing For You Here, about her life, her path to the White House and the declining politics of the US, Britain and Russia. She talks to Hugh Linehan about the book and the current tensions in Eastern Europe. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Government is still under pressure over the so-called “champagne party” in the Department of Foreign Affairs on the night Ireland was elected to the UN Security Council two years ago, but will the incident have any lasting political impact? One issue that is certain to trouble the coalition in the coming months is inflation, as more of us begin to feel the effects of an increase in the cost of living. So, when Covid begins to fade from the headlines, what else will creep up the political agenda? Hugh talks to Pat Leahy, Jennifer Bray and Harry McGee of The Irish Times political team. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.