Path to Power

Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Áine Kerr join Matt to address the challenge to Nigel Farage being posed by a comedy candidate in the Clacton by-election. They give suggestions on how to revitalise O'Connell Street and the GPO. They offer a cost-benefit analysis on the MetroLink and wonder why it has taken so long. All three are outraged by the decision of the US Ambassador to Ireland to visit C...

Matt is joined by Danny McConnell and John Lee, who distinguish between Jeffrey Donaldson's illegal acts and his inappropriate ones, but ask how often inappropriate acts by Irish politicians get overlooked by the media. They examine some of the most high-profile events of the 21st century that did get media attention and why others didn't. Micheál Martin's erosion of authority, security issues wit...

Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Áine Kerr join Matt to discuss Jeffrey Donaldson's appalling crimes and what he put his victims through by denying his guilt. They look at his political career and how he was a malign influence for more than forty years. They discuss Nigel Farage and whether his acceptance of a £5 million gift has scuttled his chance of becoming a prime minister. They discuss the...

Lise Hand joins Matt to remember their great friend who was murdered 30 years ago in June 1996. They recall their friendships with Veronica, how they got to know her, and her early years in journalism. They swap stories about what a great character she was, but also how she was a trailblazing journalist. They turn to the circumstances of the horror of her death and assess the reaction of the polit...

Lise Hand and Shane Coleman join Matt to discuss the race riots in Belfast and how racism is also a major issue throughout the island, how fire bombings have not been restricted to Belfast, and how a blind eye is turned to the island's native criminals. The political posturing over the EU Migration Pact and its implementation. The politics of the Ireland-Israel soccer international. Further develo...

Brenda Power and John Deasy join Matt to discuss the controversy about hospital consultants employed by the State doing private work in public hospitals. Two bulls in a Kerry Field: division between the Healy-Raes, what's really going on? The new EU scrappage scheme: more than a PR stunt? The politics of the declining birth rate. Bungalow blitz or bliss? John and Brenda have very different views....

Danny McConnell and John Lee join Matt to discuss the concession that our 2030 climate targets will be missed, and ask if we need to apply the Tony Blair analysis for Britain that net zero is inappropriate. They offer their by-election analysis of the real significance of the outcomes of two by-elections for the national picture. They discuss the changing conversation on immigration and Jim O’Call...

The death of Yves Sakila on a Dublin street - is this the Irish version of George Floyd, but do enough people care? Brendan Ogle joins Matt, and they have a wider conversation on the impact of migration on Ireland, Brendan's personal experiences of listening to racist comment, and they discuss work visas for non-EU citizens. What are the real issues in the latest RTÉ hoo-ha? Reaction to Israel's i...

Matt is joined by Lise Hand and Shane Coleman to discuss the controversy involving former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and his views on immigration, as expressed to a voter who recorded and disclosed them. They offer a detailed assessment of the way in which Bertie Ahern operates and why he is an analogue 20th century politician in a digital world. Discussions on; the appropriate use of our national fla...

John Deasy and Brenda Power join Matt for a spirited exchange about Patrick Kielty’s Late Late Show comments and how they have sparked wider allegations that Ireland is antisemitic. Before that, they discuss why Ireland won’t ever go nuclear and why the country’s abortion laws are likely to remain unchanged. The impact of Gerry Hutch in the Dublin Central by-election and how Sinn Féin address...

Matt is joined by Danny McConnell and John Lee to discuss the changing government generosity towards Ukrainians and how this may have been influenced by the by-election in Galway West and Dublin Central. On the latter, they explore why a Sinn Féin win in Mary Lou's home constituency is not the slam dunk it should be, due to the presence of Gerry Hutch and possible voter confusion about what Sinn F...

Long-time protest activist Brendan Ogle takes issue with the conduct of the diesel protests and the government’s capitulation to unlicensed protesters. He details his own experiences with the Locomotive Drivers' Association, the Right2Water campaign, and the Apollo House protest against homelessness. PTP+ To enjoy early access, ad-free listening and weekly bonus episodes, sign up at pathtopowerpod...

Shane Coleman and Lise Hand join Matt, and they start with the suggested split in the Healy-Rae dynasty. They discuss all the issues related to the rural-urban divide, with particular emphasis on deprivation in urban areas. What would the public reaction be if people living in the inner cities did what the farmers did? Could the protesters bring us towards having an Irish Trump? Is the government,...

As Trump continues his suspension of the assault on Iran, Matt and Marion divert to the case of Kash Patel's sobriety, Pete Hegseth's use of a Pulp Fiction script as scripture, and RFK Jr.'s interest in the penises of raccoons. They discuss the sincerity of Tucker Carlson recanting his support for Trump, and how Marjorie Taylor Greene brings it all back to the Epstein files. Why MAGA is losing fai...

Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and former political correspondent Áine Kerr join Matt to analyse the politics of the past fortnight, dominated by the diesel protests. They look at Jim O’Callaghan’s use of the army, Patrick O’Donovan’s aborted assault on the media, and what the protests tell us about the rural-urban divide. The resignation of Junior Minister Michael Healy-Rae. How the opposition par...

Driving the protesters off the blocked roads: Brenda Power and John Deasy join Matt to discuss how the government has to confront threatened anarchy. Carbon tax increases debated, and is the future Nuclear? Why objections to IPAS Centres won't be bypassed. Why the Department of Education can't get its budget sums right, the problem with voluntary contributions, and paying teachers appropriately. A...

Lise Hand and John Lee join Matt to discuss if the MetroLink project may be derailed by the untimely departure of its boss, Seán Sweeney, and if the government finances become shredded, will MetroLink become a victim again? How the attack on Iran continues to affect the Irish economy and the impact on the government's decision-making. Super saver Simon Harris: What does he want you to do with your...

Danny McConnell and John Lee join Matt and open with a discussion on the proposal to limit the number of TDs. They discuss the 18th delay to the handing over of a National Children's Hospital by BAM. Do we need more Robert Watts running our Civil Service? The politics of excise cuts and fiscal discipline. How can overruns at the Department of Education happen annually? Have they learnt nothing? Th...

Matt is joined by Brendan Ogle and Larry Donnelly to look at Irish reactions to Trump's Iranian assault. They rate and review Micheál Martin's Oval Office visit as much for what it signified as what he said. They discuss whether it is safe for Irish people to go to America, especially for the World Cup. Brendan, a regular visitor to Cuba, explains why we should continue to monitor the situation th...

Lise Hand and Shane Coleman join Matt to assess the perilous nature of Micheál Martin's visit to the Oval Office: what sort of Trump will he find, can he safeguard Irish interests, and is it right to be dealing with the increasingly erratic president at all at a time of war? Was Catherine Connolly out of line to make statements about violations of international law, and in doing so, was she puttin...

Brenda Power and John Deasy join Matt to discuss America's assault on Iran and what Ireland's position on it should be. They assess what Micheál Martin should do in Washington the week after next, and how a prolonged war would prompt a cost-of-living crisis. They debate whether the government should be paying for people to return from the Gulf states. They also discuss the Fáilte Ireland attempt t...

Matt is joined by John Lee and Danny McConnell to discuss Sinn Féin's prospects in the Dublin Central by-election, its position on Ukraine, Mary Lou McDonald's memories of Brendan 'Bik' McFarlane, and how cost-of-living issues may give SF its strongest opportunity to make a mark on the government politically. Also, rent reforms and house building, Ireland's defence readiness for the EU presidency,...

Matt is joined by Áine Kerr and Shane Coleman to discuss the importance of SNAs in our schools and our government's mishandling of potential changes. Why is the government finding it so hard to come up with ways of protecting our children from harmful social media? Outrage at the planning refusal for a new building for the Rotunda Hospital on Parnell Square, is there anything to be said in favour...

Former Fine Gael TD John Deasy and Irish Daily Mail Columnist Brenda Power join Matt to discuss the wider implications for Irish emigrants to the US of the Seamus Culleton case. Why is Ireland soft on the murderous Iranian Regime? Sinn Féin's positions on Iran and Ukraine assessed. The rise of the Social Democrats: Is it sustainable and at whose expense? Michael Healy Rae and his Airbnb victory. I...

Danny McConnell and John Lee examine the consequences of Ireland’s repeated failure to deliver flood defences and critical infrastructure. They ask whether the Social Democrats under Holly Cairns are emerging as a credible alternative to Sinn Féin on the left, assess the runners and riders in the upcoming Dublin by-election, the continued fallout from the government’s ‘incoherent’ stance on Mercos...