Roundtable

The UK has had six leaders in the past ten years and now Keir Starmer's position is looking untenable after disastrous local election results and many of his own MPs calling for him to step down with rival circling. Why has there been such a high turnover of Prime Minister's after several long-term leaders serving our more than their five-year terms. In a country once seen as a model of political...

The European Union has announced sanctions on illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank - but do the measures go far enough or are they merely symbolic? Expansion has increased since Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power as the head of a pro-settler right-wing government. But with the UN documenting about 1,800 settler attacks in 2025 alone, will these sanctions make any difference? Joinin...

Romania’s government has fallen. Parliament voted overwhelmingly to remove Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan. The vote exposed a stunning political split. The Social Democrats, once central to Bolojan’s coalition, joined forces with the far-right nationalist AUR party to bring down the government. Their shared target was the government’s austerity programme, which critics say has deepened economic hards...

The World Health Organization has warned global cases of the Hantavirus will probably rise. The virus has already killed at least three people on the MV Hondius cruise ship at the centre of the outbreak. The rare Andes strain of Hantavirus, found mainly in the Americas, is the only known variant capable of human-to-human transmission. The incident has renewed fears over how quickly rare zoonotic d...

On this episode of Roundtable, we look at the feud between Friedrich Merz and President Trump after the German Chancellor said America was being "humiliated" by Iran. In response President Trump has announced the removal of 5,000 US troops from Germany and threatened to impose extra tariffs on EU car exports. After a year in power, Merz is struggling to revive his country’s stalling economy and hi...

In this episode, Roundtable looks at the US withdrawal of 5,000 Germany as Washington looks to scale down its military presence in Europe. President Trump is also considering taking troops out of Spain and Italy following criticism over the US-Israeli war on Iran. Is this the latest sign of a NATO break-up? Joining Enda Brady for the discussion: Riccardo Alcaro Political scientist and head of the...

In this episode, Roundtable unpacks King Charles’ historic four-day trip to America as part of its 250th anniversary celebration. On his first official visit to the United States, the King addressed Congress and underlined the enduring UK-US ties, stating that both nations always find ways to come together.  The trip comes at a tense time for transatlantic relations with the US President repe...

In this episode, Roundtable looks at Scotland’s energy dilemma. Scots face soaring bills in a resource-rich nation, as the US-Israeli war on Iran pushes up prices.  With an election days away, voters are split between backing renewables and ramping up North Sea drilling. As reserves decline, can green energy replace oil wealth and finally cut bills? Joining Enda Brady for the discussion: Jame...

In this episode, Roundtable explores the growing divide between Israel and the EU over the genocide on Gaza and war in Lebanon. Spain, Ireland and Slovenia are pushing to suspend a major EU-Israel trade deal, while Germany and Italy are blocking this move.  So, is this a temporary fracture or the point of no return for EU-Israel relations? Joining Enda Brady for the discussion: Pablo Calderon...

European nations are looking at a NATO without the US if President Trump follows through on his threats to walk away. Trump is furious at NATO members for refusing to join the war on Iran and assist in the Strait of Hormuz. It has prompted European allies to accelerate a fallback defence plan in case the US leaves. The idea is a ‘European Nato’ where leadership would come from within the continent...

In this episode, Roundtable looks at how close Europe is to running out of jet fuel and how this may impact the upcoming summer holidays. The head of the global energy watchdog IEA is warning that Europe has only six weeks supply of jet fuel left before shortages will hit the continent if disruption to traffic in the Strait of Hormuz does not improve. Flight tickets are set to rise and airlines ar...

In this episode, Roundtable looks at the future of Bulgaria after its election of an allegedly “pro-Russian” Prime Minister. The country - which is a key NATO and EU ally, strategically located on the Black Sea - has long battled with endemic corruption. But after decades of shaky coalitions and political infighting, Bulgarian voters have rallied around the former President Rumen Radev. He’s promi...

In this episode, Roundtable looks at Switzerland’s upcoming referendum on capping its population at 10 million. The proposal has been put forward by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, the SVP, which is warning of a ‘population explosion’. The current number of people living in Switzerland is nine million. Supporters argue a limit is essential to tackle growing pressures such as housing shortages...

Is Dubai’s status as the ultimate safe haven for the super-rich under threat from Milan? Following the Iran war, many wealthy have fled Dubai towards Milan, Europe’s rising “millionaire capital”. Is Milan reinventing itself as the new home for the super-rich or will Dubai hold onto its status as the ultimate global hub?  Joining Enda Brady to discuss: Charlie Mullins, Chairperson of WeFix, wh...

For six days, Ireland's roads and major cities were brought to a standstill as fuel protests swept the country. Farmers and lorry drivers blockaded gas depots, motorways and Ireland’s only oil refinery, protesting at rising fuel costs due to the ongoing disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. Motorists panic bought fuel, leading to the closure of hundreds of petrol stations as they ran dry.  The...

The world may be edging closer to a global recession as the US-Israeli war on Iran sends shockwaves through the global economy. At the centre of the crisis is the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route now effectively disrupted, cutting off a significant share of global energy supply and pushing oil prices towards or even beyond $150 a barrel. Markets are rattled, trade routes are under strain and fears...

Hungary appears to be entering a new, more pro-European chapter following a landslide election victory by opposition leader Peter Magyar. Magyar secured a landslide win, bringing an end to 16 years of rule under Viktor Orban. The newly elected leader declared that Hungary would become a “European country again.” What kind of Hungary rises from the ruins of the Orban era? Joining Enda Brady to disc...

Fuel rationing is being introduced in some European countries over fears of a global energy shortage as the Iran war continues. With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed, the final fuel tankers are expected to reach Europe by mid-April. The EU has warned that member states should consider travelling less and working from home to conserve energy with European Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen sa...

The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, has denounced the US-Israeli war in Iran as ‘illegal’ and is putting in measures to help Spaniards deal with the economic fallout. The socialist leader has described the conflict as a ‘global economic earthquake’ and appears determined to shield his people and ensure they do not pay the price for the escalating crisis in the Middle East. Sanchez is the fi...

The US–Israeli war has unleashed another battlefield taking place on social media as AI propaganda goes viral. Misinformation is spreading fast, from both sides, with President Trump reportedly fooled by an AI-generated attack on a US naval ship. Many of the Iranian videos are designed to entertain, clocking up millions of views with Tehran appearing to win the information war with LEGO-inspired c...

US President Donald Trump says he is considering pulling out of NATO over the alliance's unwillingness to support the US-Israeli war on Iran. Mark Rutte has strongly backed Washington and Trump's war on Iran, arguing that the move is intended to make the world safer, putting him at odds with several European allies who oppose the conflict. Rutte has claimed that NATO is stronger under Trump, point...

Are right-wing European parties distancing themselves from President Trump over the Iran war? One of Donald Trump’s promises in his America First movement was to end the era of prolonged and damaging wars abroad. With that firmly back on the agenda, major parties which had aligned themselves with Trump's populist ideology, such as the Alternative for Germany, French National Rally and even Reform...

The Iran war is having a devastating impact on the travel industry in what many are calling the worst global aviation crisis since the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands of flights have been cancelled, with major airspaces across the Middle East closed and airlines forced to reroute planes via longer journeys. Popular holiday destinations such as Dubai are now off limits, with thousands of holidaymakers...

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was supposed to be Europe’s ‘Trump whisperer’ but her criticism of the US-Israeli war on Iran has exposed cracks in her relationship with the US president.  With public opinion in Italy overwhelmingly against being drawn into another Middle East conflict and the Meloni losing a crucial referendum on judicial reforms, she is balancing public opinion alongs...

What could China win and lose from the US-Israeli war on Iran? China is a major buyer of Iranian energy and a vocal critic of the conflict, urging peace talks to end the war. With President Trump antagonising European allies over their resistant to help unblock the Strait of Hormouz, could China now present itself as a stable global ally - and what does it mean for Beijing's ambitions to reunify T...