Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan

Pat Leahy and Jennifer Bray join Hugh to talk through some of the biggest political stories of the week including Nicola Sturgeon’s shock resignation and what it might mean for Scottish independence. They also discuss the latest Mick Wallace controversy which surfaced following a viral TikTok video. But first, progress continues on the protocol talks, but how close are we to a deal and what hurdle...

The political debate around the impact of Brexit on the United Kingdom and its future economic relationship with Europe is 'just on hold at the moment' according to one of the UK's leading political scientists, Professor David Runciman. He talks to Hugh about UK politics today, including Keir Starmer's cautious leadership of the Labour Party, Rishi Sunak's unpopularity, and what he calls a 'p...

Jack Horgan-Jones and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh to talk about the readmission to Fianna Fáil of former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, who led the party for 13 years before leaving under a shadow. How is Ahern's return being received within the party, and what are his ambitions? Then they discuss the imminent lapsing of various cost-of-living measures introduced by Government last year to help hard-hit cit...

Today we answer listener questions about the North and South project, with help from Professor Brendan O’Leary of the University of Pennsylvania and Professor John Garry of Queen’s University Belfast. The North and South research project – a collaboration between The Irish Times and ARINS [Analysing and Researching Ireland North and South], which is a joint research project of the Royal Irish Acad...

Jack Horgan-Jones and Pat Leahy join Hugh Linehan to talk about the week in politics: A letter from Minister Roderic O'Gorman to cabinet colleagues asking for help in securing “sports centres… conference facilities, arts centres, student leisure centres [and] any other large buildings that are deemed safe” in order to house refugees shows just how bad this crisis has become. The Government is incr...

Labour leader Ivana Bacik talks to Hugh Linehan and Pat Leahy about her efforts to revive the party's fortunes since taking over early last year. In a political landscape where most parties are promising similar things, how can Labour cut through? And how much of Sinn Féin's agenda would Labour be willing to support if a coalition agreement were on the cards after the next election? Would you like...

Jennifer Bray and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh to look back on the week in politics. Claims of electoral expense irregularities expand to ensnare Sinn Fein Female politicians speak out about threats and aggression Home building figures are not transformative enough to solve housing crisis With any subscription you'll get unlimited access to the very best in unique quality journalism from The Irish Tim...

No elections take place this year. But 2024 could see local, European and general elections all taking place in Ireland. And these looming political battles will shape what political parties do this year UCC's Theresa Reidy joins Hugh, Pat and Jack to get ahead of the curve and discuss next year's elections. How important are next year's local elections in setting the scene for what's to come afte...

Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe has cultivated a reputation for being a safe pair of political hands, so it has been surprising to watch him fumble his response to revelations over donations-in-kind made to his reelection efforts in 2016 by businessman Michael Stone. You can read about the details of what has been alleged and how Mr Donohoe has responded here . On the podcast...

"If we push honest views below ground, we simply push those views into the hands of real racists". That statement, referring to the hot-button issue of migration, is typical of Meath West TD and Aontú party leader Peadar Tóibín, who likes to portray Aontú as neither left nor right but a party of "common sense". Will that approach win Aontú many votes? It's now exactly four years since th...

Struggling in your job, your attitude, your relationships? There are a growing number of self-declared online experts who have all the answers. Author and journalist Helen Lewis returns to the podcast to talk about her new podcast series The New Gurus, which takes a close look at the phenomenon of these online sages who have a major impact on the outlook and often the political views of millions o...

Cormac McQuinn and Pat Leahy join Hugh Linehan to discuss the fallout from a report on The Ditch news website that Meath West Fine Gael TD Damien English made a false claim on a planning application which allowed him to build a second house. The news forced Deputy English to resign his post as a junior minister. Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Si...

On today's podcast: The crisis in Emergency Departments this winter reveals a lack of accountability in the upper echelons of the system, among other issues. Was an attack on TDs with bags of excrement at a public meeting indicative of “a creeping sinister aggression” against politicians, as Ciaran Cannon claimed? Pat explains what is going on behind the scenes in the negotiations over the Norther...

New year, new Taoiseach, but the same headwinds facing the Government in areas like housing, refugee accommodation and a struggling healthcare system. Jack Horgan-Jones and columnist Gerard Howlin join Pat to talk about political goings-on in the first week of 2023 and whether Leo Varadkar's second stint as Taoiseach will be any different than his first. Would you like to receive daily insights in...

It's part two of our annual Ask Us Anything, featuring questions on journalism, politics and a podcasting rivalry. Taking your questions in studio are Hugh Linehan, Pat Leahy, Jennifer Bray, Harry McGee and Jack Horgan-Jones, with a cameo from Cormac McQuinn. Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our listeners. Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbo...

You asked, we answered. It's part one of our annual Ask Us Anything, featuring questions on journalism, politics and a podcasting rivalry. Taking your questions in studio are Hugh Linehan, Pat Leahy, Jennifer Bray, Harry McGee and Jack Horgan-Jones, with additional help from Europe correspondent Naomi O'Leary. Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sign...

What happened in the Cabinet reshuffle? Not a lot, is one reasonable answer - there were no surprises, most ministers stayed where there were and any moves had been well flagged in advance. But the day’s events still raised interesting questions for our politics team Pat Leahy, Jennifer Bray and Jack Horgan-Jones to answer on this episode of the Inside Politics podcast. Is the unchanged Cabinet a...

Naomi O'Leary is on the line from Brussels where a money-for-influence corruption scandal has rocked the European Parliament. But first, Jack Horgan-Jones and Cliff Taylor on the significance a proposal to overhaul planning laws and potential opposition to the bill from within government. Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Denis Staunton...

Current affairs editor Arthur Beesley joins Hugh and Pat to talk about his report on what happened inside the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) when its members considered whether to proceed with an investigation into the leaking of a document to a friend by Tanaiste Leo Varadkar. The five Sipo commissioners were split 3:2 in favour of not investigating, the first time in the commission...

"Loser's consent" could be a critical concept in the event of a referendum on Irish reunification. Will the losing side accept the results? We got some idea of attitudes from new poll results published by The Irish Times this week as a part of our North and South series. Professor John Garry of Queens University Belfast and Northern Editor Freya McClements join Hugh and Pat to discuss the levels o...

When should a referendum on Irish unity be held, and how would citizens north and south vote? The answer to those questions are the subject of the first instalment of a series on Irish reunification, North and South, published today in The Irish Times. Professor Brendan O'Leary and Irish Times features editor Mary Minihan join Hugh Linehan and Pat Leahy to discuss the findings of the poll. They al...

Next month Fianna Fáil's Micheal Martin will hand over the office of Taoiseach to Fine Gael's Leo Varadkar. The switch will necessitate a big reshuffle of cabinet positions. Or will it? Our political team has the latest Leinster House chat about how extensive the December reshuffle will be and which positions might be in the mix. Plus: Roderick O'Gorman struggles with migration challenges , a repo...

On the podcast today: How much of the East Wall refugee protest story is really an outworking of the housing shortage? With Russia's targeting of energy infrastructure in Ukraine likely to accelerate the flow of migrants, the shortage of space for refugees this winter looks increasingly like a major crisis. Evidence heard at the trial of Gerard Hutch for the murder of David Byrne has been embarras...

Political correspondents Harry McGee and Jennifer Bray join Pat Leahy to discuss how the Government is grappling with some disquiet over immigration, as evidenced by protests against the arrival of refugees in the East Wall area of Dublin this week. Plus: Housing is never far from the agenda and this week a Private Members bill was introduced calling for the housing situation to be declared an eme...

Non-political stories have dominated the news agenda this week, but each has a political dimension. Cormac McQuinn and Pat Leahy join Hugh to discuss the week's events. Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Denis Staunton's Global Briefing newsletter here: irishtimes.com/newsletters/global-briefing/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy fo...