Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan

Taoiseach Enda Kenny apologised yesterday for the appalling treatment of 'Grace', a child with an intellectual disability, in our care system. Independent Alliance TD and Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities Finian McGrath joins Hugh Linehan, Sarah Bardon and Fiach Kelly to talk about the case. They also discuss Irish Water, and Finian mounts a defence of the "do-nothing Dáil". W...

It's one year since voters gambled on an uncertain future by returning no clear winner in the general election. Over the next week, in print and online, The Irish Times political team will be examining what exactly that gamble has delivered to the nation. Joining Pat Leahy and Michael O'Regan to kick off the series on today's podcast is Katie Hannon, Political Correspondent with RTÉ's Prime Time....

The race to become the next leader of Fine Gael is now on, no matter what anyone tells you to the contrary. On today's podcast we talk to two Fine Gael TDs, Minister of State Damien English and party vice president John Paul Phelan. Damien is a leading backer of Simon Coveney's bid while John Paul's support for Leo Varadkar is no secret. We ask them why Fine Gael members should pick their respecti...

It's been a busy week in politics and there's a lot to get through on today's podcast. First political reporter Sarah Bardon looks back at a shambolic few days on the Government front bench. Dáil watchers concur it has been a shocker from Fine Gael, and especially from Taoiseach Enda Kenny, whose tenure as party leader is measured now in days and weeks, not months and years, says Sarah. Then Alan...

Pat Leahy and Sarah Bardon tell Hugh Linehan what is now known about the false rape accusations made against whistleblower Sergeant Maurice McCabe, and how a statement by Minister for Children Katherine Zappone raises more questions than it answers about who in Cabinet knew what, and when. Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Denis Staunto...

Donald Trump begins his day at 5am by watching "lies" about him on TV, while new Fianna Fáil TD Stephen Donnelly is being told "everyone hates you" on Twitter. Minister for Health Simon Harris is "ashamed", and Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan and the DUP's Arlene Foster aren't having great weeks either. Pat Leahy, Sarah Bardon and Michael O'Regan join Hugh to discuss the various calamities be...

The campaign to repeal the 8th amendment enjoys popular support in opinion polls and the dedicated efforts of progressives, but some have criticised how the campaign is communicating its message to the middle ground. Three prominent supporters of the campaign join Hugh to talk about what they make of such criticisms, the campaign's strategy and what lessons can be learned from the success of the s...

After a catastrophic performance in the 2016 general election, the Labour party must rebuild from its roots and reconnect with working class voters, according to its leader Brendan Howlin. The Wexford TD was speaking to this week’s Inside Politics podcast and said his party is currently working on a review of its constitution, for which there have been “hundreds of submissions”.Deputy Howlin said...

The first ever episode of Inside Politics recorded in from of a live audience features a stellar line-up of old friends Hugh Linehan, Pat Leahy and Theresa Reidy, plus a first-timer for the podcast, Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar. They discussed how Ireland's leaders should handle the presidency of Donald Trump, the rise of populism and the potential for Fine Gael to go into coalition...

Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald says her party needs to have "a conversation" once again about whether it would go into government as a junior coalition partner. Speaking to the Inside Politics Podcast this week, the party's deputy leader raised the prospect, saying she wants Sinn Féin to be in power. She also refused to be drawn on whether Gerry Adams is nearing retirement but said she has made no...

It's here: Trump inauguration day. We talk to our foreign affairs correspondent Ruadhan Mac Cormaic about some of the issues this historic presidency presents: - How Trump and those to whom he has granted power differ from all previous administrations- The domestic political forces that will shape his presidency.- His relationship with China and Russia.- His "abrupt departures" from long-standing...

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin says he is worried the Government has not been prudent enough to prepare us for a Brexit economic storm, but insists any rainy-day fund can't come at the expense of services. He also speaks about his disappointment with Theresa May's Brexit speech yesterday, Sinn Féin's "arrogance" in the Northern Ireland Executive and the message Ireland must send to president-el...

"When did businesspeople become such hippies?" Patrick Freyne went to Pendulum, the “world’s leading business and self-empowerment summit”, run by the former Ireland rugby star Frankie Sheahan (tagline: “Unleash Your Warrior Mindset”). He talked to Hugh Lineman about what he found. Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Denis Staunton's Glob...

Martin McGuinness's resignation as Deputy First Minister will almost certainly mean elections in Northern Ireland, and many are questioning whether power sharing can be restored after this breach in the DUP Sinn Féin relationship. But would that be a bad thing? Mick Fealty of NI politics blog Slugger O'Toole says the breakdown is the inevitable result of greater scrutiny of the Executive, while ML...

An opinion piece on irishtimes.com about vocabulary used by the so-called 'alt-right' political movement has caused a stir. Opinion Editor John McManus talked to Hugh Linehan about why The Irish Times ran the piece. 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-brie...

John Halligan has a reputation for speaking his mind and on today's Inside Politics podcast he doesn't disappoint. He explains what really happened from his point of view during last years disputes with his Government colleagues. With hospital waiting times back on the agenda, he questions whether the capability exists in Ireland to reform its own health system. He calls for the abolition of the H...

Many people old enough to remember 1986 in Ireland will tell you it was a pretty grim time and place. The economy was in the doldrums and unemployment was high. A referendum to permit divorce was voted down as Hurricane Charlie hit. In January, Phil Lynott died. The state papers from I986, released after the mandatory 30 year waiting period, reveal a country trying to deal with problems at home an...

What does 2017 hold in store for Ireland and the world? We don't claim to know, but we invited Fintan O'Toole, Una Mullally and Pat Leahy in to discuss some of the possibilities on this final Inside Politics of the unforgettable year of 2016. 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....

2016 was a good and bad year for reporters. There were plenty of stories to report on, but also plenty of challenges to traditional journalism, old and new: the continuing rise of social media, and its sometimes misleading content; Ireland's strict defamation laws that can stifle in-depth reporting; and difficult economic times for the news business. Irish Times News Editor Mark Hennessy talks to...

It was a “bizarre year in politics” says Irish Times political reporter Sarah Bardon, who found herself with very little to report on some nights in Leinster House, as the minority government argued behind closed doors and not much got done. She joined her colleague Harry McGee and historian Diarmaid Ferriter this morning, to review the year gone by for the Irish Times Inside Politics podcast. The...

There are 21,000 vacant residences in Dublin City. This weekend activists have felt the need to appropriate an empty office block to house the homeless, as a shortage of housing sends rents soaring. How has it come to this? Our Dublin Correspondent Olivia Kelly has been investigating. Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Denis Staunton's G...

To take a look back at a six month period of "new politics" that is now ending with ambitious Minister Coveney's new rental reform package, and with Taoiseach Enda Kenny still firmly at the helm, Political Editor Pat Leahy chatted with his chums Michael O'Regan, Fiach Kelly and Sarah Bardon. Will Coveney's hard work pay dividends of power down the line? Would you like to receive daily insights int...

When we talk about health and medicine, the immediate problems tend to crowd out the important ones, says our correspondent Paul Cullen. But this weekend he is reporting on a long-term threat that could destroy modern medical practice and jeopardise millions of lives. Antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" are becoming stronger and more prevalent, and are now entrenched in some Irish hospitals. He talke...

Ireland’s continual housing crisis will not be solved unless issues of affordability and security of tenure in the rental sector are addressed, according to a Trinity College academic. New legislation aimed at boosting supply in the housing market is currently going through the Seanad. It allows planning applications for large housing developments of more than 100 homes to be made directly to An B...

Will the report of the expert commission on water help bring this vexed issue to a conclusion at long last? Minister Simon Coveney hopes so, but AAA-PBP TD Paul Murphy says "it's not over". They both sat down with Hugh Linhan and Sarah Bardon this morning. Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Denis Staunton's Global Briefing newsletter her...