Irish Times Inside Politics

The  Electoral Commission  has published its highly anticipated  constituency review which, as expected, recommends an increase in the number of Dáil seats to let representation keep pace with population growth. The review, which is expected to be approved by the Dáil, also recommends the creation of new constituencies and the adjustment of others. But what does it all mean for vote...

Pat Leahy and Jennifer Bray join Hugh to discuss the big stories of the past few weeks: Is Minister for Media Catherine Martin at risk of seeming too passive in her handling of the RTÉ payments controversy? The Electoral Commission will shortly reveal new constituency boundaries, amounting to a new political landscape for voters and politicians to get to grips with. And politicians are extremely k...

The final episode of the series ends with a bang, or rather a crash, as Hugh Linehan and Pat Leahy detail how Bertie’s own finances are under the microscope as he faces into his last general election as leader of Fianna Fáil, while the global financial earthquake comes into view. This is part four of The Ahern Years. Parts one , two and three are also available. Would you like to receive daily ins...

In this episode Hugh Linehan and Pat Leahy pore over what comes after Fianna Fáil's successful 2002 general election amid the ongoing boom. The defeats in local and European elections in 2004, the twin debacles of e-voting and decentralisation, and Charlie McCreevy exiting stage right, all raise questions about Bertie's decision-making.    This is part three of The Ahern Years. Parts one...

In this episode Hugh Linehan and Pat Leahy delve into Bertie Ahern's first government as Taoiseach, a government which oversees unprecedented economic growth as the Celtic Tiger years begin. And Bertie writes his name into the history books for his role in bringing peace to Northern Ireland. Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Denis Staun...

His legacy is debated, but there's no denying that Bertie Ahern is one of the most significant figures in Irish political history. Over the next few episodes Pat Leahy tells the story of the life and political career of the former Taoiseach and assesses his impact on modern Ireland. In the first instalment Pat examines Ahern's rise to prominence within Fianna Fáil, how he first came close to power...

There’s never a dull moment when it comes to US politics, as proved again today with the announcement of fresh criminal charges against former president Donald Trump. In this episode, Staff writer at the New Yorker Clare Malone joins Hugh to take a look at the state of US politics through the lens of current media trends, what we can expect from the year ahead and how an election paralleled with m...

Who are Sinn Féin and what really makes the party different, if anything? Who holds real sway within the party? What role do activists play, and who are its up-and-coming stars? Freya McClements and Pat Leahy join Hugh Linehan to talk about Ireland's most popular party. Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Denis Staunton's Global Briefing...

The Dáil summer recess has arrived and our political experts Pat Leahy, Jennifer Bray and Cormac McQuinn have convened to look back on the political season: The relative political fortunes of Micheál Martin and Leo Varadkar. Do polls suggest Sinn Féin has hit a ceiling of support? Did the Government get a handle on the migrant accommodation crisis? Or can it claim real progress on broader issue of...

In a summer heatwave gripping countries including Spain, Italy, France and Greece, Europeans are experiencing temperatures more commonly found in the Sahara desert. The consequences for human health, agriculture and the environment are expected to be severe. How are European political institutions responding to what seems to be a troubling new reality? Naomi O'Leary reports from Brussels. Would yo...

Pat Leahy and Harry McGee join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics including hopefully the final week of RTÉ Oireachtas committee mania and the spiralling cost of delivering the National Children's Hospital. Plus they select the finest Irish Times articles from throughout the week, including what happens when you send a grumpy sportswriter to report on politics. Would you like to rec...

It's the Twelfth and to mark Unionism and Loyalism's day of celebration, Hugh talks to Dr Aaron Edwards, author of A People Under Siege: The Unionists of Northern Ireland from Partition to Brexit and Beyond. 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/ Ho...

On today’s Inside Politics podcast Hugh Linehan is joined by Pat Leahy and Jennifer Bray to discuss the week in politics: The crisis at RTÉ is entering its third week but, with appearances by Ryan Tubridy and Noel Kelly before an Oireachtas committee and the takeover by Kevin Bakhurst as Director General all happening next week,  the story is not going away , much as weary RTÉ executives and...

Under the leadership of Holly Cairns, the Cork South-West TD who took over from Catherine Murphy and Roisin Shortall in March, the Social Democrats are riding high among the smaller political parties in Dail Eireann - according to opinion polls at least. But what is the party all about? How is it different from Sinn Fein, the biggest party on the left? And if the Soc Dems were to combine with othe...

In a wide-ranging interview in today's Irish Times, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee talks about remarks critical of her taking maternity leave while in office, the stint by Cabinet colleague Simon Harris in her job and her future ambitions. And on today's podcast Jack Horgan-Jones and Jennifer Bray listen back to excerpts from the interview and apply some political analysis. But first, Jack and...

Hosting Inside Politics in Hugh Linehan’s absence, Pat Leahy is joined by Current Affairs Editor of The Irish Times, Arthur Beesley and Professor Jane Suiter from DCU’s School of Communications to discuss where we are now after yesterday's statement from RTÉ on Ryan Tubridy’s controversial pay deal. Are we likely to get satisfactory answers from today’s Oireachtas committee or the Public Acco...

Jennifer Bray and Jack Horgan-Jones join Hugh to talk about the week in politics, including: The fiasco unfolding at RTÉ over Ryan Tubridy's unusual pay deal and its potential ramifications The Labour Party's confidential review that examines where it all went wrong while they were in government Plus, they share their favourite Irish Times piece of the week: Séamas O’Reilly on not mentioning the w...

Columnist and former Fianna Fáil advisor Gerard Howlin joins Hugh Linehan, Pat Leahy and Jennifer Bray to talk about two controversial topics: recent comments by President Michael D Higgins and the Hate Speech bill that is making its way through the Oireachtas. Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Denis Staunton's Global Briefing newslette...

The latest Irish Times/ Ipsos opinion poll shows support for both Fine Gael and Sinn Féin has dropped, with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also seeing a sharp decline in his personal rating. Fianna Fáil and the Social Democrats however, can breathe a sigh of relief after both experiencing an increase in support. Pat, Harry and Hugh analyse the results.  Plus they share their favourite Irish Times pie...

Conor Gallagher, Irish Times Crime and Security Correspondent, has a new book out Is Ireland Neutral? The Many Myths of Irish Neutrality . He sat down with Hugh Linehan to discuss what has been an accepted position since the foundation of the Free State but doesn’t actually stand up to scrutiny. Whether an attempt to form a military alliance with France at the end of the first world war through to...

Pat Leahy and Harry McGee join Hugh to talk about the week in politics, including: Ifac cautions coalition on expenditure and its potential consequences Sinn Féin defend IRA commemoration in South Armagh Is James O'Connor a Jekyll & Hyde figure within Fianna Fáil? Plus, they share their favourite Irish Times piece of the week: Kiss rocker Gene Simmons visits House of Commons as Ian Paisley's g...

The podcast takes a look at the concept of ‘middle Ireland’, a concept that has been around for a long time in political discourse here, and one that has proved to be quite potent politically when comes to getting votes - but who exactly falls into the category of ‘middle Ireland’? Do Fine Gael alone speak for this cohort? Or perhaps each party, much like the CSO or Grant Thornton, has their own d...

Jennifer Bray and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh to talk about the week in politics, including: Ireland is on course to miss its 2030 carbon emission targets by some distance Some interesting takeaways from Census 2022 , including lowering home ownership and fewer Catholics Helen McEntee taking back the reigns as Minister for Justice Plus they share their favourite Irish Times piece of the week: Malachy...

In his new book Public Morality and The Culture Wars, academic Bryan Fanning analyses what he calls the ‘triple divide’ between conservative, liberal and progressive viewpoints, how the moral views of those three groups differ and how they clash with growing intensity in what we call the culture wars. He talks to Hugh Linehan about public morality, the debate over the limits of freedom of speech a...

The coalition Government still has plenty of time to run but, if the past week is anything to go by, the remaining months could be characterised by less cooperation and more shaping up for the electoral battles to come. On today's podcast Pat Leahy and Hugh Linehan take a listen back to an interview Pat conducted with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on Thursday in which a picture emerges of how Fine Gael w...