Irish Times Inside Politics

Four constituencies, four battles for four seats in Dáil Éireann. On Friday (which is the same day as the Toy Show, as Leo Varadkar pointed out while canvassing with Verona Murphy in Wexford) voters go to the polls in Dublin Mid West, Dublin Fingal, Wexford and Cork North Central. The team talks through the constituencies one by one, with a few digressions along the way, and finally make some pred...

First-past-the-post, tactical voting, Labour leavers, Tory remainers... it all ads up to a a formidable task for pollsters to call the outcome of GE19. But the numbers we have so far strongly suggest Boris Johnson is on course for a majority. Pollster and politics lecturer Dr Kevin Cunningham joins Hugh and Pat to look at those polls and ask is there any scope for Labour and other parties to stop...

Dublin Editor, Olivia Kelly gives us the low down on what's happening with O'Devaney Gardens. Last week City Councillors approved a deal which would see more than 800 new homes developed on the site, so why is Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy questioning it's approval now? Fine Gael's Verona Murphy was forced to apologise this week for her comments concerning asylum seekers in Ireland. Political rep...

Hugh and Pat are joined by London editor Denis Staunton to talk about the first full week of the UK election campaign. Are the big two parties starting to squeeze the smaller groups out? Are tactical voting considerations having an impact? Is it a Brexit election so far? And could flooding and the government's slow response cost Boris Johnson the election? Would you like to receive daily insights...

Northern correspondent Freya McClements on the party plans and pacts that are turning Northern Ireland's Westminster election into one of the most interesting in years. Is it remain versus leave, green versus orange or a mixture of both? Plus Fiach Kelly and Pat Leahy have an early look at the by-elections taking place in four constituencies in a few weeks' time. Derogatory social media posts abou...

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin gave an interview to our deputy political editor Fiach Kelly last week, covering the veteran politician's approach to the next general election, rebuilding trust in his party, his plan for bringing to an end the confidence and supply deal that props up Leo Varadkar's government, and more. Fiach plays back some clips of the interview and discusses them with Hugh Li...

Yesterday was a good day for the Democratic Party, winning control of the legislature in Virginia and the governorship of Kentucky, while President Trump's impeachment problems deepened again. But with one year until the presidential election, there are some worrying signs that the party could struggle to select a candidate who can compete with Trump in the places that matter. To look at the state...

The UK general election campaign is, among other things, a battle for what kind of Brexit will ultimately happen. Our Europe editor Patrick Smyth sets out five possible election outcomes and the sort of Brexit the EU expects from each, from No Deal to a new deal - or no Brexit at all. But let's not get ahead of ourselves: the campaign is just beginning. To understand the dynamics and tactics at pl...

Sinn Féin TD Martin Kenny's car was torched a few days after he spoke out against rising anti-immigrant sentiment in the Dáil. Kenny, who has supported the provision of accommodation for asylum seekers in the town of Ballinamore in his constituency, talks to Fiach Kelly and Harry McGee about his fears that real issues are being twisted to win support for extreme views. And Irish Times journalist J...

Leaving the European Union will have consequences for politics in the United Kingdom. What are they, and is the UK ready for them? To chat about that and other Brexit-related themse, Hugh is joined again by Helen Thompson, professor of political economy at Cambridge University, and by Ruadhán Mac Cormaic, assistant editor with The Irish Times. Would you like to receive daily insights into world ev...

Hugh is joined by Denis Staunton, Pat Leahy, Harry McGee and Jennifer Bray. What will UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson try to do first: win a general election, or pass his Withdrawal Agreement Bill through the House of Commons? Last night was the first time any Brexit deal was approved in a vote, but Johnson's joy was short-lived when a procedural vote denied him a rapid debate stage. This complica...

London Editor Denis Staunton on where Boris Johnson might find - or lose - support in tomorrow's House of Commons vote on the Brexit deal. Fintan O'Toole on how the strategies of the different parties to Brexit played out in the extraordinary week that led to Johnson abandoning the DUP and striking a deal with Ireland and the EU. Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered...

Pat Leahy and Denis Staunton are on the line to discuss the Brexit deal agreed today and the reaction here, in Northern Ireland and in Westminster. Can Johnson's deal pass? And what are the implications of the consent mechanism for Northern Ireland? Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Denis Staunton's Global Briefing newsletter here: iris...

At this moment in time there is still optimism that a deal may be struck in Brexit talks between the EU and the UK ahead of tomorrow’s European Council meeting, though the outstanding issues may see it go right down to the wire. The elements of the deal are set to be a customs border in the Irish Sea - rebranded and sweetened for the DUP - as well as a hefty financial package for Northern Ireland....

Political Editor Pat Leahy is here with the latest Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll which shows Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are in pretty much a dead heat, while the Green Party is enjoying a steady upward trend in support. Significantly, there has been an 15 point increase in Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s personal satisfaction rating, ending an 18-month long period of decline. Would you like to receive daily...

When remembering the Troubles, we tend to focus on the acts of perpetrators. But a new book focusses on the 186 children who died in the Troubles, some of whose deaths have, up to now, appeared nowhere on any list of victims. 'Children of the Troubles' is written by RTÉ's Joe Duffy and The Irish Times Northern correspondent Freya McClements. In this interview, Freya and Joe tell Hugh that, for man...

Our columnist, economist David McWilliams joins Hugh and Pat. Their discussion weaves together the significant events of the past 24 hours and the longer term economic and social impacts of Brexit on Ireland, Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Denis Staunton's Global Briefing newsletter here: iris...

The Spectator's political editor James Forsyth had the biggest Brexit scoop of the week on Monday when he reported that, per a Downing Street source,  Brexit negotiations were breaking down. The reason? As Downing Street sees it, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has gone back on a promise to soften his negotiating position if the UK made the first move, a promise he made to Boris Johnson when the latter vis...

In agreeing to regulatory checks in the Irish Sea, the DUP have made a major Brexit concession, a "massive shift", says the Belfast Newsletter's political editor Sam McBride, the importance of which has not yet been grasped outside Northern Ireland. Hugh and Pat talk to Sam about the thinking behind the move and the significance of the proposed Stormont veto. Then they talk to our Europe editor Pa...

It might not feel like it, but there is a small matter of a budget to think about next week. Hugh is joined by Harry McGee, Jennifer Bray and Fiach Kelly to discuss what Paschal Donohoe is likely to do with what should be a tight budget dominated by Brexit. Speaking of Brexit, Boris Johnson set out his ‘final’ Brexit offer to the EU at the Tory conference in Manchester today. We look at the leaks...

The Brexit week began with Lady Hale delivering a famous judgement against Prime Minister Boris Johnson. That might have been expected to dominate the news for days, but Johnson, prematurely returned to Westminster, produced another 'dead cat', whipping his parliamentary opponents into a frenzy with his use of what they called dangerous language. Looking on from Brussels, the European negotiators...

Boris Johnson faces an uncertain future and narrowing options after yesterday’s brutal supreme court ruling that his prorogation of parliament was unlawful. London editor Denis Staunton talks to Pat Leahy about the prospects facing the under-fire British prime minister. Also today: Green Party councillor Hazel Chu and our own Cliff Taylor join Pat to discuss the carbon tax, green washing and the G...

Canadian journalist and social activist Naomi Klein is best known for her 1999 book No Logo which exposed corporate malpractice. Two decades on, her focus has shifted towards climate change. In her new book On Fire she argues the case for a "Green New Deal" to stymie global warming and tackle climate injustice. Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sig...

The dawning political season in Leinster House is overshadowed by the prospect of a general election and still by the uncertainty over Brexit. Fiach Kelly and Pat Leahy join Hugh to talk about factors that will decide the timing of an election, and what the Taoiseach has been saying about a post-election deal with Fianna Fáil. They also discuss the "informal talks' that have been taking place betw...

The DUP has publicly rejected proposals for a Northern Ireland-only backstop amid speculation at Westminster that Boris Johnson is considering an all-Ireland solution for the Border after Brexit. But with different shades of opinion within Arlene Foster’s party behind the scenes, is there room for manoeuvre? Could the DUP sell the idea of a ‘soft’ backstop to its supporters? Belfast-based politica...