Mooney on Irish Politics

This is my first Mooney on Political podcast since the Summer break. My last one was about five weeks ago… and what an eventful five weeks it has been. In this episode I look at the fallout from the mishandling of Zapponegate and explore how the return of norrmal politics post Covid restrictions means we are nearing political endgame for the leaders of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael This podcast is als...

In this Podcast I look at the political issues I raised in my latest Broadsheet column, but omitted from my 2021 Summer Political Reading list Podcast. Here I look at Micheál Martin's bizarre use of polling to contend that all is well for Fianna Fáil and his absence of political cop-on when confronted (or blind-sided) by the proposal to appoint Katherine Zappone as a special envoy.

This episode features my fifth annual summer political reading list. As the name suggests, the books on the list have a political theme or connection. All the books in this year’s selection are non-fiction and reflect my own tastes and prejudice  It is also available as a blog post: http://derekmooney.ie/2021/07/29/my-2021-summer-political-reading-list/

The Dublin Bay South by-Election result shows that Fianna Fáil is facing a crisis of relevance and viability, one that its leader of over 10 years is unwilling to address or acknowledge. The party is now waiting 18 months for a review of the disastrous GE2020 campaign, so I offered this as an interim independent review of what I think went wrong in the by-election. This episode is also available a...

I look at the argument on Fianna Fáil’s real and demonstrable problems with young voters that mysteriously leaked out from the parliamentary party.  I also take a final look at the Dublin Bay South By-Election. This Podcast was originally produced as a Blogpost: https://derekmooney.ie/2021/07/07/why-does-martins-fianna-fail-have-such-a-stubborn-problem-with-young-people/

In this episode I look at the cost of the PCR tests required to travel in and out of Ireland and the complexity of getting PCR tests while abroad. Ireland should (a) be using rapid antigen testing for travel and (b) should have joined the EU Covid Digital Certificate process from the July 1st start. Delaying participation until July 19 was an error, but missing that deadline and taking even longer...

This week I look at the paradox of Fianna Fáil's poll ratings showing it in thid place, while its leader's ratings increase... and I wonder, doesn't this mean that what is in his interest, is not in his party's.. and vice-versa? This episode is also available as a blog post: http://derekmooney.ie/2021/06/22/why-does-an-unpopular-party-have-a-popular-leader/

Why fake pollsters does not mean fake polling. Was this really as big a scandal as some thought... or, rather than being something "sinister" was it just a "paradox". This episode is also available as a blog post: http://derekmooney.ie/2021/06/20/fake-pollsters-do-not-mean-fake-polling/

I take an early look at the line-up of candidates in the Dublin Bay South by-election and conclude that this is too close to call between Fine Gael and Sinn Féin. Logic suggests that this race is Fine Gael's to lose, but has their portrayal of their candidate as a Terenure Trudeau left him vulnerable? In my view this comes down to who comes 3rd, 4th etc and that there potentially will be enough tr...

In this podcast I look at how housing has once again emerged as the key political issue concerning voters, now that worries about Covid-19 are starting to ease. I consider how Fianna Fáil's only hope of avoiding annihilation is to show voters that it grasps the scale of the crisis, though Micheal Martin's party has seeming unwilling, or unable, thus far to do that. You can read the blog version of...

This episode looks at the recent cyber attack on the HSE and Dept of Health IT systems. It is also available as a blog post with links to various reports mentioned: http://derekmooney.ie/2021/05/18/doing-national-cybersecurity-on-cheap-costs-more/

The Brezhnev wing of Fianna Fáil will soon have to decide if keeping the blinds down and pretending they're heading somewhere is preferable to finding a fresh driver and a radically improved engine. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://derekmooney.ie/2021/05/11/riding-the-rails-with-the-blinds-down/

This podcast appears two weeks after it first appeared as a blog. Apologies for the delay. It looka t the art of good government communications as is also available as a blog post: http://derekmooney.ie/2021/05/05/theres-no-big-secret-to-good-government-communications/

In this episode I look at the upcoming Scottish Parliament election and argues that it will be one of the most consequential U.K. elections of modern times for the politics and future of these two islands. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://derekmooney.ie/2021/04/28/1-week-to-the-most-consequential-uk-election/

In this week's podcast I look at the recent disturbances and incidents across the North and consider what they us about what is happening in the leadership of both loyalism and unionism. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://derekmooney.ie/2021/04/15/when-loyalisms-loyalty-is-rejected/

This episode is based on my latest weekly Broadsheet column. You can read this on my website, here: http://derekmooney.ie/2021/04/01/times-up-for-martin-but-itll-take-a-little-longer-to-play-out/

This episode looks at how events in the week after St Patrick's week may have a deeper long term impact on relations across this island than all the fine words spoken over Zoom to the US. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://derekmooney.ie/2021/03/25/this-is-an-important-week-for-relations-across-these-islands/

Even before The Sunday Times front page story about the Tánaiste being the subject of criminal investigation, Fine Gael TDs were starting to imagine what a world without Varadkar as leader might look like. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://derekmooney.ie/2021/03/22/varadkars-future-no-more-assured-than-martins/

We have endured the longest lock down, closing all but essential workplaces for 200 days so far (and counting) - so, coming seventh or eighth in Europe when it comes to vaccine roll out,  is just not good enough. We need to be at the top of the vaccine roll out league. That means we need to have a greater percentage of our people vaccinated, even if only with one dose, by the end of April or...

This podcast is based on an article I wrote in December 2020. Here I predict that duplicity and mendacity will be the hallmark of Johnson's future relationships with Brussels, Dublin, Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff. Events would seem to be proving me right. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://derekmooney.ie/2021/01/18/johnsons-duplicity-will-not-end-with-brexit/

This episode is from late November 2020, but the doubts I express about Martin's continuing leadership of Fianna Fáil expressed then are sadly just a valid today. It also available as a blog post: http://derekmooney.ie/2020/12/01/taoiseach-martins-negatives-outweigh-his-positives/

In this episode I look at the political indifference underpinning the difficult relationships in the Irish defence establishment. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://derekmooney.ie/2021/02/27/no-defence-of-defence-relationships/

In this episode I suggest that we will not see a return to the normal exercise and discussion of ordinary politics until we are all able to safely have a pint or a drink without food in a non-gastro pub (the so-called Wet Bars). For that to happen, the vaccination programme will need to roll out much faster. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://derekmooney.ie/2021/01/20/normal-pol...

I look at the row over increasing the pay of the Secretary General at the Dept of Health by €80k. While some commentators are fixating on the personalities involved, I argue that the focus should be on (i). what is the role of the Sec Gen in the department of health and (ii) how is this value for money and (iii) how was this vacancy allowed to arise (and run for almost eight months) in the midst o...