Beyond the Pale with Cormac Lucey and David Quinn

Cormac Lucey and David Quinn discuss the Fine Gael Ard Fheis and why Fine Gael is now a hollow party. They are joined this week by MEP, Michael McNamara, as European leaders gather in Dublin. They ask why aren't we more interested in the EU when it is so important? Is the EU centralising too much power? Why is Europe falling behind the US and China? They also discuss the war in Ukraine and a new report from The Iona Institute which forecasts that only half of Gen Z will ever marry.
00:00 The questions shaping the conversation
01:01 Does Fine Gael still stand for a clear ideology?
06:23 Why Irish governments can struggle to change direction
09:23 Immigration, energy choices, and political trade-offs
13:27 McNamara’s path from Labour to the European Parliament
16:22 COVID powers and the Irish family referenda
20:20 EU institutions, compromise, and Commission centralization
26:23 National sovereignty, vetoes, and the European single market
30:23 Europe’s economic standing and reliance on US companies
34:27 Ukraine: the prospects and costs of a negotiated end
39:55 Gen Z marriage, fertility decline, and delayed family life
48:06 Why Irish media should cover the European Parliament

In this week's episode of Beyond the Pale, Cormac Lucey and David Quinn discuss Trump's midterm election disaster and why it happened. They preview the upcoming Fine Gael Ard Fheis and the party's dawning realisation it has gone too woke. They examine the confrontation over judges in Poland and the bias of EU institutions, and finally they dissect Mary McAleese's insane objection to infant baptism.
00:00 The episode’s agenda: US midterms, Fine Gael, and Poland
01:00 Trump turns the midterms into a referendum on himself
03:19 Economic strain and broken promises behind Republican losses
06:04 Why Democrats focused on economics over culture-war issues
08:56 Irish media’s Trump fixation and the risk of escalation with Iran
14:01 Fine Gael’s longstanding divide between urban and rural politics
18:21 Is Fine Gael’s conference motion a signal to voters?
19:16 The debate over wokeness and the changing public mood
23:21 How far should Fine Gael pull back from its liberal agenda?
25:13 Religious conviction, ideological certainty, and political dissent
30:13 Schools, political ideas, and the challenge for Irish parties
33:32 Poland’s judicial standoff and the fight over appointments
36:58 Courts and central banks as political battlegrounds
40:06 EU rule-of-law claims and national sovereignty
42:20 Ukraine, elections, and democratic obligations
42:56 Infant baptism, parental rights, and religious freedom

In the latest episode of Beyond the Pale, Cormac Lucey and David Quinn discusses the riots in France, including the involvement of hard-left agitators. They ask whether immigrants played a role in the violence and what lessons are to be learnt here in Ireland from what has happened. They also discuss new legislation aimed at removing the 'triple lock' that protects Irish neutrality.

In this week's episode of Beyond the Pale, Cormac Lucey and David Quinn discuss the public sector pay dispute. They ask whether RTE deserves to have its funding increased, and if the station is biased? They talk about how Iran war is helping to drive the cost of living crisis and Donald Trump's role in this. Finally, they discuss a huge row between EU member-states over the next EU budget and Ireland's part in the row.

In this week's edition of 'Beyond the Pale', Cormac Lucey and David Quinn discuss the budget and how every every politician wants to be Santa and no-one wants to be Scrooge. They explain why Social Democracy is the default position of Irish politics, and that one day we will need a 'Scrooge' who is willing to rein in public spending. Charlie Haughey emerges as an unexpected hero. 
00:00 Introduction and overview of Irish social and political certainties
02:02 Ireland's historical cycles of economic optimism and crisis
03:58 The flawed nature of Ireland's budget expectations and revenue assumptions
08:08 Public pension liabilities and accounting practices
12:00 Demographic challenges and aging population in Ireland
17:05 The cost of public spending and taxation in Ireland
21:58 Ireland's political consensus and social democratic tendencies
26:05 Management and accountability issues in Irish government
30:01 The influence of European and American politics on Ireland
35:51 Potential future bond market crises and fiscal risks