Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan

President Trump and his vast, costly entourage have rolled through Dublin on the way to his golf course, meeting with the Taoiseach and President Connolly along the way. As with other recent encounters between representatives of the State and Trump, there were no major diplomatic incidents for Irish officials to worry about. But Trump did ruffle some feathers with his comments on Irish reunification. "The Weave", as Trump calls his signature style of oratory, was on full display, by turns baffling, witty and terrifying.

Pat Leahy and Jack Horgan-Jones were present at the various set-pieces and they join Hugh to recap on a colourful day.
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Pat Leahy and Harry McGee join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:

Green leader Roderic O'Gorman has proposed a one-off €2.5bn energy fund, split between targeted energy credits and investment in grants for solar panels and EVs. It is one of few genuinely good ideas that emerged from the political party think-in season.

Following Wednesday’s interview with Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers on the podcast, Pat assesses Chambers' political positioning in the run-up to Budget day.

Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan's tightening of naturalisation rules imposes a range of new requirements on those seeking citizenship. Are they fair?

The UK is now leading the way on sanctions against illegal West Bank settlements. The haste is in contrast with Ireland's slow progress since 2018.

Plus, what we now know about the timing and choreography of Donald Trump’s weekend visit.

And finally the panel pick their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week.
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Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers talks to Jack Horgan-Jones about pre-Budget negotiations, HSE overspending, childcare, infrastructure and more.

He reveals that he intends to strip power over day-to-day spending from four HSE regions in response to what he describes as a "really poor performance" when it comes to controlling costs.

He also responds to critical comments reportedly made by Cabinet colleagues over his unwillingness to grant their spending wishes.

Then Hugh and Jack analyse the Minister's comments.

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British journalist Paul Mason talks to Hugh about his new book Reds: A Global History of Communism.

The book traces communism’s story from early human egalitarian impulses to modern China’s controlled capitalist system.

Mason talks to Hugh about what drew him to Trotskyism as a young man, his current politics as a left-wing social democrat and his concerns about democracy under threat. He explains his own break with Corbynism.
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Inside Politics Live is coming to Cork on September 30th. Get your tickets here.

Pat Leahy and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:

Labour’s annual think-in is happening in Galway and Pat is there to find out what the party is thinking up. The mood is positive. But with the rival Soc Dems riding high, Labour faces an uncertain future.

One new measure being proposed by party finance spokesman Ged Nash is a €100 “shopping supplement” targeted at families over the winter months. Expect many more such proposals between now and Budget Day.

Ireland’s skies and seas are being monitored by France and the UK while we hold the EU presidency. The Triple Lock, with legislation due to move through the Dáil, is a more pressing political issue - but the question of our meagre defence budget is another that will not go away.

We still don’t have much detail on US president Donald Trump’s imminent visit to Dublin, but it seems the majority of his time will be spent at Trump Doonbeg or within the confines of the Phoenix Park. Opportunities for diplomacy may be limited by the fact that the trip is largely a US-taxpayer-funded marketing exercise for a golf course. But there are still risks and opportunities.

Across the Irish Sea a Channel 4 News sting has exposed senior Reform UK officers allegedly scheming to get around campaign finance laws. The report dropped just in time to spoil the party’s conference and will add to the existing whiff of financial scandal around Nigel Farage’s political project. How much did Farage himself know and what impact will it have?

Plus the panel pick their favourite Irish Times stories of the week.
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