Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan

Earlier this month Hugh, Ellen, Cormac and Pat got on stage at the IFI in Dublin for our annual end of year live show. Today we’re bringing you an excerpt from the show as the panel discuss their choice for the standout moments from the political year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan talks to Hugh and Pat about antisemitism after the Bondi beach attack, the progress of the Occupied Territories Bill, Ireland's security needs, why and how the Government wants to reduce inward migration, regret over his decision to support Jim Gavin's nomination for the presidency and his own ambition to one day lead Fianna Fáil. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ellen Coyne and Jack Horgan-Jones join Hugh to look back on the week in politics:Next week Fianna Fáil will get the long-awaited review into the circumstances around Jim Gavin's disastrous presidential campaign. Has the wait taken the sting out of the issue for Micheal Martin?The Government is worried about political fallout if it fails to vote against the EU's Mercosur trade deal. It argues that any such vote could be purely symbolicAnother thorny issue for the coalition: lengthy waiting lists for assessments of need, the process by which children with additional needs are assigned educational supports. The situation has long been untenable but the proposed solution is also controversial.Hugh addresses some of the many comments that have come in about Wednesday's interview with Eoin Lenihan.Minister Patrick O'Donovan wants Ireland to move ahead of the EU to restrict how younger teenagers access social media.And finally the panel pick their favourite Irish Times journalism of the week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eoin Lenihan joins Hugh to discuss his bestselling book Vandalising Ireland. In the book Lenihan sets out his argument that the choices made by successive governments, on issues from migration to the economy, have destroyed the country.He points to an alliance between the political establishment and the media, academics and NGOs, all intent on stripping Ireland of its original identity and replacing it with a globalised, multi-cultural society. The book calls for national, cultural and social renewal.In the interview they discuss the lost Ireland of Lenihan's childhood in County Clare, the extent to which Ireland's problems are particular to Ireland, whether the Irish media is too compliant and why Lenihan believes our migration policies will lead to 'parallel societies' with negative consequences.In the second half of the interview they discuss Lenihan's background as a researcher into extreme groups, including his work using social media to identify connections between journalists and the leftist movement Antifa. They also discuss his defunct social media persona 'Progdad'.Vandalising Ireland: How the Government, NGOs, Academia and the Media Are Engineering a New Globalist Ireland by Dr Eoin Lenihan is available in bookshops and online now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The appearance of drones of unknown origin in Dublin last week around the time of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy's visit again highlighted the security challenges of the present day and Ireland's lack of capability to act in its own defence. Neutrality remains a popular policy, as again demonstrated recently by the election of Catherine Connolly as president. That popularity does not answer the question of how much Ireland should invest in its own defence. Ireland diverges from other neutral European countries in our low defence spending and reliance on others for protection, information and security. But against those calling for bigger defence budgets, others warn of militarisation and point out the money could be better spent elsewhere. So does being a voice for peace preclude greater defence spending, or is defence spending a crucial part of a viable neutrality? On today's podcast Hugh is joined by Naomi O'Leary to pick apart the elements of Ireland's approach to defence and neutrality, how we compare to others and what questions will arise as Ireland comes under increasing pressure in Europe to boost capabilities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.