As Catherine Connolly is inaugurated as Ireland’s 10th President on Tuesday, Inside Politics asks how the country’s European partners will be preparing for her presidency.What issues from the Connolly campaign may have raised eyebrows on the continent, and how might she navigate Ireland’s EU presidency in 2026?Hugh Linehan is joined by The Irish Times correspondent in Berlin Derek Scally, and in the studio by Europe correspondent Naomi O’Leary.Produced by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Is it possible to have a coherent debate on immigration?
Harry McGee and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:· With renewed criticism from left-wing Opposition leaders of Tánaiste Simon Harris, over remarks he made about migration numbers in Ireland being too high, has it become almost impossible to have an honest discussion around immigration? · Taoiseach Micheál Martin is currently away at the Cop30 climate summit in Brazil, but the fallout from Fianna Fáil’s disastrous presidential campaign shows little sign of ebbing away. Could a potential heave against the party leader be gathering momentum? · Could the controversy surrounding Ivan Yates and his admission that he advised Fianna Fáil's presidential candidate Jim Gavin, and the subsequent conflict of interest that created, all have been avoided if he highlighted it early on in the presidential campaign? · And Mayor-elect of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, has been branded a ‘commie’, among other things, by US President Donald Trump and various members of the Republican Party, but has Mamdani shown the way forward for politicians mounting an election campaign?Plus, the panel picks their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week:· The annual British search for Irish poppy refuseniks, the $20,000 AI home robot butler, and Westmeath footballer Luke Loughlin on the issue of recreational drug use and the GAA. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Iain Dale, chronicler of British leaders, turns his attention to Irish taoisigh
Iain Dale has written books profiling prime ministers, monarchs and dictators. Next up from the LBC broadcaster and podcaster is a book on the people - all men - who have served as taoiseach. The Taoiseach: A Century of Political Leadership profiles all who have held the office and explores the evolution of the role. But Dale didn’t write it himself this time, instead drafting in a roster of Irish writers to take on a taoiseach each. Dale talks to Hugh about Ireland’s political leaders and what examining them has taught him about Irish history and politics. Along the way they they take a lengthy diversion into Iain’s real area of expertise: UK politics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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How does Micheál Martin quieten dissenting voices in Fianna Fáil?
Ellen Coyne and Naomi O’Leary join Pat Leahy to look back on the week in politics:· In the wake of Catherine Connolly’s emphatic presidential election win, could there now be a legitimate prospect of a left-wing government arising from the next general election? · With anger still simmering in Fianna Fáil’s ranks after a disastrous presidential campaign, is party leader Micheál Martin looking at a leadership challenge down the line? Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1 this week, the Taoiseach criticised “unacceptable” and “hurtful” comments about him from Fianna Fáil rebels like fellow Cork TD James O’Connor. · The coalition partners are becoming more openly critical of immigration. Perhaps they are now following the example of other European countries? · And Naomi O’Leary discusses the Dutch political scene with reports suggesting the centrist D66 party caused a big upset in Dutch elections this week.Plus, the panel picks their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week:· Mary ‘Mae’ McGee who successfully fought the ban on contraception in Ireland, and Newton Emerson on how Fine Gael’s anti-British rhetoric came back to bite Heather Humphreys. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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What would a united Ireland actually involve?
This week’s Inside Politics podcast with Hugh Linehan explores what a united Ireland would actually involve, Irish Times columnist Fintan O’Toole and Belfast Telegraph journalist Sam McBride have written a new book that addresses the case both for and against Irish unity.The structure of the book is unusual. Each journalist writes two long chapters: one arguing for unity, and one arguing against. O’Toole says the aim is to “give people a sense of what a decent argument looks like”. Too often, he suggests, the subject becomes a referendum about identity rather than a discussion of consequences. McBride agrees, saying most people “don’t get beyond the binary of are you for or against it” even though “none of us know what it would mean”.Practical questions run through the book: healthcare integration, welfare harmonisation, education, taxation and policing. McBride stresses the range of possible constitutional models. Northern Ireland could remain semi-autonomous within a united Ireland; or the island could adopt a more federal structure. “We don’t even know the most basic elements of this,” he says.Their conclusion is that everyone on the island will soon need to make an informed choice. And that requires informed understanding, not simplistic assumptions.For and Against a United Ireland is published by the Royal Irish Academy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The best analysis of the Irish political scene featuring Irish Times journalists, political thinkers and the occasional politician. Hosted by Hugh Linehan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ireland