Path to Power

Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Áine Kerr join Matt to discuss Jeffrey Donaldson's appalling crimes and what he put his victims through by denying his guilt. They look at his political career and how he was a malign influence for more than forty years. They discuss Nigel Farage and whether his acceptance of a £5 million gift has scuttled his chance of becoming a prime minister. They discuss the departure of Keir Starmer, assess the likelihood of Andy Burnham doing a good job, and the timing of the general election he will call. They debate whether the decriminalisation of the possession of drugs would be a good idea or not, and weigh in on the importance or not of Ireland hosting the EU Presidency.

Brought to you by The Greenman Group.

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Lise Hand joins Matt to remember their great friend who was murdered 30 years ago in June 1996. They recall their friendships with Veronica, how they got to know her, and her early years in journalism. They swap stories about what a great character she was, but also how she was a trailblazing journalist. They turn to the circumstances of the horror of her death and assess the reaction of the politicians of the time and what they did in response to what was a national outrage. They address her legacy and wonder what Veronica would be doing now if she were still with us.

Brought to you by The Greenman Group.

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Lise Hand and Shane Coleman join Matt to discuss the race riots in Belfast and how racism is also a major issue throughout the island, how fire bombings have not been restricted to Belfast, and how a blind eye is turned to the island's native criminals. The political posturing over the EU Migration Pact and its implementation. The politics of the Ireland-Israel soccer international. Further developments on the Triple Lock for peacekeeping. And how Jennifer Carroll MacNeill faced down the Rotunda Hospital.

Brought to you by The Greenman Group.

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Brenda Power and John Deasy join Matt to discuss the controversy about hospital consultants employed by the State doing private work in public hospitals. Two bulls in a Kerry Field: division between the Healy-Raes, what's really going on? The new EU scrappage scheme: more than a PR stunt? The politics of the declining birth rate. Bungalow blitz or bliss? John and Brenda have very different views. Supplying the Russian war machine from Shannon. And the latest on Ireland-Israel relations.

Brought to you by The Greenman Group.

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Danny McConnell and John Lee join Matt to discuss the concession that our 2030 climate targets will be missed, and ask if we need to apply the Tony Blair analysis for Britain that net zero is inappropriate. They offer their by-election analysis of the real significance of the outcomes of two by-elections for the national picture. They discuss the changing conversation on immigration and Jim O’Callaghan’s position on deporting criminals. They return to the thorny problem of financing RTÉ, and debate whether the Government is as much to blame as management for the current crisis.

Brought to you by The Greenman Group.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.