The speaking rights row has yet to be quelled. A truce or a compromise is nowhere in sight. It's only getting messier, causing deeper divisions between the opposition and government parties.And then, through a simple gesture given by Michael Lowry to Paul Murphy, the entire situation was elevated to new heights.Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, and Rónán Duffy discuss the continued chaos in the Dáil and try to identify the main issues which still need to be resolved. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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29:07
McGregor couldn't be more at home in Trump's White House
And just when we thought the dust had settled after Micheál Martin's visit to the Oval Office.Conor McGregor's appearance in the White House was somewhat foreshadowed by Trump, who had referred to him as his favourite Irish person, but it caught many off guard. At the same time, McGregor being in the White House for 17 March shouldn't really come as any surprise – if anything, he's right at home. Could this be the start of Trump taking the former UFC fighter under his wing?Also this week, Christine Bohan, Jane Matthews, and Rónán Duffy assess the latest chatter around housing targets, and highlight how there is still so little business being done in the Dáil (but also, who can we point the finger of blame at?). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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32:02
The Oval Office meeting veered between success and humiliation
Ireland watched the Taoiseach's Oval Office visit with bated breath. Would it be a disaster, an incredible success, or something in between?One of the biggest events in the Irish political calendar is over, and Micheál Martin has survived his 50-minute encounter with Donald Trump. Not without slipping on a couple of banana skins, of course.Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Rónán Duffy, and — up bright and early in Washington DC — Jane Matthews look at how the meeting panned out. Did it offer the warmness towards Ireland some might have hoped to see? Or was it simply a bout of official paddywhackery? And to what extent will Martin's comments on housing come back to haunt him? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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38:53
Micheál Martin better be practicing his plámás right now
First, it was Covid restrictions that called off Micheál Martin's visit to the White House for St Patrick's Day in 2021. Then, during his second chance, he ended up actually catching Covid on the trip. Will it be third time lucky, or, after last week's Oval Office scenes, will this be one of the biggest tests of his political career? Will Trump unleash some pent-up anger directed at Ireland, or will Martin have perfected his plámás in order to keep him on side?Christine Bohan, Jane Matthews (who is off to Washington next week), and Rónán Duffy also dissect the latest climate warning for government (will they listen to this one, now that there's euro signs involved?) and how it's clear from the repeated pleas from parents that disability services is an area where there is the opportunity to affect real change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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30:25
Ireland gets DOGE-curious after x-ray scanner 'fury'
News about the National Gallery's never-used x-ray scanner worth €125,000 sparked 'fury' across the country... apparently. Did it really? If it did, how can that fury be used constructively? If it didn't, have we become numb to this type of wasted cash — or was this simply not that big of a deal?On this week's episode, Christine Bohan, Jane Matthews, Rónán Duffy, and Sinéad O'Carroll examine the latest spending controversy. Have Elon Musk's ham-fisted DOGE efforts in the United States put the critique of how budgets are spent in vogue?The team also look at the latest in the speaking rights row, which will not go away and has set the Dáil up for a potentially turbulent few days (again). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ireland