The most politically loaded bowl of shamrock to date
It's almost March, and you know what that means: all political attention turns to one particular bowl of shamrock. Trump's second-term actions so far leave Ireland faced with a renewed dilemma: go ahead with the traditional St Patrick's Day trip to Washington in the name of using it to make our case on the world stage, or face the new realities of politics in 2025 and call off the Trump meeting.That is, of course, if he will even have us.Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews, and Rónán Duffy sit down to look at the careful political chess that will need to be played out. The team also have a (surprisingly energetic, it must be said) chat about the Seanad elections, and look at who was the real winner in the Dáil speaking row. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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32:10
Leo's gift to the new Dáil is a possible constitutional mess
With the help of a column in the Sunday Times, Leo Varadkar has casually lobbed a grenade at the new Dáil: are the positions of some new junior minsters constitutionally sound? It now looks like likely that their status could be tested in the courts, and for the first time. Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, and Jane Matthews have a look at this, as well as who exactly has been appointed to head up the various side portfolios.Also: Many parts of the country are still picking up the pieces after the disruption caused by Storm Éowyn, and the government is feeling the brunt of this anger. Insert your own pathetic fallacy of choice here. There are now huge questions to answer about how to avoid a repeat of such widespread damage to energy and communications infrastructure. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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31:09
The government's next big test: survive five years
What a week. An unprecedented start to the Dáil term. A temporary and perhaps uneasy truce over speaking rights that allowed the government to get off the ground. The Opposition putting forward a rare, united front. Again, this is week one; there are five years left to go.Fully remote this week due to Storm Éowyn, with the occasional atmospheric wind gust in the background, the team look back on the week and try to answer the biggest question: will this government survive for a full term?Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews, and – making his grand return — Rónán Duffy also look at the new Cabinet team and assess how they might perform. Who has been given the poisoned chalice? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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29:55
Dáil chaos: We can’t stress enough how unprecedented today was
The process of voting in a new taoiseach is usually a fairly routine affair. The opposition parties have their say, the government parties and their supporters have theirs, the vote is ultimately passed by the party with the most seats, and then it's time for a day out in the Áras. All very tidy.Instead, Leinster House has been plunged into unprecedented chaos and remains suspended into tomorrow after a row over Regional Independents potentially getting opposition speaking rights. Christina Finn and Jane Matthews found a few minutes in 'a day that felt like a week' to bring us up to speed on what exactly is going on. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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8:37
A dash of Healy Rae won't liven up the government's five-year plan
Something we're enthusiastic about: we're back for a new season! Something we're not enthusiastic about: the new Programme for Government.Our team — Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, and Jane Matthews — examine the 162-page document which outlines the government's plan for the next five years. Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Regional Independents Group list their priorities across all areas of the society, but the final result? Maybe a little dry. Maybe a little uninspired.And that's saying something, given the unexpected involvement of a Healy Rae in a junior ministerial position. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.