Irish Times Inside Politics

Ellen Coyne and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:· In the Dáil on Wednesday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin issued an apology on behalf of the State to survivors of abuse in industrial and reformatory schools. Nobody doubts the sincerity of such apologies, but given the number of them over the years, perhaps their rhetoric should be matched with the practicalities...

Campaigner Maria Steen, whose failed bid to launch a run for the presidency last year put the spotlight on the nominations process, talks to Hugh and Ellen Coyne about that campaign. She talks about whether she could have won had she got that nomination and why not enough councils supported her.She also talks about Catherine Connolly's first 100 days in office, why she is uncomfortable with the...

Under this coalition Government Ireland's climate ambitions are colliding with political reality. Hugh talks to Climate and Science Correspondent Caroline O'Doherty about how the current Government is retreating from its own climate legislation even as energy-hungry data centres multiply, agricultural emissions remain stubbornly high and extreme weather batters the country. From Europe's looming...

Jack Horgan-Jones and Pat Leahy join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:· The sharp criticism that greeted a review of allocation of special needs assistants in schools around the country prompted a hasty retreat by Government. The review has now been paused which should buy the Government some time to soothe tensions.· The Government are yet to act on their own voiced concerns...

13 months in, Donald Trump's second term is proving to be a much more radical political project than his first. On today's podcast Hugh is joined by Fintan O'Toole to talk about whether the Trump administration's ideology, use of state power and rhetoric now make comparisons with the fascism of the 20th century appropriate. What would fascism look like in today’s media, institutional and...

Disputes over freedom of speech, censorship and the shifting norms of acceptable discourse are part and parcel of modern political debate. Now the debate has come to the Leaving Cert. A review of content of the optional Politics and Society subject is underway, with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment saying consideration will be given “to potential risks associated with including...

Jack Horgan-Jones and Harry McGee join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:· This week saw the European Parliament approve a € 90 billion package to support Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia. The loan was approved by a comfortable majority, but among those who voted against it were Sinn Féin’s two MEPs, Lynn Boylan and Kathleen Funchion. The decision to oppose the measure...

How Ireland Voted is a regular publication featuring academic analysis of Irish elections. The latest edition looks at the 2024 general election and features an essay by Gail McElroy and Stefan Müller that puts party manifestos under the microscope, identifying which topics get the most attention and where the parties line up from left to right. The analysis suggests a major leftward shift in...

John Mearsheimer returns to the podcast to talk to Hugh about his view of geopolitics and global security in 2026.They talk about Donald Trump's unilateralism, the security architecture of Europe, the consequences for Europe of the war in Ukraine, US Middle East policy and threats to liberal democracy.Mearsheimer paints a pessimistic picture, warning that the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza will...

Pat Leahy and Ellen Coyne join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:· When it comes to the housing crisis or whether to spend the exchequer surplus, the results from the latest Irish Times/Ipsos B&A poll suggest an electorate that wants to see some action. This is despite Government’s claims that real progress has been made on housing. · One of the most noteworthy finds of the...