Inside Politics / Inside Story

Jack Horgan-Jones and Pat Leahy join Hugh Linehan to talk about the week in politics:A letter from Minister Roderic O'Gorman to cabinet colleagues asking for help in securing “sports centres… conference facilities, arts centres, student leisure centres [and] any other large buildings that are deemed safe” in order to house refugees shows just how bad this crisis has become.The Government is increasingly worried about the protests against the housing of refugees and asylum seekers around the country.A report this week that a deal between the UK and the EU over the Northern Ireland protocol was done turned out to be premature - but a deal may be imminent.The story about a legal strategy to discourage claims against the state by citizens overcharged for nursing home care shows again how the system favours the well-resourced when disputes ariseWith any subscription you'll get unlimited access to the very best in unique quality journalism from The Irish Times. Subscribe today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac

Labour leader Ivana Bacik talks to Hugh Linehan and Pat Leahy about her efforts to revive the party's fortunes since taking over early last year. In a political landscape where most parties are promising similar things, how can Labour cut through? And how much of Sinn Féin's agenda would Labour be willing to support if a coalition agreement were on the cards after the next election? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jennifer Bray and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh to look back on the week in politics.Claims of electoral expense irregularities expand to ensnare Sinn FeinFemale politicians speak out about threats and aggression Home building figures are not transformative enough to solve housing crisisWith any subscription you'll get unlimited access to the very best in unique quality journalism from The Irish Times. Subscribe today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No elections take place this year. But 2024 could see local, European and general elections all taking place in Ireland. And these looming political battles will shape what political parties do this yearUCC's Theresa Reidy joins Hugh, Pat and Jack to get ahead of the curve and discuss next year's elections. How important are next year's local elections in setting the scene for what's to come after?Will the "vote left transfer left" pact be repeated?How do the government parties compete with one another while fighting a surging Sinn Fein?Will the general election be called early? And will Micheal Martin still be Fianna Fail party leader heading into it? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe has cultivated a reputation for being a safe pair of political hands, so it has been surprising to watch him fumble his response to revelations over donations-in-kind made to his reelection efforts in 2016 by businessman Michael Stone. You can read about the details of what has been alleged and how Mr Donohoe has responded here. On the podcast Harry McGee and Pat Leahy look at just how bad this is for Mr Donohoe. Plus: The asylum seeker accommodation crisis is now verging on catastrophe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"If we push honest views below ground, we simply push those views into the hands of real racists". That statement, referring to the hot-button issue of migration, is typical of Meath West TD and Aontú party leader Peadar Tóibín, who likes to portray Aontú as neither left nor right but a party of "common sense". Will that approach win Aontú many votes? It's now exactly four years since the party's foundation and, while it has had few electoral successes so far, polling suggests it enjoys similar support to some of the longer-established small parties. Peadar Tóibín talks to Hugh Linehan and Jack Horgan-Jones about what electoral success looks like for his party, the importance of "culture war" versus "bread-and-butter" issues and some reflections on his former party Sinn Fein. This episode is the first in a series looking at small parties. We'll be back on Friday with a round-up of the week's political news. With any subscription you'll get unlimited access to the very best in unique quality journali

Struggling in your job, your attitude, your relationships? There are a growing number of self-declared online experts who have all the answers.Author and journalist Helen Lewis returns to the podcast to talk about her new podcast series The New Gurus, which takes a close look at the phenomenon of these online sages who have a major impact on the outlook and often the political views of millions of people worldwide.They talk about magnetic online personalities, from Russel Brand to Jordan Peterson. How much of it is a grift? And how much influence do the new gurus really have? You can listen to The New Gurus on BBC Sounds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cormac McQuinn and Pat Leahy join Hugh Linehan to discuss the fallout from a report on The Ditch news website that Meath West Fine Gael TD Damien English made a false claim on a planning application which allowed him to build a second house. The news forced Deputy English to resign his post as a junior minister. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today's podcast:The crisis in Emergency Departments this winter reveals a lack of accountability in the upper echelons of the system, among other issues. Was an attack on TDs with bags of excrement at a public meeting indicative of “a creeping sinister aggression” against politicians, as Ciaran Cannon claimed? Pat explains what is going on behind the scenes in the negotiations over the Northern Ireland Protocol. How would the DUP react to a deal that left even a much-changed Protocol in place? With any subscription you'll get unlimited access to the very best in unique quality journalism from The Irish Times. Subscribe today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New year, new Taoiseach, but the same headwinds facing the Government in areas like housing, refugee accommodation and a struggling healthcare system. Jack Horgan-Jones and columnist Gerard Howlin join Pat to talk about political goings-on in the first week of 2023 and whether Leo Varadkar's second stint as Taoiseach will be any different than his first. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's part two of our annual Ask Us Anything, featuring questions on journalism, politics and a podcasting rivalry.Taking your questions in studio are Hugh Linehan, Pat Leahy, Jennifer Bray, Harry McGee and Jack Horgan-Jones, with a cameo from Cormac McQuinn. Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our listeners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You asked, we answered. It's part one of our annual Ask Us Anything, featuring questions on journalism, politics and a podcasting rivalry.Taking your questions in studio are Hugh Linehan, Pat Leahy, Jennifer Bray, Harry McGee and Jack Horgan-Jones, with additional help from Europe correspondent Naomi O'Leary. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happened in the Cabinet reshuffle? Not a lot, is one reasonable answer - there were no surprises, most ministers stayed where there were and any moves had been well flagged in advance.But the day’s events still raised interesting questions for our politics team Pat Leahy, Jennifer Bray and Jack Horgan-Jones to answer on this episode of the Inside Politics podcast.Is the unchanged Cabinet a sign of stability - or a sign of stagnation and a death of new talent? How did Stephen Donnelly win the right to retain his position in Health?Why was Fianna Fáil’s Jack Chambers, moved sideways from chief whip to super junior in the Department of Transport, denied a bigger promotion?How can Micheál Martin lead his party while travelling the world as Minister for Foreign Affairs? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Naomi O'Leary is on the line from Brussels where a money-for-influence corruption scandal has rocked the European Parliament. But first, Jack Horgan-Jones and Cliff Taylor on the significance a proposal to overhaul planning laws and potential opposition to the bill from within government. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Current affairs editor Arthur Beesley joins Hugh and Pat to talk about his report on what happened inside the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) when its members considered whether to proceed with an investigation into the leaking of a document to a friend by Tanaiste Leo Varadkar. The five Sipo commissioners were split 3:2 in favour of not investigating, the first time in the commission's history a decision was not unanimous. The documents reveal the dissenting views of the two members, who voted to proceed with a preliminary investigation of Varadkar's behaviour in the matter and who expressed dissatisfaction with his rationalisation of events. That the two votes were those of Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) Seamus McCarthy and Ombudsman Ger Deering, two of the most senior independent watchdogs in the State, is an uncomfortable fact for soon-to-be Taoiseach Varadkar and Fine Gael. Plus: Pat talks about today's instalment in the North and South series on attitudes to Irish reunification.

"Loser's consent" could be a critical concept in the event of a referendum on Irish reunification. Will the losing side accept the results? We got some idea of attitudes from new poll results published by The Irish Times this week as a part of our North and South series.Professor John Garry of Queens University Belfast and Northern Editor Freya McClements join Hugh and Pat to discuss the levels of willingness that exist on the island to compromise and accommodate the other side in the event of a united Ireland.Plus: How should we read the large number of "don't knows" in the poll on support for reunification? Could enough undecideds swing towards unity within the ten-year timeframe talked about by Sinn Féın?North and South is a collaboration between The Irish Times and ARINS, which is a joint research project of the Royal Irish Academy and the Keough-Naughton Centre for Irish Studies at the University of Notre Dame.John Garry is professor of political behaviour, and director of the Democracy Unit, at Que

When should a referendum on Irish unity be held, and how would citizens north and south vote? The answer to those questions are the subject of the first instalment of a series on Irish reunification, North and South, published today in The Irish Times.Professor Brendan O'Leary and Irish Times features editor Mary Minihan join Hugh Linehan and Pat Leahy to discuss the findings of the poll.They also discuss what was learned from focus groups held north and south on the same issues, with factors including security, the economy and identity playing major roles in shaping attitudes.North and South is a collaboration between The Irish Times and ARINS, which is a joint research project of the Royal Irish Academy and the Keough-Naughton Centre for Irish Studies at the University of Notre Dame.Brendan O’Leary is Lauder professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, and honorary professor of political science at Queen’s University Belfast – and a member of its Democracy Unit. An honorary member of th

Next month Fianna Fáil's Micheal Martin will hand over the office of Taoiseach to Fine Gael's Leo Varadkar.The switch will necessitate a big reshuffle of cabinet positions. Or will it? Our political team has the latest Leinster House chat about how extensive the December reshuffle will be and which positions might be in the mix.Plus: Roderick O'Gorman struggles with migration challenges, a report from the Green Party convention and a decisive victory for Fine Gael in the battle to save Christmas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the podcast today:How much of the East Wall refugee protest story is really an outworking of the housing shortage? With Russia's targeting of energy infrastructure in Ukraine likely to accelerate the flow of migrants, the shortage of space for refugees this winter looks increasingly like a major crisis.Evidence heard at the trial of Gerard Hutch for the murder of David Byrne has been embarrassing for Sinn Féin and party leader Mary Lou McDonald.As the Green Party hold their conference this week Harry assesses their place and performance in the government coalition so far. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Political correspondents Harry McGee and Jennifer Bray join Pat Leahy to discuss how the Government is grappling with some disquiet over immigration, as evidenced by protests against the arrival of refugees in the East Wall area of Dublin this week. Plus: Housing is never far from the agenda and this week a Private Members bill was introduced calling for the housing situation to be declared an emergency. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.