The Hard Shoulder

 A Bill which seeks to end Discrimination against cancer survivors when accessing financial products is currently making its way through the Oireachtas.  Fianna Fail TD for Dublin South-Central Catherine Ardagh’s introduced the bill and joined Anton to discuss.Listen here.

Tánaiste Simon Harris has been saying this week that US tariffs of 10% on exports from Ireland will be the "new normal". What does this actually mean for Irish business and for the Irish economy? The CEO of IBEC, Danny McCoy joins Anton to discuss.

A new study from The University of Texas at Austin suggests that emoji usage can impact perceived responsiveness, closeness and relationship satisfaction.  Keith Broni, Editor-in-Chief of Emojipedia, and dating coach Sharon Kenny join Anton to explore how emojis are shaping online romance, from flirting to ghosting — and whether they help or hurt your love life.Listen here.

Michael Plant, Liverpool FC reporter with Liverpool.com, joins The Hard Shoulder to reflect on the sudden and tragic passing of Liverpool winger, Diogo Jota.Listen here

Ilan Pappé, Israeli historian and long-time critic of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, joins Anton from exile to explain why he was expelled, and why he's continuing to speak out against his government’s policies.Listen here

Ireland, credited with natural “storytelling charm,” ranked third funniest in a survey of 6,000 people across 30 countries.The Czech Republic ranked first and Portugal ranked second. Comedian and actress Faye Shortt spoke with Anton to see if this list is really accurate.

Uisce Eireann has warned that water supply is critically low and that there is absolutely zero capacity for more water in Dublin.Demand on Monday breached capacity for the first time, highlighting that the services unsuitable without further investment in infrastructure. Maria O’Dwyer, Infrastructure Delivery Director with Uisce Éireann, spoke with Anton to outline Ireland’s water capacity challenges.Listen here.

Michael Horan, policy and regulation manager with Insurance Ireland, joins The Hard Shoulder to explain why motor insurance premiums are up over 8% year-on-year, and whether real reform is on the way.Listen here for more.

A potential upgrade to the electricity grid could cost anywhere up to 19 billion euro according to an investment plan published by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities.But will that mean anything for your bills?Muireann Lynch is Senior Research Officer for the ESRI, and she spoke with Anton earlier.Listen here.

Ollwyn Moran, neurodevelopmental therapist and founder of Cognikids, and Richard Hogan, psychotherapist and columnist with the Irish Examiner, join The Hard Shoulder to discuss a new study suggesting children show signs of addictive behaviour on TikTok after just 35 minutes of use.Listen here