Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan

This week the Government decided to unveil a €250 million package to help citizens meet the elevated cost of fuel. And this could be just the start of a series of new efforts to keep down the cost of living. After ending such supports in the last Budget, it seems there is a limit to the Government’s ability to resist helping when times get tough and the money is there. But what will happen when a crisis coincides with tougher fiscal times? The renewed threat of inflation is having an impact across the economic and political landscape. Inflation means unpredictable costs and that is especially bad for one key area.Other Government departments will be asked to bail out the Department of Education, which is facing another large budget overspend this year. Will this request brew inter-departmental strife? Our population is growing and our constitution stipulates there should be at least one TD for every 30,000 people. Should that rule be changed before we end up with excessive numbers of Deputies? Maybe - but a referendum on the issue is unlikely under this Government. Plus the panel pick their favourite Irish Times articles of the week, including Newton Emerson on an issue uniting left and right in Belfast, Big Tech’s Big Tobacco moment and Malachy Clerkin’s report on Ireland’s heartbreaking loss against Czech Republic. Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Denis Staunton's Global Briefing newsletter here: irishtimes.com/newsletters/global-briefing/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seán Lemass is remembered as the man who changed Ireland.Several opinion polls have noted Lemass as the country's most admired taoiseach.He never left any papers of autobiography, but rather twenty-two hours of private interviews.Hugh speaks to Irish Times reporter Ronan McGreevy who has gathered these lost interviews and collated them into a memoir in Lemass's own words.Produced by JJ Vernon and Andrew McNair.Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Denis Staunton's Global Briefing newsletter here: irishtimes.com/newsletters/global-briefing/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eoin Drea is a senior researcher at the Wilfried Martens Centre, the official think tank of the European People’s Party (of which Fine Gael is a member), and an occasional contributor to the opinion pages of The Irish Times, where he is often critical of Ireland’s approach to Europe. Recently he wrote that “Ireland’s recent hissy fit at not being invited to a pre-EU summit meeting in Belgium speaks volumes as to where Dublin ranks in the minds of our fellow EU members”. On today’s podcast he talks to Hugh about how Ireland’s influence in Europe has declined, why he believes Ireland’s political discourse around Europe is naive and lacking strategic depth and what “two-speed” EU development could look like - with or without Ireland as a key player. He also talks about how Ireland is viewed as being "in the pocket of the US multinationals".Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Denis Staunton's Global Briefing newsletter here: irishtimes.com/newsletters/global-briefing/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Discussion of Israeli strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure and the ripple effects on global oil and gas prices. Debate over possible government relief measures like excise cuts and targeted payments. Analysis of the Taoiseach’s Oval Office meeting and its international reception. Conversation about the demolished Co Meath house and the politics of one-off rural housing. Updates on winding down payments to people hosting Ukrainians.

Pat Leahy, Irish Times political editor reporting from Washington. He narrates the Taoiseach’s tightly choreographed St Patrick’s Day visit. Short takes on Oval Office chaos, managing Trump’s unpredictability, misgendering incident, diplomacy over Gaza and Iran, trade talks on LNG, and the Doonbeg invitation’s political risks.

Harry McGee, senior political journalist at The Irish Times, brings investigative context. Ellen Coyne, political correspondent at The Irish Times, offers sharp analysis. They discuss the Taoiseach’s tricky White House visit and its diplomatic optics. They examine the improving UK-Ireland summit at Fota House and modern maritime and cyber security threats. They also cover the Moriarty tribunal closure and its political reverberations.

Pat Leahy, Political Editor at The Irish Times, gives rapid analysis of European energy politics. Denis Staunton, Beijing correspondent, explains China’s energy ties and strategic calculations. They discuss how the Iran war is reshaping oil and gas markets, Europe’s political exposure and rearmament dilemmas, China’s long‑term planning, and migration risks from a collapsing Iran.

Liam Kennedy, director of the Clinton Institute and expert on Irish-American history, outlines how Irish identity in the US has transformed. He talks about changing census meanings and fading institutions. Cultural portrayals, modern pop culture hits, shifting party alignments and the resilience of Irish soft power in Washington are all explored in short, lively conversations.

Naomi O’Leary and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:·       After six days of US-Israeli attacks on Iran, the conflict is escalating and has spread to Lebanon which has experienced sustained airstrikes from Israel. Iran has vowed to continue targeting Gulf countries having fired missile and drone attacks into Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The US has entered into a conflict with no clear focus or potential resolution. Trump’s demands on social media for an ‘unconditional surrender’ from Iran seem like wishful thinking at this point.·       Irish consumers are already feeling the consequences of the conflict in the Middle East as the average cost of 500 litres of home heating oil was put at just under €800 on Thursday, an increase of nearly 60 per cent in less than a week. The Government was quick to react, asking the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) to launch an immediate investigation of domestic suppliers here.·       And research into last year’s presidential election by the Electoral Commission threw up some interesting results, not least that almost half of those who spoiled their vote, more than 12 per cent of the total ballot, did so because they didn’t like any of the candidates. Plus, the panel picks their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week:·       Horse manure sparks tension in the Liberties, mobile phones can be ageing over time, and does an arts degree retain any value these days?Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Denis Staunton's Global Briefing newsletter here: irishtimes.com/newsletters/global-briefing/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hannah McCarthy, an Irish Times journalist who reported from Cuba, describes the impact of tightened US oil restrictions. She discusses the US naval blockade and threats to Mexico and Venezuela. She highlights rolling blackouts, transport failures and the shrinking daily life for Cubans. She outlines shifting regional alliances, emigration pressures and risks of humanitarian collapse.