The Mick Clifford Podcast

The third anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine fell this week, at a time when Donald Trump has moved to completely realign the USA in the war. So what does this mean for a country under siege and now apparently sandwiched between the autocratic Putin and apparent wannabe Putin, Trump. Irish Examiner security correspondent Cormac O’Keeffe is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump has declared a war on woke which has been music to the ears of many, most particularly those of a far-right viewpoint. But what does it mean? And why is any such war required or to be welcomed and how does it feed into the basic strands of a far-right agenda. Writer and Irish Examiner columnist Seamas O’Reilly has been mulling over such issues in recent weeks. Seamas is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prison overcrowding has become a serious problem, with prisoners sleeping on mattresses and dangerous conditions prevailing. So is it time to ramp up efforts to find an alternative to prison, particularly for those who are sentenced to a year or less. The Irish Penal Reform Trust has done extensive research into offending, sentences and conditions in prison and have produced submissions and proposals, some of which feature in the new programme for government. The IPRT’s executive director Saoirse Brady is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Niall Muldoon is the ombudsman for children. His role gives him a perfect view into the problems that afflict the lives of children, right across society, down along the socio economic ladder, but particularly for those who are most vulnerable. He shared some very interesting insights into child poverty, issues around education and whether his office has enough powers to effect change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Electrify now: Hannah DalyThe loss of electric power in some parts of the country following last week’s storm has brought into focus the whole way in which we source our electricity and particularly whether it is sustainable. Hannah Daly, professor of sustainable energy in UCC talks about how there is a more sustainable route to getting our electricity and ensuring that the scenes we witnessed this week would not be repeated. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Micheal Martin was elected Taoiseach this week at the second time of asking. First he, the Dail and the wider public had to endure the spectacle of attempts to elect a Taoiseach ending in chaos. But was it self-inflicted or if not whose fault was it and does it auger for a new type of politics in the coming years. Irish Examiner Political Editor Elaine Loughlin joins this week’s podcast.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Donald Trump is inaugurated as the next president of the United States, we look at what the world can expect. Will Trump 2.0 differ greatly from first time around and if so will it be more dangerous? Will this country get caught in the spokes of his apparently free wheeling plans? Joining the podcast to map out the road ahead is Scott Lucas, Professor of US politics at UCD.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Carlow Weather is a twitter handle that many might be aware of as a place to go for a usually on-the-ball weather forecast. Its operator Alan O’Reilly is now probably one of the best forecasters in the country albeit one who is not a meteorologist. So how does he do it? When did he start? And what kind of a Summer can we expect before rooting around in the attic for the oul buckets and spades. Alan O’Reilly is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The issue of whether prison does what it was designed to do has been popping up regularly in recent years. Does it work? Does it provide rehabilitation? Are we imprisoning too many or for crimes that don’t merit such a penalty. Irish Examiner investigative reporter Ann Murphy has looked at one case of a man who has over 500 convictions and who has been in and out of the system for decades. She also examines the bigger questions in relation to penal policy in this country. Ann Murphy is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Irish Examiner reporter Sean Murray joins Mick to chew over some of the big stories from 2024, from failed referendums to shock resignations, from foregone conclusions to an earthquake election. And then there was the story that showed our capacity in this country to act the ejit and never know when to stop. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.