And then there were three – the presidential candidates set off on the campaign trail

Ellen Coyne and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:

·       Catherine Connolly, Heather Humphreys and Jim Gavin got their campaigns into full swing this week as they got out and about to meet voters and give their pitch ahead of voting day on October 25th. And while Connolly made headlines this week when she told a fireside chat with the UCD Politics Society that she believed Germany’s rearmament was like the 1930s, it will be next Monday’s televised debate that will give voters a better idea of each candidate.

·       While the presidential election takes all the attention, it can be easy to forget that Budget 2026 is less than two weeks away. Perhaps Paschal Donohoe and Jack Chambers are enjoying the lack of scrutiny?

·       And Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan has not ruled out Ireland using deportation hubs outside EU borders, something that would have been very controversial in the not-too-distant past

Plus, the panel picks their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week:

·       The bizarre political karaoke of the Lib Dems party conference, the central importance of William Shakespeare’s work to a proper education, and the influence of Kermit the Frog on Patrick Freyne’s journalism career.

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