Does Sinn Féin’s two-candidate general election strategy lack ambition?

Host Hugh Linehan is joined by Jennifer Bray and Harry McGee to look back on the week in politics:

·      The panel paid tribute to former Fianna Fáil minister Mary O’Rourke after her death this week at the age of 87. She was involved in Irish politics for almost a half-century.

·      The expectation is that Sinn Féin will run with 65-70 candidates in the forthcoming general election – are they being overly cautious? And there was surprise too at the news that party leader Mary Lou McDonald will run alongside Cllr Janice Boylan in Dublin Central, with Boylan having expressed her dissatisfaction with Sinn Féin in 2022, writing in a letter to party members that she didn’t feel “supported, valued or even really respected”.

·      Also, Minister for Finance Jack Chambers and Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe had misgivings around some measures contained in Budget 2025.

Plus, the panellists pick their favourite IT reads of the week:

·      Ella McSweeney’s piece on the dire condition of nearly half of our rivers, lakes and estuaries.

·      Kevin Courtney on 10 of the best new shows to watch in October – Jen attests to the genius of The Diplomat.

·      Keith Duggan wrote of Republican JD Vance getting the better of Democrat Tim Walz in Tuesday’s vice-presidential debate.

Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.

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