Is Simon Harris fit for the role of Minister for Finance?

Ellen Coyne and Pat Leahy join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:

·      As Paschal Donohoe departs for pastures new at the World Bank, will his absence weaken Government? And does Simon Harris possess the right skillset for the role of Minister for Finance? It might not matter if the qualified doctors who have run the Department of Health are anything to go by.

·      Paschal leaving has led to a Cabinet reshuffle with Fine Gael deputy leader Helen McEntee becoming the first woman to serve as the Minister responsible for both foreign affairs and defence. She will inherit many issues in need of urgent attention, not least the progression of the Occupied Territories Bill.

·      And the Oireachtas transport committee was told on Wednesday that Dublin’s planned MetroLink will need about 8,000 workers for its construction. Speaking to RTÉ radio, transportation expert Brian Caulfield suggested that “something like an Olympic village” would be necessary to house workers on the project.

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

·       Emerson Newton on how the Left are agitating for a border poll when conditions are far from ideal, and Diarmaid Ferriter on why authenticity matters more than spin in politics. 

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