Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan

Hugh Linehan is joined by Jennifer Bray and Sarah Burns to discuss Thursday on the campaign trail:With polling day almost upon us, some running in the European elections have been engaging in a ‘war of words’, with members of Fine Gael and the Green Party butting heads on the campaign trail. Is all this ‘clawing at each other’ simply a final bid for cut through before votes are cast, or a taste of what a general election could look like?And is the broadcasting moratorium relevant or wise anymore given the amount of stories that seem to break right before polls open? Even the Minister for Housing is sceptical.Plus: Jen’s how-to guide will arm you with all the necessary knowledge as you set off with your polling card on Friday.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Linehan is joined by Jennifer Bray and Pat Leahy to discuss Wednesday on the campaign trail:Independent candidates are “wolves in sheep’s clothing”, warned People Before Profit at a campaign event today. What does that mean, and why are the small parties so worried about the impact of this rag-tag category of opponent on election day?The Nitrates Derogation is something that matters hugely to rural Ireland, so in election week you don’t want to wade into controversy over whether it should be retained, as Fianna Fáil’s Chris Andrews discovered today.Plus: An element of Pat’s analysis of the Dublin European election came in for sharp criticism from Social Democrats candidate Sinéad Gibney when she was asked about it by RTE’s Sarah McInerney during a televised debate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The run-in to Friday's local, European and Limerick mayoral elections is now underway and so is the daily elections podcast from The Irish Times. Hugh Linehan is joined by Jack Horgan-Jones and Harry McGee to look at the stories from the campaign trail:As Aontú launches its campaign, party leader Peader Toibin is bullish about the party's prospects in local elections.More polls showing disappointing levels of support for Sinn Féin. Can the party pick up momentum in the final days?The same polls show surging support for independent candidates. Some of them will be fighting for the final European seat in Dublin.But with many voters yet to make up their minds, the panel agree there is a lot left to fight for in these elections. To help you keep up with the latest from the campaign, new episodes of Election Daily from Inside Politics will be in your feed every day this week after 5pm. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh is joined by Pat Leahy and Cormac McQuinn to look back on the week in politics:The conviction of former US president Donald Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to an alleged hush money payment to Stormy Daniels is unprecedented in American political history. But will it make any difference on election day?More evidence emerged this week that Ireland is failing to meet legally-binding climate change targets.Will a scandal that engulfed Fine Gael local election candidate Marian Agrios dent the party outside of Louth, or even her Drogheda constituency?Plus, the panelists pick their favourite IT reads of the week:Our new columnist Mark O’Connell on why students keep schtum when asked why they are protesting.Revelations that the Irish State is in the pocket of Big Smoky Bacon.Ireland’s Chief Rabbi Yoni Wieder criticises President Higgins.Sign up for Politics push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phoneFind The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Linehan is joined by Harry McGee, Cormac McQuinn and Jennifer Bray who, after weeks travelling the highways and byways of Ireland in the company of hopeful local and European election candidates, are here to answer questions about what is happening on the ground. Do rural voters really blame the Greens for everything? Are Sinn Féin really struggling? Will the migration issue really help candidates like Niall Boylan? And what is the incredible new technique for reaching voters who aren't at home? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Linehan is joined by Pat Leahy and Cormac McQuinn to discuss the week in politics: ·     Rishi Sunak’s decision on Wednesday to announce a snap election for July 4th, four months earlier than predicted, caught everyone off guard. Will it prove to be a gamble worth taking? ·     Cormac was present at Fianna Fáil’s European election launch this morning where tensions boiled over as Senator Niall Blaney got into a public disagreement with Fianna Fáil leader, Tánaiste Micheál Martin, over the level of support he was getting from the party amid their three-candidate strategy in the Midlands North-West constituency. ·     And on Friday, June 7th – the same day voters across the country will elect representatives to local councils and the European Parliament – the people of Limerick will decide who will be the country’s first directly elected mayor. But what powers will the successful candidate have to go with their €154,000 salary? And the panel pick their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week:·     Laura Slattery writes about “king of the airwaves” Pat Kenny. ·     The passing of Ireland’s first business superstar, Tony O’Reilly. ·     Pedestrians best be on their guard against the quiet threat of electric vehicles as outlined by Shauna Bowers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been a busy 24 hours on the domestic political scene, with the leaking of a report that is highly critical of Government housing policy and the news that Ireland is to recognise Palestine as a state. Political Editor Pat Leahy is here to analyse the significance of these developments. After that, Jack Power reports from Brussels where a slate of newly-elected far-right and nationalist MEPs are expected to arrive after next month's election. What will it mean for the balance of power within the European Parliament? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The upcoming US election will see a presidential rematch for the first time since Eisenhower and Stevenson in 1956. That contest is between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the two most unpopular candidates in living memory. But who is likely to prevail once the votes are finally counted?In a special live event last week, Head of Polling at Ipsos US, Cliff Young, joined Hugh Linehan to dig into some of the big questions that have defined the presidential race thus far.Why is Joe Biden performing so poorly in the polls? Why have so many minority voters who would traditionally have voted Democrat, decided to make the move towards the Republican party? And despite his legal woes, does Trump’s anti-establishment stance still retain its potency?And in terms of what issues are front and centre for US voters, Cliff explains why it’s the economy, more specifically inflation, that is having a ‘nasty effect on the political calculus’. But can that be changed in any significant way before election day?Produced by Declan Conlon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Linehan is joined by Cormac McQuinn and Jennifer Bray to discuss the week in politics: ·     The last fortnight has seen several incidents of councillors being verbally and physically attacked while out canvassing for the forthcoming local elections. A disturbing trend that hasn’t been a feature of previous elections.·     The panel dig into what the Irish Times/Ipsos B&A poll results say about the volatility of public opinion right now.·     And neither current First Minister of Northern Ireland, Michelle O’Neill, or former First Minister of Northern Ireland, Arlene Foster, came away from the UK Covid-19 inquiry unscathed. And the panel pick their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week: ·     Ronan McGreevey writing 50 years on from the Dublin-Monaghan bombings.·     Laura Kennedy does the arithmetic of emigration.·     Stephen Collins writes of Micheál Martin’s political enemies  postponing their big move. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The latest Irish Times/Ipsos B&A opinion poll shows Sinn Féin support has slumped again while there has been a recovery for Fine Gael. The poll also shows that Micheál Martin is the most popular party leader, while support for independents remains at a high level. But what lies behind these trends? Hugh was joined by Cliff Young from Ipsos as well as podcast regulars Pat Leahy and Jennifer Bray to discuss the poll results before a live audience in Dublin city centre. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.