Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan

North and South, how open are citizens to constitutional changes in order to make a United Ireland work? How much economic pain would they be willing to bear? What level of short-term pain would be felt worth any long-term gains?Understanding such attitudes is one of the goals of North and South, a collaboration between The The Irish Times and ARINS, itself a joint research project of the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) and the Keough-Naughton Centre for Irish Studies at the University of Notre Dame.The continuing collaboration also makes it possible to track changing attitudes to reunification over time - and there have already been some significant changes.To discuss the findings of the latest series of polls in the North and South project, Hugh Linehan and Pat Leahy are joined by Professor Brendan O’Leary.Brendan O’Leary is a professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania and chair of the Public Opinion Committee of ARINS. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sinn Féin party leader and Dublin Central TD Mary Lou McDonald sat down with Pat Leahy to talk about a range of policy areas, from housing to migration and reunification. They also discussed the practice of some Sinn Féin members to take legal proceedings against media outlets and journalists. Pat and Hugh Linehan listen back and analyse the potential taoiseach's answers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jennifer Bray and Pat Leahy join Hugh Linehan for the final weekly politics wrap of 2023.Jennifer Bray is dialling in from Brussels, where the EU Council summit has been taking place, with national leaders meeting to discuss difficult issues including the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. And Pat fails miserably to tell the political story of 2023 in 60 seconds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An agreement has been reached at Cop 28 that includes a commitment to phasing out the use of fossil fuels, with some hailing it as an historic moment in the struggle to mitigate climate change. But an agreement is not a substitute for action and the actions required to achieve Net Zero by 2050 amount to one of the most fundamental changes in all human history. The effort is going to have repercussions for how we live, how states interact with each other and for domestic politics. To discuss all this Hugh is joined by Helen Thompson, professor of political economy at Cambridge and cohost of These Times podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s Inside Politics podcast, Cormac McQuinn and Pat Leahy join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:There’s been a lukewarm reception to Cabinet-approved plans for referendums to amend the Constitution when it comes to removing the reference to the role of women in the home; and expanding the concept of the family within the constitution. The wording is not inspiring Key civil society groups.With Paschal Donohoe not ruling himself out of the running for the top job at the International Monetary Fund, what could the potential impact be if he took the role with a general election looming next year?And following the recent Dublin riots, was Sinn Féin’s inevitable motion of no confidence in Justice Minister Helen McEntee a misstep?Plus, the ‘rap of the week’ on the wrap of the week comes from Conor McGregor. Has the UFC star developed political aspirations? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author Yascha Mounk chronicles the rise of identity-centric progressive thinking, its impact on society, and the threat it poses to democracy. The podcast explores the intellectual roots of left-wing ideology, the life of civil rights lawyer Bell, and the power and influence of identity politics. It also delves into critiques of Mounk's book and the importance of universal values in the fight for progress.

Hugh Linehan and podcast regulars Pat Leahy, Jack Horgan-Jones and Jennifer Bray got together on Wednesday to look back on all the major (and some not-so-major) developments in Irish politics in 2023. And they did so in front of a live audience in Dublin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is it time for the political system to grapple more explicitly with how immigration is changing Ireland and what sort of model - integration? multiculturalism? - we as a state wish to pursue?  Or is such a conversation only ever destined to be hijacked by hateful voices and to result in a normalisation of the sort of prejudice that was on display in Dublin last week? To discuss and debate this and other related issues, Hugh talks to Kevin Cunningham, Una Mullally and Ronan McCrea.Kevin Cunningham is a lecturer in politics at TU Dublin. Ronan McCrea is a professor of European and constitutional law at University College Dublin. Una Mullally is a writer, an Irish Times columnist and the author of In the Name of Love: The Movement for Marriage Equality in Ireland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week the Friday wrap panellists are joined by Irish Times crime and security correspondent Conor Gallagher to talk about how Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and the entire State apparatus will respond to unprecedented violence on Dublin's streets, encouraged by far-right activists, following the stabbing of several children outside a school on Thursday afternoon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"With economic signals flashing amber, the next Irish general election might be sooner than we thought", argues Cliff Taylor in an analysis piece for The Irish Times. But does Cliff's economic reasoning survive contact with political logic? Jennifer Bray and Pat Leahy let him know.Plus: Senator Malcolm Byrne is warning about the role AI technology and deepfakes could play in the next general election. What are the issues and how could they be tackled? And Jennifer has the details of how an Oireachtas committee has agreed our abortion laws should be changed to remove barriers to women accessing abortions in certain circumstances. The ball is now in the Government's court. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.