Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan

When should a referendum on Irish unity be held, and how would citizens north and south vote? The answer to those questions are the subject of the first instalment of a series on Irish reunification, North and South, published today in The Irish Times.Professor Brendan O'Leary and Irish Times features editor Mary Minihan join Hugh Linehan and Pat Leahy to discuss the findings of the poll.They also discuss what was learned from focus groups held north and south on the same issues, with factors including security, the economy and identity playing major roles in shaping attitudes.North and South is a collaboration between The Irish Times and ARINS, which is a joint research project of the Royal Irish Academy and the Keough-Naughton Centre for Irish Studies at the University of Notre Dame.Brendan O’Leary is Lauder professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, and honorary professor of political science at Queen’s University Belfast – and a member of its Democracy Unit. An honorary member of the Royal Irish Academy, his recent books include A Treatise on Northern Ireland (Oxford University Press) and Making Sense of a United Ireland (Penguin Ireland). He chairs the public opinion committee of ARINS, a joint initiative of the Royal Irish Academy and the University of Notre Dame. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next month Fianna Fáil's Micheal Martin will hand over the office of Taoiseach to Fine Gael's Leo Varadkar.The switch will necessitate a big reshuffle of cabinet positions. Or will it? Our political team has the latest Leinster House chat about how extensive the December reshuffle will be and which positions might be in the mix.Plus: Roderick O'Gorman struggles with migration challenges, a report from the Green Party convention and a decisive victory for Fine Gael in the battle to save Christmas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the podcast today:How much of the East Wall refugee protest story is really an outworking of the housing shortage? With Russia's targeting of energy infrastructure in Ukraine likely to accelerate the flow of migrants, the shortage of space for refugees this winter looks increasingly like a major crisis.Evidence heard at the trial of Gerard Hutch for the murder of David Byrne has been embarrassing for Sinn Féin and party leader Mary Lou McDonald.As the Green Party hold their conference this week Harry assesses their place and performance in the government coalition so far. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Political correspondents Harry McGee and Jennifer Bray join Pat Leahy to discuss how the Government is grappling with some disquiet over immigration, as evidenced by protests against the arrival of refugees in the East Wall area of Dublin this week. Plus: Housing is never far from the agenda and this week a Private Members bill was introduced calling for the housing situation to be declared an emergency. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Non-political stories have dominated the news agenda this week, but each has a political dimension. Cormac McQuinn and Pat Leahy join Hugh to discuss the week's events. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"After months of rising tensions between Washington and Beijing amid talk of economic decoupling and a new cold war, Joe Biden and Xi Jinping sought in Bali to turn down the heat" wrote Irish Times China Correspondent Denis Staunton about this week's G20 summit. Denis joins Hugh to talk about how the relationship between China and the West is evolving. But first Denis gives his early impressions of life in China, having taken up the role of China Correspondent this autumn. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The world’s most powerful media and technology companies use their market power to lock their customers into a relationship they can’t escape, while immiserating the creative people whose work the customers are paying for. Companies like Amazon, Google, Facebook, Spotify, Clear Channel, Live Nation and Ticketmaster have generated enormous revenues for their shareholders while slashing the incomes of writers, journalists and musicians.But it doesn’t have to be this way, say Cory Doctorow and Rebecca Giblin, who argue, as they explain in their new book, Chokepoint Capitalism, that it’s time to fight back against the power of big tech and big media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jack Horgan-Jones and Pat Leahy join Hugh to look at the week's politics:A Supreme Court ruling creates a headache for GovernmentHow a stricken tech sector could change the political landscapeStill searching for that Brexit / Protocol "landing spot" Do US midterm results spell the end for Trumpism? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the run up to the US midterm elections, polls and political spectators forecast a landslide for the Republicans, but as the results continue to pour in, a different picture is beginning to emerge. The red wave that was expected on the back of the cost of living crisis, failed to materialise, with the Democrats performing far better than anticipated. To go through the winners and losers so far and to discuss what the results will mean for the Biden administration, Hugh is joined by Washington Correspondent Martin Wall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New legislation will give extra protection to members of groups affected by crimes motivated by hatred. But critics say the law will be an unacceptable infringement on freedom of speech. To dig into a thorny subject Hugh talks to speech rights expert Eoin O'Dell, a Fellow and Associate Professor at Trinity College Dublin's School of Law. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.