Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan

The UK government will intentionally break international law with new legislation designed to let it off the hook for certain aspects of the Northern Ireland protocol, a part of last year's Brexit deal. It's a move that would have been unthinkable not long ago, but it shows just how much the Conservative party has changed under Boris Johnson, says Denis Staunton. From Brussels, it looks as though the UK abruptly decided to stop playing chess and begin wrestling, says Naomi O'Leary. Plus, the appointment of Mairead McGuinness as EU commissioner and the worsening Covid-19 news. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's one of the defining relationships of the western world, but it is largely misunderstood - the special relationship between the UK and the US is not built on shared language, foreign policy goals, culture or ideals. It's built on money; specifically the global financial system that the two nations created together. So argues Jeremy Green, a political economist at Cambridge University, in his new book "The Political Economy of the Special Relationship". The book tells the story of the interaction of American economic power and British capitalism in the 20th Century, and how that interaction has damaged economies and weakened the foundation of healthy societies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Dáil returns today, earlier than scheduled due to the Golfgate scandal. Can the fractiousness of the Government's first few months be put behind it? It will need to be if ministers are to handle the challenges of reopening schools, agreeing a budget and forming a long-overdue plan of detail for living alongside Covid-19. Harry, Jennifer and Pat join Hugh to discuss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elif Shafak is an award-winning British-Turkish novelist, women’s rights advocate and political theorist. In her new book, How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division, Shafak reflects on the anger and anxieties of contemporary society and the divisions of modern politics. In this episode, the author speaks to Hugh about the importance of listening to each side of the debate and her hopes for a more empathetic post-Covid world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will he stay or will he go? While we wait for EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to decide Phil Hogan's fate, Naomi O'Leary joins Pat and Hugh to discuss the factors at play in her decision. In part two: Carl O'Brien on the thorny problems faced by Education Minister Norma Foley, as schools reopen and the moment fo truth for 2020's Leaving Cert students draws near.Naomi O'Leary is Europe Correspondent.Carl O'Brien is Education Editor. Subscribe to The Irish Times: https://www.irishtimes.com/subscribe/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pat Leahy and Jack Horgan Jones discuss the latest, and so far the worst, scandal to hit the Government: the attendance of Minister for Agriculture Dara Calleary and other politicians at a golf society dinner that breached public health guidelines. A weary nation feels disrespected and anger is red hot. Is the Government's authority fatally undermined? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, Hugh talks to Pete Lunn, a behavioural economist with the Economic and Social Research Institute. Lunn is also part of the behavioural change sub group of NPHET, which provides vital insights and evidence to support their communications strategy and wider work. They discuss the role behavioural science plays in the official response to the pandemic, the notion of lockdown fatigue and how the public will react to the reintroduction of restrictions. But first, Pat is here to talk us through ‘the most fractious cabinet meeting of the current government” which took place last night. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today Hugh speaks to Michael Brendan Dougherty, a senior writer with New York-based conservative magazine National Review. Dougherty is also the author of the 2019 memoir, My Father Left Me Ireland. In this episode, they discuss the ongoing realignment of the American electorate, the recent appointment of Kamala Harris as Joe Biden’s running mate and how the Republicans will contend with Trump’s legacy after the upcoming election. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Health editor Paul Cullen joins Hugh, Jennifer Bray and Jack Horgan-Jones to talk about an eventful week in Ireland's Covid-19 battle. Does the outbreak in the Midlands signal a major problem and a failure of governance, or is it a blip in an otherwise effective response?What is the thinking behind the proposed new colour-code system? And will the Leaving Cert blow up as a political issue, as adjusted exam results have in Scotland? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh talks to journalist Peter Geoghegan about the murky world of political think-tanks and pressure groups that he writes about in a new book, Democracy for Sale. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.