

Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan
The Irish Times
The best analysis of the Irish political scene featuring Irish Times journalists, political thinkers and the occasional politician. Hosted by Hugh Linehan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 1, 2018 • 56min
Referendum Debrief with Una Mullally, Pat Leahy, Jane Suiter & Sarah Bardon
One final Friday referendum podcast. Columnist Una Mullally and DCU political scientist Jane Suiter join Hugh, Pat and Sarah to debate what really happened. How did the media fulfil its role? What were the decisive factors in voters' minds, and can the success of the grassroots campaign for liberalisation be parlayed into electoral success for the politicians who supported the people? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 30, 2018 • 29min
"A Lot of My Colleagues Didn't Show Leadership" - One Fianna Fáil TD's Blunt Assessment
It will take a few podcasts to digest the historic referendum results of last weekend. Today we begin by looking at what lies behind the divergence between opinion polls and the final result. Then Michael O'Regan has the view from rural constituencies like Kerry where many TDs were left at odds with the majority. And we turn to Fianna Fail and reports of an unhappy meeting last night as the party struggles to figure out what its position on abortion should be. Is the party at risk of a major rupture? We talk to Niall Collins, the Limerick TD, FF spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Yes campaigner, who is blunt in his assessment of the motives and leadership of some of his colleagues. He demands the party now row in behind leader Micheal Martin on the issue as legislation works its way through the Oireachtas. We'll be back with another podcast on Friday, with columnist and campaigner Una Mullally and political scientist Jane Suiter of DCU. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 26, 2018 • 33min
Referendum Special with Kitty Holland, Fintan O'Toole, Sarah Bardon & Pat Leahy
The count is underway but the result is not in doubt. Social Affairs correspondent Kitty Holland, columnist Fintan O'Toole and Sarah Bardon and Pat Leahy from our politics team talk to Hugh about the ramifications of the resounding vote to remove our constitutional ban on abortion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 25, 2018 • 10min
Exit Poll: A Landslide for Repeal
The people have voted to repeal the 8th Amendment. But not only that. If the results of The Irish Times exit poll are borne out when the final vote is counted, the scale of the victory for Yes in this referendum points to a profound transformation in Irish attitudes to abortion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 24, 2018 • 32min
The Story of The 8th with Ruadhán Mac Cormaic (October 2016)
"One of the most poisonous debates witnessed in twentieth century Ireland" is how historian Diarmaid Ferriter described the run-up to the passing of the 8th Amendment in 1983.Against a backdrop of intense political division, moral outrage and conflicting understandings of how a rebalancing of the rights of a woman and an unborn child would play out in public courts and private lives, the referendum passed with a two to one majority.When the Citizens' Assembly first met in October 2016 to once again examine the abortion question, Ruadhán Mac Cormaic took us back to the early eighties to understand how and why the controversial amendment came about and its legacy in politics and society.This podcast was originally published in October 2016. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 23, 2018 • 38min
Debate Drama, Pat v Sarah, Mick Heaney on Referendum Radio
Which side won last night's referendum debate on RTÉ? Pat Leahy sees it as a tie, while Sarah Bardon calls it for Yes. The deciding vote is cast by our radio critic Mick Heaney, who also tells us about the how the referendum battle has played out on the airwaves. But first Sarah explains the strange goings-on that resulted in two male politicians going head to head over abortion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 18, 2018 • 31min
This Referendum is Different, Leaders Canvass, John Waters Takes A Stand
Sarah, Pat and Harry return for another referendum roundup, including more poll analysis, a look at the nationwide canvass, the campaign activities of Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin and a welcome moment of levity provided by a popular rival podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 17, 2018 • 11min
POLL: A Further Decline in Support for Repeal
Fiach Kelly and Pat Leahy discuss the latest poll from The Irish Times and Ipsos/MRBI that shows a further decline in the number of those responding they will vote yes, and an increase in those saying they will vote no. With just over one week left until polling day, which side does the trend now favour? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 16, 2018 • 38min
Referendum Heats Up, The Rural Vote, 'Max Fac' Brexit - with Fianna Fáil's Lisa Chambers
To discuss the latest news from the 8th Amendment referendum campaign, the division of the Fianna Fáil party on that same issue, and the latest on British Prime Minister Theresa May's struggle to find a way through the Brexit-Customs-Irish-Border thicket, today's podcast features Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Brexit and Yes advocate Lisa Chambers, Fiach Kelly and Sarah Bardon from our politics team, and London Editor Denis Staunton. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 11, 2018 • 29min
Referendum Countdown, Tech Ad Ban Harms #SaveThe8th, More Fact Checking
Liz Carolan of the Transparent Referendum Initiative joins Hugh, Pat and Sarah to talk about the biggest story of the campaign this week: the pulling of the digital rug from under campaigners by Facebook and Google. It's clear which side is hurting most, with Google's move a particularly damaging blow to #Savethe8th. But will it be a decisive one? Plus, Sarah reports on another fraught week checking facts for an ungrateful public. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.