Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan
Episodes
Save the 8th's John McGuirk
18 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Hugh Linehan and Sarah Bardon sit down with John McGuirk of the Save the 8th organisation to talk about some of the key issues, fundraising, conductin...
A Slow Start for Repealers? No, Says Ailbhe Smyth
11 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Co-Director of Together For Yes Ailbhe Smyth joins Pat and Hugh to talk about the campaign so far, the intense fundraising activities of the past few ...
Confidence & Supply, Presidential Election, INM
04 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah Bardon, Fiach Kelly and Hugh Linehan discuss the increased likelihood of a general election in the short term, after comments by Fianna Fáil’...
Coveney Blunders, SCU, How To Win A Sports Grant
28 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
First up today, Hugh, Pat and Harry discuss Tánaiste Simon Coveney's difficult few days, and the disbandment of the ill-fated Strategic Communication...
Weaponised Facebook: It Couldn't Happen Here (Yet)
21 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The Inside Politics team look at the harvesting of Facebook user data to target citizens with news, of both the real and fake varieties, to manipulate...
Taoiseach Talks Trade with Trump
14 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Leo Varadkar meets Donald Trump for the annual St Patrick’s Day White House visit by an Irish leader tomorrow. How will the encounter differ to that...
Referendum Obstacle Cleared & Katy Hayward on Brexit
07 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The Supreme Court has cleared the way for the government to proceed with plans to hold a referendum on the Eighth Amendment, ruling that the unborn ha...
Strategic Communications, Brexit Fudge Hits the Fan
28 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The role of the Strategic Communications Unit has come under the spotlight thanks to this week's controversy over a series of 'advertorials' placed in...
Live: Can The Big Three Parties Learn to Work Together?
24 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A special live episode of the podcast featuring Minister for Arts Josepha Madigan, Fianna Fáil TD Thomas Byrne and Sinn Féin TD Louise O'Reilly. The...
Michael D's Challengers, FF's Vulture Signalling, Unborn Rights
21 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Michael D Higgins is going to run for a second term. The major parties do not want to put a candidate up against him - but might they have to, for the...
Best Laid National Plans & Impasse Remains in Belfast
14 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The government will unveil two key documents mapping out its plans for Ireland’s future this Friday - the €115bn 10-year Development Plan and the ...
Interview: Former Press Secretary Feargal Purcell
10 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
"Enda didn't get a fair hop from the media".Feargal Purcell served as Enda Kenny's press secretary for six years, and briefly as Leo Varadkar's after ...
Vincent Browne on Gerry Adams, Sinn Féin & the Media's Failures in Reporting The Troubles
07 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
'Gerry Adams: War, Peace and Politics', a new documentary by Vincent Browne, airs tonight and tomorrow night on TV3. The veteran broadcaster and journ...
After A Historic Night, Campaigning Intensifies
31 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The Taoiseach’s statement on Monday night that the Government will propose a referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment and that he would personally ...
Poll: Permit Abortion Up To 12 Weeks? Yes, Say A Clear Majority
26 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Leahy talks to Hugh Linehan about the findings of the latest Irish Times Ipsos/MRBI poll that asked voters for their views on abortion, including ...
Fianna Fáil Divided / Leo's Bank of Mum & Dad
24 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Micheál Martin took his party by surprise with his statement of support on repealing the 8th Amendment last week. Is there now a risk of rebellion in...
Decision Time Nears on 8th, Referendum Battle Lines, Sinn Féin's Growing Pains
17 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On the question of the 8th Amendment, there remains in Leinster House a good number of fence sittters. The time for them to jump off is drawing near, ...
Fianna Fáil's Prospects, Homelessness, Property Tax & more
10 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Fianna Fáil Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee joins Hugh, Pat and Harry to discuss why, even after recent opinion polls show Fine Gael's support gatherin...
New Year, Old Problems
03 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
As 2017 drew to a close political staff did the traditional round of Christmas interviews with senior politicians. Familiar themes emerged: the extrem...
The Year in Politics
27 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Leahy, Fiach Kelly and Michael O'Regan look back at some of the big events of 2017 and speculate about the forces at home and abroad that will sha...
Senator Catherine Noone
20 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Senator Catherine Noone, chair of the abortion committee that today published its report, talks to Hugh and Pat about how a majority of the group came...
Brexit: What's Our Strategy Now? Live at the IIEA
13 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The question of the post-Brexit status of the Border may be settled for now, but broader questions remain. What will Ireland's place in Europe be, onc...
Poll Special: 8th Amendment, Political Parties & Brexit
09 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This week, there were three Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI opinion polls. This morning's asked respondents whether or not they would vote to change the consti...
Brexit: High-Stakes Game Playing
06 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The Guardian’s Brexit correspondent Lisa O’Carroll joins Irish Times political editor Pat Leahy, deputy political editor Fiach Kelly and presenter...
Fintan O'Toole: "An act of defiance of Irish democracy" / Britain's Pesky Irish Problem
29 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar called the Department of Justice 'dysfunctional' yesterday, but it is worse than that, says Fintan O'Toole: the failure by the ...
After A Day of Drama, Questions Remain
28 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Leahy and Harry McGee talk to Hugh about the dramatic events of the last week that were capped today with the resignation of Frances Fitzgerald, a...
No Hand, Act or Part
22 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This week there proved to be at least one more political sting left in the tail of the McCabe controversy. This latest entanglement involves a dubious...
Exit Adams / Live at the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis
20 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Inside Politics returned to the RDS on Saturday for the final stop on our tour of party conferences in what has amounted to a festival season for Iris...
The Brexit Riddle
15 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
As the deadline for completing the first stage of Brexit negotiations draws near, and with the British political establishment in the midst of a nervo...
The Taoiseach's Speech, Republic of Opportunity, Brexit Realities (Live at FG Conference)
11 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Last month we went to the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis for a close look at that party's policies, politics and personalities. This weekend it was Fine Gael'...
Sexual Harassment, Languishing Bills, Alan Shatter
08 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The Houses of Parliament in Westminster have been engulfed by allegations of sexual harassment in the past week. How does the environment in Leinster ...
Inside Story - Paradise Papers
06 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Paradise Papers is the name given to a journalistic project organised by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) in Washingto...
Interview: Timothy Snyder, Author of "On Tyranny"
03 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Hugh Linehan speaks with American author, historian and academic Timothy Snyder about his book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, ...
Can Labour Come Back?
01 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Labour is in the doldrums, stuck on five or six per cent in the polls and struggling to have its voice heard. What are its chances of getting back to ...
Repeal or Replace, Crimes in The National Interest
25 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Hugh and Pat are joined by Social Affairs Correspondent Kitty Holland and columnist Fintan O'Toole to discuss the direction being taken by Fine Gael a...
Interview: Martin O'Malley on Life in Politics, Trump, Running in 2020
20 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Irish-American politician Martin O'Malley is best known for terms as governor of Maryland and mayor of Baltimore, and for his unsuccessful run for the...
Storm Ophelia, 8th Amendment Committee & EU Summit
18 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar held a number of press conferences throughout Storm Ophelia, did live interviews and donned a high-vis jacket to assess the res...
Are Fianna Fáil Ready for Government? Live at the Ard Fheis with Dara Calleary & Fiona O'Loughlin
14 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Inside Politics has made the short trip from its office to the RDS where a resurgent Fianna Fáil are holding their annual Ard Fheis, to ask whether t...
Interview: A.C. Grayling - Rethinking Democracy
13 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Philosopher A.C. Grayling is known for his writings on the intersections between belief systems, individual liberties and systems of government. In hi...
Budget Special: More Porridge, Less Pyrotechnics
10 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
No big bonanza and no pyrotechnics, but Budget 2018 is more exciting than it might seem on the surface. So say the Irish Times political team. Paschal...
Poll Special: 8th Amendment, Framing Questions, Leo's Bounce
06 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Leahy talks to Hugh Linehan about the results of the latest Irish Times Ipsos/MRBI poll.The poll showed greater support for a limited revision of ...
Any Budget Surprises in Store? Leo vs LCD Soundsystem, Catalonia Reaction
04 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
With just six days left until Leo Varadkar and Paschal Donohoe announce their first Budget as Taoiseach and finance minister respectively, the most su...
Interview: Robert Harris on The Transformation of Britain
29 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Novelist and former political journalist Robert Harris returns to Inside Politics to discuss his new novel 'Munich', set over the course of the four-d...
Abortion Referendum, Sinn Féin's Culture, Property Tax
27 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Sinn Fein TD for Dublin Mid-West Eoin Ó Broin joins Hugh, Pat and Sarah to discuss the forthcoming referendum on the 8th Amendment, Fianna Fáil and ...
Ruled By Fianna Fáil & Fine Gael Forever? (Live at the Dublin Podcast Festival)
25 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Ten years after an economic and social crisis that it seemed would change the Irish political landscape utterly, the political dominance of Fianna Fá...
Budget Skirmishes, Michael D's Move, Dáil Returns
20 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Hugh is joined by Harry McGee and Fiach Kelly to discuss everything and anything on the political agenda this week, including pre-budget skirmishes be...
"The Trends Are Good, But It's Not Enough"
13 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This week Hugh, Pat and Harry are joined by Minister of State at the Department of Housing Damien English to talk about the latest news on the housing...
Barry Cowen Defends His Housing Proposal & FF's Record / SF's Leadership Dilemma
06 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The negative reaction to Fianna Fáil TD and spokesman on housing Barry Cowen's proposal to incentivise building by reducing VAT rates for builders sh...
PSC: Compulsory or Mandatory? Housing Out Of Hand, Strategic Communications
30 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
From E-voting to water charges, there have been plenty of examples of governments getting into hot water over a 'sensible' plan emanating from the civ...
Housing Crisis: Time for the State to Build
23 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Can we fix a housing market bedevilled by perverse incentives and bottlenecks?How important have lobbying, vested interests and ideology been in deter...
Britain's Border Proposal, Preparing for Failure, Craughwell 2018
16 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Britain has just released a negotiating paper with details of how it sees a future UK-EU border on this island operating. Here with hot takes are Fiac...
Inside Story - Simon Carswell Visits Ireland's Ghost Estates
12 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Ghost estates - residential building developments began during the boom and abandoned when the crash came - became synonymous with the excesses of the...
Brexit: Fintan O'Toole & Jeffrey Donaldson on Dublin's Tough Talk
09 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson and Irish Times columnist Fintan O'Toole discuss how well Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is playing Dublin's hand in the rather compl...
Sophie Long on Varadkar, Brexit and the DUP
02 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Former Progressive Unionist Party member and feminist academic Sophie Long gives her view on Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s recent comments about Ireland’...
Don't Party Like It's 1999
26 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
When Government returns to its work in the autumn, the difficult and politically dangerous work of managing our economic recovery by means of the budg...
David Goodhart On Rethinking Political Divides
21 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In his book "The Road to Somewhere: The Populist Revolt and the Future of Politics", journalist David Goodhart attempts to provide a framework for und...
Water Refunds, GNI in A Bottle, Brexit Pessimism
19 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Fine Gael have found the money to repay water charges to those who complied back in 2014, marking perhaps the final chapter in a terrible humiliation ...
End of Term, Paschal's Loose Change, The Observing Taoiseach
12 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The summer break is looming in Leinster House and TDs are rushing to get things legislation through after an underwhelming term. Minister for Finance ...
Trudeaumania, Bin Ideology & DUP's Desperation
05 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Harry McGee and Pat Leahy talk about the substantive issues addressed by An Taoiseach Leo Vardakar and Justin Trudeau on the occasion of the Canadian ...
Shane Ross's Unloved Bill, NED Talks
28 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Former Irish Times Legal Affairs correspondent and author of The Supreme Court Ruadhan Mac Cormaic joins podcast regulars Sarah Bardon, Pat Leahy and ...
Cringe Actually, Gender Roles, Nóirín Gets The Third Degree
21 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The grubby appointment of former AG Máire Whelan to the Court of Criminal Appeals, the glaring lack of females in the senior and junior Government ra...
Fintan O'Toole on Brexit, English Nationalism and the DUP
16 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Hugh talks to Fintan O'Toole, who has just been awarded the Orwell Prize for Journalism for his writing on Brexit. Fintan explains why the Irish view ...
Leo's First Day: What We Learned
14 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
After another long day in Dáil Eireann, Irish Times politics team members Pat Leahy, Fiach Kelly and Mary Minihan trooped back to base to chat with H...
Political Theatre, Cabinet Forecast, Mary Lou McDonald on Leo The "Tory"
07 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald returns to the podcast to share her views on Leo Varadkar and Fine Gael's place on the political spectrum, future coali...
It's Leo
02 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Leo Varadkar has prevailed. At just 38, the new leader of Fine Gael is practically guaranteed to become our next Taoiseach. Simon Coveney, meanwhile, ...
Interview With Angela Nagle, Author Of 'Kill All Normies'
01 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Academic and author Angela Nagle first came to many Irish Times readers' attention when she penned an opinion piece on the so-called Alt-Right, in res...
Leo's Last Lap, Simon's Switchers and Yesterday's Men
31 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Blue blood stained the floor after the final Fine Gael leadership hustings in Cork on Sunday. Now there are just a few days left for Simon to overhaul...
Inside Story: The Persecution of Sean FitzPatrick
27 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Sean FitzPatrick has been vilified for his key role in the economic crash that devastated the country. But has the State wronged him in its pursuit of...
Poll Shows Majority Favour Coveney
25 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
A new Irish Times / Ipsos MRBI poll brings badly needed good news for Simon Coveney as he tries to overhaul Leo Varadkar's early lead in the race to l...
Mission Impossible? - Simon Coveney's Leadership Fight
24 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The chances of Simon Coveney becoming the next leader of the Fine Gael party are slim, but Dublin Bay South TD Kate O'Connell, who is supporting him, ...
Fintan O'Toole: This Low-Stakes Race Is Meaningless For Most Of Us
19 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Leo Varadkar seems to be pulling away in the race to succeed Enda Kenny. But does it really matter whether it is Simon or Leo? Fintan O'Toole talks to...
There Is A Vacancy: Varadkar Holds Early Lead in Race to Succeed Kenny
17 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Enda Kenny's leadership of Fine Gael and the country is over. Who will replace him? Fiach Kelly has canvassed every TD, Senator and Councillor to get ...
Seán Fleming on Enda's Lingering Leadership, Confidence & Supply and PAC
17 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
How has Enda Kenny's long goodbye impacted on the Oireachtas? Fianna Fáil TD and chair of the Dáil's Public Accounts Committee, Seán Fleming joins ...
Inside Eurovision with Patrick Freyne
12 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Eurovision time is here again, and this year it's taking place in Ukraine. Is the tense political context impacting the annual carnival of national po...
A Disturbance in the Force, Dáil Decorum, Paschal the Kingmaker
10 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Will Nóirín O'Sullivan eventually be invited to follow sacked FBI director James Comey into early retirement? To discuss that developing story, plus...
A Year of Living Independently
05 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The Independent Alliance has been in Government for one year, already longer than many observers predicted at the outset. How has it been doing? Very ...
What Ails The Dáil? How To Fix Our Lifeless Legislature
03 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
What's going on in Leinster House? Not much, but at least we can argue about why that is the case. Today's Irish Times editorial was a little harsh, s...
Church, State & Hospital / What Next For Anti-Abortion Groups?
26 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The row over ownership of the new Maternity Hospital may be dying down, for now, but it has revealed some interesting things about the politics, peopl...
Inside Story - Gardaí Struggle With Hostility On Streets
22 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
It's been a torrid few months for the institutional reputation of An Garda Síochána. Some members of the force believe the various controversies hav...
Snap Chat: May's Surprise, Labour's Nightmare, The Forgotten Celtic Fringe
19 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
How the forthcoming UK election could leave the Conservatives with a whopping majority and consign Labour to as much as another decade in the politica...
Water Solved? / All Politics Is Local
12 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Part one: Could water finally be a political issue of the past? Sarah Bardon has the latest on the negotiations that briefly threatened to topple the...
Inside Story - IRA veterans' view of Brexit
08 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Does Brexit threaten peace in Northern Ireland? Simon Carswell asked four ex-IRA men their views. Their answers show that they, like many others, are ...
FG-FF deal fraying / Green's Catherine Martin on maternity leave & rebuilding the party
05 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The arrangement between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil is getting ropier by the week, with continued disagreements over water and how to deal with the cri...
Jim O'Callaghan on Garda Controversy & Confidence
29 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
There's a distinct lack of confidence emanating from the opposition benches of late, as the Dáil gets to grips with the latest Garda controversy.Spea...
Inside Story - Victims on Trial?
27 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Testifying against an abuser in court is a harrowing experience for a woman. When defence barristers ask questions about that woman's personal sexual ...
Stephen Donnelly on Brexit, Fianna Fáil & "Phenomenal" Ireland
22 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Fianna Fáil’s newest recruit Stephen Donnelly talks about why he has never been more convinced of the need for the government to appoint a Brexit m...
The Legacy of Martin McGuinness
21 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald joins us to pay tribute to the late Martin McGuinness. She calls him a person of grit and remarkable skill, who leaves ...
Colm Tóibín's solution for Northern Ireland
16 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Author Colm Tóibín believes compromises must be made on all sides and by all traditions to give Northern Ireland the best possible future, one that ...
Gerry Adams on Stormont negotiations, a border poll and reaching out to unionism
15 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest today is Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams. On the agenda are negotiations to form the Northern Ireland executive, what should happen if those t...
Tuam Reaction, Harris Withdraws From FG Race, Enda Goes to Washington
08 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In the past week the confirmation of the discovery of human remains at a former mother and baby home in Tuam, County Galway has shocked the nation and...
Bonus Pollcast: Advantage Coveney In Two-Horse Race
04 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Recorded earlier this week, this podcast features analysis of the final batch of results from the latest Irish Times Ipsos/MRBI poll, this time concer...
Poll Special: Plurality Want 8th Replaced, Not Repealed
03 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Leahy talks to Hugh Linehan about the findings of the latest Irish Times Ipsos/MRBI poll which show that the question of abortion remains a divisi...
Finian McGrath on 'Grace' & punishing HSE staff who failed her, Irish Water & Dáil delays
01 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Taoiseach Enda Kenny apologised yesterday for the appalling treatment of 'Grace', a child with an intellectual disability, in our care system. Indepen...
"A toxic balance of power between FF & FG" - Prime Time's Katie Hannon on a year of New Politics
24 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
It's one year since voters gambled on an uncertain future by returning no clear winner in the general election. Over the next week, in print and onlin...
"He's not like other politicians" - Varadkar and Coveney supporters make their case
22 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The race to become the next leader of Fine Gael is now on, no matter what anyone tells you to the contrary. On today's podcast we talk to two Fine Gae...
McCabe Crisis: Kenny Departure Hastened, Our Institutions Exposed, How To Run A Tribunal
15 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
It's been a busy week in politics and there's a lot to get through on today's podcast. First political reporter Sarah Bardon looks back at a shambolic...
McCabe Controversy Entangles Ministers, Senior Gardaí
10 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Leahy and Sarah Bardon tell Hugh Linehan what is now known about the false rape accusations made against whistleblower Sergeant Maurice McCabe, an...
Politicians Under Pressure
08 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump begins his day at 5am by watching "lies" about him on TV, while new Fianna Fáil TD Stephen Donnelly is being told "everyone hates you" o...
Repeal Campaigners Talk About Strategy, Tone & "Shrillness"
04 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The campaign to repeal the 8th amendment enjoys popular support in opinion polls and the dedicated efforts of progressives, but some have criticised h...
Brendan Howlin on rebuilding Labour, politics of the left, Trump, & more
01 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
After a catastrophic performance in the 2016 general election, the Labour party must rebuild from its roots and reconnect with working class voters, a...