Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan

Will far-right politicians make inroads in local and European elections?

01 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Political Editor Pat Leahy sits in Hugh Linehan’s chair as podcast host this week for an Inside Politics election special as our politics team analy...

Harris delivers on Stardust as McEntee fumbles the border question

26 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Hugh Linehan is joined by Pat Leahy and Harry McGee to look back on the week in politics:Taoiseach Simon Harris’s sure-footed performance as he deli...

From the Rwanda Bill to the Cass Report - the issues driving UK politics

24 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

London Correspondent Mark Paul joins Hugh Linehan to talk about the issues making an impact on British politics right now. The issues include upc...

Grading Harris, migration pact flashpoint, the lure of Taylor Swift

19 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s Inside Politics podcast, Hugh Linehan, Jack Horgan-Jones and Jennifer Bray look back on the week in politics:Two weeks in, Simon Harris h...

The uncertain futures of Poland and Germany - with Derek Scally

17 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With its fast-growing economy and increasing significance as a player in European security, Poland’s political direction will have a major bearing o...

Northern Ireland has weathered Jeffery Donaldson's shock departure - for now

12 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alex Kane, Lisa Whitten, Freya McClements and Pat Leahy joined Hugh Linehan in Northern Ireland for a live show at the MAC in Belfast's Cath...

McDonald hits a nerve as Harris takes the reins

09 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jennifer Bray and Pat Leahy join Hugh to talk about Simon Harris's appointment as Taoiseach and the details of his minimal Cabinet reshuffle. Did he g...

Can Simon Harris build any kind of policy departure before this government ends?

05 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ahead of Simon Harris’s first Fine Gael Ard Fheis as party leader, Cormac McQuinn and Jack Horgan-Jones join Hugh Linehan to discuss the potential q...

David Rieff on Ukraine, Gaza, populism and the death of art

03 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s Inside Politics podcast, Hugh is joined by David Rieff. David is the author of many books, including In Praise of Forgetting. H...

Fintan O'Toole: What does Simon Harris stand for?

27 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What sort of a politician is Simon Harris? What can we learn from his record? And what sort of a Taoiseach is he going to be? Columnist Fintan O'Toole...

Simon Harris takes the reins of a party in trouble

22 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Hugh is joined by Pat Leahy and Harry McGee to talk about the swift emergence of Simon Harris as Fine Gael leader and taoiseach-in-waiting. They look ...

Why did Leo Varadkar choose this moment to go?

20 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Pat Leahy, Jennifer Bray and Jack Horgan-Jones join Hugh Linehan to discuss today's unexpected announcement by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar that he is stepp...

'Rishi Sunak can't do politics' - British broadcaster Iain Dale on why he may not vote Tory for the first time ever

20 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

British political pundit, broadcaster and podcaster Ian Dale joins Hugh to discuss the upcoming UK general election and the state of British politics....

Gaza overshadows St Patrick's Day trips

15 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jennifer Bray and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh Linehan to discuss the week in politics, including the annual migration of Ministers to foreign lands for S...

Referendum aftermath: a deep dive into the political repercussions

13 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last weekend's referendum defeats have jolted the political establishment. How could all major parties and many other players have got it so badly wro...

‘Two wallops’ for Government as No-No vote emerges strong

09 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Although counting is still underway in the family and care referendums, the Government has already admitted defeat, with a No-No result looking like t...

Is Europe in a ‘pre-war phase’?

08 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Pat Leahy and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:There were some interesting developments during the European Peopl...

Could angry farmers upend European politics?

06 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Farmer protest movements are becoming an increasingly important part of the political landscape across Europe, from Poland, where they have been spurr...

Does it matter if the Government lose these referendums?

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Pat Leahy and Jennifer Bray join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:One week out from the care and family referendums taking place on M...

European elections: a battle between the heavy hitters

28 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Political scientist Theresa Reidy and political correspondent Harry McGee join Hugh to look ahead to June's European elections, when voters in Ireland...

Is Catherine Martin in political danger?

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The latest scandal engulfing RTÉ and Minister for Media Catherine Martin may be more cock-up than conspiracy, but it is no less damaging for that.&nb...

Is Ukrainian democracy functioning after two years of war?

21 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the second anniversary of Russia's invasion approaches, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy is still a very popular figure among voters. But w...

Referendums: What the amendments would really mean

19 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An Coimisiún Toghcháin, Ireland’s independent electoral commission, has taken over the functions previously held by the Referendum ...

Was Sinn Féin's licence fee amnesty proposal a misstep?

16 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jack Horgan-Jones and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh Linehan to discuss the week in politics:In another awful week for RTÉ before an Oireachtas committee, ...

Head-to-head: The Yes and No arguments ahead of the family and care referendums

14 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At this point we are definitively into the campaign for the two referendums on family and care due to take place on March 8th. The data from the recen...

Sinn Féin poll slump: ‘tide not gone out for them just yet’

09 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Pat Leahy and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:The latest Irish Times/Ipsos B&A poll shows support for Sinn F...

Will immigration hand the White House back to Trump?

07 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Washington Correspondent Keith Duggan talks to Hugh Linehan about the seemingly inevitable rematch between US President Joe Biden and former president...

Britain and Ireland will change. It's time to get ready

05 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the past decade relationships between the different parts of the UK and Ireland have changed. The push for Scottish independence, growing support f...

Who's who in the Yes and No campaigns, Orbán bows to EU pressure

02 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Pat Leahy and Jennifer Bray join Hugh to look back on the week in politics:Pat is in Brussels where the EU has agreed on a €50 billion package for K...

Stormont will return: analysis from Belfast, London and Dublin

31 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Pat Leahy, Freya McClements and Mark Paul join Hugh to discuss the DUP's acceptance of a historic deal that allows power-sharing in Northern Ireland t...

As the ICJ rules against Israel, Gaza remains an issue in Irish politics

26 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jack Horgan-Jones and Pat Leahy join Hugh Linehan to discuss the week in politics: Gaza is proving a persistent issue in Irish politics, and today’s...

Under pressure: Roderic O'Gorman on tackling the refugee accommodation crisis

24 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman is the man at the centre of one of the most severe and contentious problems facing the State: how to handl...

Is the political system starting to bend to asylum seeker protests?

19 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Host Hugh Linehan is joined Cormac McQuinn and Jennifer Bray on this week’s wrap with housing for refugees and asylum seekers, and the lack of alter...

Are Britain's media and politics broken? With James O'Brien

17 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

British broadcaster and author James O'Brien returns to Inside Politics to talk about his most recent book, How They Broke Britain. Hosted on Acast. ...

‘Referendums that won’t grasp the imagination’

12 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There are two referendums around the corner on March 8th, but are they too complex and less immediately understandable than other referendums in recen...

Vote! Vote! Vote! A year of election predictions in one podcast

10 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the first half of 2024 highly consequential elections will take place in India, Pakistan, Indonesia, South Africa and Mexico among others. Things g...

‘Irish people love elections!’

03 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Still less than a year in existence, the Electoral Commission is set for a packed 2024 with local and European elections in June, a referendum in Marc...

Ask us anything, 2023 edition - part two

29 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's part two of the traditional Inside Politics end-of-year Ask Us Anything podcast. Hugh Linehan, Pat Leahy, Jennifer Bray, Harry McGee and Cormac M...

Ask us anything, 2023 edition - part one

27 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's part one of the traditional Inside Politics end-of-year Ask Us Anything podcast. Hugh Linehan, Pat Leahy, Jennifer Bray, Harry McGee and Cormac M...

A closer look at attitudes to reunification

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Mary Lou McDonald on house prices, migration policy, defamation cases and more

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 migrati...

Summit surprises, wrapping the year

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 Coun...

Cop 28, the geopolitics of Net Zero and the future of energy - with Helen Thompson

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Sinn Féin lose confidence in their own motion

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 re...

The Origins and the problems of 'The Great Awokening'

06 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In his new book, The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time, political scientist Yascha Mounk has written the most comprehensive a...

2023's political highs, lows, winners, losers and funny bits

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Talking about talking about immigration

29 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Is it time for the political system to grapple more explicitly with how immigration is changing Ireland and what sort of model - integration? multicul...

Riot response a major challenge for McEntee

24 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week the Friday wrap panellists are joined by Irish Times crime and security correspondent Conor Gallagher to talk about how Garda Commissioner D...

Will economic trouble mean an early election?

22 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

"With economic signals flashing amber, the next Irish general election might be sooner than we thought", argues Cliff Taylor in an analysis piece for ...

Are Fine Gael all out of fight ahead of a year that could define the party?

17 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

LIVE SHOW: Inside Politics will record live on Wednesday, November 29th in Dublin city centre. For details and to secure your ticket, follow this link...

Spain's turbulent politics : 'Phrases like coup d'etat are floating around'

15 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It is almost four months now since Spain went to the polls to elect a new parliament. This week it looks as if Socialist Party leader Pedro Sánchez i...

Sinn Féin keep focus on housing and Palestine at Ard Fheis

12 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Housing, housing, housing and Palestine. Anyone hoping to hear much about anything else at this weekend’s Sinn Féin Ard Fheis will have left Athlon...

Suella Braverman the maverick, stances on war, Sinn Féin's direction

10 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Harry McGee and Pat Leahy join Hugh to look back on the week in politics:The dire situation in Israel and Palestine continues to dominate Irish politi...

Will the DUP finally return to Stormont?

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Will they or won't they? DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson must soon decide whether to lead his party back into power-sharing or to let devolution die and ...

Don Tidey case: 'They've been getting away with murder for 40 years'

03 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Dail is in recess, and that means no Friday wrap today. Instead, we’re going to bring you a conversation that was originally published on the fe...

Fintan O'Toole on Israel, Gaza and the equality of human life

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The response to the Hamas terror attack on October 7th has been fierce. In the weeks since then, Israel has unleashed a war against Hamas but in which...

Israel-Hamas conflict takes all the attention at the EU leaders’ summit

27 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hugh Linehan is joined in studio by Jennifer Bray, while Pat Leahy is on the line from Brussels where he is covering the EU leaders’ summit. As Pat ...

Rory Stewart on Keir Starmer, Liz Truss and the 'unseriousness' of UK politics

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Former MP, Tory leadership candidate, author and now host of the UK's biggest politics podcast The Rest is Politics, Rory Stewart is today's guest on ...

Taking sides on Israel and Palestine, health money pit, flooding hits Cork

20 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Pat Leahy and Jack Horgan-Jones join Hugh Linehan to look at the week in Irish politics: Foreign policy came to Dáil Éireann as Government and oppos...

Northern Ireland's 'Dirty Linen' and the long tail of trauma

18 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From Banbridge, County Down, Irish Times Books Editor Martin Doyle grew up in the heart of the 'Linen Triangle', home of Northern Ireland's biggest in...

Michael Lewis on the rise and fall of Sam Bankman-Fried

16 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Having already amassed a $26 billion fortune at 28, cryptocurrency entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was the world's richest person under 30. He was also...

Horror in the Middle East, Budget aftermath, FFG

13 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The horrific events this week in Israel and the Gaza Strip are the subject of part one of today's podcast. Harry McGee has been watching the conflict,...

Deconstructing Budget 2024 - with Pearse Doherty

11 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Budget 2024 was a missed opportunity to invest more in housing and tackle chronic problems in our health system, says Sinn Féin spokesperson for fina...

Howlin retires, Budget run-in, Starmer pours water on reunification

06 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Cormac McQuinn and Pat Leahy join Hugh Linehan to look at the week in politics:If past years are anything to go by, most of the Budget 2024 measures w...

Will 'common sense' policies revive Rishi Sunak's Tories?

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On today's podcast:Jack Horgan-Jones on the darkening economic backdrop to next week's delivery of Budget 2024.Mark Paul reports from the Conservative...

Naomi Klein on conspiracies, climate and the 'personal brand'

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s guest is Canadian academic and author Naomi Klein. Klein shot to fame with her first book, No Logo, which offered an acute critique of ...

Sinn Féin gain, no giveaway budget, Leo on Benefits Street

29 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Harry McGee and Pat Leahy join Hugh Linehan to discuss the week in politics:The latest Irish Times / Ipsos opinion poll shows Sinn Féin continuing to...

Why can't more of us vote in Seanad elections?

27 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A constitutional stopwatch is now ticking for the way in which some senators are elected. And it’s finally time for the Seanad reform which successi...

Disturbance at Dáil Éireann

22 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Our Friday wrap of the week returns with the start of the new political season. Jennifer Bray, Jack Horgan-Jones and Pat Leahy join Hugh to discuss th...

Can Britain ever come to terms with Brexit?

20 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Peter Foster tells today’s Irish Times Inside Politics podcast that, while polls show a majority of British voters now think it was a mistake to lea...

'Sinn Féin have pissed a lot of people off' - Aoife Moore on the struggle to write about Ireland's biggest party

15 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How hard it is it to write a tell-all book about Sinn Féin, a political party known among journalists for its secrecy and its on-message discipline? ...

Paschal Donohoe on spending v saving, RTÉ's future and Fine Gael's vigour

13 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

October 10th is Budget Day, so it is the time of the year for politicians and lobbyists to make their cases for extra spending and tax cuts in 2024.It...

Licence fee revolt, speed solutions, think-ins

06 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Harry McGee and Cormac McQuinn join Pat Leahy to talk about the big political stories of the week:News that RTÉ licence fee receipts have continued t...

More seats and new constituencies: a first look at the redrawn electoral map

30 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Electoral Commission has published its highly anticipated constituency review which, as expected, recommends an increase in the num...

Crime on the public's mind, politicians brace for constituency reform

23 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Pat Leahy and Jennifer Bray join Hugh to discuss the big stories of the past few weeks: Is Minister for Media Catherine Martin at risk of seeming too ...

The Ahern Years: Crash

18 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The final episode of the series ends with a bang, or rather a crash, as Hugh Linehan and Pat Leahy detail how Bertie’s own finances are under the mi...

The Ahern Years: Showtime

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode Hugh Linehan and Pat Leahy pore over what comes after Fianna Fáil's successful 2002 general election amid the ongoing boom. The defea...

The Ahern years: The tiger roars

11 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode Hugh Linehan and Pat Leahy delve into Bertie Ahern's first government as Taoiseach, a government which oversees unprecedented economic...

The Ahern years: Bertie's path to power

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

His legacy is debated, but there's no denying that Bertie Ahern is one of the most significant figures in Irish political history. Over the next few e...

US politics special with Clare Malone of The New Yorker

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There’s never a dull moment when it comes to US politics, as proved again today with the announcement of fresh criminal charges against former presi...

Inside Sinn Féin

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Who are Sinn Féin and what really makes the party different, if anything? Who holds real sway within the party? What role do activists play, and who ...

The big end of term wrap

21 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Dáil summer recess has arrived and our political experts Pat Leahy, Jennifer Bray and Cormac McQuinn have convened to look back on the political ...

Europe's climate is changing. Will European politics change with it?

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In a summer heatwave gripping countries including Spain, Italy, France and Greece, Europeans are experiencing temperatures more commonly found in the ...

Can the Government be generous to RTÉ? Hospital mess, braying donkeys

14 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Pat Leahy and Harry McGee join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics including hopefully the final week of RTÉ Oireachtas committee mania...

'No-one likes us and we don't care' - taking Unionism's temperature on the Twelfth

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's the Twelfth and to mark Unionism and Loyalism's day of celebration, Hugh talks to Dr Aaron Edwards, author of A People Under Siege: The Unionists...

Not another week of RTÉgate, summer statement, hate bill queasiness

07 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s Inside Politics podcast Hugh Linehan is joined by Pat Leahy and Jennifer Bray to discuss the week in politics:The crisis at RTÉ is enter...

The Social Democrats are different, says Holly Cairns - but how?

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Under the leadership of Holly Cairns, the Cork South-West TD who took over from Catherine Murphy and Roisin Shortall in March, the Social Democrats ar...

'Nobody's brave enough to put their name to it' - Helen McEntee on maternity leave criticism and retaking the reins at Justice

01 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In a wide-ranging interview in today's Irish Times, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee talks about remarks critical of her taking maternity leave whil...

RTÉ still struggling with fallout from Tubridy’s secret pay deal

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hosting Inside Politics in Hugh Linehan’s absence, Pat Leahy is joined by Current Affairs Editor of The Irish Times, Arthur Beesley and Professor Ja...

Can RTÉ be trusted to run itself?

23 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jennifer Bray and Jack Horgan-Jones join Hugh to talk about the week in politics, including:The fiasco unfolding at RTÉ over Ryan Tubridy's unusual p...

Did the President go too far?

21 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Columnist and former Fianna Fáil advisor Gerard Howlin joins Hugh Linehan, Pat Leahy and Jennifer Bray to talk about two controversial topics: recent...

Poll: Drop in support for Fine Gael and Sinn Féin

16 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The latest Irish Times/ Ipsos opinion poll shows support for both Fine Gael and Sinn Féin has dropped, with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also seeing a shar...

Is Ireland neutral? Is anyone?

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Conor Gallagher, Irish Times Crime and Security Correspondent, has a new book out Is Ireland Neutral? The Many Myths of Irish Neutrality. He sat down ...

Ifac warning, IRA commemorations, and is James O'Connor a Jekyll & Hyde figure?

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Pat Leahy and Harry McGee join Hugh to talk about the week in politics, including:Ifac cautions coalition on expenditure and its potential consequence...

Who speaks for 'middle Ireland'?

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The podcast takes a look at the concept of ‘middle Ireland’, a concept that has been around for a long time in political discourse here, and one t...

Missing climate targets, Census talking points, and Helen McEntee returns

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jennifer Bray and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh to talk about the week in politics, including:Ireland is on course to miss its 2030 carbon emission targets...

Decoding the culture wars - with Bryan Fanning

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In his new book Public Morality and The Culture Wars, academic Bryan Fanning analyses what he calls the ‘triple divide’ between conservative, libe...

Serving 'middle Ireland': Leo Varadkar on tax break controversy, prioritising homeownership and the next election

27 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The coalition Government still has plenty of time to run but, if the past week is anything to go by, the remaining months could be characterised by le...

How will the Electoral Commission reshape Irish elections?

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Electoral Commission is a newly established state body set up to oversee elections in Ireland. Taking on a range of existing electoral functions, ...

Migration and voters, Matt Barrett's posts, a good day for Sinn Féin

19 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jack Horgan-Jones and Pat Leahy join Hugh to talk about the week in politics, including:Government reaction to the agonising migrant accommodation sho...