{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/6155db9059a3fa00137f30a9/66ed69786deedb6d6ebebd2d?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Budget kites flying high (but don’t mention the election date)","description":"<p>Host Hugh Linehan is joined by Jennifer Bray and Cormac McQuinn to look back on the week in politics:</p><p><br></p><p>·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Political parties are eagerly pitching eye-catching measures ahead of Budget 2025 with 50 per cent of respondents in the latest Irish Times / Ipsos poll saying they want the Government to prioritise ‘immediate help’ with the cost of living.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Has Simon Harris reached peak popularity? The Taoiseach’s surging personal approval ratings mirrors that of his predecessor Leo Varadkar who enjoyed similar peaks, but endured troughs not long after - could Harris be in for similar?</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Dáil resumed this week with Sinn Féin going on the attack during leader’s questions, highlighting children with scoliosis and spina bifida awaiting surgery, and the&nbsp;“gold-plated” pension pots&nbsp;of the well-heeled that are set to get a boost.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Plus, the panellists pick their favourite IT reads of the week:</p><p>·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Miriam Lord on the extremely expensive bijou bike shed on Leinster lawn.</p><p>·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Carl O’Brien wrote about new research from Maynooth University that showed the benefits of much shorter homework tasks.</p><p>·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And Emer McLysaght swapped tales of air fryers and steam mops on a group holiday to Spain.</p><p><br></p><p>Produced by John Casey.</p>","author_name":"The Irish Times"}