Inside Politics

Is it time for the political system to grapple more explicitly with how immigration is changing Ireland and what sort of model - integration? multiculturalism? - we as a state wish to pursue?  Or is such a conversation only ever destined to be hijacked by hateful voices and to result in a normalisation of the sort of prejudice that was on display in Dublin last week? To discuss and debate this and other related issues, Hugh talks to Kevin Cunningham, Una Mullally and Ronan McCrea.Kevin Cunningham is a lecturer in politics at TU Dublin. Ronan McCrea is a professor of European and constitutional law at University College Dublin. Una Mullally is a writer, an Irish Times columnist and the author of In the Name of Love: The Movement for Marriage Equality in Ireland.

This week the Friday wrap panellists are joined by Irish Times crime and security correspondent Conor Gallagher to talk about how Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and the entire State apparatus will respond to unprecedented violence on Dublin's streets, encouraged by far-right activists, following the stabbing of several children outside a school on Thursday afternoon.

"With economic signals flashing amber, the next Irish general election might be sooner than we thought", argues Cliff Taylor in an analysis piece for The Irish Times. But does Cliff's economic reasoning survive contact with political logic? Jennifer Bray and Pat Leahy let him know.Plus: Senator Malcolm Byrne is warning about the role AI technology and deepfakes could play in the next general election. What are the issues and how could they be tackled? And Jennifer has the details of how an Oireachtas committee has agreed our abortion laws should be changed to remove barriers to women accessing abortions in certain circumstances. The ball is now in the Government's court.

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: https://events.irishtimes.com/events/59159Hugh Linehan is joined in studio by Pat Leahy and Jack Horgan-Jones. First up for discussion is Fine Gael’s special conference taking place in Kildare this weekend. The conference comes just before a year that may see the party contest three elections, a year that could come to define the trajectory of Fine Gael and its leadership. But are Fine Gael generating enough momentum to meet the challenges that await them in 2024? Also in part one, the latest twist in the RTÉ saga as director general Kevin Bakhurst unveiled his strategic plan for the future of the broadcaster this week. Separate to that came confirmation from the Government that an additional €56 million in funding would be made available, but as the panel points out, there is still the sticky issue of the license fee problem that has yet to be confronted. And in part two, the value of diplomacy as Micheál Martin tours the Middle East this week, during which he met with his Israeli counterpart in Jerusalem before meeting representatives of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. And also happening this week, opposition motions to remove the Israeli ambassador and ICC referral were defeated in the Dáil.  

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 is finally about to be confirmed for a new term as Prime Minister. But the political road to that outcome has been complex and highly contentious, bringing to the fore all the divisions over ideology and identity which characterise the contemporary political scene in Spain, the EU's fourth largest country. On today's podcast Hugh Linehan digs into what is happening in Spain with author Paddy Woodworth, who wrote two books about the Basque region, and Madrid-based reporter Guy Hedgecoe.

Housing, housing, housing and Palestine. Anyone hoping to hear much about anything else at this weekend’s Sinn Féin Ard Fheis will have left Athlone disappointed. Pat Leahy was there and he joins Hugh Linehan to discuss what happened at the conference, including the warm welcome given to Palestinian ambassador to Ireland, Dr Jilan Abdalmajid.They also look at how party leader Mary Lou McDonald handled questions about members of her party taking legal action against journalists and media organisations.

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 political discourse.UK home secretary Suella Braverman's controversial opinion piece may cost her her job. Sinn Féin's annual conference or Ard Fheis takes place this weekend. A new Irish political party was born this week - Harry McGee has the details.And the panel pick their favourite Irish Times articles of the week:A brilliant piece about displacement of Bedouins in the West Bank by Hannah McCarthyMartin Wall's coverage of Donald Trump's legal woes contrasts with the former president's growing chances of winning a second termShould religion get out of the classroom? A debate in our pages set out both sides.

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 direct rule return. The decision he makes will be defining for Northern Ireland, for Unionism and for Donaldson himself. To discuss the forces at play, unionist commentator Alex Kane and Northern Editor Freya McClements join Pat and Hugh. Alex Kane is a commentator based in Belfast. He was formerly director of communications for the Ulster Unionist Party.

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 feed of our sister podcast In the News, hosted by Bernice Harrison, all about a story that gripped 1980s Ireland. You can subscribe to In the News for free here.On December 16th, 1983, after 23 days in captivity, kidnapped supermarket executive Don Tidey was rescued. He had been taken by members of the Provisional IRA posing as gardaí while driving his daughter to school in Dublin. With the whole country transfixed by the kidnapping, Garda intelligence tracked the culprits and their victim down to Derrada Wood outside Ballinamore in Co Leitrim. And while the release of Tidey safe and well was a success, the day was shrouded in tragedy because during the rescue his captors shot dead Private Patrick Kelly and recruit Garda Gary Sheehan.The murders shocked the country and no one has been brought to justice for them. Most of the kidnappers got clean away. While the event has been the subject of much media attention over the years, Tidey has never spoken about it until now. This year he talked to Tommy Conlon and Ronan McGreevy for their new book, The Kidnapping, A Hostage, a Desperate Manhunt and a Bloody Rescue. They talk to In the News about the events in 1983 and the aftermath. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.