Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan

Last week Pat Leahy sat down with former Labour leader Pat Rabbitte for an interview about his life in politics. Rabbitte is now retired but for decades he was one of the most recognisable faces and voices of centre left politics in Ireland. As a minister in the 2011 Fine Gael-Labour coalition, he witnessed first hand the events explored in our recent mini series on the subject. He talked about the decisions he made as party leader and as a minister, as well as his formative years in the west of Ireland and 1960s America, and what he thinks of today’s splintered centre-left.

Harry McGee and Cormac McQuinn join Pat Leahy to look back on the week in politics: All anyone can talk about this week is the weather. While the country enjoys the warmth, the Government still has to find balance between spending to prevent climate change and spending to mitigate the impact of change that has already arrived. Keir Starmer may be gone but the UK's biggest problem remains: the lack of growth in their economy. Proposed “reform” (read: scrapping) of the “triple lock” restriction on Irish overseas military deployment has run into trouble due to disquiet among Fianna Fail backbenchers. If not a rebellion, there was certainly “a renewed amount of grumbling” over the issue. But will it be a real problem for Taoiseach Micheal Martin? Plus the panel pick their IT stories of the week including a plea for underground bins, Michael McDowell’s bold predictions and the divestment of Catholic church patronage.

Next week Ireland takes over the presidency of the EU Council. But what does that mean? What exactly is the EU Council anyway? How does this council and this presidency fit in among the numerous other European councils and presidents? And how is Ireland going to approach the challenges and opportunities the six-month position brings? To find out Pat Leahy talks to Jack Horgan-Jones and Jack Power.

Jack Horgan-Jones and Mark Paul join Harry McGee to look back on the week in politics:·       Taoiseach Micheál Martin is in Brussels for the EU summit this week, also in attendance is Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy who is pushing for serious peace negotiations with Russia. Will Vladimir Putin come to the negotiation table? And could Ukraine’s EU membership be fast-tracked during Ireland’s upcoming EU presidency? ·       Security, competitiveness and the EU budget are some of the issues that will come into focus as Ireland becomes a deal maker and parks parochial affairs for the duration of its six-month presidency starting July 1st.·       And with Andy Burnham justifying the hype by crushing Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in the Makerfield byelection, will prime minister Keir Starmer go quietly or hang around for a leadership battle he stands little chance of winning?Plus, the panel picks their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week:Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.

 Jimmy Wales founded Wikipedia in January 2001, and almost nobody thought that an encyclopedia that anyone in the world was allowed to edit would actually work. But a quarter of a century later, Wikipedia is still one of the most visited websites on Earth and one of the few large-scale online institutions that people across the political spectrum broadly trust.   In his new book, The Seven Rules of Trust, Wales argues that what made Wikipedia work was a set of principles encompassing human nature, reciprocity, purpose, civility, independence and transparency. He joins Hugh to talk about where Wikipedia came from, what those principles are and whether they offer any way out of the crisis of trust that is currently shaping politics across the democratic world. 

Cormac McQuinn and Harry McGee join Hugh to discuss the week in politics:The disorder in Northern Ireland since a knife attack in Belfast on Monday reached levels not seen since “the worst possible days of the Troubles”, the Police Service of Northern Ireland chief constable Jon Boutcher said. In a society with a history of sectarianism, there are complex layers to the events taking place.Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll McNeill won her battle with the Rotunda Hospital this week.The Football Association of Ireland has confirmed that Ireland’s Nations League clash with Israel on October 4th will be played at a neutral venue and behind closed doors.Plus the panel pick their favourite Irish Times stories of the week. 

In a new book coauthored with fellow political scientists, UCD’s Aidan Regan argues that the three goals of democracy, economic growth and effective climate action are at odds with one another, and that the resulting “trilemma” requires novel political solutions to solve. On today's podcast Aidan talks to Hugh about why it is so difficult to balance these goals and potential solutions. They also discuss why effective climate action should be linked to improved standards of living, not increased costs; whether regulations are really to blame for our failure to deliver infrastructure and housing; how China manages to achieve economic growth while leading in the transition to green technology; and whether “degrowth” is a realistic path to sustainability or a political impossibility. The New Trilemma of Advanced Capitalism: Democracy, Growth and Effective Climate Action by Aidan Regan, Hanna Schwander, Cyril Benoît and Tim Vlandas is available now. Aidan Regan is a professor of political economy at the school of politics and international relations at University College Dublin

For a special crossover episode of Inside Politics Hugh Linehan welcomes US podcaster Galen Druke, the host of GD Politics and formerly of the FiveThirtyEight politics podcast, for a discussion of the Irish and US political scenes. They cover topics including:Why there is no strong populist right party in IrelandIreland’s economic success, dependence on US multinationals and military neutralityGerrymandering in America Race, the Voting Rights Act and representationThe two-party systemThey also talk about the fate of FiveThirtyEight, a popular website and podcast that was eventually shuttered after being acquired by ABC News. 

Pat Leahy and Ellen Coyne join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:·       Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has come out this week to demand the Rotunda maternity hospital withdraw permission for consultants on public-only contracts to practise privately on its premises. If not, it could have its funding pulled.·       An investigation by Swedish tax authorities alleges that Oligarch and Vladimir Putin associate Oleg Deripaska, who is under EU sanctions over his role in supporting the invasion of Ukraine, still controls Rusal, the company that owns the Co Limerick industrial plant Aughinish Alumina.·       And an explosive interview from Michael Healy-Rae on Radio Kerry detailed how he was “pulled overboard” by his brother and fellow Independent TD Danny, resulting in him resigning his position as minister of state. Could the rift see the brothers run against each other in the next general election?Plus, the panel picks their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week:·       The joy of your first World Cup, the Leaving Cert is a tough but valuable experience, and Andy Burnham’s byelection test in a Reform stronghold.