In a long, rambling press conference in the White House's Rose Garden on Wednesday evening, Donald Trump launched a historic global trade war - and Ireland is in the crosshairs. There's a real sense of shellshock since the announcement of the new tariffs: it's going to take weeks, if not months, for the impact to be felt, but there are some pretty clear signs already about what might happen to Ireland - and the EU's - economy. Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews and Rónán Duffy discuss what this all means for Ireland - and just how worried the government is about it (and how worried we should all be). Hosted on Acast. See&nbsp;<a href="http://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a>&nbsp;for more information

Wait, is this going to be like 2008 all over again?

The speaking rights row has yet to be quelled. A truce or a compromise is nowhere in sight. It's only getting messier, causing deeper divisions between the opposition and government parties. And then, through a simple gesture given by Michael Lowry to Paul Murphy, the entire situation was elevated to new heights. Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, and Rónán Duffy discuss the continued chaos in the Dáil and try to identify the main issues which still need to be resolved.

Two days (and two fingers) that shocked the Dáil

And just when we thought the dust had settled after Micheál Martin's visit to the Oval Office. Conor McGregor's appearance in the White House was somewhat foreshadowed by Trump, who had referred to him as his favourite Irish person, but it caught many off guard. At the same time, McGregor being in the White House for 17 March shouldn't really come as any surprise – if anything, he's right at home. Could this be the start of Trump taking the former UFC fighter under his wing? Also this week, Christine Bohan, Jane Matthews, and Rónán Duffy assess the latest chatter around housing targets, and highlight how there is still so little business being done in the Dáil (but also, who can we point the finger of blame at?).

McGregor couldn't be more at home in Trump's White House

Ireland watched the Taoiseach's Oval Office visit with bated breath. Would it be a disaster, an incredible success, or something in between? One of the biggest events in the Irish political calendar is over, and Micheál Martin has survived his 50-minute encounter with Donald Trump. Not without slipping on a couple of banana skins, of course. Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Rónán Duffy, and — up bright and early in Washington DC — Jane Matthews look at how the meeting panned out. Did it offer the warmness towards Ireland some might have hoped to see? Or was it simply a bout of official paddywhackery? And to what extent will Martin's comments on housing come back to haunt him?

The Oval Office meeting veered between success and humiliation

First, it was Covid restrictions that called off Micheál Martin's visit to the White House for St Patrick's Day in 2021. Then, during his second chance, he ended up actually catching Covid on the trip. Will it be third time lucky, or, after last week's Oval Office scenes, will this be one of the biggest tests of his political career? Will Trump unleash some pent-up anger directed at Ireland, or will Martin have perfected his plámás in order to keep him on side? Christine Bohan, Jane Matthews (who is off to Washington next week), and Rónán Duffy also dissect the latest climate warning for government (will they listen to this one, now that there's euro signs involved?) and how it's clear from the repeated pleas from parents that disability services is an area where there is the opportunity to affect real change.

Micheál Martin better be practicing his plámás right now

News about the National Gallery's never-used x-ray scanner worth €125,000 sparked 'fury' across the country... apparently. Did it really? If it did, how can that fury be used constructively? If it didn't, have we become numb to this type of wasted cash — or was this simply not that big of a deal? On this week's episode, Christine Bohan, Jane Matthews, Rónán Duffy, and Sinéad O'Carroll examine the latest spending controversy. Have Elon Musk's ham-fisted DOGE efforts in the United States put the critique of how budgets are spent in vogue? The team also look at the latest in the speaking rights row, which will not go away and has set the Dáil up for a potentially turbulent few days (again).

Ireland gets DOGE-curious after x-ray scanner 'fury'

Europe is in disarray, to say the least, over Trump's rumblings about distancing the United States from all us on this side of the Atlantic, and his new spat with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It will leave a massive hole in European defence if that happens, and that means Ireland is facing renewed attention over its military spend (or lack thereof). Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews, and Rónán Duffy sit down to look at the political reaction at home to this, and what it could mean for the future of the Defence Forces. The team also look at calls for the use of counselling notes and character references to be banned in gender-based violence trials. And what podcast about Irish politics this week would be complete without a look at the plans — for better or for worse — to allow more back garden cabins to be built? <ul><li>Read more of Jane's reporting on the counselling notes <a href="https://www.thejournal.ie/international-womens-day-natasha-obrien-6626293-Feb2025/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</li><li>Read more about the back garden cabin fever <a href="https://www.thejournal.ie/detached-cabin-and-modular-style-buildings-set-to-be-exempt-from-planning-under-new-measures-6626629-Feb2025/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</li></ul>

Ireland's big defence question and back garden cabin fever

Housing remains the single biggest issue for the Irish public. People want to see the crisis brought to an end or, at the very least, real action being taken. Any missteps are amplified. We saw that this week with talk of scrapping Rent Pressure Zones and the controversy around housing figures provided during the general election. Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews, and Rónán Duffy look at the new Dáil's handling of the housing crisis so far, and what tone has been set. The team also examine the significance of the Arts Council overspend on an IT project, and what the future holds for Martin Conway and Eoin Hayes.

 The government has put the fear of God into renters

It's almost March, and you know what that means: all political attention turns to one particular bowl of shamrock. Trump's second-term actions so far leave Ireland faced with a renewed dilemma: go ahead with the traditional St Patrick's Day trip to Washington in the name of using it to make our case on the world stage, or face the new realities of politics in 2025 and call off the Trump meeting. That is, of course, if he will even have us. Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews, and Rónán Duffy sit down to look at the careful political chess that will need to be played out. The team also have a (surprisingly energetic, it must be said) chat about the Seanad elections, and look at who was the real winner in the Dáil speaking row.

The Candidate

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