The Candidate

Show us someone who had 'jiving' on their 2024 general election bingo card, and we'll show you a liar.Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews and Rónán Duffy look at how the campaign trail is progressing so far, and the need for politicians to pivot into the world of content creation (to very mixed results).We also hear about what Micheál Martin had to say about housing when Christina sat down with him last week, and a new podcast character is unlocked.

Finally. Finally!Candidates are already out on the doorsteps and some politicians packing up their office in Leinster House. Now, the government has announced — in unexpectedly messy fashion — the date of the next general election. The Dáil will be dissolved on Friday, and the public will go to the polls on 29 November.Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews and Rónán Duffy look at how the next few weeks are going to pan out. Will the public react with bewilderment at the array of unfamiliar candidates vying for their vote? Will it be the 'big change' election that people previously expected? Or will the return of Trump mean that voters will play it safe?

It's one of the biggest issues facing families across Ireland, and yet it never ranks highly in the list of people's political priorities. Could childcare still be the issue that wins or loses this election?On the latest episode of The Candidate podcast — which now takes a weekly look behind the scenes and beyond the headlines to focus on what’s really happening in Irish politics right now — Christine Bohan, Jane Matthews, Rónán Duffy, and Sinéad O'Carroll examine the attempts at a political level to make access to childcare easier and to take that burden off parents. What are people experiencing right now, and are the solutions nothing more than throwing money at a growing problem?The team also discuss the decision by the Washington Post to not endorse any candidate (and why that isn't something an Irish audience might balk at) and the new (surprisingly naive or astutely reflective?) book from a certain former housing minister.

We're all caught up in the pre-election doldrums, but is one party's ship in particular trouble?On the latest episode of The Candidate podcast — which now takes a weekly look behind the scenes and beyond the headlines to focus on what’s really happening in Irish politics right now — Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews, and Rónán Duffy examine how Fine Gael is continuing to lose TD after TD. As many as 18, but that depends on who you ask. How worried should their party headquarters be?The team also look at the fabled left-wing voting pact (and how the differences between the different groups remain larger than they first appear) and a certain other election across the pond (which no one is willing to make a call on).

It's a strange, strange week in Irish politics (and still with no election date in sight).On the latest episode of The Candidate podcast — which now takes a weekly look behind the scenes and beyond the headlines to focus on what’s really happening in Irish politics right now — Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, and Rónán Duffy turn their attention to the Occupied Territories Bill. It has been knocking around the Oireachtas for years now, but only now in the dying days of the government is it getting renewed attention. Is there real appetite to take tangible action on Israel, or is it an election ploy?We also look at Sinn Féin's week from hell, with the party in the headlines for all the wrong reasons across several fronts.Also: a conscious uncoupling for the media darling of Dublin Bay South.

Simon Harris is on a flying visit to Washington DC. He isn't under the same pressure that Leo Varadkar faced during a US visit earlier this year but the big question is similar: will he bring up the US's arming of Israel? In this episode, Jane Matthews, Rónán Duffy and Christine Bohan are joined by The Journal's political editor Christina Finn in Washington, where we look at how the Taoiseach will walk the tightrope of maintaining the close relationship between the two countries while also speaking truth to power. And do these visits actually matter in the real world?Also, is Michelle O'Neill actually at risk of losing her job over Sinn Féin's handling of its press officer controversy? (spoiler: no). And why are we still talking about €9 million for phone pouches over one week after the Budget?

We're back with a new format for The Candidate, with weekly episodes that will take you behind the scenes and beyond the headlines to focus on what’s really happening in Irish politics right now. This week, Christine Bohan, Rónán Duffy, Christina Finn and Jane Matthews examine how the country's two biggest parties are going to navigate their same-but-different personas on the doorsteps in the run-up to the general election. Also, we read the Budget tea leaves and try to figure out who it was really for (spoiler: not young people).

We're joined on this episode of The Candidate podcast by Theresa Reidy, political scientist at University College Cork; Barry Colfer, director of research at the Institute of International and European Affairs; and Muiris O'Cearbhaill, reporter with The Journal. Our guests take a step from the past few weeks to look at what the results of the elections mean for Ireland, and what it says about the state of European politics in 2024.