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The Candidate
Kneecap get the scrutiny Netanyahu doesn't
Season 5, Ep. 16
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Kneecap have never been strangers to controversy, but they have now been pushed firmly into the political spotlight. The Belfast rap group's Coachella protest, resurfaced footage of older live performances, and a call to “urgently clarify” from the Taoiseach have triggered a row that now spans Westminster, the Dáil, and is even making a mark on the other side of the Atlantic.
Sinéad O'Carroll, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews, and Rónán Duffy unpack the spectacle — and ask why some politicians seem more comfortable focusing on musicians than Gaza.
Also: the government’s housing plan is due any day now (we think), and there’s a €430,000 job on offer to help get it over the line. Is a housing czar the radical fix we’ve been waiting for, or a plan to launch and quietly shelve before the summer break?
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38:13||Season 5, Ep. 20It’s the country’s most high-profile workplace, but is Leinster House actually designed to get anything done? What does a week in Irish politics actually look like? This week, we examine what life in the Dáil is really like, and the heady mix of routine, power, and pantomime that make it a dysfunctional place to work.Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, and Jane Matthews are joined by someone who is a familiar face on television these days, but was also once a familiar byline on The Journal: Gavan Reilly, political correspondent with Virgin Media News. He pays a visit to the people who taught him everything to share insights from his new book, The Secret Life of Leinster House.Also: why do some politicians not know when to step down?19. James Browne: struggling with housing, excelling at celebrating the Normans
31:10||Season 9, Ep. 19Minister James Browne has been in the housing hot seat for four months — and with not much to show for it, he's now facing intense criticism. Is it justified, or just a symptom of political impatience with the biggest crisis in government? Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews, and Rónán Duffy debate his performance so far and whether he’s being given a fair chance.Also: Should 16-year-olds be allowed to vote? A new Social Democrats bill proposes just that. Why are some ideas like this popular in theory but dead on arrival in Irish politics?18. The big difference between Keir and Jim on immigration
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