Irish Times Inside Politics

The campaign to repeal the 8th amendment enjoys popular support in opinion polls and the dedicated efforts of progressives, but some have criticised how the campaign is communicating its message to the middle ground. Three prominent supporters of the campaign join Hugh to talk about what they make of such criticisms, the campaign's strategy and what lessons can be learned from the success of the same-sex marriage referendum campaign.Thanks to today's participants Ailbhe Smyth, Convenor of the Coalition to Repeal the 8th, Colm O’Gorman, Director of Amnesty International Ireland and Fine Gael TD Kate O’Connell. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After a catastrophic performance in the 2016 general election, the Labour party must rebuild from its roots and reconnect with working class voters, according to its leader Brendan Howlin.The Wexford TD was speaking to this week’s Inside Politics podcast and said his party is currently working on a review of its constitution, for which there have been “hundreds of submissions”.Deputy Howlin said membership of the Labour party has increased by 1,200 in recent months, thirty new area representatives have been appointed and the process of selecting candidates to contest the next general election will get underway in the coming weeks. When asked if new leadership at both Fine Gael and Sinn Féin in the next general election would mean it was time for a change at the Labour helm, deputy Howlin said he was still “up for the task”. He said the aim is to double the party’s seats, but he acknowledged there would not be a “bounce back” this time round.Deputy Howlin also criticised the current government for “kicking iss

The first ever episode of Inside Politics recorded in from of a live audience features a stellar line-up of old friends Hugh Linehan, Pat Leahy and Theresa Reidy, plus a first-timer for the podcast, Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar. They discussed how Ireland's leaders should handle the presidency of Donald Trump, the rise of populism and the potential for Fine Gael to go into coalition with Sinn Féin, while Pat and Hugh tried a few different ways to ask Minister Varadkar about his leadership ambitions. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald says her party needs to have "a conversation" once again about whether it would go into government as a junior coalition partner.Speaking to the Inside Politics Podcast this week, the party's deputy leader raised the prospect, saying she wants Sinn Féin to be in power.She also refused to be drawn on whether Gerry Adams is nearing retirement but said she has made no secret of her leadership ambitions, whenever a contest materialises.Ms McDonnell also spoke about Sinn Féin's recently appointed new leader in Northern Ireland, Michelle O'Neill, describing her as fair-minded, decent and with bags of energy. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's here: Trump inauguration day. We talk to our foreign affairs correspondent Ruadhan Mac Cormaic about some of the issues this historic presidency presents: - How Trump and those to whom he has granted power differ from all previous administrations- The domestic political forces that will shape his presidency.- His relationship with China and Russia.- His "abrupt departures" from long-standing protocol in international relations. - The Irish perspective - what does it mean for the Irish in America?Tweet about the podcast: @hlinehan See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin says he is worried the Government has not been prudent enough to prepare us for a Brexit economic storm, but insists any rainy-day fund can't come at the expense of services. He also speaks about his disappointment with Theresa May's Brexit speech yesterday, Sinn Féin's "arrogance" in the Northern Ireland Executive and the message Ireland must send to president-elect Donald Trump. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

"When did businesspeople become such hippies?" Patrick Freyne went to Pendulum, the “world’s leading business and self-empowerment summit”, run by the former Ireland rugby star Frankie Sheahan (tagline: “Unleash Your Warrior Mindset”). He talked to Hugh Lineman about what he found. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Martin McGuinness's resignation as Deputy First Minister will almost certainly mean elections in Northern Ireland, and many are questioning whether power sharing can be restored after this breach in the DUP Sinn Féin relationship. But would that be a bad thing? Mick Fealty of NI politics blog Slugger O'Toole says the breakdown is the inevitable result of greater scrutiny of the Executive, while MLA for Folye Eamonn McCann says the assumption that power sharing is required to keep violence from breaking out is false. They talk with Hugh and Political Editor Pat Leahy. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

An opinion piece on irishtimes.com about vocabulary used by the so-called 'alt-right' political movement has caused a stir. Opinion Editor John McManus talked to Hugh Linehan about why The Irish Times ran the piece. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

John Halligan has a reputation for speaking his mind and on today's Inside Politics podcast he doesn't disappoint. He explains what really happened from his point of view during last years disputes with his Government colleagues. With hospital waiting times back on the agenda, he questions whether the capability exists in Ireland to reform its own health system. He calls for the abolition of the HSE and the appointment of consultants from overseas to put things right.On the Waterford Hospital issue that has troubled his relationship with Fine Gael, he again says he will consider his position if an additional cath lab is not provided.Talking about the difficulties of his own work as a Minister for State, he questions the value of advice he receives from civil servants and recalls asking a Fianna Fáil TD to help him secure €50 million in funding from his own Government for school transport services. And finally he explains his highly unusual choice of Christmas cards.Before all that, our Political Editor Pat Le

Many people old enough to remember 1986 in Ireland will tell you it was a pretty grim time and place. The economy was in the doldrums and unemployment was high. A referendum to permit divorce was voted down as Hurricane Charlie hit. In January, Phil Lynott died. The state papers from I986, released after the mandatory 30 year waiting period, reveal a country trying to deal with problems at home and in Northern Ireland, and to come to terms with a growing demand for equality and social change. Elaine Edwards and Stephen Collins were among the reporters allowed a first look at the annually-released cache of yellowing documents that make up the state papers. They talked to us about the stories they found, major, minor and quirky. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What does 2017 hold in store for Ireland and the world? We don't claim to know, but we invited Fintan O'Toole, Una Mullally and Pat Leahy in to discuss some of the possibilities on this final Inside Politics of the unforgettable year of 2016. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

2016 was a good and bad year for reporters. There were plenty of stories to report on, but also plenty of challenges to traditional journalism, old and new: the continuing rise of social media, and its sometimes misleading content; Ireland's strict defamation laws that can stifle in-depth reporting; and difficult economic times for the news business. Irish Times News Editor Mark Hennessy talks to Inside Story about some of those difficulties, recaps some of the newsroom output he is most proud of from 2016 and makes some prognostications for the years ahead. From everyone on the Inside Politics / Inside Story team, we wish you all a very happy Christmas. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It was a “bizarre year in politics” says Irish Times political reporter Sarah Bardon, who found herself with very little to report on some nights in Leinster House, as the minority government argued behind closed doors and not much got done.She joined her colleague Harry McGee and historian Diarmaid Ferriter this morning, to review the year gone by for the Irish Times Inside Politics podcast.The panel discussed opinion polls and the dreadful year they have had, with Harry McGee conceding that political pundits are far better at analysing the past than they are predicting the future.This time last year a strong general election performance was predicted for Fine Gael and a disastrous one for Fianna Fáil. How wrong they were, says Sarah Bardon, who cites Enda Kenny’s mantra of ‘keep the recovery going’ and Fine Gael’s obsession with the ‘fiscal space’ as two reasons why the party failed to perform at the polls as expected.Fine Gael advisors were the victims of “brain freeze” when it came to the Taoiseach’s camp

There are 21,000 vacant residences in Dublin City. This weekend activists have felt the need to appropriate an empty office block to house the homeless, as a shortage of housing sends rents soaring. How has it come to this? Our Dublin Correspondent Olivia Kelly has been investigating. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

To take a look back at a six month period of "new politics" that is now ending with ambitious Minister Coveney's new rental reform package, and with Taoiseach Enda Kenny still firmly at the helm, Political Editor Pat Leahy chatted with his chums Michael O'Regan, Fiach Kelly and Sarah Bardon. Will Coveney's hard work pay dividends of power down the line? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When we talk about health and medicine, the immediate problems tend to crowd out the important ones, says our correspondent Paul Cullen. But this weekend he is reporting on a long-term threat that could destroy modern medical practice and jeopardise millions of lives. Antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" are becoming stronger and more prevalent, and are now entrenched in some Irish hospitals. He talked to Hugh Linehan about the story.Tweet about the podcast: @hlinehanIf you like this podcast, help us get it to a wider audience by sharing it on social media, or by rating and reviewing it in iTunes or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Thanks. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ireland’s continual housing crisis will not be solved unless issues of affordability and security of tenure in the rental sector are addressed, according to a Trinity College academic.New legislation aimed at boosting supply in the housing market is currently going through the Seanad. It allows planning applications for large housing developments of more than 100 homes to be made directly to An Bord Pleanála rather than to local councils and forms part of the government’s “Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness”, published earlier this year.Assistant Professor at Trinity College’s Geography department, Cian O’Callaghan, spoke on this week’s Inside Politics podcast about the plan, calling for a “different approach” to the Irish housing crisis. He says we need to look beyond the issue of housing supply and broaden tactics to address problems with affordability and security of tenure in the private-rental and social housing sectors.Fianna Fáil’s Thomas Byrne said he appreciates the need to

Will the report of the expert commission on water help bring this vexed issue to a conclusion at long last? Minister Simon Coveney hopes so, but AAA-PBP TD Paul Murphy says "it's not over". They both sat down with Hugh Linhan and Sarah Bardon this morning. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How much do we as a society ask of those among us who have dependents in need of round-the-clock care? Last Saturday, The Irish Times published an interview by Rosita Boland with Johanne and Alan Powell, a couple in their 60s facing retirement and still caring for their profoundly disabled daughter, Siobhan, at home in Co Wexford.Exhausted and frustrated after three decades caring for Siobhan, who cannot walk, is nonverbal, does not eat solid food and has only one kidney, for the past three years the Powells have been seeking a residential care place for her. She is on a waiting list of 61 people in the county.“I want residential care for my daughter. There is no such thing as retiring for carers unless you die . . . Can I survive 10 more years of this?” she asked. “We’ll need someone to wheel us around then,” Alan says. “I want my life back, and my wife back.”Their story elicited a huge response from readers thanks to the honesty of the Powells about their sad circumstances. In this podcast Rosita Boland tal