Scale of defeats has jolted the political establishment

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Senator Michael McDowell, with Sen Ronan Mullen, Sen. Sharon Keoghan, Verona Murphy, TD, Noel Grealish TD and Gerard Craughwell , at the official announcement of Family Referendum results at the Central Count Centre, in Dublin Castle on Saturday.
Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill / The Irish Times.
Senator Michael McDowell, with Sen Ronan Mullen, Sen. Sharon Keoghan, Verona Murphy, TD, Noel Grealish TD and Gerard Craughwell , at the official announcement of Family Referendum results at the Central Count Centre, in Dublin Castle on Saturday. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill / The Irish Times.

Last weekend’s referendum defeats have jolted the political establishment. How could all major parties and many other players have got it so badly wrong - and does the failure reveal something deeper going on?

To discuss this Hugh Linehan is joined by Jack Horgan Jones, Theresa Reidy and Jane Suiter on today’s Inside Politics Podcast.

They look at the the impact of the results on Irish politics, the role and effectiveness of citizens assemblies, and whether opposition to ‘wokeness’ is a genuine force in Irish politics.

Dr Theresa Reidy is a senior lecturer and head of department at the Department of Government and Politics, University College Cork.

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Professor Jane Suiter is director of DCU’s Institute for Future Media, Democracy and Society.

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