Pat Leahy and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:
There were some interesting developments during the European People’s Party (EPP) congress in Bucharest this week – Ursula von der Leyen was roundly endorsed for another five years as European Commission President, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told delegates that Europe was no longer in a ‘post-war epoch’ and that borders had to be defended. The panel discussed whether Ireland’s military spending will soon reflect this new sense of urgency.
Also on the podcast: Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe’s refusal to meet demands on how to spend the continuing surge in corporate tax receipts has left some Cabinet members less than happy after a call to significantly boost the National Development Plan fell on deaf ears.
And the panel compare the approaches of the Government and Sinn Féin when it comes to improving the lot of Northern Ireland. During his speech at the Alliance Party conference this week, Tánaiste Micheál Martin pushed the positives to be gained from the Shared Island initiative, whereas Sinn Féin’s line has consistently been improvement through a united Ireland.
Pat Leahy: Have our politicians forgotten what happens when you lose control of the public finances?
Chris Packham: ‘I was a very angry young man, confused because of my undiagnosed autism. It had an enormous impact on my life’
Bashed tables, dad dancing and pizza: how the deal for a new government was done
Your January garden doesn’t care about your new year’s resolutions
Plus, the panel pick their Irish Times pieces of the week:
Joe Humphreys wrote about how Netflix use the irresistible allure of nostalgia.
Google investors were far from impressed by the capabilities of AI chatbot Gemini.
And London Correspondent Mark Paul on Chancellor for the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt trying to do the impossible with his budget.
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