Ellen Coyne and Harry McGee join Pat Leahy to look back on the week in politics:

·       When Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald was asked on Monday if she was ruling herself out of this year’s contest to succeed Michael D Higgins, she replied, “we’re not ruling anything in or anything out.” But could a tilt at the presidency be a potential career-ender for Mary Lou?

·       Elsewhere, those ruling themselves firmly in include Galway West Independent TD Catherine Connolly, who says she plans to launch her presidential election bid next week. The veteran Donegal TD Pat the Cope Gallagher says he is considering seeking Fianna Fáil nomination to run, but Fine Gael’s Seán Kelly has ruled himself out, with Mairead McGuinness now widely expected to seek Áras election.

·       The Occupied Territories Bill is now undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny. The big question remains whether the proposed bill will include services along with the prohibition of trade in goods with Israeli companies operating in the illegally occupied Palestinian territories.

Plus, the panel picks their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week:

·       The throwaway lyrics of Oasis, the social cohesion of the July 12th bonfires, and when crying in public is the natural thing to do.

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It is just over a year since Keir Starmer’s Labour Party won a huge majority and took power in London, but Starmer’s political capital is already at a low ebb. 

It hasn’t all been bad: most noticeably here, he has managed to repair the UK’s relationship with Ireland after the fractious Brexit years. But he has also handled the Trump administration and the EU with skill. 

It’s at home where he hasn’t done so well. Some notable successes - on reducing NHS waiting times - have been overshadowed by a series of u-turns, mishaps and political miscalculations. 

So what does the electorate make of him, and where does he go from here? London correspondent Mark Paul talks to Hugh. 

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Jack Horgan-Jones and Harry McGee join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:

·       The drive to inject some impetus into the Irish presidential race has not yielded anything of note just yet with the starter pistol not expected to sound until Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael,  and Sinn Féin nominate their candidates.

·       The Coalition remains divided over Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless’s recent assertion that the student contribution could increase by as much as €1,000 next year for third-level students.

·       The pause on Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs is almost up – is there a plan in place to keep Ireland’s pain to a minimum?

Plus, the panel picks their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week:

·       The puffins of Rathlin Island, the digital revolution that didn’t turn out as expected, and how the wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez destroyed quiet luxury.

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Money always matters in politics. Just ask UK prime minister Keir Starmer, whose attempt to cut UK welfare payments is on the rocks thanks to Labour party rebels, leaving a multibillion pound hole in his economic plan. 

Over here, the various departments are currently working out how much money they need to operate in advance of the Summer Economic Statement, the report that outlines the parameters for what is likely to be a tighter Budget than those of recent years. 

The Government is also trying to get to grips with an urgent need for investment in infrastructure. And it’s all happening against a backdrop of growing economic uncertainty.

This week the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council accused the Government of lacking a coherent spending plan. So how well fixed is our system to navigate all this?Pat Leahy joins Hugh to discuss it. 

They also discuss the inter-Coalition row over third level fees. 

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Pat Leahy and Cormac McQuinn join Jack Horgan-Jones to look back on the week in politics:

·       US President Donald Trump was the main attraction at a landmark Nato summit on Wednesday with Nato secretary general Mark Rutte calling him ‘Daddy’ during their press conference. Trump got what he came for with Nato member states agreeing to an increase of 5 per cent of GDP in defence spending.

·       Over at the EU leaders summit on Thursday, defence spending was also high on the agenda with Ireland backing the EU’s €150bn defence plan. The war in Gaza was highlighted too with Taoiseach Micheál Martin unable to comprehend how Europe doesn’t seem capable of putting any pressure on Israel to stop it. And with Trump’s tariffs pause set to end on July 9th, Ireland and other EU countries will be forgiven for looking at India and China as greater trading partners.

·       Do policy interventions like reviewing RPZs compensate for the delayed release of the Government’s housing plan? The document won’t be published until after the summer.

·       Presidential candidates are still pretty thin on the ground with Fine Gael’s Seán Kelly saying he “could do a lot” as president but stopped short of declaring he actually will enter the race.

Plus, the panel picks their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week:

·       The endurance test that Irish concert-goers have to go through is worth it, Democratic mayoral primary Zohran Mamdani shocks as New York swelters, and Jaws and its Irish connection.

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Europe correspondent Jack Power joins Pat and Jack Horgan-Jones to discuss monumental events in the Middle East, with the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities being followed by a ceasefire that may or may not be holding as you listen to this podcast.

They also discuss the EU's struggle to assert influence on the global stage as it heads into a summit, and bring it back home to the Irish government's awkward stance on the Occupied Territories Bill.

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Sally Hayden and Harry McGee join Jack Horgan-Jones to look back on the week in politics:

·       Sally Hayden joins the pod on the line from Beirut where missiles flying overhead have become a fact of daily life despite the ceasefire agreement Lebanon signed with Israel last November. With Israel’s attention now firmly on Iran, the rising death toll and continuing aerial attacks from both sides show no signs of abating. And is the US on the verge of joining Israel’s attack on Iran? What could that mean for stability in the Middle East?

·       Children’s Health Ireland appeared before the Oireachtas Health Committee this week with politicians eager to tear strips off the embattled group responsible for running children’s hospital services in Dublin. After so many controversies since its inception in 2018, can CHI be trusted to run the new national children’s hospital when it opens? And how will this all be handled by Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll-MacNeill given her short time as a first-time senior Minister?

Plus, the panel picks their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week:

·       How AIB came back from the brink, and a misguided viral appeal following the death of an Irish emigrant in London.

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You can tell an awful lot about a society by who it labels a genius. You can also learn from who it excludes from that category, who it enables and what it is prepared to tolerate from them. The tortured poet, the rebellious scientist, the monstrous artist, or indeed the tech disruptor.

All of these archetypes feature in The Genius Myth, the new book by the journalist, author and podcaster Helen Lewis. She joins Hugh to talk about so-called geniuses, from Elon Musk to The Beatles, the modern influence of concepts like IQ, and what it takes to be a political genius.

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