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

·       The sharp criticism that greeted a review of allocation of special needs assistants in schools around the country prompted a hasty retreat by Government. The review has now been paused which should buy the Government some time to soothe tensions.

·       The Government are yet to act on their own voiced concerns around under-16s using social media. The problems arising from children using these platforms has been thoroughly diagnosed, but what will actually be put in place to address them?

·       Ireland’s only directly-elected mayor, Limerick mayor John Moran, is finding it difficult to achieve what he has set out to do in his role, and has questioned whether there is a strategy in place to “create sufficient pressure that I might simply walk away”.

·       The International Protection Bill is quickly working its way through the Dáil to be in place by June, in time for the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum which will take effect then.

·       And splashed across every front page on the planet this week was former British prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor who had been detained by police on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

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

·       A revolt against Microsoft in a small German state (which Hugh fully supports), doyen of the Irish business world Michael Smurfit, and the street sweepers who keep Dhaka in Bangladesh ticking over.

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13 months in, Donald Trump's second term is proving to be a much more radical political project than his first. On today's podcast Hugh is joined by Fintan O'Toole to talk about whether the Trump administration's ideology, use of state power and rhetoric now make comparisons with the fascism of the 20th century appropriate. What would fascism look like in today’s media, institutional and geopolitical context? 

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Disputes over freedom of speech, censorship and the shifting norms of acceptable discourse are part and parcel of modern political debate. Now the debate has come to the Leaving Cert. A review of content of the optional Politics and Society subject is underway, with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment saying consideration will be given “to potential risks associated with including theories that may be at odds with a human rights approach”.

In response, one teacher wrote to Irish Times philosophy columnist Joe Humphreys to voice concern that proposed changes will prevent students from learning about 'difficult' ideas.

Joe wrote about it in his latest Unthinkable column and on today's podcast he talks to Hugh about the teaching of politics in school, the leftward skew of 'key thinkers' featured in the curriculum and how the race for CAO points means the exploration of ideas is of secondary importance to second level students.

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

·       This week saw the European Parliament approve a € 90 billion package to support Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia. The loan was approved by a comfortable majority, but among those who voted against it were Sinn Féin’s two MEPs, Lynn Boylan and Kathleen Funchion. The decision to oppose the measure put them in the company of the likes of Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland, Hungary’s Fidesz and France’s Rassemblement National.

·       The Government has made a U-turn on the regulation of short-term lets here. After consultation with the tourism industry, Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke decided to change the previous plan to restrict such lets in towns with populations of more than 10,000 to populations of at least 20,000, this move would effectively lift the threat of regulation from potentially thousands of Airbnbs across rural towns here.

·       The mood was buoyant at the Social Democrat national conference in Cork with the afterglow of Catherine Connolly’s presidential election win in evidence, along with polls showing the party has begun to put daylight between itself and the Greens and Labour, who occupy the same political space. Are they about to spearhead a united left movement ahead of the next general election?

·       Plus, sport and politics collide ahead of the Republic of Ireland’s Nations League fixtures against Israel in the autumn. There have been calls for a boycott, but the FAI confirmed on Thursday that the matches would go ahead as planned. 

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How Ireland Voted is a regular publication featuring academic analysis of Irish elections. The latest edition looks at the 2024 general election and features an essay by Gail McElroy and Stefan Müller that puts party manifestos under the microscope, identifying which topics get the most attention and where the parties line up from left to right. The analysis suggests a major leftward shift in Irish politics over the past decade. Why has this happened, and who is filling the gap this move has left on the right of the political spectrum?

Gail and Theresa Reidy, who edited the book, talk to Hugh and Pat about what the analysis tells us about Irish politics. They also talk about candidate selection practices, which is the subject of Theresa's own essay.

Gail McElroy is a professor in the Department of Political Science at Trinity College, Dublin.

Theresa Reidy is a professor in the Department of Government and Politics at University College Cork.

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John Mearsheimer returns to the podcast to talk to Hugh about his view of geopolitics and global security in 2026.

They talk about Donald Trump's unilateralism, the security architecture of Europe, the consequences for Europe of the war in Ukraine, US Middle East policy and threats to liberal democracy.

Mearsheimer paints a pessimistic picture, warning that the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza will have poisonous long-term consequences that most people fail to grasp.

Professor John Mearsheimer is a political scientist and geopolitical analyst at the University of Chicago.

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Pat Leahy and Ellen Coyne join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:

·       When it comes to the housing crisis or whether to spend the exchequer surplus, the results from the latest Irish Times/Ipsos B&A poll suggest an electorate that wants to see some action. This is despite Government’s claims that real progress has been made on housing.

·       One of the most noteworthy finds of the latest Irish/Ipsos B&A opinion poll is the uptick in Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s approval rating. He is now the most popular party leader here who continues to have the backing of more than 80 per cent of Fianna Fáil voters. Perhaps he has now put Jim Gavin’s fiasco of a presidential campaign behind him?

·       And the latest tranche of Epstein files is proving to be quite damaging for UK prime minister Keir Starmer, with an apology issued this week to victims of Jeffrey Epstein over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador at a time when his friendship with Epstein was already public knowledge.

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

·       The Melania Trump film, a world without nuclear arms control, and why transgender rights misinformation is the last thing schools need.

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Last week the Government confirmed it will push ahead with legislation to change how the Defence Forces are deployed overseas, including the removal of the Triple Lock when Irish troops are part of an international force.

The Triple Lock makes it necessary for any deployment to be ratified by the Dáil, the Government, and the United Nations. The proposed change removes the need for UN approval. 

Opposition parties and many independent TDs and senators are opposed to the change. That includes Independent Senator Tom Clonan, who joins Hugh today to explain why. 

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Harry McGee and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:

·       The floods brought by Storm Chandra earlier this week devastated eastern parts of the country, and once again exposed our lack of preparation for extreme weather events. The painfully slow delivery of flood defence infrastructure will be highlighted repeatedly as climate change makes such weather events more common.

·       Some of the biggest developers in the State are unhappy with the rental reforms scheduled to be introduced on March 1st. They view them as unconstitutional and have threatened legal action against the Government if they fail to engage with them on it.

·       And the death of 16-year-old Grace Lynch, hit by a scrambler motorbike on a pedestrian crossing on the Ratoath Road last Sunday, shows the urgent need for proper enforcement of laws to stop illegal use of scramblers in urban areas of the country.

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

·       US composer Philip Glass upsets Donald Trump, why not all rankings are worth paying attention to, and the mega success of K-Pop Demon Hunters.

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Legislation to reform Ireland's residential property rental landscape is being fast-tracked through the Dáil. What impact will it have? On security of tenure, we will now have some of the most robust protections for renters in Europe. But rents are likely to become even more unaffordable, says Michael Byrne, a lecturer at UCD's School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice.

Hugh and Jack are joined by Michael to talk about how the legislation will change the landscape for renters. They also talk about the ideas in Michael's new book, Beyond Generation Rent, and the radical changes that are happening in Ireland's housing market, from the growing proportion of institutional landlords to the massive investment in social housing.

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