Hugh is joined by Pat Leahy and Harry McGee to talk about the swift emergence of Simon Harris as Fine Gael leader and taoiseach-in-waiting. They look back at his career to date and identify a potential strategy to lead Fine Gael out of its current predicament.

But first, more on the unexpected resignation of Leo Varadkar.

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British political pundit, broadcaster and podcaster Ian Dale joins Hugh to discuss the upcoming UK general election and the state of British politics. A Conservative supporter, Iain explains why he may not be able to vote for the party for the first time in his life.

Iain and his co-host, the former Labour Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, are bringing their politics podcast For the Many to Dublin for a live show on Sunday, March 24th. Find out more here.

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Jennifer Bray and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh Linehan to discuss the week in politics, including the annual migration of Ministers to foreign lands for St Patrick's Day. But with the crisis in Gaza on many Irish voters' minds, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has a balancing act in how he raises the issue with President Joe Biden.

Also on the agenda: More fallout from the recent referendums, and how housing asylum seekers will be an issue in local election campaigns.

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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 is joined by Jack Horgan Jones, Theresa Reidy and Jane Suiter.

They discuss 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.

Jane Suiter is Professor in DCU's School of Communications and director of DCU's Institute for Future Media, Democracy and Society.

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Although counting is still underway in the family and care referendums, the Government has already admitted defeat, with a No-No result looking like the only outcome.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar described the result as two wallops for Government, while Tánaiste Micheál Martin, said there is “no single reason” why the proposals were rejected, and a time for reflection will ensue.

As the political blame game now begins, what will be the fallout from the defeat? Hugh Linehan talks to Pat Leahy and Jennifer Bray.

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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.

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Farmer protest movements are becoming an increasingly important part of the political landscape across Europe, from Poland, where they have been spurred by the lifting of tariffs on Ukrainian agricultural produce, to the Netherlands, where Government plans to cut nitrogen emissions have led to the rise of a significant new party, and most recently to Germany, where a threat to cut agricultural fuel subsidies has caused a furious reaction.

It appears that European farmers believe they are being ignored, their needs set aside. The ripples of all this are being felt at across the EU in advance of June's Parliament elections. So what is exactly happening and how likely is it that farmers unhappiness could lead to new political parties in Ireland as well as in Europe? Hugh Linehan talks to Naomi O'Leary and Jack Horgan-Jones.

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Pat Leahy and Jennifer Bray join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:

One week out from the care and family referendums taking place on March 8th and campaigning on both sides is finally in full swing, the panel debates whether the Government will be hurt by a failure to get both proposed constitutional amendments over the line considering how muddled their Yes message has been thus far.

Also on the podcast: Sinn Féin’s unclear position on climate change was evident again this week after their sole MEP Chris McManus voted against the Nature Restoration Law, a landmark piece of EU environmental legislation, while Sinn Féin senator Lynn Boylan wholeheartedly welcomed it.

And with her three-hour Oireachtas Committee grilling over the resignation of former chair of the RTÉ board, Siún Ní Raghallaigh, now behind her the panel discuss whether Minister for Media Catherine Martin, and indeed the wider public, can now move on from the RTÉ saga. 

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Political scientist Theresa Reidy and political correspondent Harry McGee join Hugh to look ahead to June's European elections, when voters in Ireland and across the EU will pick their Members of the European Parliament. Since the last election in 2019, the electoral map has changed, as has much else in Irish and European politics. There are a plethora of independent and small party candidates, but do the circumstances favour those put forward by the big parties, this time around? The panel pick over the candidates, constituencies, EU political dynamics, and more.

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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