INSIDE POLITICS LIVE SHOW WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 11TH - DUBLIN. TICKETS HERE

Harry McGee and Jennifer Bray join Hugh for a look at today's events on the campaign trail.

• Sinn Féin's leasehold policy has been criticised by other parties, at times with little concrete justification. But has the party itself done enough to clarify how workable the scheme is?

• In the closing stages of this campaign, plenty of focus remains on the question of what parties say they would do in the event of an economic downturn.

• Sinn Féin finance spokesman Pearse Doherty asked voters to consider lending his party their vote, arguing that Sinn Féin TDs stood a better chance of changing the country than independents.

• Roderic O'Gorman engaged in his own version of Project Fear by invoking the spectre of Minister for the Environment Mattie McGrath. Could these anti-independent messages make an impact before Friday?

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INSIDE POLITICS LIVE SHOW WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 11TH - DUBLIN. TICKETS HERE

Housing will be one of the issues foremost in voters' minds when they go to the polls on Friday. But after an election campaign low on genuine debate, they'll be forgiven for some confusion over the detail of which party has promised what to whom.

So what exactly are the different parties promising to do on housing? When it comes to specifics like how how much financial support to give buyers, how much social housing to build, and how much to intervene in rent control or tenants' rights, there are some key points of difference.

Michael Byrne is a housing researcher and a lecturer in political economy at University College Dublin's School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice. He produces The Week in Housing newsletter.

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What were the most important moments in tonight's debate between Mary Lou McDonald, Micheál Martin and Simon Harris - and who came out on top? Pat Leahy and Jack Horgan-Jones were watching.

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Bringing you all today's news from the campaign trail, Sarah Burns and Jack Horgan-Jones join Hugh to discuss:

• A story about a Fine Gael staffer trying to influence how RTÉ reported on Simon Harris's disastrous interaction with disability care worker Charlotte Fallon is dragging the story through another news cycle. With just days until voting day, it is not what the party needs right now.

• Candidates like Sinn Féin's Mark Ward, who is seeking reelection In Dublin West, are insisting the momentum is now very much in their favour. Dublin West is a constituency worth watching - especially for the potential return of former Green TD and now independent candidate Paul Gogarty.

• All eyes will now turn to tonight's three-way leader's debate. How consequential will it be?

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Jennifer Bray and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh Linehan to discuss today's news from the campaign trail:

• Reaction from Mary Lou McDonald (delight) and Simon Harris (dismay) to this morning's Ipsos B&A poll from The Irish Times that put Fine Gael in third place behind Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil.

• Also today, Simon Harris offered very limited support to the embattled candidacy of Senator John McGahon.

• Meanwhile in the battle of the small parties, Friends of the Earth ranked all parties according to the environmental friendliness of their policies. And the Greens did not come first, or even second. Will it matter?

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The final Irish Times Ipsos B&A poll of the campaign reveals a stark reversal of fortunes for Fine Gael and Taoiseach Simon Harris, with the party dropping by six points back to third place, just behind Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin. The results put even more pressure on Harris to perform well and win over voters in Tuesday night's televised debate with Micheal Martin and Mary Lou McDonald.

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In the second in our AMA series with leaders of the three largest parties, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin answers listener questions on a range of issues including looming threats to Ireland's economic model and what he would prioritise in the event of a downturn, why Fianna Fáil won't go as far as some other parties say they will to strengthen tenant's rights, red lines in coalition negotiations, why voters concerned about Gaza should trust him to follow through on the Occupied Territories bill, and more.

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Social affairs correspondent Kitty Holland and Jack Horgan-Jones join Hugh for our latest election podcast:

• Kitty interviewed independent candidate for Dublin North West and city councillor Gavin Pepper, who insists he's neither far right nor anti-immigrant. Rather, he is against "illegal immigration". But the slogan "Ireland is full" is open to interpretation. What do Pepper's supporters really want from him or other candidates with his views - and does Pepper have a chance of winning a seat?

• Taoiseach Simon Harris told this podcast that he wasn't open to the idea of a coalition involving an multi-party alliance, a possibility suggested by Labour and the Greens. Today Labour and also the Social Democrats hit out at Harris over the remarks.

• Independent candidates as a group have been the most clear winners in recent polls. Jack went canvassing with one of them.

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In the first of a series with the leaders of the three largest political parties, Taoiseach Simon Harris sat down with Hugh Linehan to answer questions submitted by Inside Politics podcast listeners on issues including taxation, housing, threats to Ireland’s economy, why Ireland does not facilitate overseas voting, and more.

He revealed that he is not in favour of forming a coalition with a left-wing alliance of more than one party, a concept proposed by Labour leader Ivana Bacik, and sees a coalition of four parties or more as unstable.

He also shared the qualities he admires in political opponents Mary Lou McDonald, Micheál Martin, Holly Cairns and Ivana Bacik.

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Jennifer Bray and Harry McGee join Hugh for a look at today's events on the campaign trail:

• Mary Lou McDonald showed how effective a campaigner and political communicator she can be while meeting students at DCU.

• Aontú launched its manifesto, but at first there was one thing missing - the manifesto itself.

• Fianna Fáil launched its plan for Dublin city, a place it has struggled to recover seats in since its 2011 nadir. Can the party make inroads in the capital?

• Plus Harry reminisces on that fraught 2011 election campaign.

Over on irishtimes.com there are excellent resources for following the election:

• Constituencies - every candidate listed, every constituency analysed with a 'prediction / possible outcome'.
• Party Promises - compare the manifestos using this handy tool.
• Who should I vote for? Compare your views with parties and candidates.
• The Irish Times poll, current and archive.
• Election Daily podcast - all the episodes.
• Meet the Voters - our correspondents have been out and about meeting real people and discussing real issues, including taking the temperature with The Irish Times voter panel.

Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Denis Staunton's Global Briefing newsletter here: irishtimes.com/newsletters/global-briefing/

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