His legacy is debated, but there's no denying that Bertie Ahern is one of the most significant figures in Irish political history. 
Over the next few episodes Pat Leahy tells the story of the life and political career of the former Taoiseach and assesses his impact on modern Ireland. 
In the first instalment Pat examines Ahern's rise to prominence within Fianna Fáil, how he first came close to power before having it snatched away by a political ally turned foe, and the smart general election campaign that saw him assume the office of Taoiseach on June 26th, 1997. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Ahern years: Bertie's path to power

The best analysis of the Irish political scene featuring Irish Times journalists, political thinkers and the occasional politician. Hosted by Hugh Linehan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Politics

Hugh Linehan is joined by Cormac McQuinn and Jennifer Bray to discuss the week in politics:   ·     The last fortnight has seen several incidents of councillors being verbally and physically attacked while out canvassing for the forthcoming local elections. A disturbing trend that hasn’t been a feature of previous elections. ·     The panel dig into what the Irish Times/Ipsos B&A; poll results say about the volatility of public opinion right now. ·     And neither current First Minister of Northern Ireland, Michelle O’Neill, or former First Minister of Northern Ireland, Arlene Foster, came away from the UK Covid-19 inquiry unscathed.   And the panel pick their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week:   ·     Ronan McGreevey writing 50 years on from the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. ·     Laura Kennedy does the arithmetic of emigration.
·     Stephen Collins writes of Micheál Martin’s political enemies  postponing their big move. 
 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aggression and abuse on the campaign trail for those running in local elections

The latest Irish Times/Ipsos B&A; opinion poll shows Sinn Féin support has slumped again while there has been a recovery for Fine Gael. The poll also shows that Micheál Martin is the most popular party leader, while support for independents remains at a high level. But what lies behind these trends? Hugh was joined by Cliff Young from Ipsos as well as podcast regulars Pat Leahy and Jennifer Bray to discuss the poll results before a live audience in Dublin city centre.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Poll suggests Sinn Féin support is still in decline

Disinformation is a concern in the run-up to the local and European elections. And the combination of new AI technology and complex social media networks make it easier than ever to spread misleading information to a global audience. But who polices disinformation, and is the term sometimes misused or abused for political ends? To debate this, Hugh talks to Eileen Culloty of DCU, Freddie Sayers, editor of UK news and opinion website Unherd, and Jack Horgan-Jones from The Irish Times politics team.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the 'disinformation' label used to stifle free speech?

Hugh is joined by Harry McGee and Jennifer Bray to discuss the week in politics:
This week saw a rare and notable victory for student politics at Trinity College Dublin, where protestors secured a victory in their campaign for the college to divest from companies linked to Israel.
Meanwhile the Government’s moves towards recognising Palestinian statehood are still underway.
The asylum seeker accommodation crisis trundles on.
It is a month out from the European elections and Jennifer and Harry have their ear to the ground. Could high-profile first-timers like Ciaran Mullooly and Niall Boylan claim seats in Strasbourg at the expense of more established politicians?
And the panel pick their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week:
Patrick Freyne reviewing Jennifer’s favourite TV show.
Laura Slattery’s excellent live coverage of Bambi Thug’s quest for Eurovision glory.
Barry Roche on the many outstanding mysteries surrounding American passport fraudster Randolph Kirk Parker, who was arrested in Cork last year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A famous victory for student politics

Sinn Féin housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin is in studio to talk with Hugh Linehan and Pat Leahy about his party's apparent decline in support in the past year, his views on housing and how to handle high numbers of asylum seekers, and the political landscape ahead of forthcoming local and European elections. 
Eoin also denies the suggestion, recently made by Davy Stockbrokers, that Sinn Féin has more in common with the New Labour of Tony Blair than the socialism of Jeremy Corbyn.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Ahern years: Bertie's path to power

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