The Candidate

The National Children's Hospital has just missed its 18th deadline, and when an Oireachtas committee asked when it would actually be ready, the answer was: we'll need another 15 days to come up with a new date. Meanwhile, 570 staff still need to be hired in a city where nurses struggle to afford to live.

Christine Bohan, Christina Finn and Rónán Duffy ask why the government keeps treating its most expensive project like something that's happening to someone else.

Also: the excise cuts on fuel have landed and barely made a dent, and Michael Healy-Rae got very annoyed about fox hunting on the radio, 

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The reviews are in from the Oval Office, and the verdict is... it wasn't a disaster? Martin met Trump, defended Starmer, stifled a grin during a rant about windmills, and told the US president he's doing his bit for peace in the Middle East (gulp).

The bar for success remains firmly on the floor: don't poke the bear, don't make headlines, get out alive.

Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews and Rónán Duffy debrief on the visit, with Christina reporting on her experience in Oval Office and Jane from Boston, where Joe Biden made a surprise appearance.

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Fuel prices have been climbing higher, and higher... and higher. The government's response? We're monitoring it. Wait and see. Let's not make any knee-jerk decisions. But as one of our team puts it: everyone can see what's happening in Iran, everyone can see what's happening at the pumps, so how much more evidence do you need that this isn't going to blow over?

Christine Bohan, Jane Matthews, Christina Finn and Rónán Duffy ask why the same government that cut excise within two weeks of the Ukraine war is dragging its feet now, and whether the real problem with Irish fuel prices started long before the first bomb dropped.

Also: James Browne wants to loosen the rules on one-off rural housing. Is it a genuine fix or populism now the Greens are gone?

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It's day six of the US-led war on Iran and Ireland's government still can't bring itself to say two crucial words. With the White House visit just weeks away, Micheál Martin is leaning hard on phrases like "rules-based international order" - but what rules do we need to actually pay attention to? The government called out genocide in Gaza, but has suddenly gone quiet.

Christine Bohan, Christina Finn and Rónán Duffy ask what's happened to Ireland's moral voice, and whether the St Patrick's Day trip is already dictating the Taoiseach's response.

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Sinn Féin's Dublin Central selection convention was meant to be a formality. Campaigner Gillian Sherratt was widely tipped to get the nod. Instead, the party's own members backed long-standing local councillor Janice Boylan. Was it a grassroots revolt against a parachute candidate?

Christine Bohan, Jane Matthews, Christina Finn and Rónán Duffy dig into why Irish politics keeps rejecting outsiders, what it means for the Dublin Central by-election,

Also: 'Gougers’, ‘hooligans' and a plague on all our rents.

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The government's plan to review how SNAs are allocated lead to a U-turn that was almost as sharp as the backlash. Letters landing in principals' inboxes triggered a political firestorm, TDs lined up to call it an own goal, and the plan was shelved. Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews, and Rónán Duffy ask: how did the government walk into this one?

Also: is there a snobbery problem with how we talk about hot school meals?

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Another St Patrick's Day trip to the White House, another thorny issue to navigate. This time, it's the detention of an Irish citizen in a US immigration centre. Despite reports of grim conditions and rising concerns for other undocumented Irish people, Micheál Martin seems reluctant to put it front and centre with Donald Trump.

Christine Bohan, Jane Matthews, Rónán Duffy and Christina Finn unpack whether the Taoiseach can really afford to sidestep it.

Also: Once again tourists trump renters in the eyes of the government.

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The government wants e-bike and e-scooter users to wear helmets and high-vis gear, but critics say that’s missing the point. Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews and Rónán Duffy dig into the backlash to this latest safety proposal and why the cycling debate in Ireland seems to hit a nerve every time.

Also: Should politicians be using AI to write speeches?

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The most powerful political force in Ireland? Flooding.

Storm Chandra has kicked off a public row between Housing Minister James Browne and Met Éireann. After Browne suggested Met Éireann 'guarded' information and should change how it issues warnings, question are now being asked: is the warning system fit for purpose, and who is accountable when flooding hits?

Christine Bohan, Jane Matthews and Rónán Duffy examine what this tells us about Ireland’s preparedness for more extreme weather - and if politicians are able to handle the fallout themselves.

Also: why are defections a running drama in UK politics, but not in Ireland?

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The annual St Patrick’s Day trip to the White House used to be a low-stakes photo op. Now? It's a perennial (somewhat tiresome, perhaps) news story and moral dilemma: will we, or won't we? Should Micheál Martin go, and if he does, what does Ireland actually gain and risk?

Christine Bohan, Jane Matthews, Rónán Duffy and Christina Finn unpack the political calculations around this, whether there's a 'red line' which we need to accept has been crossed, and how much leverage Ireland really has during Trump's second term

Also: why are most political parties still posting on X? And what could the government’s planned digital wallet could mean for kids’ safety and civil liberties?

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