It's a strange, strange week in Irish politics (and still with no election date in sight).

On the latest episode of The Candidate podcast — which now takes a weekly look behind the scenes and beyond the headlines to focus on what’s really happening in Irish politics right now — Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, and Rónán Duffy turn their attention to the Occupied Territories Bill. It has been knocking around the Oireachtas for years now, but only now in the dying days of the government is it getting renewed attention. Is there real appetite to take tangible action on Israel, or is it an election ploy?

We also look at Sinn Féin's week from hell, with the party in the headlines for all the wrong reasons across several fronts.

Also: a conscious uncoupling for the media darling of Dublin Bay South.

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Simon Harris is on a flying visit to Washington DC. He isn't under the same pressure that Leo Varadkar faced during a US visit earlier this year but the big question is similar: will he bring up the US's arming of Israel?

In this episode, Jane Matthews, Rónán Duffy and Christine Bohan are joined by The Journal's political editor Christina Finn in Washington, where we look at how the Taoiseach will walk the tightrope of maintaining the close relationship between the two countries while also speaking truth to power. And do these visits actually matter in the real world?

Also, is Michelle O'Neill actually at risk of losing her job over Sinn Féin's handling of its press officer controversy? (spoiler: no). And why are we still talking about €9 million for phone pouches over one week after the Budget?

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Ireland's new MEPs are preparing to take up their seats in the European Parliament, while those who weren't so lucky are recovering from the bruising. The dust has settled after the elections. It's a time when European unity and priorities are in the spotlight, so what can we extrapolate from the results of the election? How will Ireland make its mark? What will the parliament's main aims be? And just how important was this election for the bloc?

Political Editor Christina Finn is joined on this episode of The Candidate podcast by Theresa Reidy, political scientist at University College Cork; Barry Colfer, director of research at the Institute of International and European Affairs; and Muiris O'Cearbhaill, reporter with The Journal.

This episode was presented by Christina Finn and produced by Nicky Ryan and Sinéad O'Carroll.

This work is co-funded by Journal Media and a grant programme from the European Parliament. Any opinions or conclusions expressed in this work are the author’s own. The European Parliament has no involvement in nor responsibility for the editorial content published by the project. For more information, see here.

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THE EUROPEAN ELECTIONS take place next Friday, as candidates across Ireland strive for a seat in the European Parliament.

Dublin is the smallest of the three European constituencies. It has a total of four seats available, with 23 candidates running for election.

It’s the final constituency to be profiled by the new season of The Candidate podcast by The Journal, helping to make sense of the European elections and giving you a comprehensive view of the big issues and the candidates in each area.

Political Editor Christina Finn examines how this election could unfold in the Dublin constituency, with Gary Murphy, professor of politics at Dublin City University, Liz Carolan of TheBriefing.ie, The Journal's Deputy Editor Christine Bohan, and Muiris O'Cearbhaill, reporter with The Journal.

This episode was presented by Christina Finn and produced by Nicky Ryan and Sinéad O’Carroll.

This work is co-funded by Journal Media and a grant programme from the European Parliament. Any opinions or conclusions expressed in this work are the author’s own. The European Parliament has no involvement in nor responsibility for the editorial content published by the project. For more information, see here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Midlands-North-West is the largest of Ireland's three European constituencies. 27 candidates are vying for five seats, hoping to win the votes of people across 11 counties.

It's a diverse area where would-be MEPs have to field a wide range of issues on the doorsteps, and is a crucial battleground to win the agricultural vote.

It's the latest constituency to be profiled by the new season of The Candidate podcast, helping to make sense of the European elections and giving you a comprehensive view of the big issues and the candidates in each area. Political Editor Christina Finn examines how this election could unfold in Midlands-North-West with Johnny Fallon, political commentator and strategy director with Carr Communications; Stella Meehan, editor of Agriland.ie; Jane Matthews, Political Reporter with The Journal, and Muiris O'Cearbhaill, reporter with The Journal.

This episode was presented by Christina Finn and produced by Nicky Ryan and Sinéad O’Carroll.

This work is co-funded by Journal Media and a grant programme from the European Parliament. Any opinions or conclusions expressed in this work are the author’s own. The European Parliament has no involvement in nor responsibility for the editorial content published by the project. For more information, see here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WE'RE NOW LESS than three weeks away from polling day in the crucial European elections, but it can be difficult parse for voters when it's such a crowded field of candidates angling for votes across three constituencies, two of which span the majority of Ireland.

The Journal's politics podcast, The Candidate, returns for a new season as part of the EU 2024 Explained series. The podcast delves into the election and helps you make sense of it. It profiles each constituency and gives you a more comprehensive look at the election itself.

Presented by Political Editor Christina Finn, our first episode heads to Ireland South, and we're joined by an expert panel to look at the main issues in the area and gauge who the serious candidates are: Damien Tiernan, presenter of Déise Today on WLR FM and former RTÉ south-east correspondent; Theresa Reidy, political scientist and lecturer at University College Cork; Muiris O'Cearbhaill, reporter with The Journal currently focusing on the EU; Rónán Duffy, Assistant News Editor with The Journal.

This episode was presented by Christina Finn and produced by Nicky Ryan and Sinéad O'Carroll.

This work is co-funded by Journal Media and a grant programme from the European Parliament. Any opinions or conclusions expressed in this work are the author’s own. The European Parliament has no involvement in nor responsibility for the editorial content published by the project. For more information, see here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.