The Floating Voter

With the news that Donald Trump is visting his Doonbeg golf course in County Clare at the end of June, the question on Irish lips was whether he should be welcomed or jeered.

On this week’s Floating Voter, People Before Profit TD, Richard Boyd Barrett, was unequivocal in his oppostion to Trump coming to these shores and is already mobilising anti-Trump protesters to make their voices heard.

Whilst not comparing the Republican Presidential nominee directly to Hitler, Boyd Barrett told the Floating Voter team of Kevin Doyle, Niall O’Connor and Philip Ryan, that Trump’s racism, mysogny and Islamophobia has crossed the line beyond civil democratic discourse.

Locals are living in fear in a ‘square mile of death’ says Councillor Nial Ring who represents the north Dublin inner city area which is under siege after another killing this week in the Hutch-Kinahan gangland war.

Councillor Ring was speaking on this week’s Floating Voter and he warned that unless an end is put to this feud, ‘these guys will have taken over the north inner city drugs and criminality within six months. This like a group trying to create a state within in a state and be immune to what they want to do.’

“Inner city drug dealing has taken a sinister turn with the Kinahans coming in. It’s an international criminality that we can’t grasp the size and significance of and that’s the scary thing. Enda Kenny has no concept of it – you’re going up against huge money, ruthlessness and brutality the likes of which we have never seen before.”

The Dail’s youngest TD has spoken about being subjected to a “tsunami” of online abuse following the General Election result.

Fianna Fail TD for Dublin West Jack Chambers told the Floating Voter podcast that he was depicted as a legoman on social media.

“It was difficult to get a Tsunami of abuse after the General Election. I've always respected people and I think it's important to respect people,” the 26-year old said.

Mr Chambers also spoke to the team about his views on the Eighth Amendment - and how long he lives in a “red and green house” because of his Mayo roots.

Niall O’Connor, Philip Ryan and Cormac McQuinn also discussed the ongoing controversy stemming from O’Higgins report - and whether Fianna Fail’s victory in the Dáil this week in relation to mortgages is a sign of new politics.

The Programme for Government has been in existence for just 24 hours - and a row has already kicked off.

On this week’s Floating Voter, the team discuss how the Fine Gael/Independent partnership can hold it all together and whether a row over child benefit is a sign of things to come.

Meanwhile, as Joan Burton waves goodbye to the Labour leadership - what next for the party licking its wounds following its disastrous General ELection performance.

INM political correspondent Philip Ryan questions whether history will be kind to Joan Burton in light of cuts she presided over while Minister for Social Protection.

And Niall O’Connor, in the presenting hot seat this week, is once again challenged over his infamous claim that Ms Burton is “one of the finest politicians of modern day time”.

Two Floating Voter regulars, Cormac McQuinn and Nicola Anderson, discuss Alan Shatter’s next move after the findings of the O’Higgins Commission.

From a bottle of wine a night, to gay teddy bears, ducks and climate change denial, it was a surreal and slightly insane week in Irish politics on the Floating Voter podcast.

The team of Kevin Doyle, Niall O’Connor and Philip Ryan were joined by the singer and musician, Frances Black, who has also now been elected to the Seanad.

Black’s work with families affected by addiction through her Rise Foundation was part of the reason for her to stand for the Seanad election and she was candid and honest about her own struggles with alcohol.

“My pattern of drinking was a bottle of wine a night,” she admitted. “But I didn’t like the feeling of needing to have alcohol and not being able to give it up. For me it was causing a problem in my life because I didn’t like the way it was making me feel, heightening my low self-esteem and sense of inadequacy. I didn’t like the feeling of powerlessness it brought and so I decided to seek help.

“You could have floored me when I was then told, ‘Yes Frances, you’re an alcoholic’. I wasn’t what we typically considered someone to be an alcoholic, falling around the place or waking up with the shakes. My family were shocked but they were also worried abut my drinking and my partner at the time wasn’t happy about it either. It was hard, but that’s when I gave it up.”

"If somebody is caught with €300 of coke they shouldn’t be locked up for it."

Gino Kenny, the AAA-PBP’s TD for Dublin Mid-West spoke frankly on this week’s Floating Voter about the legalisation of cannabis, his own past drug use, and why personal possession of cocaine should not be a criminal offence.

Gino Kenny also took the ‘Constituency Test’ scoring an impressive 7/10 with questions on Bernard Dunne, Kenny Egan and Round Towers.

Elsewhere on the show, Kevin Doyle and INM political correspondents, Philip Ryan and Niall O’Connor, discussed the can-kicking over Irish water in the latest deal between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail and asked when we might actually have a Taoiseach in place.

Are taxpayers to finally see the end of water charges in all but name?

On this week’s Floating Voter, the team discussed a good week for taxpayers in relation to Irish water and asked if we’re nearing the end-road for government formation.

Fianna Fail’s Dara Calleary was this week’s guest, telling the show why he thinks minority governments will be the model that we’ll have to get used to for the foreseeable future.

Calleary was the first to take the Floating Voter constituency test and was impressive enough scoring 8/10, knowing much about Mayo football, though he struggled on his county’s highest mountain and the exact number of first preference votes he actually got in GE16.

He’s already challenged Enda Kenny to beat his record, so Enda, the gauntlet has been thrown down to show you know more about Mayo than Fianna Fail’s Dara Calleary.

What’s the biggest perk of being a first-time Dail TD? Making your maiden speech in Leinster House? Nominating your party leader for Taoiseach? Or being presented with a Gold Card for Coppers?

Fine Gael’s TD for Dublin North West, Noel Rock, revealed that his Coppers Gold Card arrived in the post soon after his election – though the Floating Voter team wanted to know if this had been declared in the register of interests and how much one of these cards was worth.

Fine Gael’s youngest TD also spoke about his three-time nomination for Enda Kenny, why he’s always quoting US Presidents, and what life is like as a 28 year old in politics.

It’s been a week where the charade of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail actually getting along was finally blown apart.

As the talks about government partnership collapsed, the antipathy, distrust and antagonism came quickly to the fore.

So, what now? Are we back to square one? Is a minority government the last option left? And would it work?

Philip Ryan, Cormac MacQuinn and John Downing, joined Kevin Doyle on this week’s Floating Voter as they sought to unravel another fine political mess….

‘Hello Enda, it's me Micheal

I was wondering if after all these years you'd like to meet

To go over everything

They say that time's supposed to heal ya

But I ain't done much healing’

Maybe it’s not quite Adele, but Micheal Martin did finally pick up the phone to Enda to discuss, amongst other things, government formation.

After five weeks since the general election, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have actually spoken and the Floating Voter was wondering what took them so long.

Looking back on the last seven days in Irish politics, the Floating Voter team discussed the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising that saw some pride and positivity around the Irish State once more.

While, in the messy business of making up the numbers for government, presenter Philip Ryan was asking if Fine Gael are losing numbers and support and if the momentum is back with Fianna Fail.

Plus, joining them in studio was William Lavelle, Frances Fitzgerald’s special adviser who is also running for the Seanad and was nominated by the Irish Internet Association.

Will there be more cat videos online we wanted to know? And in the quick-fire round, who would the Fine Gael councillor choose: Donald Trump or Micheal Martin?