With Sarah absent for a second week, John is joined by CORMAC LUCEY, who fills an entertaining episode with discussion on the great Climate Climbdown, the Government's panic on defence, why we need to be much tougher on migration, and why politics is broken:

With Sarah off, John is joined by barrister and campaigner  Laoise de Brún, and the conversation covers loads: Immigration, surrogacy, religion, hunger strikes, and why Laoise - a life long leftie - now calls herself a conservative:

This week John and Sarah discuss the crisis in the rental market and how government makes it worse, the crisis in hospitals and how tax makes it worse, Jim O'Callaghan's new immigration laws, Conor McGregor finding God, and Sarah's personal dating "icks".

"A catastrophic mistake": John and Sarah discuss the departure of Paschal Donohoe and Simon Harris's decision to make himself finance minister. Also: , Enoch Burke goes back to jail, and Sarah is outraged by the tale of a Mayo Children's hospice:

John and Sarah discuss the BBC's awful week, and RTE's relentless bias here in Ireland. Also: Are boyfriends out of fashion? Fianna Fáil's awful communications, Denis O'Brien's warning, and a big fight about Trump/Epstein:

In this week's edition, John and Sarah reflect on Simon Harris's newfound conversion to "far right" views on immigration, the demise of Ivan Yates, the miserable state of the health service, and the latest opinion poll trends.

00:00 The Departure of Ivan Yates

11:58 The State of the Health Service

25:03 Government's Shift on Immigration

28:03 Courage in Politics

29:11 Debate on Immigration

30:38 Political Integrity and Morality

32:05 Encouraging Political Change

35:27 The Rise of Zohran Mamdani

37:19 The Left's New Leadership

42:11 Irish Political Landscape

46:07 Public Discontent and Political Competence

52:31 The Future of Political Parties

This week's podcast covers all the fallout to the great spoiled vote of 2025: Simon Harris's migration u-turn, Micheál Martin's jeopardy, the Galway West by-election, and the state of Ireland's right wing politics.

Click here to watch a video of this episode.

00:00 Introduction and Personal Reflections

02:00 Post-Election Fallout in Ireland

07:01 The Impact of Spoiled Votes

15:50 Leadership Challenges in Fianna Fáil

19:23 Government Performance and Legislative Initiatives

28:20 Emerging Voices in Fianna Fáil

30:39 Immigration Discourse and Political Responsibility

36:39 Media Dynamics and Political Debate

42:06 The Challenge of Left-Wing Politics

46:33 Reflections on Political Engagement and Voter Sentiment

John and Sarah break down the two biggest stories of the week, discussing all aspects of the Citywest sexual assault and subsequent riots, and then examining the myriad ways that Fine Gael managed to blow the Presidential Election.

00:00 Introduction to Current Events in Ireland

03:25 The Disturbing Incident in Citywest

12:08 Failures of TUSLA and Child Protection

18:02 Cultural Context of Immigration and Crime

26:16 Political Reactions and Media Coverage

35:38 The Presidential Election Dynamics

58:21 Predictions and Final Thoughts on the Election

John and Sarah ask: Is Judge Martin Nolan unfairly maligned or justly criticised? Also, Independent Ireland backs Simon Harris; The Deposit Return Scheme humiliates voters; and Fine Gael flounders towards humiliation.

00:00 Overview of Current Events in Politics
02:42 The Motion of Confidence in Simon Harris
11:15 The Deposit Return Scheme Controversy
20:14 Discussion on the Gender Recognition Act
29:22 Donald Trump's Recent Peace Deal
30:52 Judicial Sentencing and Child Abuse Cases
41:35 Presidential Election Predictions

John and Sarah discuss Joe Brolly's latest descent into awfulness, debate Catherine Connolly's eventful week, and discuss a budget that was described as "prudent" yet ended up as anything but.