Inside Politics / Inside Story

Fears that the use of AI deepfakes would disrupt the flow of accurate information in a general election campaign have not come true. Instead we have been treated to a digital manifestation of someone who barely resembles Taylor Swift endorsing the Healy-Raes: welcome to the cheapfake era.On today's Inside Politics podcast Hugh Linehan is joined by Liz Carolan to discuss the influence of digital media in the 2024 general election, current trends in digital campaigning and the changing role of platforms like X and TikTok.Hugh and Liz compare the different strategies of political parties, the significance of viral moments and the real challenges posed misinformation and AI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Harry McGee and Sarah Burns, who have accompanied politicians from several parties as they have canvassed for votes in the past week, join Hugh to talk about the issues that are coming up on doorsteps. In Dublin South Central and Dublin West, Sarah has noticed a less negative sentiment towards Sinn Féin. That's good news for the party as it seeks to add second seats in constituencies where it dominated in 2020 but lost support in local elections and opinion polls.Sinn Féin will also be happy to hear that housing is the issue coming up most often, with immigration a less prominent concern than during the summer. In Dun Laoghaire, Harry was on the canvas with Green Party TD Ossian Smyth, who faces a challenge to hold onto his seat in a constituency that could tell us a lot about which way the 2024 general election is going for the coalition parties. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Linehan is joined by Pat Leahy and Cormac McQuinn to discuss today’s events in the 2024 general election campaign:Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary’s comments about teachers at a Fine Gael TD’s campaign launch event have got the party off to a bad start.Fine Gael’s proposal to change a VAT rate in order to help the hospitality industry has some downsides, not least for the other industries who will actually come out of the change taxed more heavily. Another Fine Gael proposal, to use some of the Apple tax bonaza to boost Help to Buy, a scheme aimed at first-time buyers, also has its critics. And the confirmation that Gerry Hutch will be a candidate means Dublin Central looks set to be 2024′s most colourful constituency. But does he have a chance? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Dáil has been dissolved and the 2024 general election is officially underway. Jennifer Bray and Pat Leahy join Hugh to discuss day one of the campaign:How Taoiseach Simon Harris addressed the countryPoster wars had begun prematurely on lampposts all across Ireland Mary Lou McDonald spoke about Sinn Féin's strategy for this campaign, to a soundtrack of Damien DempseyPlus: Tickets are now available for Inside Politics live in Dublin on Wednesday, November 20th at 6.30pm. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

November 29th is now confirmed as the date of General Election 2024. Election Daily from The Irish Times Inside Politics podcast will update you on the campaign every weekday between now and then.Hugh Linehan and Jack Horgan-Jones are here to briefly update listeners on what to expect from the show, when to listen out for episodes and what the opening stages of the campaign will look like.Plus: Tickets are now available for Inside Politics live in Dublin on Wednesday, November 20th at 6.30pm. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Live from Palm Beach Florida, where Donald Trump is celebrating his historic victory in the 2024 US presidential race, Steven Carroll joins Hugh, Fintan O'Toole and Jennifer Bray to discuss what went wrong for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, why so many categories of American supported Trump and what his win means for politics and the wider world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When will Simon Harris dissolve the Dáil and go to the Áras? Could he pull a surprise, or are there any final banana skins that could disrupt his plans?Jennifer Bray joins Hugh to talk about the choreography of the week. Plus they look at some pre-campaign skirmishes between Micheal Martin and his Fine Gael colleagues and Sinn Féin's bullish candidate selection decisions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Economist, podcaster and Irish Times columnist David McWilliams joins Hugh to talk about his new book Money: A Story of Humanity. They talk about the meaning of money and how it should be used to improve lives and societies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jennifer Bray and Harry McGee join Hugh to discuss the week in politics:The Government is completing what it can of its unfinished legislative programme before the general election, and that means the 'guillotine' - a procedure that shortens the time needed to debate bills as they pass through the Oireachtas - is getting heavy use this week. Which bills are getting chopped - and which are getting dropped?Clare Daly's decision to run in Dublin Central adds another colourful and effective political character to the mix in that constituency. But with so many independents in contention around the country, the 34th Dáil is likely to be diverse.Jennifer calls out Hugh's obsession with Seanad reform. Is there some Seanad-related trauma deep in Hugh's past?Plus they pick their Irish Times articles of the week:On-the-ground coverage from the US by Keith Duggan and Steven Carroll who are meeting voters and surveying swing states as the historically close US election draws nearPatrick Freyne's review of a steamy Jilly C

Now that it is confirmed there will be a general election this year, the Irish Times politics team can finally unleash their predictions - or should that be possible future outcomes - of which candidates and parties will emerge victorious from some of the most competitive constituencies in the State. Jennifer Bray, Harry McGee and Pat Leahy tackle Dublin Central, Dublin Bay South, Carlow-Kilkenny, Mayo, Cavan-Monaghan and both Tipperarys. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trump or Harris? We'll know America's answer in just two weeks, but until then the race is too close to call. With the margins so tight, Democrats and Republicans are desperately seeking advantage in the key swing states, spending millions of dollars on TV ads. But it is the Republicans feeling happiest, with polls tightening in Donald Trump's favour in places like Wisconsin. That's where Washington correspondent Keith Duggan talks to Hugh from today. They discuss the last-minute attacks each candidate is directing at their opponent, Donald Trump's declining rhetoric and the shifting landscape of class- and race-based political loyalties that makes American politics so unpredictable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Hugh Linehan is joined by Jack Horgan-Jones and Cormac McQuinn to look back on the week in politics:·     With a general election now likely a matter of weeks away, it is the main opposition party, and not government parties, who continue to dominate the headlines. And they are unwanted headlines relating to former TD Brian Stanley, former senator Niall Ó Donnghaile and former press officer Michael McMonagle. ·     And with all those controversies piling up for Sinn Féin, are the Government in danger of overreach should they seek to force a vote on Brian Stanley’s replacement as PAC chair? ·     And could former Fine Gael TDs Alan Shatter and Kate O’Connell’s decisions to run as independents give their old party cause for concern in Dublin-Rathdown and Dublin Bay South respectively come election time? Plus, the panellists pick their favourite IT reads of the week:·     Newton Emerson on Brit

Tánaiste Micheál Martin sits down with Hugh Linehan and Pat Leahy to talk about the timing of the next general election. For the first time he states clearly that he is open to the vote taking place before Christmas - but with some caveats. Martin also talks about his attitude to Sinn Féin as a potential future partner in government and whether Ireland could take unilateral action Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The resignation from Sinn Féin of Laois TD Brian Stanley on Saturday, and the party's referral to the Gardaí of information it gathered during an internal inquiry into an unspecified allegation made against Stanley, has triggered a fresh crisis for Mary Lou McDonald.The Sinn Féin leader is now struggling on multiple fronts as the party faces demands for an explanation as to why the Gardaí were not involved at an earlier stage.McDonald must also be worried that this latest bad news story will combine with other crises of recent weeks to set in voters's minds an image of a party in disarray. With a general election looming, this latest distraction from Sinn Féin's favoured issues of housing and health has come at the worst possible time. Jack Horgan-Jones and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh to set out what we know about this fast-developing story and what it means for Sinn Féin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Hugh Linehan is joined by Pat Leahy and Cormac McQuinn to look back on the week in politics:·      With the giveaway budget done, will this government conclude in time for an early general election? Timing is vital, but can the Coalition arrive at a consensus given their advanced preparation for an election campaign?·      Sinn Féin’s difficulties are the Government’s opportunities with the Michael McMonagle scandal rumbling on, and now TD Patricia Ryan’s resignation from the party after hitting out at its leadership for “not listening” to members and TDs.·      US actor and activist Mark Ruffalo was heavily critical of the Green Party in a social media post pointing to the Government’s planning legislation allowing for use of ‘strategic’ liquefied natural gas reserves.Plus, the panellists pick their favourite IT reads of the week:·      Miriam Lord’s report from Mary O’Rourke’s funeral

As the US presidential election nears, Hugh talks to American journalist Ben Smith about the intertwining of media and politics in the United States:how political campaigns operate like media companiesthe decline in trust toward mainstream mediathe impact of digital platforms on political discourseThey assess Kamala Harris and Donald Trump's use of the media as a campaign tool in this election cycle and look at how the media landscape is changing, with references to Ben's experiences at Politico, BuzzFeed News, and his current role at Semafor. Ben also reflects on the consequences of publishing the notorious Steele dossier on Donald Trump's alleged links to Russia during his time at BuzzFeed News. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Hugh Linehan is joined by Jennifer Bray and Harry McGee to look back on the week in politics: ·      The panel paid tribute to former Fianna Fáil minister Mary O’Rourke after her death this week at the age of 87. She was involved in Irish politics for almost a half-century. ·      The expectation is that Sinn Féin will run with 65-70 candidates in the forthcoming general election – are they being overly cautious? And there was surprise too at the news that party leader Mary Lou McDonald will run alongside Cllr Janice Boylan in Dublin Central, with Boylan having expressed her dissatisfaction with Sinn Féin in 2022, writing in a letter to party members that she didn’t feel “supported, valued or even really respected”. ·      Also, Minister for Finance Jack Chambers and Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe had misgivings around some measures contained in Budget 2025. Plus, the panellists

Budget 2025, reminiscent of the bonanza Celtic Tiger years, was leaked almost entirely before Ministers Jack Chambers and Paschal Donohoe took to the floor of the Dáil yesterday to deliver it. Political editor, Pat Leahy, believes that's down to the reality of coalition parties needing to publicise their particular wins ahead of an impending election. The 2.2 billion euro spending package is widely viewed as an attempt to curry favour with voters instead of addressing more long-term systemic changes that fall outside the electoral cycle. And he warns that a 'giveaway' budget does not automatically guarantee electoral success. Former senior government advisor, Gerard Howlin, says it will be extremely painful to rein in spending now that the precedent has been set. Political correspondent Jennifer Bray, analyses how the opposition is framing the budget to successfully land political blows to the government's fiscal credibility.Presented by Hugh Linehan. Produced by Aideen Finnegan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.co

Host Hugh Linehan is joined by Harry McGee and Jack Horgan-Jones to look back on the week in politics:·      The budget was somewhat overshadowed this week by stories with far less cost involved, but no shortage of outrage – not least the final cost of Government Buildings security hut hitting €1.4 million and the row over the announcement of new sports capital grant funding for local clubs. ·      Sinn Féin’s alternative budget has many worthy pledges but is ultimately futile without the party’s hands actually being on the levers of power.·      And the controversy around a letter of congratulations President Michael D Higgins sent in July to Iran’s new president Masoud Pezeshkian was reignited at a United Nations event in New York last Sunday.Plus, the panellists pick their favourite IT reads of the week:·      Michael McDowell on the Government’s advanced administrative sclerosis.·&n