Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan

Pat Leahy and Naomi O’Leary join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:

· Taoiseach Micheál Martin arrived in Italy on Friday, meeting Pope Leo in the Vatican and Italian premier Giorgia Meloni in Rome. This is part of a round of meetings with leaders ahead of Ireland’s EU presidency starting in July, with Martin meeting French president Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday. An estimated 270 meetings with senior politicians are scheduled for the duration of Ireland’s EU presidency, expect a lot of traffic disruption around Dublin Castle.

· Naomi O’Leary has been covering the taoiseach’s tour, where he has been keen to highlight the mistreatment of Gaza aid flotilla activists detained by Israeli forces. Could this, coupled with the slowdown in humanitarian aid into Gaza and the continued killing and displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank, finally spark the EU into placing sanctions on Israel?

· And record rent surges in the first quarter of 2026. There was a 4.4 per cent increase between December and March as the Government’s new rent control system came into effect.

Plus, the panel picks their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week:

· Arsenal end 22-year wait for title win, the tragic death of Yves Sakila, and the issues foreign investment presents for Ireland.
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Cormac McQuinn and Harry McGee join Hugh for a final look at the Dublin Central and Galway West byelections before voting takes place on Friday.

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Economist and author Sinead O'Sullivan ruffled some feathers recently with her analysis of Ireland’s deficits in infrastructure and services. Her critiques of the State’s failure to deliver things that are taken for granted in other similarly wealthy countries sparked debate and drew pushback from figures including former taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

On today’s Inside Politics podcast she talks to Hugh about how her professional background in designing complex systems made it “ impossible for me not to see” the flaws she identifies in the Irish model. She argues that Ireland lacks strong institutions capable of separating long-term delivery from electoral politics, resulting in costly, short-term fixes.
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Jack Horgan-Jones and Mark Paul join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:

· The findings of the Irish Times and TG4 by Ipsos B&A poll throws up some interesting permutations for the Dublin Central byelection. Sinn Féin’s Janice Boylan leads the first preference vote at 21 per cent, Daniel Ennis of the Social Democrats is in second place on 18 per cent, but as Jack explains, ‘second preference intention’ could be vital for both.

· It is now a question of when and not if for Keir Starmer after disastrous local and parliamentary election results prompted a slew of Labour MPs to call on the prime minister to resign. A defiant speech on Monday did little to inspire party members as Starmer vowed to fight any leadership challenge. Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has been given a route to challenge Starmer following Josh Simons’ decision to step down as MP for Makerfield.

· And speaking to The Irish Times on Wednesday, former taoiseach Bertie Ahern addressed his recent comments on immigration, made while out on a canvass last week in Dublin Central. And while no apology was forthcoming, he did point out that he had “no problem with people from the Congo or Africa or anywhere else. I’ve good friends around Drumcondra, there’s a lot of the clergy in from Africa.” Could this controversy overshadow Fianna Fáil’s Ard Fheis taking place today and tomorrow as the party marks its 100th year in existence?

Plus, the panel picks their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week:

· One Dublin mother’s 14-year wait for a bigger council house, the challenges for Ireland of a Reform-led UK government, and how difficult it has become for Irish diaspora to return home.
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The Irish Times and TG4 by Ipsos B&A poll shows Sinn Féin’s Janice Boylan leads the byelection race in Dublin Central with first preference votes at 21 per cent, Daniel Ennis of the Social Democrats is in second place on 18 per cent. But Ennis will be in line for a lot of transfers from the fragmented left-wing vote, with Labour, People Before Profit and the Green Party all having candidates in the race.

Veteran criminal Gerry Hutch is running in third place on 14 per cent, growing his vote from 9 percent in the last general election. Could his transfers play an important role for Boylan’s path to victory?

And Fianna Fáil’s John Stephens is way back in the field on 4 per cent. His cause won’t have been helped by Bertie Ahern’s comments on immigration, captured while the former taoiseach was out on a byelection canvass last week. The poll shows immigration trails cost-of-living and housing as an issue for voters ahead of election day on May 22nd.

Produced by John Casey.
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