Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan24 Jan 2025

A new Government and a tough new approach from the Opposition

Pat Leahy and Jack Horgan-Jones join Hugh Linehan on today’s Inside Politics podcast to discuss the week in politics:

It came a day later than expected, and along predictable lines, but we have a new Government. Only Fine Gael’s Peter Burke has retained his ministry, with Fianna Fáil’s James Browne taking on the seemingly impossible job of Minister for Housing. But will voters punish this Government if it fails, like the last one, to adequately address the housing crisis?

Cabinet appointments have been criticised with only three women becoming Ministers. Fianna Fáil’s decision to appoint one woman, Norma Foley taking over as Minister for Children and Disability, is particularly noticeable. Did Micheál Martin foresee the criticism and choose to ignore it?

And the first two days of the 34th Dáil couldn’t have been more different. Thursday’s sedate and predictable sitting was preceded by chaos on Wednesday as the vote for a new taoiseach was suspended amid loud protests from Opposition parties over the decision to grant Opposition speaking time to four Independent TDs who are supporting the Government. Does this point to closer Opposition cooperation during the lifetime of this government?

Plus, the panel pick their favourite Irish Times articles of the week, including the end of liberalism in the US, Miriam Lord on Wednesday’s fireworks in the Dáil, and how does the show go on for Hollywood?

Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Denis Staunton's Global Briefing newsletter here: irishtimes.com/newsletters/global-briefing/

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