Show Notes
Leinster House today was filled with sympathy for Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Patrick O’Donovan who took ill during an EU presidency meeting in Limerick on Tuesday.
On today’s podcast Hugh speaks to Irish Times political editor Pat Leahy and political correspondent Jack Horgan-Jones about the mood in the Dáil.
Fellow politicians “understand the stresses and challenges” of the job, Pat said.
They also discuss today’s public sector strike and the likelihood of another next Wednesday.
“Both sides have staked out their territory” said Pat.
“The government has shown its willing to let people go out on strike, the unions have shown their prepared to go on strike” he added.
Unions say the threat of larger scale walk outs in the dispute over the public sector pay deal aren’t off the table.
Jack Horgan-Jones said “generationally no one in politics or the unions has dealt with something of this scale before”.
He added, ”though we haven’t reached the point of confronting what a full scale public sector and civil service walk out would look like and the disruption it would cause”. 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/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan
The scenes at Drumcree in recent weeks revived memories of one of Northern Ireland’s most enduring disputes between unionist and nationalist communities.
Democracy rests on the promise that political institutions should reflect the people they serve. But in an era of growing social diversity, persistent inequalities and political polarisation, that promise is being contested.
Pat Leahy and Jack Horgan-Jones join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:
In less than a month US voters will get a chance to express their feelings about the direction of the country in elections for seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate. While president Donald Trump is not on the ballot, his unpopularity is weighing his party down. Polls show a "blue wave" looks likely, with Democrats favoured to win back the House and possibly the Senate. But many races are still very close. Washington correspondent Keith Duggan has been visiting some of the key battlegrounds to find out about the candidates and the issues. 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/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Pat Leahy and Harry McGee join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics: