The Candidate
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Housing remains the single biggest issue for the Irish public. People want to see the crisis brought to an end or, at the very least, real action being taken. Any missteps are amplified. We saw that this week with talk of scrapping Rent Pressure Zones and the controversy around housing figures provided during the general election.Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews, and Rónán Duffy look at the new Dáil's handling of the housing crisis so far, and what tone has been set. The team also examine the significance of the Arts Council overspend on an IT project, and what the future holds for Martin Conway and Eoin Hayes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It's almost March, and you know what that means: all political attention turns to one particular bowl of shamrock. Trump's second-term actions so far leave Ireland faced with a renewed dilemma: go ahead with the traditional St Patrick's Day trip to Washington in the name of using it to make our case on the world stage, or face the new realities of politics in 2025 and call off the Trump meeting.That is, of course, if he will even have us.Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews, and Rónán Duffy sit down to look at the careful political chess that will need to be played out. The team also have a (surprisingly energetic, it must be said) chat about the Seanad elections, and look at who was the real winner in the Dáil speaking row. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
With the help of a column in the Sunday Times, Leo Varadkar has casually lobbed a grenade at the new Dáil: are the positions of some new junior minsters constitutionally sound? It now looks like likely that their status could be tested in the courts, and for the first time. Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, and Jane Matthews have a look at this, as well as who exactly has been appointed to head up the various side portfolios.Also: Many parts of the country are still picking up the pieces after the disruption caused by Storm Éowyn, and the government is feeling the brunt of this anger. Insert your own pathetic fallacy of choice here. There are now huge questions to answer about how to avoid a repeat of such widespread damage to energy and communications infrastructure. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What a week. An unprecedented start to the Dáil term. A temporary and perhaps uneasy truce over speaking rights that allowed the government to get off the ground. The Opposition putting forward a rare, united front. Again, this is week one; there are five years left to go.Fully remote this week due to Storm Éowyn, with the occasional atmospheric wind gust in the background, the team look back on the week and try to answer the biggest question: will this government survive for a full term?Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews, and – making his grand return — Rónán Duffy also look at the new Cabinet team and assess how they might perform. Who has been given the poisoned chalice? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The process of voting in a new taoiseach is usually a fairly routine affair. The opposition parties have their say, the government parties and their supporters have theirs, the vote is ultimately passed by the party with the most seats, and then it's time for a day out in the Áras. All very tidy.Instead, Leinster House has been plunged into unprecedented chaos and remains suspended into tomorrow after a row over Regional Independents potentially getting opposition speaking rights. Christina Finn and Jane Matthews found a few minutes in 'a day that felt like a week' to bring us up to speed on what exactly is going on. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Something we're enthusiastic about: we're back for a new season! Something we're not enthusiastic about: the new Programme for Government.Our team — Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, and Jane Matthews — examine the 162-page document which outlines the government's plan for the next five years. Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Regional Independents Group list their priorities across all areas of the society, but the final result? Maybe a little dry. Maybe a little uninspired.And that's saying something, given the unexpected involvement of a Healy Rae in a junior ministerial position. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
... well, we're afraid you'll have to wait until our producer/barman counts the votes in accordance with PR-STV and reveals the winner at the end of the episode.The team — Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews, and Sinéad O'Carroll — break out the non-alcoholic mulled wine and alcoholic mystery red cocktails and decide on the winners of The Candidate's 2024 Politics Awards.From Whoopsie of The Year to The Late Debate Debater Award, we look back on the year that was and look at the moments and people that really mattered.Thank you to everyone who tuned in to The Candidate over the past year. We'd love to hear any thoughts or suggestions you have on the podcast — just drop a message to nicky@thejournal.ie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We're now stuck in government formation purgatory amd struggling to keep track of which group-of-the-day is vying for a seat at the Cabinet table. There's also murmurings of who the next Ceann Comhairle could be (spoiler, it could be the same person as the previous two Dáil terms).But, on top of all of this, we have the Social Democrats facing their first real post-election headache. A link between Eoin Hayes, one of the party's recently elected TDs, and a company whose AI systems are by used by the Israel Defence Forces, emerged. But how damaging will it be to the party, or are people finding it hard to wrap their head around? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The general election is... over? And it's clear that the team have gone a little stir-crazy after a few too many hours in count centres.Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, and Sinéad O'Carroll sit down to look at the case of Stephen Donnelly, and how the Cabinet minister ended up losing his seat — there were some early warning signs that Fianna Fáil feared he was in trouble, and possibly because of a weak campaign on the ground.The team also chat about what exactly happened with the exit poll, and which Independents are waiting in the wings to prop up the next government?Also: Would you rather a duck with small feet to come at you or... sorry, we can't remember how this meme is meant to go. It's been a long week.Produced by Nicky Ryan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The media scrums in the RDS were growing bigger and bigger as the count went on... and then Gerald Hutch arrived.The gangland figure's failed election bid drew huge attention from national and international press, but has he achieved his ultimate aim? Could his unexpectedly strong performance shine a light on Dublin's north inner city and the reasons why people voted for him?With Christine Bohan and Sinéad O'Carroll in studio, and Christina Finn and Jane Matthews in the RDS, we look at the big headline talking points that are now coming out of the election results. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It's all systems go: the votes have been cast, the exit polls revealed, the ballots separated, and the counting is now underway.A picture of general election 2024 is starting to come together piece-by-piece. Christine Bohan and Christina Finn (the latter joining us from a car park outside the Wicklow count centre) chat about the big talking points so far, and ask: is it really viable anymore for any party to rule out coalition with Sinn Féin? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Just days to go now, and we've had our first real talking point of the campaign — but also another lacklustre debate.Sinéad O'Carroll, Christina Finn, and Jane Matthews chat on today's episode about the final stretch and what could really make a difference in the minds of undecided voters. Or maybe, instead of undecided voters, do we need to focus on the undecided coalition partners? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Heading into this election, it was disaster after disaster for Sinn Féin. The timing couldn't been worse. It wasn't going to be theirs for the taking, but literally anyone else.But is the party now having a normal election campaign? Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews and (another new character unlocked) Muiris O'Cearbhaill examine how the coming days might pan out for Sinn Féin, and whether they or another party will be able to conjure up some real momentum.We also look at Aontú and the alleged media bubble the party is trying to pop, and ask whether we are forever caught in the orbit of rotating taoisigh. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A low-key, cranky election campaign manifested as a low-key, cranky election debate last night.Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews and Rónán Duffy sit down to unpack last night's 10-way special on RTÉ's Upfront. Did anyone really come out on top in the end, or did the main party leaders let themselves down in the end?We also examine Fine Gael's John McGahon problem, and look at the feeling on the ground in some battleground constituencies (yes, that includes Dublin Central). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We're now almost a week into the election campaign, and the children are fighting. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have traded a series of jabs that might across as surprising to hear from two parties who are currently in government together and may likely have to work together again in future. Is it all a show? Is it believable?Also, how important will appearances on podcasts be for candidates? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Show us someone who had 'jiving' on their 2024 general election bingo card, and we'll show you a liar.Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews and Rónán Duffy look at how the campaign trail is progressing so far, and the need for politicians to pivot into the world of content creation (to very mixed results).We also hear about what Micheál Martin had to say about housing when Christina sat down with him last week, and a new podcast character is unlocked. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Finally. Finally!Candidates are already out on the doorsteps and some politicians packing up their office in Leinster House. Now, the government has announced — in unexpectedly messy fashion — the date of the next general election. The Dáil will be dissolved on Friday, and the public will go to the polls on 29 November.Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews and Rónán Duffy look at how the next few weeks are going to pan out. Will the public react with bewilderment at the array of unfamiliar candidates vying for their vote? Will it be the 'big change' election that people previously expected? Or will the return of Trump mean that voters will play it safe? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The US presidential election is all but lost for Kamala Harris. Donald Trump is preparing his return to power. The results are still coming in, but we're bringing you a quick bonus episode with two sleep-deprived reporters to examine how the night unfolded and what comes next. Christine Bohan and Rónán Duffy begin the postmortem on the Democrat's failed campaign, and look at what Trump's victory means for US politics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It's one of the biggest issues facing families across Ireland, and yet it never ranks highly in the list of people's political priorities. Could childcare still be the issue that wins or loses this election?On the latest episode of The Candidate podcast — which now takes a weekly look behind the scenes and beyond the headlines to focus on what’s really happening in Irish politics right now — Christine Bohan, Jane Matthews, Rónán Duffy, and Sinéad O'Carroll examine the attempts at a political level to make access to childcare easier and to take that burden off parents. What are people experiencing right now, and are the solutions nothing more than throwing money at a growing problem?The team also discuss the decision by the Washington Post to not endorse any candidate (and why that isn't something an Irish audience might balk at) and the new (surprisingly naive or astutely reflective?) book from a certain former housing minister. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We're all caught up in the pre-election doldrums, but is one party's ship in particular trouble?On the latest episode of The Candidate podcast — which now takes a weekly look behind the scenes and beyond the headlines to focus on what’s really happening in Irish politics right now — Christine Bohan, Christina Finn, Jane Matthews, and Rónán Duffy examine how Fine Gael is continuing to lose TD after TD. As many as 18, but that depends on who you ask. How worried should their party headquarters be?The team also look at the fabled left-wing voting pact (and how the differences between the different groups remain larger than they first appear) and a certain other election across the pond (which no one is willing to make a call on). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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