The Mick Clifford Podcast

Showtime was what political guru PJ Mara once described as the start of a general election campaign but how is this one going? We have had skirmishes, Michael O’Leary, housing and cost of living. Where do we go from here and what impact could AI have on this election. UCC political scientist Theresa Reidy joins the podcast to discuss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As polling day gets closer, the Irish Examiner and University College Cork have teamed up to present the Election Watch podcast. Have young people lost faith in Ireland’s politics? Is housing the number one issue this election? Will climate conversations really come up on the doorstep?Hosted by Irish Examiner columnist Mick Clifford, this podcast brings UCC experts and students together to examine these questions. This special podcast series comes direct from the UCC campus as we hear from a generation who could shape the result of this General Election.This week Mick talks to Dr Philip Murphy, Lecturer in Politics in UCC and 3rd Year BSc Government and Political Science students, Alice Bogue & Caitlin Holland and Mia Poland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The posters have been printed, the canvassing routes worked out. The Taoiseach has made the call, the Dail has risen. Here comes general election 20204 with a handful of questions. How is everybody fixed? Who is going to win, who is going to lose and who will surprise us all. Irish Examiner political editor Elaine Loughlin joins the podcast to take a look at how the runners and riders at looking at the starting gun.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump won the US presidential election in what many are describing as the greatest comeback in US political history. But how did he, a convicted felon, a man deemed by a civil court as sex abuser, a politician who induced multitudes to falsely believe that the electoral system in the USA was rigged. And what will a Trump presidency bring to the country and the wider world. Scott Lucas, Professor of International Politics at the Clinton Institute in UCD joins the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Mick Clifford Podcast: US election on a knife edge - but who will win?Having gauged the temperature on both sides heading into next week's US presidential election, Mick Clifford tells Sean Murray about his experience at rallies for both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, rates both their chances and describes where this most pivotal of ballots could be won and lost.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s podcast comes from Pennsylvania, where Mick has gone to take the temperature and see what makes MAGA tick. We have contributions from some of those who attended a major Trump rally last Saturday in the crucial state and we also have an interview with Ray Wrabley, Professor and Vice President of Academic Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown, that gives a fascinating insight into what has changed in US politics in recent decades to an extent that a huge opening has been created for Donald Trump. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Catherine Cleary had spent her working life in journalism when in 2020 she gave it all up to grow trees. With a friend she set up a company called pocket forests, a social enterprise which caters for planting native trees and shrubs in small urban areas. She and her family also began looking for land in the west of Ireland where it might be possible to grow a forest. Her journey over the last four years has now been documented in a film, The Forest Midwife. Catherine is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s podcast focusing on the US election we look at whether having other candidates or issues on the ballot paper can impact on the vote for those running for president. Senate and House of Representative seats are up for grabs in this election and the party that emerges with the majority in each house will be in the driving seat for the next term. Also the issue of abortion is on the ballot paper in some states. Will this help Kamala Harris of Donald Trump? Joining us to read the runes is Scott Lucas, Professor of International Politics at the Clinton Institute. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Irish peacekeeping troops in south Lebanon are coming under pressure from Israeli defence forces as Israel moves into its neighbouring country, ostensibly to protect itself but actually killing indiscriminately as it goes. But what are the Irish soldiers doing there, what connection do they have to the local area and people and should they remain in situ. Irish Examiner journalist Colin Sheridan previously served in the country as part of the UN peacekeeping forces. He has been writing vividly about the area, the country and his experience and knowledge of its people. He is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The phenomenon of Donald Trump is often associated with the rust belt states and among those who have been economically left behind in the USA. Not so, according to the experience of the Irish Examiner’s Michael Moynihan who recently went in search of MAGA (Make America Great Again) on the east coast of the USA and found them in the unlikeliest of places. Michael Moynihan is this week’s guest on the podcast’s US Presidential Election special editions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A recent report that the Russian agents have recruited a source in the Oireachtas has led to concerns about the state’s security apparatus and the interest of foreign actors. Are we a target for spies? Are we capable of repelling any such threats. This week’s guest Cathal Berry is an Independent TD and formerly a long standing member of the defence forces. He retains a major interest in the security services and he also reveals whether or not he is the Oireachtas spy in question. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The first our US presidential election podcasts hears from Bob Schmuhl. Bob, a professor emeritus of American Studies at the University of Notre Dame is a keen student of the history of American presidents and he has never seen anything like this campaign. He believes that the election will be the most consequential in US history whomever wins. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The budget was delivered this week and the general consensus was that it was a precursor to a general election, possibly to be announced in the weeks to come. So who are the winners on paper and who might be the real winner. Irish Examiner Political Correspondent Elaine Loughlin provides a global view of the big event and the fall-out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When he isn’t lecturing on history in UCD or presenting the Irish Examiner football podcast, Professor Paul Rouse mulls over how our world has become so susceptible to lies, spin and misinformation. He has now developed a module called Manufacturing Truth that looks at how there have always been attempts to sell lies in pursuit of political or financial gain and why that has gone into overdrive in the current digital age. Paul Rouse is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the campaign rhetoric ramps up and the polls continue to fluctuate, another would be assassin has been arrested in the USA. Senior CNN correspondent Donie O’Sullivan talks to us about the current temperature in the USA, while it is lazy to label all Trump supporters as bigots and why violence is an increasing feature of this election. And he also wonders aloud on what may happen after the polls close and the votes are counted. Donie O’Sullivan is this week’s guest. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the Dail returning next week and the budget on the horizon the expectation is that all politicians will have their eyes firmly focused on a November election. But will it come to pass? And what else can we expect from the coming political season in the wake of bicycle shed-gate (sorry), the Apple billions and Sinn Fein’s recently publishing housing plan. Irish Examiner Political Editor Elaine Loughlin reviews the last week and reads the runes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new book details the fascinating stories of Irish people who joined resistance organisations in occupied Europe during the Second World War. Some are well known and have been recognised for their contribution to fighting Nazism under the most dangerous circumstances, others have not had their bravery recognised properly until now. The Untold Stories of the Ordinary Heroes Who Resisted Hitler is written by John Morgan and Irish Examiner columnist Clodagh Finn. And Clodagh is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Six and a half years after Jimmy Loughlin was beaten to death in Sligo by a highly disturbed individual the HSE has yet to conduct an inquiry into a series of red flags about the danger to the public of the man in question. This is in sharp contrast to the recent publication of a report in Nottingham thirteen months after a violently disturbed man stabbed three people to death. Michael and Paula Loughlin have lots of questions for the health service, but nobody is willing to contemplate some answers. Michael and Paula are this week’s guests on the podcast.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A topic that is attracting increasing attention is whether or not the state is equipped enough to defend itself from all manner of attack, on land and on sea. This comes at a time when another aspectof military force is being discussed, that of neutrality. To separate the wheat from the chaff on these matters we are joined today by defence analyst Declan Power. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer Donal Ryan talk to Mick Clifford about his latest book. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.