Irish Times Inside Politics

The grubby appointment of former AG Máire Whelan to the Court of Criminal Appeals, the glaring lack of females in the senior and junior Government ranks and the dropping of Love Actually references in Downing Street all add up to a lacklustre first week on the job for An Taoiseach. What could he have done differently? We also hear some spiky exchanges from the Garda Commissioner's appearance at the Public Accounts Committee yesterday, and wonder what exactly Theresa May was expecting when she opened negotiations with the hard-as-nails DUP.Guests: Fiach Kelly and Mary Minihan. Hosted by Hugh Linehan. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hugh talks to Fintan O'Toole, who has just been awarded the Orwell Prize for Journalism for his writing on Brexit. Fintan explains why the Irish view on subjects like Brexit and the ascent of nationalism across the Western world is a useful one, and why David Cameron should have asked Enda Kenny for advice. They also discuss the unusual role of the DUP. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After another long day in Dáil Eireann, Irish Times politics team members Pat Leahy, Fiach Kelly and Mary Minihan trooped back to base to chat with Hugh Linehan about the ins and outs of Leo Vardakar's eventful first day as Taoiseach. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald returns to the podcast to share her views on Leo Varadkar and Fine Gael's place on the political spectrum, future coalition possibilities for Sinn Féin ("we will talk to everybody"), and whether the northern wing of her party might be convinced to drop abstentionism and support a Labour "Coalition of Chaos" in Westminster.But first we hear from Fiach Kelly and Pat Leahy about the feast of political theatre we can look forward to upon Leo Vardakar's elevation next week, and what whisperings they've heard about who will adorn the presumptive Taoiseach's cabinet. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Leo Varadkar has prevailed. At just 38, the new leader of Fine Gael is practically guaranteed to become our next Taoiseach. Simon Coveney, meanwhile, salvaged dignity by running him closer than looked possible in the early stages of the race. Harry McGee, Fiach Kelly and Pat Leahy look back on the two week campaign,and ahead to what kind of leader Mr Varadkar is likely to be and what early challenges he will face in the most scrutinised job in the land. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Academic and author Angela Nagle first came to many Irish Times readers' attention when she penned an opinion piece on the so-called Alt-Right, in response to the publication of a controversial glossary of terms used by those who so self-identify. Now she has published a fascinating book, 'Kill All Normies', that charts the origins and evolution of that movement and offers a provocative thesis on why the liberal left has largely failed to counter their nihilism. In this podcast she talks to Hugh Linehan about her ideas. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Blue blood stained the floor after the final Fine Gael leadership hustings in Cork on Sunday. Now there are just a few days left for Simon to overhaul Leo's lead. Coveney supporters are helpfully circulating numbers around Leinster House, showing the different ways he can win. Do they add up? What influence are yesterday's men, Enda Kenny and Michael Noonan, having behind the scenes? And is Leo really going to drag the party rightward? Today's guests are Mary Minihan and Sarah Bardon. They also find time at the end to talk about a very welcome Supreme Court decision on Direct Provision. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sean FitzPatrick has been vilified for his key role in the economic crash that devastated the country. But has the State wronged him in its pursuit of a criminal conviction against him at any cost? Today we look at the disturbing things we have learned about a bungled investigation of his activities while at the helm of Anglo Irish Bank, an investigation led by the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement. Colm Keena, our Legal Affairs Correspondent, talks to Hugh Linehan. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A new Irish Times / Ipsos MRBI poll brings badly needed good news for Simon Coveney as he tries to overhaul Leo Varadkar's early lead in the race to lead Fine Gael. But will it be enough to sway the TDs and Senators who have already declared for Varadkar? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The chances of Simon Coveney becoming the next leader of the Fine Gael party are slim, but Dublin Bay South TD Kate O'Connell, who is supporting him, says the race is not over yet. She tells Hugh Linehan, Pat Leahy and Fiach Kelly that she's backing Coveney because she wants a statesman and not a celebrity for Taoiseach, and why she would be "very, very" worried about the direction that Fine Gael might take under a Leo Varadkar leadership. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Leo Varadkar seems to be pulling away in the race to succeed Enda Kenny. But does it really matter whether it is Simon or Leo? Fintan O'Toole talks to Hugh Linehan and Pat Leahy about a race he says is not even a struggle for the soul of Fine Gael, let alone the soul of Ireland, between two candidates who have failed to show real leadership on major social problems. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Enda Kenny's leadership of Fine Gael and the country is over. Who will replace him? Fiach Kelly has canvassed every TD, Senator and Councillor to get the most detailed picture possible of the state of the race between Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney, the two known contenders. You can find the Irish Times Fine Gael leadership tracker here: http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/fg-leadership-race See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How has Enda Kenny's long goodbye impacted on the Oireachtas? Fianna Fáil TD and chair of the Dáil's Public Accounts Committee, Seán Fleming joins Mary Minihan and Hugh Linehan to discuss the lingering limbo of Enda Kenny's leadership, the future of the confidence and supply arrangement with his party and Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan's appearances before the PAC. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Eurovision time is here again, and this year it's taking place in Ukraine. Is the tense political context impacting the annual carnival of national pop? And more importantly, why can't Ireland pick the right kind of song to get to the final? Irish Times Eurovision Correspondent Patrick Freyne is in Kiev.You can find more information about Irish Times podcasts at irishtimes.com/podcastsTweet about the podcast @hlinehan See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Will Nóirín O'Sullivan eventually be invited to follow sacked FBI director James Comey into early retirement? To discuss that developing story, plus the new tradition of silence in the Dáil, Leo Varadkar palling around with councillors and Paschal Donohoe's clever political positioning, Hugh Linehan is joined by Pat Leahy and Sarah Bardon. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Independent Alliance has been in Government for one year, already longer than many observers predicted at the outset. How has it been doing? Very well, according to its five TDs. Led as ever by Shane Ross, they gave a press conference yesterday in which they proudly outlined their achievements and their undiminished belief in New Politics. Pat Leahy and Hugh Linehan listen to some of what was said and assess the group's impact on the Irish political landscape. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What's going on in Leinster House? Not much, but at least we can argue about why that is the case. Today's Irish Times editorial was a little harsh, says Harry McGee - the lack of legislative achievements this term has not been all the Government's fault. And Fiach Kelly says useless bills destined to fail are clogging up the works. Also on the agenda today: what is likely to be a highly unusual 8th Amendment committee, Dáil prayers, Harry's ministerial scorecard and the "worst dinner party in history". See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The row over ownership of the new Maternity Hospital may be dying down, for now, but it has revealed some interesting things about the politics, people, and institutions involved. Mary Minihan and Pat Leahy discuss the story with Hugh Linehan. Later in the podcast they look at the outcome of the Citizens' Assembly. That's after we hear from Cora Sherlock and Breda O'Brien, both campaigners for the retention of the 8th Amendment. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's been a torrid few months for the institutional reputation of An Garda Síochána. Some members of the force believe the various controversies have undermined confidence in, and respect for, the force. Is this jeopardising their safety as they do their work? A spate of recent attacks suggest it could be. For a small section of society, the uniform is now “like a red rag to a bull", as one garda told Conor Lally. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How the forthcoming UK election could leave the Conservatives with a whopping majority and consign Labour to as much as another decade in the political wilderness. And in Northern Ireland and Scotland, already marginalised by Brexit, will this vote put even more distance between citizens and Westminster? Today's guests are Professor Tim Bale, a political scientist and author of 'The Conservative Party: From Thatcher to Cameron' and Peter Geoghegan, a Glasgow-based journalist and author of 'The People's Referendum: Why Scotland Will Never Be the Same Again'. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.