The Mick Clifford Podcast

Fine Gael has been in power for fifteen years so it should be no surprise that drift has set in. This weekend the party meets in UCC to try and get back on course. The Irish Examiner political team, Elaine Loughlin, Paul Hosford and Louise Burne take the temperature at the gathering and assess where the party goes from here, just over a year before its leader Simon Harris is due to resume his tenure as Taoiseach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US mid term elections dealt a severe blow to Donald Trump with the Democrats taking control of congress. But what will it mean for the remainder of Trump’s presidency? What will it mean for Americans struggling with the cost of living/ And wherefore the rest of the world, including this country, now that Trump’s time is closing in and we don’t know what is coming next. Professor of International Politics at UCD, Scott Lucas is this week’s guest. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The recent violent protests in France were attributed to far-left elements. In a milieu where far right interests are gaining support across Europe, this was something of an anomaly. For DCU associate professor of politics, Eoin O’Malley, this scenario suggests that perhaps the media and many in politics are putting too much emphasis on threats from the far-right and perhaps should look at what kind of ideology is really being espoused in Irish public life. Eoin O’Malley is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There has been a drip feed of revelations about alleged malpractice in An Garda Siochana in recent weeks. Central to the allegations has been a group of officers who have made protected disclosures. How their allegations were received, how they were dealt with, has become a huge element of the story. But what is it all about and where is it going?Labour party TD Alan Kelly was the first to bring it all into the public domain and he lays out the whole narrative plainly in this week’s podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brian Cowen was elected Taoiseach just as the economic storm clouds were gathering in 2008. By the time he left office the country was dependant on the kindness of strangers. Was Cowen culpable for what befell the country/ Was he simply the victim of bad timing? And did his time at the top impinge on his political legacy up to then. Professor Gary Murphy has written a biography of the former Taoiseach and he is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How was it for you? For everybody it would appear that the budget was spread so thin it will be difficult to feel any difference. Neither austerity nor giveaway it also left questions hanging. Such as where now for this government? What if anything is its guiding compass? This week’s guests are drawn from the Irish Examiner Political team, Paul Hosford and Tadgh McNally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new initiative that could herald a while new way of life in some disadvantaged communities is being set up. The social supermarket is a model that has been tried successfully abroad and now is being introduced in north Dublin. It has been popularised by current New York mayor Zohran Mamdani but what exactly is it. Joining us to discuss is Angela Ruttledge, head of policy at Foodcloud, one of the groups behind the initiative. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vincent Browne was the founding editor of Magill magazine and oversaw it, officially and unofficially, for the 1980s. It was a time of great change and the emergence of outstanding journalists to document it. DCU academic and journalist Kevin Rafter has documented the highs, lows and the madness in Fearless! – Vincent Browne’s Magill and Ireland in the 1980s. Kevin is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new book takes us behind the closed doors of a party that remains something of a mystery. Sinn Fein to some appears to retain the closeness of a tribe rather than a political party and its policies generally don’t follow a beaten path.But is that the case or there less to see than might be thought? Siobhan Fenton worked as an advisor for the party and her new book is titled Ourselves Alone – Sinn Fein Behind Closed Doors.Siobhan is this week’s guest on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump is visiting the country this weekend and it’s safe to say that many people, from the upper echelons of power down to the man and woman in the street, would prefer if he stayed home.He is here to attend the Irish Open golf championship at the Doonbeg in Clare which he owns.But what kind of welcome will he receive and will he notice anything beyond the perfect arc of Rory McIllroy’s golf swing. And is time running out for this man whom many suggest is bringing democracy into disrepute.This week’s guest on the podcast is Clodagh Harrington who lectures on US politics in UCC. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.