Aggression and abuse on the campaign trail for those running in local elections

Hugh Linehan and guests discuss the week in politics

Listen | 44:04
There have been incidents of councillors being subjected to intimidation and assault while out canvassing ahead of the forthcoming local elections in June. Photograph: Cyril Byrne / THE IRISH TIMES .
There have been incidents of councillors being subjected to intimidation and assault while out canvassing ahead of the forthcoming local elections in June. Photograph: Cyril Byrne / THE IRISH TIMES .

Hugh Linehan is joined by Cormac McQuinn and Jennifer Bray to discuss the week in politics:

· The last fortnight has seen several incidents of councillors being verbally and physically attacked while out canvassing for the forthcoming local elections. A disturbing trend that hasn’t been a feature of previous elections.

· The panel dig into what the Irish Times/Ipsos B&A poll results say about the volatility of public opinion right now.

· And neither current First Minister of Northern Ireland, Michelle O’Neill, or former First Minister of Northern Ireland, Arlene Foster, came away from the UK Covid-19 inquiry unscathed.

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And the panel pick their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week:

· Ronan McGreevey writing 50 years on from the Dublin-Monaghan bombings.

· Laura Kennedy does the arithmetic of emigration.

· Stephen Collins writes of Micheál Martin’s political enemies postponing their big move.