Pat Leahy and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:
There were some interesting developments during the European People’s Party (EPP) congress in Bucharest this week – Ursula von der Leyen was roundly endorsed for another five years as European Commission President, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told delegates that Europe was no longer in a ‘post-war epoch’ and that borders had to be defended. The panel discussed whether Ireland’s military spending will soon reflect this new sense of urgency.
Also on the podcast: Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe’s refusal to meet demands on how to spend the continuing surge in corporate tax receipts has left some Cabinet members less than happy after a call to significantly boost the National Development Plan fell on deaf ears.
And the panel compare the approaches of the Government and Sinn Féin when it comes to improving the lot of Northern Ireland. During his speech at the Alliance Party conference this week, Tánaiste Micheál Martin pushed the positives to be gained from the Shared Island initiative, whereas Sinn Féin’s line has consistently been improvement through a united Ireland.
Web Summit case: Three angry men finally settle their differences
Moving to another country is hard. You’re not failing if you’re not living up to a filtered social media standard
Trump proves topical at tropical gathering on Chinese island
As the FAI and League of Ireland clubs squabble, our talented young players are moulded into professionals abroad
Plus, the panel pick their Irish Times pieces of the week:
Joe Humphreys wrote about how Netflix use the irresistible allure of nostalgia.
Google investors were far from impressed by the capabilities of AI chatbot Gemini.
And London Correspondent Mark Paul on Chancellor for the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt trying to do the impossible with his budget.
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