Advertise on podcast: Beyond the Pale with Cormac Lucey and David Quinn

In this week's episode of Beyond the Pale, Cormac Lucey and David Quinn discuss Trump's midterm election disaster and why it happened. They preview the upcoming Fine Gael Ard Fheis and the party's dawning realisation it has gone too woke. They examine the confrontation over judges in Poland and the bias of EU institutions, and finally they dissect Mary McAleese's insane objection to infant baptism. 00:00 The episode’s agenda: US midterms, Fine Gael, and Poland 01:00 Trump turns the midterms into a referendum on himself 03:19 Economic strain and broken promises behind Republican losses 06:04 Why Democrats focused on economics over culture-war issues 08:56 Irish media’s Trump fixation and the risk of escalation with Iran 14:01 Fine Gael’s longstanding divide between urban and rural politics 18:21 Is Fine Gael’s conference motion a signal to voters? 19:16 The debate over wokeness and the changing public mood 23:21 How far should Fine Gael pull back from its liberal agenda? 25:13 Religious conviction, ideological certainty, and political dissent 30:13 Schools, political ideas, and the challenge for Irish parties 33:32 Poland’s judicial standoff and the fight over appointments 36:58 Courts and central banks as political battlegrounds 40:06 EU rule-of-law claims and national sovereignty 42:20 Ukraine, elections, and democratic obligations 42:56 Infant baptism, parental rights, and religious freedom

In the latest episode of Beyond the Pale, Cormac Lucey and David Quinn discusses the riots in France, including the involvement of hard-left agitators. They ask whether immigrants played a role in the violence and what lessons are to be learnt here in Ireland from what has happened. They also discuss new legislation aimed at removing the 'triple lock' that protects Irish neutrality.

In this week's episode of Beyond the Pale, Cormac Lucey and David Quinn discuss the public sector pay dispute. They ask whether RTE deserves to have its funding increased, and if the station is biased? They talk about how Iran war is helping to drive the cost of living crisis and Donald Trump's role in this. Finally, they discuss a huge row between EU member-states over the next EU budget and Ireland's part in the row.

In this week's edition of 'Beyond the Pale', Cormac Lucey and David Quinn discuss the budget and how every every politician wants to be Santa and no-one wants to be Scrooge. They explain why Social Democracy is the default position of Irish politics, and that one day we will need a 'Scrooge' who is willing to rein in public spending. Charlie Haughey emerges as an unexpected hero.  00:00 Introduction and overview of Irish social and political certainties 02:02 Ireland's historical cycles of economic optimism and crisis 03:58 The flawed nature of Ireland's budget expectations and revenue assumptions 08:08 Public pension liabilities and accounting practices 12:00 Demographic challenges and aging population in Ireland 17:05 The cost of public spending and taxation in Ireland 21:58 Ireland's political consensus and social democratic tendencies 26:05 Management and accountability issues in Irish government 30:01 The influence of European and American politics on Ireland 35:51 Potential future bond market crises and fiscal risks