Sanctimonious Soc Dems find themselves on shaky high moral ground

Harry McGee and Cormac McQuinn join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:

·       The ‘Golden Age of America’ came and went over the course of a week as US President Donald Trump decided on Wednesday to pause his reciprocal tariffs for most countries for the next 90 days.

·       The status of suspended Social Democrat TD Eoin Hayes was up for debate this week with the party successfully pushing for representation based on election result rather than current Dáil numbers in order to secure two Oireachtas committee chairperson roles. So, is Hayes a Soc Dem TD or not? Some are making understandable comparisons with the recent speaking rights row.

·       And Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan has signalled a new Bill to overhaul the asylum system here with the latest data showing a surge in deportation orders and a substantial fall in applications in early 2025, both attributable to O’Callaghan’s predecessor Helen McEntee.

Plus, the panel picks their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week:

·       The best way to resurrect a graveyard, humanitarian efforts in Chad, and Richard Boyd Barrett’s cancer diagnosis. 

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