Budget kites flying high (but don’t mention the election date)

Host Hugh Linehan is joined by Jennifer Bray and Cormac McQuinn to look back on the week in politics:·      Political parties are eagerly pitching eye-catching measures ahead of Budget 2025 with 50 per cent of respondents in the latest Irish Times / Ipsos poll saying they want the Government to prioritise ‘immediate help’ with the cost of living. ·      Has Simon Harris reached peak popularity? The Taoiseach’s surging personal approval ratings mirrors that of his predecessor Leo Varadkar who enjoyed similar peaks, but endured troughs not long after - could Harris be in for similar? ·      The Dáil resumed this week with Sinn Féin going on the attack during leader’s questions, highlighting children with scoliosis and spina bifida awaiting surgery, and the “gold-plated” pension pots of the well-heeled that are set to get a boost. Plus, the panellists pick their favourite IT reads of the week:·      Miriam Lord on the extremely expensive bijou bike shed on Leinster lawn.·      Carl O’Brien wrote about new research from Maynooth University that showed the benefits of much shorter homework tasks.·      And Emer McLysaght swapped tales of air fryers and steam mops on a group holiday to Spain.Produced by John Casey.Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Denis Staunton's Global Briefing newsletter here: irishtimes.com/newsletters/global-briefing/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.