The Long Game

On this week's episode of The Long Game, Ben and Jason discuss Reform UK's decimation of Labour and the Tories in the UK and what it means for Ireland; the ongoing Irish by-elections; the outbreak of hantavirus, and more.

Ben and Jason consider Ireland's impending nuclear debate, the upcoming by-elections in Dublin and Galway, and the cancellation of a controversial surrogacy event following substantial criticism.

Jason and Ben comment on the slow-but-steady death spiral of FFG which the latest polling indicates is continuing, as well as on the Government's modular housing plans and the reputational blow the Southern Poverty Law Center has taken in the last week.

Micheál Martin's dodgy Muhammad Ali impression and his enduring grip on Fianna Fáil; Leo Varadkar's take on the rural-urban divide; and whether the State media regulator is currently engaged in policing speech. All on this week's Long Game podcast.

The fuel protests have wound down, a minister's not happy with the media's lack of support for Government and a battle for the ages: Donald Trump vs Pope Leo XIV. All discussed on this week's episode of The Long Game Podcast.

On this week's episode of The Long Game, Ben and Jason discuss the ongoing fuel protests disrupting traffic across Ireland, Donald Trump's Iran war ceasefire, and how the Christian messages of the Artemis II astronauts are making atheists on Reddit go berserk.

Jason is joined this week by Fatima, who comes bearing stories from the courts. They also discuss the state of Ireland's Covid-19 'evaluation' and the quality and quantity of biblical dramas on streaming services in 2026.

Freshly returned from his time Stateside, Ben joins Jason to talk banned TikTok videos and EU content policing, Iran war energy woes and the wild reaction to Ryan Casey's political opinions.

The growing tendency to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of national and cultural celebrations irks Jason and Maria this week. The deepening oil crisis and Maria's experience of the recent Women's Coalition on Immigration event make up the rest of the show.

Ben and Jason discuss Barbie Kardashian's new digs and Dublin Zoo's Mother's Day marketing, as well as the Government's commitment to the Cost of Living crisis.

Jason and special guest Maria Maynes discuss the spiralling situation in the Middle East, the sectarian trend in UK politics and the shocking abortion story receiving no coverage from the Irish media.

The security concerns surrounding the Ireland/Israel Nations League fixture, Minister Helen McEntee's Defence Forces diversity drive and LENT are all up for discussion on this week's episode of the Long Game podcast.

On this week's episode of The Long Game, Ben and Jason analyse some of Ben's recent encounters with Government ministers and their disappointing (non-) answers.

Ben and Jason bemoan the weather and the Government response to it, before turning to problems of entirely human origin: the State's funding of, apparently, everything, the Deposit Return Scheme's disastrous effect on Dublin and the omnipresence of gambling.

This week, Ben and Jason discuss Helen McEntee’s great love of Europe, a Fianna Fáil TD’s suggestion that the State should steer clear of "anti-Government" CEOs for State contracts, and the political leanings of modern movies.

On this week's episode of The Long Game podcast, Ben and Jason discuss the tech illiteracy of the people regulating the Irish digital space, Trump's impending seizure of Greenland and the growing threat of a US-EU trade war, and the re-arrest of Enoch Burke.

Jason and Ben discuss the week’s top news, from Sinn Fein failing to learn lessons, Grok being bold to the impending end of the 25 year-long Mercosur saga.

Ben and Jason cross swords over the American intervention in Venezuela, before discussing lighter things like the new Dublin city traffic plan and the dire state of modern children's books.

In something of a Christmas special, Ben and Jason discuss whether 2025 went as they predicted politically-speaking, the weekend whooping of Andrew Tate and the ethics of Santa Claus.

Ben and Jason discuss whether or not virginity is embarrassing following Piers Morgan's interview with a American streamer, as well as the merits and dangers of online age restrictions, and the tragic events at Bondi Beach over the weekend.

On this episode of The Long Game podcast, Ben and Jason discuss Irish school children being taught they have "white privilege"; what America's new national security policy means for Europe; and the young man taking the "looksmaxxing" trend way too far.

Ben is back from Greece, and he's got a complaint to make. After venting, the conversation moves on to the Battle of Herzog Park and a senior garda's admission that radical Islam is on the rise in Ireland.

Jason is joined this week by Fatima Gunning to discuss the US State Department's announcement that mass migration is an "existential threat" to Western civilisation, as well as Slovenia's rejection of assisted suicide and the ongoing Christian persecution in Nigeria.

The failure of the State to treat the housing crisis like the "emergency" they say it is; prison overcrowding and the drastic measures authorities are considering to cope with it; and a mad German NGO are all on the agenda for Ben and Jason this week.

This week, Ben and Jason rant and rave about institutional failures and shortcomings, from the BBC to RTÉ and everywhere in between.

This week, Ben and Jason discuss the Government's swing to the FAR-RIGHT (also known as majority opinion on immigration), the dawning awareness that EU regulation has stifled homebuilding, and finally the unspoken time bomb that western nations are sitting atop.

As Fine Gael targets Catherine Connolly's work as a barrister, Jason and Ben breathe a sigh of relief that the presidential race is nearing its end. That's followed by a sigh of despair as they examine 'Official Ireland's' commitment to gender ideology and France's inability to stop thieves breaking into its national museums.

On this week's episode, Jason and Ben react to the Heather Humphreys' polling woes and question whether FFG's lack of political imagination is finally coming back to bite them both domestically and internationally. They end on an optimistic note that's sure to annoy some viewers, as poll data reveals NI youths are bullish about Christianity.

On this week's episode, Ben and Jason laugh and laugh and laugh about the latest twist in the presidential election as Jim Gavin drops out, before turning to another of the candidate's disappointing gender ideology answers and analysing FG's budgetary promises.

In this week's episode of The Long Game podcast, Ben and Maria predict how boring the Presidential election debate will be, discuss Maria Steen being blocked from the ballot, and talk about American football stars being mugged in Dublin.

Jason and Ben react with disbelief to Late Late Show host Patrick Kielty's proclamation that you can say whatever you want on RTÉ, before turning their disbelief to both Sinn Féin's "game-changing" presidential announcement and the way people talk about Christians.

Ben and Jason share their reactions to the murder of Charlie Kirk, as well as what they thought of the many reactions celebrating and justifying his death. Left-wing violence on Irish streets and the Taoiseach's view that saying 'Ireland for the Irish' is tantamount to inciting violence were also on the agenda this week.

The road to the Áras is getting busier as independents vie to earn the backing of the local authorities, prompting Jason and Ben to chat about what will separate the serious contenders from the rest. The ongoing threats faced by Tánaiste Simon Harris and his family, and Gavin Pepper's failure to live up to the leftist's imagining of him, make up the rest of the discussion this week.

On The Long Game this week, Ben and Maria talk about Dublin City Council's attempt to remove Irish flags around the city; the media grilling of Presidential hopeful Catherine Connolly; and Fianna Fáil's apparent lack of faith in any candidate from inside their own ranks.

On this week's episode of The Long Game Podcast, Ben and Jason discuss the state of the Presidential race, the possibility of "President Bertie Ahern", the cult of Michael D. Higgins, and delve further into the state funding of media.

As Tony Holohan announces the presidency is no longer in his sights, Ben and Jason discuss why politics may be a nastier business than it used to be, before coincidentally moving on to the State's total disregard of public pushback on a national dis-/mis-information strategy. Also: Are eugenics back in vogue in some fashionable circles?

Without beating around the bush, Ben and Jason get into the recent reports of Indians feeling unsafe in Ireland, and the surging phenomenon of 'elsewhereism,' or being primarily concerned about the rights and wrongs of goings on in other places. They also discuss Gript's latest subscriber-only feature, 'The Cost of Politics'.

Ben and Jason ramble through a discussion about whether law and order is breaking down in Ireland, and specifically in Dublin, musing about the merits of raising a family in the city versus in the countryside, before getting back to the news of the kidnapping of an Irish woman in Haiti.

This week on The Long Game podcast, Jason laments the EU's latest steamrolling at the hands of Donald Trump, and Ben adds fuel to the fire by questioning the current calibre of Irish thought on economics and borders.

With Ben missing in action this week, Jason is joined by Gript colleague Maria Maynes to discuss the revised National Development Plan and Maria's coverage of calls for 'Jennie's Law', before complaining about falling afoul of Ryanair's baggage policy and viral infidelity.

The Housing Minister accidentally blaming the Government for housing holdups, the plight of the pubs and the dangers of technology, as found out by one State agency recently, are all on the cards for Jason and Ben on this week’s episode.

On this week's episode, Jason and Ben discuss the UN's call for a re-run of the Care Referendum, as well as the tools the State is using to tackle 'wrongthink' in both schools and An Garda Síochana.

This week, the lads discuss the lacklustre start to Ireland’s presidential election speculation, what the latest polling data tells us about the lay of the political land, and the Irish delegation that defiantly made its way to Hungary’s Pride parade over the weekend.

With Ben on holidays this week, Jason is joined by Telegraph columnist Michael Murphy to discuss the week's news, including changes to US student visa vetting, questionable reasons for rejecting garda applicants and more.

Ben and Jason discuss the ways in which a culture of civil mediocrity and bureaucracy is strangling Irish society, from media to AI.

This week on 'The Long Game', Jason and Ben question whether Garda Commissioner Drew Harris is on top of his brief after a surprising exchange with Ben, the modern trend among Irish elites of denigrating Irishness, and whether Government is up to the task of regulating information itself.

Poland’s choice of president and the state of that country more generally are on the cards for Ben and Jason this week, along with the decline of Pride month and the trials of short men in their dealings with the fairer sex.

The lads discuss the Kneecap terror charge, whether Oireachtas scrutiny of IPAS spending is likely to make any difference, and whether or not the Basic Income for the Arts scheme is a good idea after it was publicly backed by Minister Patrick O'Donovan.

The imminent climate course that will see Leaving Cert students engage in activism is on the agenda for Jason and Ben today, alongside Sinn Féin’s transgender woes and the tumultuous European elections at the weekend.