EU presidency hits Wicklow next week and Burnham nixes talk of a Border poll

Listen to our weekly digest of all things political

Listen | 48:41
Pat Leahy was joined in studio by Europe Correspondent Jack Power and Political Correspondent Ellen Coyne.

Ellen Coyne and Jack Power join Pat Leahy to look back on the week in politics:

  • All 27 EU foreign ministers will gather in Druids Glen in Wicklow next week for a “Gymnich” meeting. What is that you ask, it is characterised as a more informal chat with no expectation of any hard decisions being made. The lull of August will now give way to a hectic calendar culminating in difficult choices around the next seven-year EU budget.
  • Andy Burnham made his first visit to Northern Ireland this week as UK prime minister. He raised eyebrows with his assertion that a Border poll is “off the table”. This won’t please Sinn Féin given the money and energy they are putting into making a vote on a united Ireland a reality.  
  • The Dáil sat briefly on Friday, where, among other topics of debate, it decided to vote against fuel price increases. The Government now further defers clawing back the cuts in excise taxes it announced earlier in the summer for two more months. Can it continue to shield the public from increasing fuel costs beyond November?

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

OUR PODCASTS