May 28, 2026 · 23 min · 8 segments
Planning changes to allow for one-off housing on the way, rambunctious exchanges as the Occupied Territories Bill moves centre stage again, ministerial backing for RTÉ management and Government…
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Barry LenehanPanelistJoeHost
Micheál LehanePanelistI suppose the first thing, Micheál, we've been looking at, uh, obviously a lot said about the by-election over the last couple of we- uh, of days, but, uh, the fallout, um, from the by-election is leading to a little bit of a, a tussle over the Seanad seat which has been vacated by Sean Kyne.
Tell us about the left coalescing or not coalescing, as the case may be.
Well, it, it kind of illustrates, isn't it, that the left alliance, how does that stand now? With Ivana Bacik e- eager to try and, uh, cobble together, uh, that alliance that you spoke about leading into the last election, right, of the Greens, the Social Democrats, and themselves kind of organizing as a bloc, and looking to do that in the Seanad by-election as well, which is a totally futile exercise anyway, given that you do have agreement under the program for government, for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, uh, to secure that seat.
The agreement is no one loses, uh, if there is someone promoted from the, from the Seanad, so Sean Kyne would be replaced, probably most likely by Ray Mac Adam.
But it does tell you something, uh, that the left not quite as united as they may have been in the early days of the Dáil when the, that speaking row was at its height, and of course, during the Catherine Connolly campaign as well.
Yeah, because they're excluding, uh, Ivana Bacik is excluding Sinn Féin from her, her, um-
... arithmetic, isn't she?
Yeah.
So Ivana Bacik had made, uh, overtures to, uh, the Green party and the Social Democrats, then Holly Cairns sees this and, and says, "Hang on a second.
Why not bring in Sinn Féin, the civic engagement group," which you've a, a loose alliance of, of left-wing senators and PBP, uh, as well into the conversation.
And the argument from Social Democrat sources is that they don't believe this is a futile exercise if everyone-
Yeah
if all the left are together, pointing to how President Catherine Connolly herself, uh, usurped Fine Gael's Fergus O'Dowd for the last Ceann Comhairle position in 2016.
They say, uh, that a few rogue Fianna Fáil-ers might vote for the left-wing candidate.
I suppose the first thing, Micheál, we've been looking at, uh, obviously a lot said about the by-election over the last couple of we- uh, of days, but, uh, the fallout, um, from the by-election is leading to a little bit of a, a tussle over the Seanad seat which has been vacated by Sean Kyne.
Tell us about the left coalescing or not coalescing, as the case may be.
Well, it, it kind of illustrates, isn't it, that the left alliance, how does that stand now? With Ivana Bacik e- eager to try and, uh, cobble together, uh, that alliance that you spoke about leading into the last election, right, of the Greens, the Social Democrats, and themselves kind of organizing as a bloc, and looking to do that in the Seanad by-election as well, which is a totally futile exercise anyway, given that you do have agreement under the program for government, for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, uh, to secure that seat.
The agreement is no one loses, uh, if there is someone promoted from the, from the Seanad, so Sean Kyne would be replaced, probably most likely by Ray Mac Adam.
But it does tell you something, uh, that the left not quite as united as they may have been in the early days of the Dáil when the, that speaking row was at its height, and of course, during the Catherine Connolly campaign as well.
Yeah, because they're excluding, uh, Ivana Bacik is excluding Sinn Féin from her, her, um-
... arithmetic, isn't she?
Yeah.
So Ivana Bacik had made, uh, overtures to, uh, the Green party and the Social Democrats, then Holly Cairns sees this and, and says, "Hang on a second.
Why not bring in Sinn Féin, the civic engagement group," which you've a, a loose alliance of, of left-wing senators and PBP, uh, as well into the conversation.
And the argument from Social Democrat sources is that they don't believe this is a futile exercise if everyone-
Yeah
if all the left are together, pointing to how President Catherine Connolly herself, uh, usurped Fine Gael's Fergus O'Dowd for the last Ceann Comhairle position in 2016.
They say, uh, that a few rogue Fianna Fáil-ers might vote for the left-wing candidate.
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