Podcasts · News · Government
Path to Power
Matt Cooper
149 episodes
In Path to Power, experienced broadcaster Matt Cooper and guests bring their individual points of view to a lively weekly discussion that sets the agenda and examines all the political and current issues.
More about the show
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes page 1 of 3
-
Tech Threats and the Triple Lock
Shane Coleman and Lise Hand discuss Ireland’s failure to tackle climate change, growing opposition to data centres, and our economic dependence on big tech. They examine the global cybersecurity scare that left…
-
Pay Disputes and Dirty Big Data Centres
Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and entrepreneur Áine Kerr join Matt to discuss the reasons for, and the impact of, the public sector pay disputes and how inevitably they will get solved, but when and at what price?…
-
O’Donovan vs Bakhurst: The Latest RTÉ Fight
Daniel McConnell and John Lee join Matt on yet another remarkable week for RTÉ, as Media Minister Patrick O'Donovan withholds €20 million of promised funding from the state broadcaster. What can Kevin Bakhurst do at…
-
From Lansdowne Road to the Garvaghy Road
Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and entrepreneur Áine Kerr join Matt to reflect on a tumultuous week for Irish football, whether the Israel games should have been cancelled, what practical support we can give to…
-
Young, Irish and Ready to Leave
John Deasy and Brenda Power join Matt to discuss whether prosperous Ireland is a country for young people. They compare emigration now with the nineties and debate whether young people really have reasons to complain.…
-
An Orange Republican
Lise Hand and Shane Coleman join Matt to discuss the fallout of Donald Trump's visit to Ireland and how he unexpectedly emerged as a United Irelander. They discuss his responsibility for the fuel prices and whether the…
-
Budget Dilemmas Shaped by Trump’s Iran War
Daniel McConnell and John Lee join Matt to look ahead to the budget and discuss the options and how they will be influenced by the economic upheaval caused by Trump's Iran war. They talk about carbon tax, excise duties…
-
Carbon, Commuting, and Corruption
Matt is joined by former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Áine Kerr to discuss carbon taxes, whether they should go up in the budget and whether they should be there at all. They assess the public transport fare hikes and…
-
Bananas and Nuts
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham rules out a United Ireland referendum; John Deasy and Lise Hand join Matt to discuss the Sinn Féin reaction, how happy Taoiseach Micheál Martin is likely to be at the development -…
-
Our Crime and Punishment Crisis
Daniel McConnell and John Lee join Matt to discuss the political response to the outrageous and horrific crash on the M9. They focus on Jim O'Callaghan’s pronouncements and the likely implementation of new laws and…
-
Rating the Cabinet
John Deasy joins Matt to offer a person-by-person assessment of the performance of each member of the Cabinet. Who’s good and who’s not so good, even bad? Brought to you by The Greenman Group. PTP+ To enjoy early…
-
Wanting a United Ireland
Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Sinn Féin’s Senator Conor Murphy, a former NI economy minister, join Matt for a full discussion about the possibilities of a united Ireland. Is it the inevitability that some people…
-
The Streisand Effect
In hiding a cost-benefit analysis for the Ryder Cup in Limerick next year, is the Government in danger of drawing more attention to the costs of subsidising the event? Lise Hand and Shane Coleman join Matt to discuss…
-
Overselling Simon
Simon Harris' income tax promises: John Deasy and Brenda Power join Matt to debate the political benefits to the Fine Gael leader of making promises he may find hard to deliver. They also address the controversial…
-
Mary Lou and Micheál's Enmity
Lise Hand and John Lee join Matt to discuss Mary Lou McDonald and Micheál Martin's true feelings for each other after the Sinn Féin leader calls her Fianna Fáil counterpart and Taoiseach a 'tosser'. Lynn Boylan's…
-
From Count Binface to Conor McGregor
Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Áine Kerr join Matt to address the challenge to Nigel Farage being posed by a comedy candidate in the Clacton by-election. They give suggestions on how to revitalise O'Connell Street…
-
Sex, Alcohol, and Irish Politics
Matt is joined by Danny McConnell and John Lee, who distinguish between Jeffrey Donaldson's illegal acts and his inappropriate ones, but ask how often inappropriate acts by Irish politicians get overlooked by the…
-
Donaldson's Depravity and His Toxic Politics
Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Áine Kerr join Matt to discuss Jeffrey Donaldson's appalling crimes and what he put his victims through by denying his guilt. They look at his political career and how he was a malign…
-
Remembering Veronica Guerin
Lise Hand joins Matt to remember their great friend who was murdered 30 years ago in June 1996. They recall their friendships with Veronica, how they got to know her, and her early years in journalism. They swap…
-
The Racists Among Us
Lise Hand and Shane Coleman join Matt to discuss the race riots in Belfast and how racism is also a major issue throughout the island, how fire bombings have not been restricted to Belfast, and how a blind eye is…
-
From Here to Maternity
Brenda Power and John Deasy join Matt to discuss the controversy about hospital consultants employed by the State doing private work in public hospitals. Two bulls in a Kerry Field: division between the Healy-Raes,…
-
Climate Targets and Immigration Politics
Danny McConnell and John Lee join Matt to discuss the concession that our 2030 climate targets will be missed, and ask if we need to apply the Tony Blair analysis for Britain that net zero is inappropriate. They offer…
-
Ireland's Racism Issues
The death of Yves Sakila on a Dublin street - is this the Irish version of George Floyd, but do enough people care? Brendan Ogle joins Matt, and they have a wider conversation on the impact of migration on Ireland,…
-
Analogue Bertie Hobbled by a Digital World
Matt is joined by Lise Hand and Shane Coleman to discuss the controversy involving former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and his views on immigration, as expressed to a voter who recorded and disclosed them. They offer a…
-
Ireland’s Antisemitism Debate
John Deasy and Brenda Power join Matt for a spirited exchange about Patrick Kielty’s Late Late Show comments and how they have sparked wider allegations that Ireland is antisemitic. Before that, they discuss why…
-
Why Not a Mini Budget?
Matt is joined by Danny McConnell and John Lee to discuss the changing government generosity towards Ukrainians and how this may have been influenced by the by-election in Galway West and Dublin Central. On the latter,…
-
How Protest Should Be Done - The Expert’s View
Long-time protest activist Brendan Ogle takes issue with the conduct of the diesel protests and the government’s capitulation to unlicensed protesters. He details his own experiences with the Locomotive Drivers'…
-
Leo's Rural-Urban Divide
Shane Coleman and Lise Hand join Matt, and they start with the suggested split in the Healy-Rae dynasty. They discuss all the issues related to the rural-urban divide, with particular emphasis on deprivation in urban…
-
PTP America: J. Edgar Boozer, Pulp Fiction, and a Raccoon's Penis
As Trump continues his suspension of the assault on Iran, Matt and Marion divert to the case of Kash Patel's sobriety, Pete Hegseth's use of a Pulp Fiction script as scripture, and RFK Jr.'s interest in the penises of…
-
Powder keg Politics and Protests
Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and former political correspondent Áine Kerr join Matt to analyse the politics of the past fortnight, dominated by the diesel protests. They look at Jim O’Callaghan’s use of the army,…
-
Fuelling the (Ire)land
Driving the protesters off the blocked roads: Brenda Power and John Deasy join Matt to discuss how the government has to confront threatened anarchy. Carbon tax increases debated, and is the future Nuclear? Why…
-
Everything Goes Off the Rails
Lise Hand and John Lee join Matt to discuss if the MetroLink project may be derailed by the untimely departure of its boss, Seán Sweeney, and if the government finances become shredded, will MetroLink become a victim…
-
How Many TDs to Change a Lightbulb?
Danny McConnell and John Lee join Matt and open with a discussion on the proposal to limit the number of TDs. They discuss the 18th delay to the handing over of a National Children's Hospital by BAM. Do we need more…
-
The Price Donald Trump Makes Us Pay
Matt is joined by Brendan Ogle and Larry Donnelly to look at Irish reactions to Trump's Iranian assault. They rate and review Micheál Martin's Oval Office visit as much for what it signified as what he said. They…
-
Micheál Martin's Mission: Impossible
Lise Hand and Shane Coleman join Matt to assess the perilous nature of Micheál Martin's visit to the Oval Office: what sort of Trump will he find, can he safeguard Irish interests, and is it right to be dealing with…
-
How the Iranian War Impacts Ireland
Brenda Power and John Deasy join Matt to discuss America's assault on Iran and what Ireland's position on it should be. They assess what Micheál Martin should do in Washington the week after next, and how a prolonged…
-
Sinn Féin Under the Microscope
Matt is joined by John Lee and Danny McConnell to discuss Sinn Féin's prospects in the Dublin Central by-election, its position on Ukraine, Mary Lou McDonald's memories of Brendan 'Bik' McFarlane, and how…
-
Children and Babies and Providing for Them
Matt is joined by Áine Kerr and Shane Coleman to discuss the importance of SNAs in our schools and our government's mishandling of potential changes. Why is the government finding it so hard to come up with ways of…
-
Banged Up Abroad
Former Fine Gael TD John Deasy and Irish Daily Mail Columnist Brenda Power join Matt to discuss the wider implications for Irish emigrants to the US of the Seamus Culleton case. Why is Ireland soft on the murderous…
-
The Rain Blame Game
Danny McConnell and John Lee examine the consequences of Ireland’s repeated failure to deliver flood defences and critical infrastructure. They ask whether the Social Democrats under Holly Cairns are emerging as a…
-
Get the Fliuch Out of Here
As Storm Chandra wreaked havoc on the country, Shane Coleman and Lise Hand discuss who is really responsible for making sure appropriate weather warnings are given. Fianna Fáil's slump in the polls and the threat to…
-
A Bowl of Shamrock and a Billion Dollars for Trump
As Donald Trump pushes his Board of Peace idea, would it be wise for Ireland to join and if we say no, could the squeeze be put on us? John Deasy and Brenda Power join Matt, and John outlines his personal dealings with…
-
Naughty Micheál, Nudie Grok, & Paschal's Silence
Matt is joined by Danny McConnell and John Lee to unpack the continuing Mercosur fallout inside the government and with the EU. The foreign challenges for Micheál Martin in 2026. All talk but what action about Grok AI?…
-
The Guns of January
Brenda Power and Larry Donnelly join Matt for a wide-ranging discussion starting with the Irish government's position on the Mercosur deal. What Micheál Martin was up to in China, and how the Chinese relationship will…
-
Simon Harris & His Many Opinions
Lise Hand and Shane Coleman join Matt to assess the many newspaper interviews given by Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris over the Christmas period. They discuss the threats to his family's safety, his likely…
-
Tally-Ho to 2025 & Tales of Trump
Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and Sinn Féin coalesce to save fox hunting. Danny McConnell and John Lee join Matt to discuss left unity and who Sinn Féin will really end up in government with. Also, what Simon Harris's…
-
Teflon Taoiseach 2.0
Danny McConnell and John Lee join Matt to discuss not the gang who couldn't shoot straight, but the gang who couldn't even get a shot off, and yet Micheál Martin is injured, but is it all self-inflicted because of his…
-
Blister Packs & Home Videos
Brenda Power and Larry Donnelly join Matt to discuss the outrage caused by the videos of adults returning to live in their parents' homes, the politics of making people pay for their blister packs of medicines,…
-
Ireland is Angerland
A rowdy gathering for our 100th episode as Matt, Lise Hand, and Shane Coleman dissect: RTÉ's Eurovision departure and Ireland's defence against anti-semitism. Defending Ireland while remaining neutral. The TDs who need…
-
Stay-At-Home Taoiseach
Should Micheál Martin rein in the foreign travel? The Government's change of stance on immigration, why IPAS centres and work permits need to be treated separately. MetroLink: Do the objectors deserve any sympathy? The…
More in News
Pod Save America
Pod Save America
Up First from NPR
NPR
The Megyn Kelly Show
SiriusXM
The Bulwark Daily
The Bulwark
Pivot
New York Magazine
NPR News Now
NPR
The Tucker Carlson Show
Tucker Carlson Network
IHIP News
Jennifer Welch & Angie Sullivan
The Dan Bongino Show
Cumulus Podcast Network | Dan Bongino
The NPR Politics Podcast
NPR
Morning Wire
The Daily Wire
The Journal.
The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios
Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them. Explicit shows are for adult profiles only, and children’s profiles hear only children’s shows. More about this list.