Title: A backpack of invisible privileges Blurb: John and Sarah discuss the implications of the surrogacy bill; The slow motion car-crash that is the children's hospital; Michael D. Higgins' continued abuse of his office; and the very very bad verdict on Sinn Fein from the doorsteps
May 31, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 84
With two weeks until polling day, John and Sarah take stock of the state of the EU and local election campaign. Also: Will recognising palestine help the Government? And Sarah argues that young women are in "a crisis".
May 24, 2024•56 min•Ep. 83
PODCAST: Are Sinn Fein irretrievably done for with working class voters who feel betrayed? Did we over-react to the Dublin Portal hijinks? And Sarah explains why she'd always prefer a man to a bear.
May 17, 2024•51 min•Ep. 82
John and Sarah discuss whether there's merit in chemical castration for paedophiles; What to make of Bambie Thug and Eurovision; Javier Millei's astonishing success in Argentina; and general European and Local election chat.
May 10, 2024•55 min•Ep. 81
John and Sarah review the week, including Ireland's renewed - if conveniently timed - war with Britain on immigration; reflections on the battle of Newtownmountkennedy; whether the polls are to be believed; and is the cost of living being ignored?
May 03, 2024•56 min•Ep. 80
Sarah Ryan explains to John McGuirk why she has decided to manage Niall Boylan's EU election campaign. Also, they talk about events at the Oireachtas committee on immigration, Helen McEntee's bad week, and are smartphones the new "microchipping"?
Apr 26, 2024•55 min•Ep. 79
Bestselling author, Journalist, and now campaigner Helen Joyce joins John and Sarah to explain the contents of the Cass Review into the treatment of "transgender" children, and the wider implications of transgender ideology on western society.
Apr 19, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 78
John and Sarah discuss Simon Harris's cowardly reshuffle, the desired return of Kate O'Connell to frontline politics, the Cass Review, and the state of abortion politics, stateside.
Apr 12, 2024•50 min•Ep. 77
John and Sarah talk JK Rowling's defiance of the Scottish Government, The Government's incestuous relationships with journovisors, the costs of a United Ireland, Sinn Fein's loss of "middle finger status", and checking in on Trump v Biden.
Apr 05, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 76
John and Sarah discuss how the week-long debate on the Hate Speech Bill underlines the identity crisis facing Ireland's politicians; The possibly permanent loss of Sinn Fein's mojo; and why Assisted Suicide absolutely is a slippery slope, and one that cannot be escaped.
Mar 29, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 75
The fall of the House of Varadkar is set to leave the country in the hands of Simon Harris, at 37, the youngest Taoiseach Ireland has ever had. John and Sarah talk through Varadkar's legacy, and are divided on the prospects for Harris as leader.
Mar 22, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 74
John and Sarah discuss the tent city on Mount Street and the collapse of Irish immigration policy, as well as the Taoiseach's comments on Saint Patrick, Dylan Mulvaney's hot new music video, and the sudden decline of the Late Late Show.
Mar 15, 2024•59 min•Ep. 73
In a special reaction episode, John and Sarah analyse the Government's crushing defeat in the referendums on the 39th and 40th amendments. Their takeaway? "A lot of people who felt very alone now know that they're not the ones in the minority at all".
Mar 10, 2024•39 min•Ep. 72
John and Sarah discuss the Government's new sex education reforms, including the new gingerbread person. Also: Final referendum predictions, Sinn Fein's continuing woes, and the Government, if it will do nothing else for us, will at least kill us off before the end.
Mar 08, 2024•54 min•Ep. 71
John and Sarah talk about an epidemic of double standards in Ireland: The lack of any concern about the attack on Carol Nolan's office, as opposed to the horror at the NWCI receiving mean tweets. Also: FF's selection mess, crazy cat killing women, and the perils of canvassing.
Mar 01, 2024•56 min•Ep. 70
John and Sarah recap an eventful week, from the Taoiseach's flight and fight attitude to Gript, the continuing chaos of the referendum campaigns, a sausage festival in Belfast, and the competing scandals in a Limerick hospital.
Feb 23, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 69
In this week's edition, John and Sarah discuss being male, pale, and stale, per an FG MEP, as well as the mounting Children's hospital disaster, Simon Harris's latest bright idea, and Michael McDowell's palpable fury over Government misinformation in the referendum campaign.
Feb 16, 2024•59 min•Ep. 68
John and Sarah discuss the funding of the National Women’s Council of Ireland, which Sarah insists doesn’t represent her. Also: The Sinn Fein polling slump is real, Euthanasia breaks new frontiers in Holland, and Joe Biden is now talking to the dead.
Feb 09, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 67
John and Sarah review some of the sentences from the Irish courts in January, and conclude that it’s a good time to be a criminal in Ireland. Also: Is politics putting women off dating, and are Sinn Fein in serious decline?
Feb 02, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 66
A dumb new RTÉ funding plan, a stupid controversy over the Oscars, confusion from the electoral commission, and a covid enquiry that won’t blame anybody: The week was a carnival of nonsense, says Sarah Ryan, and John finds it hard to disagree.
Jan 26, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 65
John and Sarah discuss Javier Millei and the World Economic Forum, and how Argentina’s President is confounding expectations. Also, Roderic O’Gorman and Throuples, Roscrea’s community hotel, and Jordan Petersen’s re-education.
Jan 19, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 64
John and Sarah discuss the latest developments in Ireland’s widening immigration debate, including the vexxed question of whether it’s justified to be worried about “unvetted migrant men”. Also: a heated debate about whether historic sex crime trials can ever be fair.
Jan 12, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 63
John and Sarah discuss how Ozempic has made new years resolutions moot for both of them, and also, share their predictions for the year ahead, featuring plenty of misery for the Irish Government.
Jan 05, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 62
“The hate speech bill was when the tide began to turn” – Sarah and John look back on a year that may be remembered, in decades to come, as one of the most politically eventful in Irish history.
Dec 22, 2023•55 min•Ep. 61
With surrogacy on the political agenda this week, John and Sarah have a frank discussion about the issues involved, and why they both have deep concerns about surrogacy for money. But first: Aodhan O’Riordain’s flip-flops, and a very predictable last minute COP deal.
Dec 15, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 60
John and Sarah discuss Helen McEntee’s very broad definition of “far right”, why they’re both voting NO twice on March 8th, and why men are so useless at domestic chores. Also: Paschal Donohoe’s future, and the increase in domestic violence.
Dec 08, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 59
John and Sarah discuss the week that really was, including the background to Gript’s deleted story, and the wider ongoing coverage and cultural concerns around events in Dublin over the past week.
Dec 01, 2023•52 min•Ep. 58
“They cannot figure out that it is not the “far right” fuelling anti-immigration sentiment in Ireland, it is anti-immigration sentiment fuelling the “far right”. John and Sarah discuss yesterday’s events, and the week that led up to them.
Nov 24, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 57
John and Sarah discuss RTE’s doom documentary from the future, the broadcaster’s big bailout, Tubridy’s new gig, and why Sarah thinks the new Independent Ireland party is going places.
Nov 17, 2023•59 min•Ep. 56
JUSTICE SERVED: John and Sarah react to the Ashling Murphy murder trial verdict, and discuss other legal matters of the week: Was Maria Bailey vindicated? Is Chris Andrews TD right to sue a journalist? And is Russia trying to rig Irish elections?
Nov 10, 2023•54 min•Ep. 55