Pat Leahy and Jack Horgan-Jones join Hugh to talk through the week in politics:

• Jim O'Callaghan's message on migration
• The Taoiseach's fondness for overseas trips
• New data showing a rise in eviction notices

Plus the panel pick their favourite Irish Times articles of the week.

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When Catherine Connolly was elected president with the support of every left-wing party, it sparked new hope on the left that greater cooperation between Sinn Fein, Labour, the Greens, the Social Democrats and People Before Profit could reap further electoral dividends. How realistic is that hope? And how would a left alliance actually work? Hugh talks to academic Aidan Regan and political correspondent Cormac McQuinn.

Aidan Regan is a professor of political economy at the school of politics and international relations at University College Dublin

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Denis Staunton has reported from Washington, London and Berlin. Now, as Irish Times China Correspondent, he is using his new vantage point to make sense of this turbulent era as it looks from outside the Western world. In a new newsletter exclusively for Irish Times subscribers, he writes about what’s happening in geopolitics, why it matters and how it affects you.

You can sign up for Denis Staunton's Global Briefing here.

On today's podcast Denis talks to Hugh about some of those themes, including the growing tension between China and Japan, China's technological advancements and the economic policies of Xi Jinping and the developing situation in Ukraine.

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Ellen Coyne and Pat Leahy join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:

· As Paschal Donohoe departs for pastures new at the World Bank, will his absence weaken Government? And does Simon Harris possess the right skillset for the role of Minister for Finance? It might not matter if the qualified doctors who have run the Department of Health are anything to go by.

· Paschal leaving has led to a Cabinet reshuffle with Fine Gael deputy leader Helen McEntee becoming the first woman to serve as the Minister responsible for both foreign affairs and defence. She will inherit many issues in need of urgent attention, not least the progression of the Occupied Territories Bill.

· And the Oireachtas transport committee was told on Wednesday that Dublin’s planned MetroLink will need about 8,000 workers for its construction. Speaking to RTÉ radio, transportation expert Brian Caulfield suggested that “something like an Olympic village” would be necessary to house workers on the project.

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

· Emerson Newton on how the Left are agitating for a border poll when conditions are far from ideal, and Diarmaid Ferriter on why authenticity matters more than spin in politics.

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In his final interview as an Irish politician before leaving for a new role at the World Bank, Paschal Donohoe talks to Hugh and Pat about his decision to leave politics and his record as Minister for Finance and Minister for Public Expenditure, both roles he has held since 2016. The wide-ranging discussion looks at:

• The circumstances that have led to Donohoe's departure, including his decision to run again in the 2025 election
• The area "we have really not done well enough" in during his tenure
• The pressure Donohoe faced from other ministers to increase spending
• Fine Gael's shrinking number of Dáil seats and the future of the party
• Why he never wanted to become taoiseach

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After 14 years in Dáil Éireann and a decade in ministerial office, Fine Gael's Paschal Donohoe today announced his resignation. He leaves to take up a senior role at the World Bank in Washington, D.C.

Why did Paschal Donohoe decide to go now, and where is he going?

How important and consequential was Donohoe, as a politician and a minister? And just how prudent was 'Prudent Paschal'?

Where does the move leave Fine Gael and the Government?

They also look at the 'mini-reshuffle' precipitated by Donohoe's departure, including Tánaiste Simon Harris's move to take over in the Department of Finance.

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Harry McGee and Pat Leahy join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:

· The inauguration of Ireland’s 10th president in in St Patrick’s Hall, Dublin Castle, on Tuesday, saw Catherine Connolly deliver a stirring address, amid a real testament to the health of democracy in this country, with all sides coming together after an at times brutal election campaign. Perhaps this is something our immediate neighbours and those across the Atlantic could one day emulate.

· The Government’s long-awaited housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, was published this week with the focus firmly on lifting families out of homelessness. A target of 300,000 new homes by 2030, ramping up the role of the Land Development Agency, and greatly reducing red tape when delivering homes, are some aspects of a plan that needs to become a reality if this Government is to be judged a success.

· And Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin faces continued pressure over the failed Jim Gavin presidency campaign, but Wednesday’s parliamentary party meeting revealed that the review of the campaign will now not be completed until early December.

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

· The BBC makes mistakes but shouldn’t bend to Donald Trump’s will, Mark Paul on accents and belonging, and how Ireland’s forthcoming presidency of the European Council should focus the 'hot mess of uncoordinated gibberish' of some policy positions here.

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The government has come under increasing intense criticism of its record on housing, and the sluggishness with which its addressed the need to build more affordable homes.

Today on Inside Politics, Hugh Linehan discusses the issues with the planning and regulatory system that some argue is slowing down the process of boosting housing supply in Ireland.

In an essay published in The Irish Times last month, the tech billionaire and founder of Stripe John Collison argued construction, and infrastructure projects more generally, are being held back by regulation and judicial barriers stemming from the planning corruption scandals of the 1980’s and 90’s.

On the podcast today is Orla Hegarty, assistant professor at University College Dublin and a fellow at the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland, dismissed Mr Collisons case, saying: “It jumps to a solution that doesn’t relate to the problem”.

“There is a thinking that if the market isn’t functioning, the issue must be regulation. That’s a really naive take.

”The evidence doesn’t support that" she added.

Hugh is also joined by Sean Keys, the executive director of the think tank Progress Ireland, for which John Collison is a significant financial donor, says the argument is not solely about de-regulation.

“We need to build new agency. We need to build state capacity”.

He added: “What the national planning framework does is basically put a thump on the scale of building in Dublin”.

Produced by JJ Vernon and Andrew McNair

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