Host Hugh Linehan is joined by Jennifer Bray and Cormac McQuinn to look back on the week in politics:

· Political parties are eagerly pitching eye-catching measures ahead of Budget 2025 with 50 per cent of respondents in the latest Irish Times / Ipsos poll saying they want the Government to prioritise ‘immediate help’ with the cost of living.

· Has Simon Harris reached peak popularity? The Taoiseach’s surging personal approval ratings mirrors that of his predecessor Leo Varadkar who enjoyed similar peaks, but endured troughs not long after - could Harris be in for similar?

· The Dáil resumed this week with Sinn Féin going on the attack during leader’s questions, highlighting children with scoliosis and spina bifida awaiting surgery, and the “gold-plated” pension pots of the well-heeled that are set to get a boost.

Plus, the panellists pick their favourite IT reads of the week:

· Miriam Lord on the extremely expensive bijou bike shed on Leinster lawn.

· Carl O’Brien wrote about new research from Maynooth University that showed the benefits of much shorter homework tasks.

· And Emer McLysaght swapped tales of air fryers and steam mops on a group holiday to Spain.

Produced by John Casey.

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Budget kites flying high (but don’t mention the election date)

Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan

Budget kites flying high (but don’t mention the election date)