Inside Politics

02/04/14 Tangled up in Blue: Guards, Tapes, Reform Fiach Kelly unspools the complex, intertwined controversies around the Gardai, whistleblowers, alleged malfeasance and confirmed illicit recordings which have already led to the resignation of Commissioner Martin Callinan. Who knew what and when? What happens now? And what does it mean for the political futures of Enda Kenny, Alan Shatter and the Fine Gael/Labour coalition? Plus, Conor Brady looks forward to how a new independent Garda authority could finally address the shortcomings of governance in the force, but warns that vested interests in the civil service and political establishment will seek to retain direct control. And Jane Suiter, Una Mullally and Michael McNamara TD discuss the often-talked about but less frequently seen subject of political reform. Hoe significant has the Constitutional Convention really been? Does it take a crisis like the Garda controversy to cause any meaningful action to be taken? And does this week’s failure at the first hurdle of the proposal for a directly-elected Dublin mayor show that the current Government is at best half-hearted, at worst actively hostile to a real devolution of power? Politics Inside Politics is a weekly politics podcast presented by the digital editor of the Irish Times, Hugh Linehan and produced by Sinead O’Shea. It can be listened to and downloaded via Soundcloud and iTunes. It can be delivered for free to you each week via this link. https://itun.es/i66S4x2 #iTunes Android users can access this podcast via stitcher.com/s?fid=44906&refid=stpr