Changing of the American and Irish Guard - a podcast by Sam Rippon and Chern Han Mah

The first episode of 2023 takes a look back at the turbulent US Speaker of the House election and discusses the state of Irish politics as the pre-arranged Taoiseach transition takes place. Kevin McCarthy was finally elected as the next Speaker of the House after nearly 4 days and 15 ballots, making it the longest Speaker election since 1859. How did McCarthy eventually manage to get enough holdouts onside? What does the turbulence say about the present state of the Republican Party? And is this setup and rules package sustainable?

In Ireland, Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martinhave changed jobs, and the Fine Gael/Fianna Fail coalition moves into its second half. Sam and Chern discuss the transfer of responsibility and the state of the Irish parties. Which party is benefitting more from the current governing arrangement? Why did Leo Varadkar opt for a very limited Cabinet reshuffle? What has motivated the growth of Sinn Fein into the poll leader? And can they continue that strength into the next election? All these questions, and more, answered in this week's podcast.

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