Week one of three on the canvas trail and there's already been plenty of headlines, some sillier than others.
Whether its the teachers, the farmers, or the jivers, RTÉ's new podcast Behind the Ballot will have you covered!
The podcast, which is hosted by David McCullagh, Katie Hannon, and Fran McNulty, was launched last Friday and will bring listeners up to date on the General Election campaigns, as well as delve into the more lighter moments that have got people talking.
Here’s just a few things that were looked at in the latest episode:
Plating seeds in Bluebell
The farming vote is a big one, with the IFA boasting 72,000 members so it is no surprise that politicians will be falling over themselves to get on side.
And that is exactly what we saw at the IFA’s National Conference at their Bluebell HQ yesterday.
Micheál Martin, Simon Harris, and Mary Lou McDonald all attended at different points over the day and in short, told everyone exactly what they wanted to hear.
But is the farming vote as strong as its perceived to be?
The IFA does not tell its members how to vote, but it is fair to say it holds influence and if promises are being made to fight their corners those in the industry will be listening.
Greens driving the buses
The Green Party may have been missing from the IFA conference, but they were keeping busy.
That is because the party launched its manifesto in Dublin yesterday.
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One of the things they will look to remind us of during this campaign is the cost of public transport, having managed to bring in measures to reduce prices during their time in power.
The party is promising more headway in this area if they get back in.
Childcare was also a focus at the launch, with a €200-per-month cap on it being promised (and they are not the only ones making this commitment!).
The childcare issue is "lighting up" parents’ WhatsApp groups, and there will be big pressure on parties to follow through on the cap promises once a new government forms.
O’Leary-gate
It made plenty of front pages, but how much of a fallout has the first moment to have the word "gate" put at the end of it really caused?
Michael O’Leary’s comments on teachers has become a political bat, with Fine Gael scrambling to distance themselves from it, while others were very quick to announce their support for those in the profession.
But what was he really getting at?
Teachers aren't business-minded?
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) November 12, 2024
Fran begs to differ!
Listen to behind the ballot with David, Fran and Katie - wherever you get your podcasts🎙️.
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Mr O’Leary's aim was at politicians with teaching backgrounds, as opposed to a direct attack on teachers themselves.
But a good government should have a range of people from different backgrounds and professions? Right? A question David poses to Fran and Katie.
The Soc Dem dilemma
Any smaller party knows if it is a junior partner in a coalition, it can have a more meaningful influence on policy.
But is there any thanks in it? Possibly not.
This is something that has been asked of the Social Democrats, and leader Holly Cairns has addressed it by saying she would talk to anyone.
One thing there’s no doubt over is that there won't be a merger with Labour, which is something asked of them regularly.
And in that may lie a conundrum, as the party battles this idea of whether it could potentially take a spot at the table, influence policy, and avoid finding itself in the same position Labour did in the past.
All this and more can be heard on RTÉ's Behind the Ballot, which is available on all major podcast sites.
You can find it on Spotify here, on Apple podcasts here, or on the RTE website here.
