Pressure builds on Labour as austerity bites: Collapse, part two

Pressure builds on Labour as austerity bites: Collapse, part two

From Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan by The Irish Times

April 6, 2026 · 43 min

About this episode

The episode discusses Labour's challenges during austerity while in government from 2011 to 2016.

Inside Politics is coming to Galway in May for a live recording. Get your tickets here . In part two of this three-part series on Labour's harrowing experience in government from 2011 to 2016, Pat Leahy and Hugh Linehan follow the story of the first three years of that austerity-delivering coalition. As punishing budget after punishing budget was delivered, Labour struggled to retain its political identity and principles while working with Fine Gael to present a united front to a world that saw Ireland as an economic basket case. Successes - exiting the EU-IMF bailout programme, securing legislation on abortion - are completely overshadowed by the harshness of austerity. For Labour and its party leader Eamon Gilmore, the political damage mounts. Listen to part one here . Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Denis Staunton's Global Briefing newsletter here: irishtimes.com/newsletters/global-briefing/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Hugh Linehan

Guest: Pat Leahy

Topics covered

  • Labour Party
  • austerity
  • Irish politics
  • government coalition
  • economic crisis

Keywords

  • Labour
  • austerity
  • Eamon Gilmore
  • Fine Gael
  • economic crisis
  • Ireland
  • political identity

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Labour, Fine Gael, EU-IMF

Places: Ireland

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