Spoil Your Reign

This is a podcast on the immediate outcome of the 2020 Irish general election. There is a distinct possibility of a second election this year, so watch this space. Comments, Questions & Complaints twitter.com/SYRPodcast facebook.com/spoilyourreign spoilyourreign@gmail.com

This is a podcast on the run-up to the General Election 2020. Comments, Questions & Complaints twitter.com/SYRPodcast facebook.com/spoilyourreign spoilyourreign@gmail.com

This is a podcast on the recent referendum to repeal the 8th amendment.    Comments, Questions & Complaints twitter.com/SYRPodcast facebook.com/spoilyourreign spoilyourreign@gmail.com

This episode is catch up on recent developments in secondary level education, in partiuclar the propoosed removal of the subject of History from the 'new' and 'improved' Junior Certificate examination. If you can spare a minute please sign the following petition to the current Minister for Education to protect the subject of History. https://www.change.org/p/minister-for-education-richard-bruton-reinstate-history-as-a-core-subject-in-the-junior-cert-cycle?recruiter=12629043&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition We also advise contacting your TD by phone or in person.    Comments, Questions & Complaints twitter.com/SYRPodcast facebook.com/spoilyourreign spoilyourreign@gmail.com

This episode is a discussion of constitutions, political norms and how constitutional clauses can have strange affects upon society. (Hint: Barnaby Joyce, Farms’n’Arms)   Comments Question & Complaints    twitter.com/SYRPodcast    facebook.com/spoilyourreign   spoilyourreign@gmail.com

In this episode we discuss the recent Cambridge Analyitica scandal, the role of Facebook in elections and how we really should have been scared of social media a long time ago.    Comments Question & Complaints    twitter.com/SYRPodcast  facebook.com/spoilyourreign spoilyourreign@gmail.com

This episode is a discussion of the latest trends in sci-fi film and tv. Staring with the latest Star Wars movies, Star Trek: Discovery and The Orville. We discuss how we are caught in an endless Star Wars nostalgia loop and if there is any hope for new content in the future.    Comments Question & Complaints    twitter.com/SYRPodcast  facebook.com/spoilyourreign spoilyourreign@gmail.com

This episode is on the proposed merger between Disney and Fox Studios. While the deal has yet to be finalised, it has the potential to reshape the future of the film industry and streaming services like Netflix and Amazon. We discuss this and other issues arising from the proposed merger. Comments, Questions & Complaints Email us spoilyourreign@gmail.com Facebook.com/Spoilyourreign Twitter.com/SYRPodcast

This episode is an analysis of the final (hopefully) Brexit development of 2017. We discuss the 'deal' for Phase 1 and the continuing impact of what #Brexit will do to the Irish Border. Comments, Questions & Complaints email us spoilyourreign@gmail.com Facebook.com/Spoilyourreign Twitter.com/SYRPodcast

Over the past week, the Irish government has been on the verge of collapse and the country was facing a Christmas eve election. We discuss how this nearly happened and the impacts of this upon our parliamentary system going forward. In addition, the failure of the current parliament to pass new constituencies boundaries for an upcoming election raise serious issues about the legality of an election held before the new maps are created. As this episode revisits the ongoing crisis inside the Irish police force, An Garda Síochána, we suggest listening back to our earlier episode here. Comments, Questions & Complaints  You can find us on  Twtter @SYRpodcast  Facebook facebook.com/spoilyourreign  Email spoilyourreign@gmail.com

This episode was recorded earlier in the summer and is on the topic of religion and the Irish state. It was recorded one week after the Central Statistics Office released its Small Area datasets for Ireland. This is part of a planned series of podcasts on the Irish state and religion focusing upon different religions and new trends. In this episode we examine the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and the Irish state, in particular the role of the Church in education and healthcare.  You can find us on Twtter @SYRpodcast Facebook facebook.com/spoilyourreign or by Email spoilyourreign@gmail.com

This is a special budget episode featuring special guest, Chris Beausang. We discuss the recent budget, the Fianna Fáil Ardfheis and the impact the 'balanced' budget will have upon spending next year.  For the podcast nerds interested in budget documents here are two links to documents prepared by the Dept. of Finance that list the budget estimates for income for the 2017 and 2018 budget. (Hint: the magic 3.5 billion of AIB shares is on page 7 of the 2018 White Paper) http://www.budget.gov.ie/Budgets/2017/Documents/White_Paper_2017_final.pdf http://www.budget.gov.ie/Budgets/2018/Documents/White_Paper_2018_final.pdf You can follow us on Twitter @spoilyourreign and on our Facebook page facebook.com/spoilyourreign

This episode is on the current end of the political silly season i.e. July & August and what Fine Gael's 'Turks' have planned for the next few months. We spend some time examining the performance of Leo Varadkar AKA #kingleo and why Fine Gael keep attacking the miltiary.  Comments, questions and complaints go to spoilyourreign@gmail.com  You can follow us on Twitter & Facebook and leave us a rating & review in iTunes.

In this episode we discuss the recent events at Charlottesville and the wider issue of monuments, statutues and commemoration in the US and Ireland.  Email us at spoilyourreign@gmail.com  Facebook: www.facebook.com/spoilyourreign Twitter: www.twitter.com/spoilyourreign

This episode is a exploration of the history of science-fiction focusing upon Isaac Asimov and Philip K. Dick. We discuss some of the origins of sci-fi starting with Jules Verne and H.G. Wells and the future of sci-fi in our highly technological age.  Comments, Questions & Complaints go to spoilyourreign@gmail.comFollow us on Twitter & Facebook

This episode is on alcohol and drugs in Ireland. Most Irish people know these are big issues that are affecting the broader society however it is rarely discussed in detail from the perspective of people under 30. A second issue is the role of the Irish government in perpetuating Ireland's alcohol culture and incarcerating drug addicts instead of helping addicts seek drug treatment. We discuss this and many other issues including the recent attempt to decriminalise medical marijuana in the Irish parliament. Comments, Questions & Complaints go to spoilyourreign@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter - twitter.com/spoilyourreign Follow us on Facebook - www.facebook.com/spoilyourreign Leave a rating and review at iTunes

In this episode we discuss the genre of conspiracy thrillers starting in the 1960s till present day. Comments, Questions & Complaints go to spoilyourreign@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook Leave a rating and review at iTunes

This special episode is on the recent leadership race within Fine Gael. The recent election of Leo Varadkar as leader of Fine Gael is an enormous change from the leadership of Enda Kenny. We discuss the generational and region changes that the election of Leo has brought to Fine Gael and the numerous challenges facing him becoming Taoiseach. It is expected that Leo will win election on Wednesday as Taoiseach however due to the status of the Fine Gael minority government, there is a small outside chance it may take one or more votes for him to be elected leader. However we fully expect that he will eventually become Taoiseach sometime in June!    Comments, Questions & Complaints go to spoilyourreign@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter - twitter.com/spoilyourreign Follow us on Facebook - www.facebook.com/spoilyourreign Leave a rating and review at iTunes -itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/spoil…d1023228139?mt=2

This is a special episode on the recent UK general election which resulted in a hung parliament. The Conservative Party has suggested that it is going to remain in power with Theresa May as Prime Minister with the support of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). We discuss the recent campaign, the decision to hold a snap election and the potential effect this has on Ireland. Also for all the non-Irish listeners we explain what the DUP are like and what UK citizens can expect from a government that is reliant DUP votes. Comments, Questions & Complaints go to spoilyourreign@gmail.comFollow us on Twitter & Facebook Leave a rating and review at iTunes

This is an episode on Arts policy in Ireland, tracking changes from the 1990s until present day. In particular we discuss the formation of the Department of Arts and the commingling of arts and heritage funding by successive governments. We would really like to broaden out this theme of arts policy in Ireland, so any listeners with ideas and suggestions of guests and topics, please get in touch! Comments, Questions & Complaints go to spoilyourreign@gmail.comFollow us on Twitter & Facebook

This special episode is on the current situation in Northern Ireland. We are joined by our special UK correspondent Ben Simmons! We discuss politics in Northern Ireland, the future of Irish republicanism and what is going on with the UK general election in June Comments, Questions & Complaints go to spoilyourreign@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter & Facebook

This is an episode examining the first four months of 2017 and the myriad of political events that have occurred. Starting with the Gardaí scandal, the new Broadcast Tax, the Jobstown trial and the upcoming leadership race inside Fine Gael, focusing upon Leo Varadkar, his politics and the impact his victory would have on the country and on FG’s political future. Unfortunately we ran out of time to discuss other issues such as the Maternity Hospital, the #Grace trial and the Constitutional Convention, these will be examined in subsequent episodes. Comments, Questions & Complaints go to spoilyourreign@gmail.comFollow us on Twitter & Facebook

This is an episode on Generations theory and the crisis within the higher education system in Ireland. We start with the Strauss-Howe theory of generations and how this doesn’t apply to Ireland, then we dive into the massive change in the numbers of people who entered the Irish education system between the 1980s and present day. We use the following papers and websites and would encourage all of our listeners to check them out. Central Statistics Office (CSO) report on Irish education attainment.  Struass-Howe Theory basic overview, the original book and a website that might be useful.    NYT Criticisms of Strauss-Howe here & here.  The Irish economist who predicted the crash of the 'Celtic Tiger' was Prof. Morgan Kelly his bio is here.  Comments, Questions & Complaints go to spoilyourreign@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter & Facebook Leave a rating & review on iTunes

This is our special St. Patrick’s Day episode. We recorded this episode a few weeks ago about the meeting happening tomorrow between Enda Kenny and Donald Trump at the White House. We also talk about the changes within the Irish-American community and its relationship with Ireland over the past few decades. Comments, Questions & Complaints go to spoilyourreign@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter & Facebook

This is our special Northern Ireland podcast on the recent Assembly Election. Otherwise known as #AE17 for those of you following on Twitter.    We discuss the results and the potential outcomes and how this election relates the upcoming Irish election.    We would like to thank the good people of Slugger O’Toole for the graphic created of the election results there is a link to that here. We would highly recommend everyone to follow their coverage of the election which was very good.    Comments, Questions & Complaints go to spoilyourreign@gmail.com    Follow us on Twitter & Facebook

In this episode we’re discussing depictions of violence in media and how violence writ large is often debating in a generalist way without nuance or context in the modern media environment. Please give us a rating and review on iTunes You can follow us on Twitter and on our Facebook page You can contact us via email spoilyourreign@gmail.com

First off apologies for the audio quality, we were recording in a new location and had some technical difficulties. This has been fixed so it won't happen in future epsidoes.  The episode is a discussion of cultural context in movies. We start with recent Star Wars film, Rogue One and examine a number of other films in the process. This is the first in our series of culture podcasts for 2017. For anyone who has not seen the movies we are discussing there are a lot of SPOILERS. You can contact us Email: spoilyourreign@gmail.com Twitter: @spoilyourreign Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spoilyourreign

This episode was recorded in early January 2017 and is a review of the political events in 2016 and some political predictions for 2017. We would like to thank all of our listeners who have contacted us over the past 18 months and we look forward to an interesting 2017. You can contact us on Twitter @spoilyourreign, by Email spoilyourreign@gmail.com and like us on Facebook. If you have time please write a review and give us a rating on iTunes, this helps our podcast reach a wider audience.

This marks the final episode of 2016 featuring special guest Chris Beausang (@differengenera). Due to unforeseen delays this episode is being released on January 2nd 2017. This episode was a discussion of the political instability in Ireland during 2016 and the potential for more chaos in 2017, including multiple general elections. For those who remember the period 1981 - 1982, this will not be a surprise! In addition, the possibilities of a broad based left-wing coalition being formed in Ireland were explored. As always you can find us on Twitter @spoilyourreign and contact us by email spoilyourreign@gmail.com or via our Facebook page.

This episode looks at the recently released Irish budget 2017, the future of the FG minority government and the effects of Brexit on Ireland after the recent moves by the Conservative Party in the UK. You can follow us on Twitter @spoilyourreign or contact us by email at spoilyourreign@gmail.com

This episode looks at film music and soundtracks. A continuation of our expansion from politics into other areas of interest for us. Two YouTube videos influenced our conversation in this podcast and these are linked below.  ‘The Marvel Symphonic Universe’ by Every Frame a Painting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vfqkvwW2fs ‘A Theory of Film Music’ by Dan Golding https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcXsH88XlKM Please get in touch with us about the episode, you can contact us by email spoilyourreign@gmail.com , by Twitter @spoilyourreign and by commenting on our Facebook page.

This is a special episode on the Apple Tax controversy. We discuss the issues of the Apple Tax situation and some broader problems with the Irish taxation system as it is currently constituted. This episode was recorded on Friday September 2nd and certain events and facts have come to light since the time of recording.  You can contact us on Twitter @spoilyourreign or by email at spoilyourreign@gmail.com

In this episode, we discuss some of the issues with voting in Ireland. In particular the types of electors in Ireland, the difficulties in registering to vote and some suggestions on how to improve the voting experience.  You can contact us at spoilyourreign@gmail.com or on Twitter @spoilyourreign

In this episode, we discuss the history of Ireland as a colony and the relationship between Ireland’s colonial past and the current Irish culture. This is a follow up from our previous discussion of Irish culture and identity.  As always you can contact in the following ways:  Twitter @spoilyourreign  Facebook www.facebook.com/spoilyourreign Email: spoilyourreign@gmail.com

In this episode, we discuss some of the issues outlining Irish culture and identity today, and how it relates to nationalism, stereotypes and conflicting european and international perspectives. Follow us on Twitter @spoilyourreign ; Like us on Facebook and you can email us at spoilyourreign@gmail.com

This episode is a discussion of the preliminary results of the 2016 Irish Census and the wider issue of the Urban-Rural divide. In other news we are planning on creating a data-model looking at the urban and rural divide. In addition we are particularly interested in the average constituency or series of constituencies that track the national average in referendum campaigns. To any of our listeners who have data that could be useful to this study please get in touch by email or on Twitter. Prior to 1981, the election data is sparse and as a result any excel sheets or old papers listening tallies from old elections would be very helpful!  Email: spoilyourreign@gmail.com   Twitter: @spoilyourreign

This episode is a discussion of the current political landscape post-Brexit. We discuss the fallout in Ireland, the potential impact on Northern Ireland and the recent decision by the ECB to demand higher scrutiny of Irish legislation passed by the Oireachtas.  As always you can follow us on Twitter @spoilyourreign, like our page on Facebook and if you could leave a comment or rating at our homepage on iTunes we would greatly appreciate it, as this helps our show reach a wider audience.  Lastly any comments, complaints and requests please email spoilyourreign@gmail.com

This episode is a lively discussion of the effects of Brexit on Ireland and the broader issues of sovereignty within the UK.  During the discussion we use the term ‘yes’ and ‘no’ camps instead of the typical ‘Remain’ and ‘Leave’. In order to prevent confusion when we say vote yes, we mean an vote in favour of the EU and a no vote means leaving the EU.  For any of our listeners in N. Ireland and the UK who are voting on Thursday. If you have tallies or any updates on vote totals in your constituencies please get in touch with us via Twitter, Facebook or by email. @spoilyourreign spoilyourreign@gmail.com

This episode is an explanation of the term ‘Civil War’ politics, a particular phrase utilised in the Irish political context. This phrase is utilised as a short to describe the relationship between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail. However upon a basic reading of the historical facts, the two parties in question were formed after the Irish civil war had occurred. So why is this term still used? We discuss this and more.  As always comments, questions and complaints please email us at spoilyourreign@gmail.com Twitter - @spoilyourreign  Facebook -  www.facebook.com/spoilyourreign

This episode is an analysis of the new Irish government formed after 70 days of political inertia. It is a Fine Gael minority government supported from the Opposition by Fianna Fail. This government is a historic first as there has never been a Fine Gael administration re-elected. We discuss the impact of this and how the smallest government in the history of the state can function over the medium to short term.  For our non-Irish listeners here are some basic facts about the current political state of affairs within the Irish parliament.  The government of Ireland is formed within the lower house of the Irish Parliament (Oireachtas), the lower house called Dail Eireann is comprised of 158 members, called TDs. The Speaker of the House, called the Ceann Comhairle is elected and is officially neutral, leaving 157 TDs from which a government can be formed. The Fine Gael government comprises of 50 FG TDs and 8 Independent TDs. 22 seats short of passing any piece of legislation. A minority government comprising of 58 TDs is by the numbers the smallest and most unstable government in the history of the Irish state.

This episode follows a different format as it is an interview between Ben Simmons and recent general election candidate for the Social Democrats, Niall O'Tuathail.  You can find more information about Niall at his website created for the most recent general election. http://www.niallotuathail.ie  As always comments, questions and complaints please email us spoilyourreign@gmail.com or on Twitter @spoilyourriegn

This episode of Spoil Your Reign is a discussion of two key issues; the labour market in Ireland and the prospect of a universal social payment that would replace our current social security network with a single payment for all resident Irish citizens.  In addition there is a brief re-cap of the current Irish political scene approximately 50 days after the general election and our view that a second general election is going to be likely in 2016.  We would like to get feedback on the podcast so please email us at spoilyourreign@gmail.com or you can follow us @spoilyourreign on Twitter

This is a short discussion of some aspects of the election and the aftermath.  Any comments / questions / complaints please email us at spoilyourreign@gmail.com  Follow us on Twitter @spoilyourreign or on Facebook

This episode is a recap of the recent Irish General Election recorded on Monday Feb. 29th. In this election episode we discuss the results of the election and the performance of the political parties. Lastly we discuss the possible coalition outcomes and the possibility of a second General Election being held in 2016.  Comments and questions email us at spoilyourreign@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter @spoilyourreign

This episode is a discussion of centralisation and decentralisation in Ireland. Over the past 40 years in Ireland, there has been a steady decline in the power and authority given to local authorities and greater emphasis on centralised authority based in the Cabinet. At the same time, the famous decentralisation strategy of the early 2000s was supposed to create more equity between the regions. Ben and Jack discuss this in detail and do a quick overview of the recent report of the Banking Inquiry report and indulge in a little 2016 election results speculation. One thing to note is the audio for this episode requires everyone to turn up the volume, we apologise for any inconvenience caused! We have fixed this issue for future episodes. Corrections: The Irish Financial Regulator during the Celtic Tiger was Patrick Neary not Patrick Nevin as mentioned in the podcast. Apologies to any persons named Patrick Nevin. Show Notes: Colm McCarthy quotes are the article ‘When Irish Eyes are Crying’ by Michael Lewis in Vanity Fair.  http://people.ucsc.edu/~hutch/When%20Irish%20Eyes%20Are%20Crying%20_%20Business%20_%20Vanity%20Fair.pdf Banking Inquiry Report link https://inquiries.oireachtas.ie/banking/Contact us on Twitter @spoilyourreign or by email spoilyourreign@gmail.com

This episode is a discussion of the ‘rights’. The term ‘rights’ has been utilised repeated in recent years, particularly by a younger generation in Ireland. However most of the ‘rights’ specified by that group are only applicable to the U.S. and are not explicitly guaranteed or given in the Irish constitution. We discuss many of these rights in the context of the Irish constitution and within the broader EU framework of human rights jurisprudence. Correction: There is one error, that was made in this episode, the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission were mentioned as having created a report on technical amendments to the Irish constitution, actually it was the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution. You can find the reports of the commission dating back to the early 2000s at www.oireachtas.ie and www.gov.ie/taoiseach

This episode takes a slightly different approach to previous episodes as it is a discussion of the Irish education system, starting in the 1920s until present day. The special New Years day episode features Jack Kirwan, filling in for Ben Simmons.  Much of what is discussed in this episode can be found in various articles in Irish Education Studies in particular articles by T.F. Holohan and Arthur Motherway. In addition Seamus O Buachalla’s book “Education Policy in the Twentieth Century” is an excellent study. Any feedback, comments and complaints please send to spoilyourreign@gmail.com

This episode is an discussion of the last budget of the Fine Gael / Labour coalition before the next general election. As budgets are often viewed as the physical manifestations of government policy, we explore the vision of the coalition in the last budget before the election and try to understand who has benefited from this budget.This is our last episode of 2015! We wish everyone a happy holidays and we'll be back in January 2016.Here are some links to some of the issues brought up in this episode: http://www.thejournal.ie/tobacco-excise-cigarette-tax-ireland-2370102-Oct2015/http://www.budget.gov.ieAnd lastly please follow us on Twitter @spoilyourreign or email us at spoilyourreign@gmail.com.

An in-depth look at the next Irish general election and the emergence of three new players on the political scene.

A discussion of 'The 12th' a cultural and political phenomenon that occurs annually in Northern Ireland.