The Rest is Politics

I do listen to The Ivan Yates/Matt Cooper one. It's not too bad, but it really does depend on your tolerance for Yates. He can be very obnoxious and the more I listen the more I find he shows his ignorance. I don't mind him in small does, but he's an awful chancer really.

Mick Clifford also has a podcast, but I haven't listened to more than a few. Though he's a good journalist.

The Irish Times ones can be okay. A bit cosy in their thinking I find at times.

Though I think the issue is that Ireland is such a small country and the media pool is pretty tiny as a result.

So whatever they cover has usually been covered to death on the TV and radio, or in the "papers" and you'll hear the same voices again and again talking about the same things, in the same way, with the same people.

And you don't know how much of what you are listening to is just shyte as well: spin provided by political "sources" and regurgitated by the "in the know" journos. It's a bit crazy if you look at all the news journalists in recent years who've jumped ship to become media advisors to those in politics.

It can be hard to find fresh and perceptive voices.

Used to listen to David McWilliams. Just got bored with his style and especially the shtick with the sidekick.

The rest is politics is good enough.

On The Media from NPR is a very good show IMO - US focused.

I used to listen to loads of political pods from the US - but lately I just find it all so depressing that I largely can't bring myself to do it. Slate's political gabfest I might listen to once in a while.

They did an election night special with Alastair, Rory, The Mooch, Marina Hyde - from the Rest is Entertainment - and Dominic Sandbrook.

Dominic was absolutely excellent on it. He's not a Trump supporter, but he was the only one on the panel calling a Trump victory before it became obvious and he was streets ahead of the rest in terms of placing everything in its historical and current context, his perceptiveness and how well he articulated his points. It really showed up the limits of political analysis that's more or less entirely focused on the day to day events.