Inside Politics Podcast: New political dynamic on display

"It's the first budget discussion where we've had dissipation, homeopathy and Yeats all thrown in" observed Fianna Fáil's Dara Calleary – welcome to the Irish Times politics podcast, Dara.

Digressions aside, this week's podcast focuses on the major decisions on spending and taxation delivered by Minister for Finance Michael Noonan and Minister for Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe on Wednesday.

“The message that was sent on 26th of February was, the people wanted something different”, says Mr Calleary. Did they get it in this budget?

"No they didn't", says Sinn Féin's David Cullinane, who criticises the budget for lack of spending on services like childcare, housing, and health, and on roads, broadband and flood relief on the capital spending side.

"For all the talk of confidence and supply, I think confidence is in very short supply" says Mr Cullinane in a pre-prepared zinger Hillary Clinton would be proud of.

Defending the charge, Minister of State Eoghan Murphy invokes the spectres of Donald Trump and Michael Gove.

"We have to fight here in Ireland to make sure we don't let the political discourse go down the way that we can't even agree on central facts, so when you see a 3.3 per cent increase in spending, in investment, in the economy, into next year over this year, you can't turn around and say this Government isn't investing.

“Of course, there is a new political dynamic at play”, says Mr Murphy.

And it is evident on this podcast, wherein TDs from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael sit at the same table the morning after budget day and barely disagree with one another. Times have changed.