For former President of Ireland Mary McAleese, the personal is the political. Growing up in Belfast with a deeply personal link to sectarian violence, her aim as President was to promote unity and build bridges between political, religious and cultural divides. Alastair speaks to her about misogyny in the Catholic Church, her role as a human rights lawyer, the violence of the Troubles, and much, much more. TRIP Plus:Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening to both TRIP and Leading, benefit from discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, join our Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up.Instagram:@restispoliticsTwitter:@RestIsPoliticsEmail:[email protected]: Dom Johnson + Nicole MaslenExec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The role of Downing Street Chief of Staff was created for him, and he was the only senior advisor to last the whole period of Tony Blair's premiership - but who is the real Jonathan Powell, and how did he do it? Rory and Alastair are joined by Jonathan Powell to discuss the New Labour years, the Northern Ireland peace process, how he negotiates with terrorists, and more. Instagram:@restispoliticsTwitter:@RestIsPoliticsTRIP Plus:Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, receive a weekly newsletter, enjoy ad-free listening to both TRIP and Leading, join our Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up.Email:[email protected]: Dom Johnson + Nicole MaslenExec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does the Irish Taoiseach feel about Brexit? Would Leo Varadkar consider himself a Tory in the English parliamentary system? Does Ireland have a problem with alcohol?Leo Varadkar speaks to Rory and Alastair about all this, plus his childhood in Dublin, juggling social liberalism with economic conservatism, and the future of AI in healthcare.Instagram:@restispoliticsTwitter:@RestIsPoliticsEmail:[email protected]: Dom Johnson + Nicole MaslenExec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does George Osborne regret leaving politics? Does he think Sunak can win the next general election? What did he admire about New Labour, Tony Blair, and Gordon Brown?Tune in to today's episode of Leading to hear Alastair and Rory's conversation with the former Chancellor of the Exchequer.TRIP Plus:Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening to both TRIP and Leading, benefit from discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, join our Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up.Instagram:@restispoliticsTwitter:@RestIsPoliticsEmail:[email protected]: Dom Johnson + Nicole MaslenExec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How much do you know about Thatcher's back channels with Irish republicans during the Troubles? What are Gerry Adams' emotions towards the 1984 Brighton hotel bombing, looking back now in 2023? Who were the most important people in the negotiations that brought peace to the island of Ireland?Alastair and Rory sat down with the former Sinn Féin president to discuss all these questions and more in today's episode of Leading.Instagram:@restispoliticsTwitter:@RestIsPoliticsTRIP Plus:Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, receive a weekly newsletter, enjoy ad-free listening to both TRIP and Leading, join our Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up.Email:[email protected]: Dom Johnson + Nicole MaslenExec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.