{"podcast":{"title":"Path to Power","slug":"path-to-power-6721255","podcast_index_feed_id":6721255,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/64e71f8052944300110032b0","website_url":"https://shows.acast.com/path-to-power","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/64e71f8052944300110032b0/1768559906915-581fde99-19d1-49d8-bd3b-2ae7103c13f5.jpeg","author":"NK Productions","episode_count":136,"summary":"In Path to Power, experienced broadcaster Matt Cooper and guests bring their individual points of view to a lively weekly discussion that sets the agenda and examines all the political and current issues. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-26T06:17:32.018318+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/path-to-power-6721255"},"episode":{"title":"The Rain Blame Game","slug":"the-rain-blame-game","published_at":"2026-02-07T07:40:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/path-to-power-6721255/the-rain-blame-game","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/path-to-power-6721255","url":"https://shows.acast.com/path-to-power/episodes/109","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/64e71f8052944300110032b0/e/6984c761a4984336135ff8e8/media.mp3","summary":"Ireland's failure to maintain flood defenses and critical infrastructure is fueling political instability and public outcry. The discussion explores how these failures, alongside shifting polling trends, are reshaping the landscape for the Social Democrats and Sinn Féin.","meta_description":"An analysis of Ireland's infrastructure failures, the rise of the Social Democrats, and the political implications of the upcoming Dublin Central by-elect…","key_points":["Main idea: Repeated flooding in Dublin suburbs highlights a systemic failure in government infrastructure delivery","Political shift: The Social Democrats are emerging as a credible left-wing alternative to Sinn Féin following recent polling gains","Failure mode: The government's inability to enforce fines on social media giants demonstrates a loss of sovereign regulatory power","Practical takeaway: Upcoming by-elections in Dublin Central will serve as a critical litmus test for the stability of the current coalition","Tension: The conflict between national agricultural interests and international trade agreements like Mercosur remains a volatile political issue"],"chapters":[{"start_ms":70000,"title":"Infrastructure and Flooding","summary":"The impact of recent heavy rainfall on Dublin suburbs and the criticism of the government's failure to deliver flood defenses."},{"start_ms":940000,"title":"The Rise of the Social Democrats","summary":"An assessment of the Social Democrats' growing polling numbers and their potential to challenge Sinn Féin's dominance on the left."},{"start_ms":1380000,"title":"Dublin Central By-Election","summary":"A look at the potential candidates and the political stakes involved in the upcoming Dublin Central contest."},{"start_ms":1860000,"title":"Mercosur and Agricultural Tension","summary":"The political fallout from the government's stance on the Mercosur trade agreement and its impact on the farming community."},{"start_ms":2800000,"title":"Social Media Regulation and Sovereignty","summary":"The debate over the power of global tech giants and the Irish government's struggle to enforce regulations and fines."}],"topics":["Irish Politics","Infrastructure","Social Democrats","Sinn Féin","Dublin By-election","Flood Defences","Social Media Regulation","Mercosur"],"duration_seconds":3011,"processing_state":"processed","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/path-to-power-6721255/episodes/the-rain-blame-game/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/path-to-power-6721255/the-rain-blame-game.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}