Two Shores, Many Crises: 2025 Politics in America and Ireland with Ted Smyth
In this end of years politics episode, Martin Nutty sits down with Ted Smyth, former Irish diplomat and president of the advisory board at Glucksman Ireland House, NYU, to discuss the political landscape on both sides of the Atlantic.
Smyth offers stark assessments of Trump's second term, characterizing it as an assault on American democracy with unchecked executive power. However, he finds hope in recent Democratic victories, particularly Zohran Mamdani's New York City mayoral win and gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, suggesting voters are experiencing "buyer's remorse" and seeking balance.
The conversation explores affordability as the defining issue for upcoming elections, with both American and Irish middle classes struggling with housing costs and basic expenses. Smyth criticizes Ireland's failure to address its housing crisis despite available resources, and discusses coordinated campaigns by right-wing media to destabilize Ireland and the EU.
On Ireland-Israel relations, Smyth advocates for focusing on a two-state solution rather than symbolic gestures, drawing parallels to Northern Ireland's peace process. He addresses concerns about Ireland's defense spending and the need for a more proactive public relations strategy to counter negative narratives in publications like the oped pages of the Wall Street Journal.
Smyth concludes with an optimistic call to action: support local communities, businesses, and cultural institutions. Whether in Dublin or New York, he argues that strength comes from grassroots engagement and maintaining democratic values during challenging times.
Ted Smyth Links
Irish Stew Links
- Website
- Media Partner: IrishCentral
Episode Details: Season 7, Episode 39; Total Episode Count: 142
00:00 - Introduction
02:33 - Donald Trump II - Lessons Learned
04:12 - Off Year Elections
06:56 - American Voter Expectations
09:09 - Whither the Democratic Party?
14:26 - Affordability
17:43 - Ireland: Affordability and Inflexibility
20:52 - Ireland: Right Wing Pressure Campaign
28:27 - Britain's Struggles
31:29 - Ireland and Israel
35:54 - Seamus Plug
38:01 - Martin Recap
39:26 - Credits
Irish Influencer
A leader in government and public affairs, and brand management, Ted Smyth has been a senior executive at two Fortune 200 companies and an Irish diplomat. He is now President of the Advisory Board of Glucksman Ireland House NYU and is Chair of the Clinton Institute for American Studies in University College Dublin.
He retired from his role as EVP Corporate Affairs at McGraw Hill Financial in 2015, a company whose brands include Standard & Poor’s, S&P Dow Jones Indices and Platts Energy Benchmarks. He was a member of the Company’s Executive Committee and responsible for a wide portfolio, including government relations, corporate communications, public policy, crisis communications and social responsibility. He was a key member of the leadership team that managed the sale of McGraw Hill Education and the evolution of McGraw Hill Financial to S&P Global.
Ted was Chief Administrative Officer of the H.J. Heinz Company from 2003 to 2009 where he was responsible for Global Human Resources, Communications, Government Affairs and Crisis Management. He led the recruitment of senior talent as the company expanded rapidly in new markets such as India, China, Indonesia, South Africa and Philippines. While at Heinz, he championed the Heinz Micronutrient Campaign, the Weight Watchers’ focus on healthy weight metrics, the Dolphin-Safe policy of Star-Kist tuna and Heinz ketchup marketing initiatives
Ted was an Irish diplomat for 15 years, from 1972 to 1988, serving in Portugal, Geneva, the United States and the United Kingdom. He participated in the N… Read More
