Joining Shane for a very heated look at the Sunday Papers were Fine Gael's Director of Elections Brian Hayes, Sinn Féin Deputy Leader Mary Lou McDonald, and former Cabinet minister Noel Dempsey.
The discussion started with the latest opinion polls and a report that Fine Gael had a 'calamitous' first day of campaigning.
The report was rejected by MEP Hayes, who said, "it didn't happen so I have nothing to tell you. I'm disappointing you already at this hour of the morning.
However he added, "we're campaigning now and for anyone who thought within or outside Fine Gael that this was going to be some cake walk for the Government, the reality is that we have a very hard, tough campaign on".
Deputy McDonald suggested, "the Taoiseach and Fine Gael had a shaky start to their campaign because they were making up their figures. It was astonishing that those who would tell you ad nauseam that they and they alone have any economic savvy... could get their figures so wrong".
Brian said, "one thing I will agree with with Mary Lou, is that this campaign has to be around credibility and trust. We're very happy if the debate is constantly on the economy, because that's the Government's calling card.
He suggested that Sinn Féin has gotten "everything wrong" during the last five years in relation to the economy, claiming "on all the big issues to do with the economy Sinn Féin is economically illiterate".
The comments were naturally strongly contested by Deputy McDonald, who argued "we told you that austerity and your cutbacks would be catastrophic for people on the ground".
Noel Dempsey observed, "I have to say looking at it as objectively as I can, the Fine Gael propaganda machine was well-oiled, ready to go.
"But certainly the contrast in the first week of the campaign, where they didn't get their figures right, there's a couple of typos [in their policy document]... Minor things like that surprised me. Things like that I think shook some confidence in the Government".
Another debate surrounded the Special Criminal Courts. The Taoiseach is promising Fine Gael would establish a second court to deal with delays in the current one, while Sinn Féin is calling for the abolition of the existing court.
Deputy Mc Donald says this weekend's gangland murder in a Dublin hotel was not prevented by the existence of the court designed to tackle terrorist activities.
"The way in which this is debated is sometimes it is reflect that because of this Special Criminal Court that somehow this is the solution to the issue. It's not," she argued.
You can listen back to the full Paper Review via the podcast below:
