Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny used his party’s weekend Árd Fheis to deliver a powerful speech and signal he is ready to lead the country, writes political editor Harry McGee.

POLITICIANS pride themselves on being in touch with the ordinary citizen, knowing the instincts of the man on the street.

CONCERN was growing last night about the whereabouts and well-being of a senior Fianna Fáil minister who is said to be in a state of total bewilderment following his party’s Ard Fheis last weekend.

THE way Fianna Fáil plays it is always pure Hollywood.

BEING St Patrick’s weekend, the Cabinet are away doing (delete where applicable) thankless drudge work/damn all; working to exhaustive schedules/lounging beside a pool; and drowning the shamrock/drowning the shamrock.

A PIER is a disappointed bridge, James Joyce once wrote. We’ve seen a lot of disappointed bridges in the past 10 years since the Good Friday Agreement was hailed as having signed, sealed and delivered a future for the North.

THIS column needs to summon every political cliché to its side this week.

WHEN he is droning on and on about biofuels and carbon emissions and global warming and energy efficiency and renewable energy sources, you feel like grabbing him by the lapels and saying: “Bertie, give us a break will you?”

WHO is the star of this week’s column? Take a wild guess. If you happened to die and are now pushing up daisies, you might not have noticed him this week.

THERE are some laws of nature immutable and predictable. Gravity. Death. Taxes. Kerry winning All-Irelands.