ROLL up, roll up for your seats on the mystery train ride that takes you through the long and dramatic journey of Michael McDowell’s political career. Yes folks, we can guarantee a spectacular rollercoaster ride.

SOME newspapers go to extra lengths to satisfy their readers. The New York Times has just announced the appointment of its first perfume critic, who will assess and rate the various scents on the market.

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, we were told this week, had depicted himself as the ‘Messiah of Dublin South East’ who had engaged in the “final betrayal”.

ON the day that terrorists struck the Twin Towers in September 2001, a British Labour Party press handler named Jo Moore emailed colleagues to share her bright idea that it would be a good day to issue press releases about bad news or unpopular policies.

THE past 11 days in politics was like the hurricane season. The first big blow came. And then calm set in and, with it, complacency.

IT was Charlie Haughey who came up with the great little silver bullet that every senior Fianna Fáil leader and minister has loaded into the cylinder since then.

“SOMEDAY a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets.”

DAVID CAMERON, the Conservative leader, was interviewed by John Humphrys on BBC Radio 4’s Today a few days ago.

OF all the snobberies, scientific has to be the most infuriating.

By Harry McGee, Political Editor