Bertie, Britney and tough tackling at question time

A FULL 41 days since he last took Leaders’ Questions, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern seemed to be having difficulty concentrating on the opposition’s questions yesterday.

"Anyway," he sighed dismissively, as he wearily rose to his feet to respond to questions from Sinn Féin's Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin.

But others were just as exasperated with the Taoiseach's own responses as he delivered another masterclass in the fine art of speaking effortlessly without divulging any apparent position this time on the topic of the Government's white paper on better regulations and progress by the National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO).

Yes, the beginning of the new Dáil session was in the words of Pat Rabbitte dense and impenetrable stuff indeed.

"I am grateful to the Taoiseach for the long answer and I promise I will not put this question down again for at least six months. The Taoiseach will not have to read any script during his time as president that will beat that. I hope he knows what it means because I do not," Mr Rabbitte responded.

Nor did anyone else.

Steering the debate towards embattled Transport Minister Seamus Brennan, Mr Rabbitte struck home.

"Sometimes one gets the impression that the Minister for Transport, Deputy Brennan, gives the same amount of thought to policy initiatives in transport areas as Britney Spears does to marriage," he jibed to an all but empty chamber.

Afterwards, there was none of the mooted rainbow opposition spoken of over Christmas.

Enda Kenny raised the issue of Sinn Féin's criminal links a la McDowell and got a disconnected response a la Bertie while predictably Joe Higgins chose to trample on Bertie's Ceaucescu-like dreams.

Then on the matter of untaxed stud fees and the industry's strained relationship with a certain Premiership club, Mr Rabbitte showed that he had recovered some of his form after his tetchy radio interview on Sunday.

"I understand he togged out a few times for Man United when he was at the London School of Economics," he said of the Taoiseach in a comment that was laced with undertones.

Just another few weeks now till Easter holidays lads.