Marlboro Man shoots from lip

GIVEN the day that was in it, early risers could have been forgiven for thinking the sacking of the main opposition party’s justice spokesman for breaking the new smoking law was an April Fool’s Day joke.

But the outcome of John Deasy's impetuous actions in the private members' bar in Leinster House on Tuesday night was all too real and was symptomatic of his irascibility.

The nickname of John Wayne, attached to Deputy Deasy by Willie O'Dea in a recent spat, looked like sticking until yesterday.