Party organisation runs as smooth as clockwork

AS surely as you will find a great woman behind any good man, lurking in the shadows of a successful politician you will unearth a superlative backroom team.

Labour TD Willie Penrose's henchmen are a case in point. Capitalising on Willie's own enthusiasm for representing his constituents in Mullingar West, Co Westmeath, they have devised a strategy that ensures a poll-topping performance for the married barrister each time out. This time round he's not running because of the dual mandate.

In the 1999 local elections Willie captured 2,410 first preference votes, over two-and-a-half times the quota, making him the leading vote-getter of all 1,838 candidates.