Nice Yes may calm storm in Bertie Bowl

LESS than four months ago, Bertie Ahern was High King of Ireland. As head of the first Government to be re-elected since 1969, he was hailed as the most popular politician since Jack Lynch, who in his day had been dubbed the most popular since Daniel O’Connell.

By Thursday, those inmates of Leinster House with a more highly developed taste for all things apocalyptic, were muttering about the beginning of the end for the Taoiseach. It goes without saying that such talk borders on the hysterical.

But politics is not just an extremely cruel business it is also very fickle. Seasoned campaigners will also tell you that one is most vulnerable when things appear to be going swimmingly.