Flynn's long goodbye

NOT one Fianna Fáil TD or senator spoke up for Beverly Flynn last night as she was unceremoniously dumped out of the parliamentary party.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern received unanimous backing from his colleagues after he forcefully proposed that the party whip be removed from the Mayo TD after she lost her Supreme Court appeal last week. She herself later described his speech as "harsh" and direct.

The decision was taken without a vote at a meeting attended by around 100 Oireachtas members, who by not making any intervention left Ms Flynn completely isolated, in a meeting lasting just over an hour.