Praise never sounded so faint, nor so damning

ONE man ministerial car crash Tim O’Malley was guilty of turning an accident (his bizarre views on mental illness) into an emergency (his potential resignation) yesterday, as Taoiseach Bertie Ahern struggled to clamber through the wreckage left scattered on the Dáil floor.

The Government’s Health Minister of State — and senior clown — sat on his hands squirming as MrAhern went into battle for him with the weary air of a Taoiseach who has defended the indefensible one too many times these past 10 years.

But when the best Mr Ahern can say is that Mr O’Malley is doing his job “to the best of his abilities”, praise has never sounded so faint, nor so damning.