Taoiseach claims Survivor of the Year award

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern has picked up two awards in the Magill Politician of the Year awards.

Following his performance during the BertieGate controversy over personal loans he received, the Taoiseach collects the Survivor of the Year award as well as the Communicator of the Year award following his interview with Bryan Dobson on RTÉ News’ Six One during the crisis.

Two of the highest profile TDs in Dáil Eireann have also scooped awards with communications Minister Noel Dempsey named minister of the year after steering the government through the contentious Sea Fisheries Act while prominent Green Party spokesperson on communications, Eamon Ryan, is named TD of the year.

In an illustration of how the mighty can fall very quickly in politics, last year’s Politician of the Year, Michael McDowell, is the only nominee for this year’s wooden spoon, the ‘gaffe of the year, after controversially likening Richard Bruton to Dr Goebbels.

The Labour candidate in Kerry North, Councillor Terry O’Brien, was the outright winner of the emerging politician category having given a stunning speech at his party’s conference last month. The 37-year-old movingly described the birth of his twins earlier this year.

Veteran Meath West TD Johnny Brady wins the Heckler of the Year award for his good-humoured jibes from the Fianna Fáil backbenches.

Justice spokesperson Oonagh McPhillips wins the award for communicator of the year, narrowly beating of the challenge of Fine Gael’s director of communications Ciarán Conlon.

Fine Gael does pick up two awards, however. Best Senator is Brian Hayes while the best MEP award goes to Gay Mitchell, the Dublin South Central TD who recently announced he would remain in Europe after the election.

The identity of the overall Politician of the Year is being kept strictly under wraps until tonight’s award ceremony in Dublin.