Just one more thing to do before you leave ...

IT was hardly the first dawn ram-raid witnessed on the Northside, but it was one of the most surprising.

Bertie leapt out of his Mercedes at 7.57am, knowing the president was due to leave for the airport just 13 minutes later. So while the head of state was busy running around the Áras trying to find her passport and checking she had cancelled the milk, the Taoiseach was mithering her to dissolve the 29th Dáil.

The momentous Constitutional event was ignored by two of the president’s cattle who could be clearly seen in front of the residence as the proclamation was being signed, erm, getting to know each other better. They obviously shared Mr Ahern’s slapdash attitude to the niceties of a functioning democracy as they continued their antics in full view of the assembled dignitaries, should they have cared to look.