Ahern statement fails to provoke the opposition

BERTIE AHERN’S statement yesterday was seen as a move that drew a line under the controversy surrounding his personal finances.

The issue is expected to remain in the media spotlight for most of today, with most focus honing in on his new disclosure that he may face tax liability.

But it is also clear that there is little appetite among opposition parties to major on this issue. Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny almost ran away from it yesterday. Given Pat Rabbitte’s long-standing affiliation with the Public Accounts Committee, you would expect that probing into the minutiae of Mr Ahern’s house transactions would be grist to the mill for him. But he too has been reserved in comment, leaving the most critical comments to Green Party leader Trevor Sargent.

The reason for such reticence is easy to understand — all are worried that by stoking up the fire too much, they will provoke a groundswell of sympathy for the Taoiseach, as happened last autumn.

FF strategists believe the high-profile address in Westminster tomorrow will begin the decisive phase of the campaign, in which the election will be won and lost.

But this controversy hasn’t fully gone away. Mr Ahern has simply got a stay of execution until after polling day. Because on May 28, the Mahon Tribunal will resume its hearings, with an opening statement that will re-air the allegations (which he says are baseless) made against him.

This could not come at a worst time — if FF do manage to manoeuvre their way into a Government position, the negotiations will be conducted against the very damaging backdrop of the ongoing module.

Mr Ahern is confident that he has done no wrong or wronged nobody. But the whole spectacle may come back to haunt him — with negative public reaction to the series of disclosures on voting day on May 24.