A good week to brush away bad news

IN the words of that infamous political phrase, it was a good week to bury bad news.

The departure of Bertie Ahern dominated all before it, swamping stories that would normally have shouted for attention, such as the cancer misdiagnosis scandal and fears the chill winds of a world recession were blowing our way.

While the twin towers were crashing to the ground on 9/11, one quick-thinking adviser to Britain’s Minister for Trade and Enterprise realised that while it may be a bad day for New York, it would be a terrific one for spin. She advised her colleagues to rush out any announcements that would reflect badly on the Labour government, knowing they would be buried as surely as the victims of the attacks on the US.