Shinners delight in FF’s Friday 13th horror

IT should have been Brian Cowen’s big day, but as he emerged onto the steps of Government Buildings he looked for all the world like a bewildered groom jilted by the electorate he thought he knew so well.

As the flash bulbs exploded and the rolling news channels pulsed his words live across the continent, it appeared as if he did not know what to do next.

He spoke of uncharted waters, but it was clear the tide of public opinion those waters had flowed from had just smashed through his fledgling administration and now threatened to sweep away much of his credibility as Taoiseach with it.

Mr Cowen had the look of a Victorian gentleman preparing to retire to his smoking room with a revolver, a single bullet and a stiff drink.

How had it come to this?

The corpse of the Lisbon treaty had been laid out since early morning when the first results started filtering into the Dublin count centre at the RDS.

Yes campaigners had clung overnight to hopes that a higher than expected turn-out would bring with it the flicker of life, but it was not to be. However, the death certificate was long in coming.

As the final result was repeatedly delayed, with Laois-Offaly still failing to declare, a wild rumour swept the world’s media crammed into Dublin Castle where they awaited the conclusive tally.

Could it be true? Was the Taoiseach so incensed by the crushing rejection of all he had campaigned for that he was preparing to pull a Mugabe? Were Zanu-FF henchmen stuffing ballot boxes in Laois- Matabeleland in a desperate attempt to swing the numbers back their way?

But the weight of opinion was too strong and the will of the people finally crashed through the castle’s St Patrick’s Hall just after 5pm. Tellingly, no Fianna Fáil minister had dared show their face at the epicentre of their humiliation all day.

At least Finance Minister Brian Lenihan had the nerve to brave the RDS, even as it was clear the building was turning into Meltdown City for the Government’s hopes of passing the referendum.

But as he spoke to reporters he was shouted down by a rabble of Coir anti-abortion supporters who then hounded him from the count centre.

Showing immense grace under pressure as the barracking continued, Mr Lenihan said: “You know from your European history that when the far right and the far left take over, free speech disappears very quickly.”

A Coir leader who was old enough to know better merely spouted: “Oh, we were just excited,” as she was left in no doubt of the unacceptability of her group’s behaviour by backers of the democratic parties present.

Forced outside, away from the mob, Mr Lenihan admitted the voting trend “was not encouraging”.

As understatements went, it was comparable to Emperor Hirohito’s upbeat assessment of his nation’s surrender after the second atomic bomb smashed down on Nagasaki when he mused: “The war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan’s advantage.”

Across town, multi- millionaire Libertas chairman and no supremo Declan Ganley was holding forth.

Unfortunately for Mr Ganley, even when he is trying his hardest not to appear smug, he still looks as if he should be stroking a furry white cat to complete his physical resemblance to those stereo-typical Bond villains.

Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald breezed her way into Dublin Castle, keenly aware her sure- footed performance throughout this campaign has left her the clear political winner in the battle of Lisbon — but then the Shinners have never been that keen on treaties.

SF president Gerry Adams was relaxed enough to joke with bickering photographers that they had better get on with things as he had a Leonard Cohen concert to get to.

After a terrible general election campaign, finally, SF’s day had come. “I didn’t have a squabble with anybody,” Mr Cowen said almost pathetically as reporters asked if his squall with other pro-Lisbon parties mid-campaign had helped lead to this public humiliation on the steps of Dublin Castle.

The voters had left him, the honeymoon was over before it had really begun and he now faced the wrath of European colleagues who had not dared put Lisbon before their electorates.

Mr Cowen would not forget the horror story of this Friday 13th in a hurry.