Lenihan gets retaliation in first over Tánaiste’s treaty comments

IT was a classic example of damage limitation. Before Brian Lenihan was even asked yesterday about the issue, he addressed it himself by spinning out the official line.

Get your retaliation in first, in other words.

The issue in question was, of course, comments made by Tánaiste Mary Coughlan on Monday in which she suggested the pro-treaty parties needed to increase their efforts to get Lisbon passed. One media report suggested Ms Coughlan was referring to all of the pro-treaty parties, Fianna Fáil included.