An election stunt that left the country without leadership

THE row that split the coalition partners yesterday wasn’t just farcical.

It was alarming. This is a Government that is now falling apart, with the coalition partners seemingly concerned only about self-preservation. Who’s looking after the public interest is anybody’s guess. The country is in an economic crisis, and it’s increasingly looking like nobody is in control.

Fianna Fáil and the Greens would no doubt both reject this. But consider first the argument that the Taoiseach put forward yesterday for the cabinet reshuffle he so desperately desired but saw blocked by the Greens.