Man from the TV left with little to analyse

In last year’s general election, or so the Leinster House lore goes, a banker in a pinstripe suit would knock on the doors of homes in Dublin South and introduce himself by saying “you might know me from the Vincent Browne show”.

Now a Fine Gael TD, Peter Mathews had made his name as a panel stalwart during the financial crisis, regularly appearing on the TV3 nightly programme.

He had previously worked with ICC Bank before setting up his own financial consultancy firm and claims that advice he offered to then finance minister Brian Lenihan on the banking crisis was ignored.