No likely victors in this war of the roses

Labour is at war — Eamon Gilmore has finally conceded the ugly truth.

But while the Tánaiste believes it is valiantly waging an “economic war” on the nation’s behalf — to the rest of us it looks increasingly like a civil war threatening to tear the party apart.

Mr Gilmore’s war analogy was unfortunate as it reminds us that he is just not a lucky general, and it handed Colm Keaveney the ammo to fire back a volley demanding to know why the casualties were disproportionately Labour rather than Blueshirt.