Moral force for good Nulty in squalid fall from grace

Even if he had not set himself up as some kind of moral force for good in the Dáil, Patrick Nulty’s fall was still as squalid as it was unexpected.

But the contradictions in his character were there from the start of his short but eventful Leinster House career.

Nulty was the only Labour TD actually elected on the much- criticised programme for government which the party negotiated with Fine Gael after the February 2011 general election.