Joan and the Giant Joint not on Burton’s mind for a spliff second

Joan and the Giant Joint was probably not the kind of Christmas fairytale the Tánaiste had on her mind as she toured an art exhibition at a festive-looking Farmleigh House.

And perhaps Ms Burton can be excused for apparently not understanding what the piece she posed with at the display was, as the Labour leader is more used to being accused of igniting splits than spliffs.

While Ms Burton backs the use of cannabis for medical reasons, she is against decriminalising the substance, and seemed unaware she was looking through what has been dubbed a “spliffascope”.

The Tánaiste, who insists she has never even experimented with cannabis, was also keen to be seen smoking the pipe of peace with Taoiseach Enda Kenny as the pair both moved to downplay talk of a rift between them, following Labour’s plunge in the opinion polls, regarding the level of universal social charge rates.

With Ms Burton having to deny that a Government split has developed over the direction of taxation policy amid talk of an early general election, no doubt hardline Fine Gaelers might think: “That’s Labour for you: soft on drugs and high on taxes.”