Fine Gael pretenders to the crown fight shy of making the fatal cut

As the now-failed British prime ministerial candidate Michael Gove knows only too well, when it comes to politics, whoever wields the dagger seldom wears the crown.

And while more than a few high-profile Fine Gael ministers have been coveting the Dáil’s answer to jewel- encrusted headwear in recent days, the for-now exiled Conservative MP’s lesson has not been lost this side of the Irish sea.

Over the weekend, as the crisis over when exactly Enda Kenny will step down as Taoiseach continued to engulf the Government, his most likely replacements were notably backing away from making the fatal cut everyone knows is coming.