Martin needs a win or his party credibility is damaged

Having called for the head of Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald last Thursday, he has spent the past four days seeking a way out of causing a general election.

The twice-defeated Fianna Fáil leader needs a win and anything short of the Tánaiste’s head will represent an embarrassing climbdown, it would seem.

From the trenchant calls last Thursday from justice spokesman Jim O’Callaghan calling for Fitzgerad to resign and nothing short of that being acceptable, we moved to the very reasonable tones voiced by the normally combative Thomas Byrne on TV last night.