Embattled Ahern launches election offensive from GPO

Embattled Taoiseach Bertie Ahern started his General Election fightback from the steps of Dublin’s GPO today.

Four days into the campaign, with allegations of financial scandal swirling around him, he launched his defence from the site of republicanism’s most famous siege.

But as Mr Ahern’s well-oiled election machine hit the lunchtime bustle of his city centre constituency, it proved almost impossible to escape the critics.

The walkabout moved at lightning speed in the brilliant sunshine followed by a swarming phalanx of photographers, TV cameras and journalists.

Officer workers hung out of windows and even mothers with buggies and street sweeper vehicles had to pause until the human tornado passed.

An advance party of constituency workers plastered the lapels of onlookers with Fianna Fáil stickers – thus cleverly identifying them for handshakes or kisses by the party leader.

But Mr Ahern still got buttonholed by passers-by with gripes on their minds.

Bridget Kelly from the Navan Road said she had to wait until July for a bone scan appointment at her local hospital.

A few seconds later a recovering drug addict, sporting a black eye, complained about the lack of treatment centres in central Dublin.

“You have to have an address to get a place. Most people don’t have an address to give,” he told the Taoiseach.

Mr Ahern looked like he was listening carefully, then asked an aide to take contact details to deal with the issues.

As the entourage swept past TP Smith’s pub on Middle Abbey Street, giggling schoolgirls tried to get a photograph of the Taoiseach with their mobile phones.

A woman handed him a handset and said: “Say hello to our Bernard.”

Shoppers in the ladies department of Marks and Spencer didn’t know what hit them when Bertie’s posse swung into the store.

“You won’t get an anorak here Bertie,” quipped one onlooker, in a reminder of Mr Ahern’s one-time fondness for the casual look.

The Taoiseach then chatted to five-year-old boy, Cian Fitzwilliam, who was sporting a Manchester United jersey.

Across the road on the famous Moore Street markets, the Taoiseach chatted easily with street traders selling fish, flowers and jewellery.

He happily posed with the “Queen of Moore Street”, 86-year-old May Gorman, who has run a fish stall for more than six decades.

These were the photo opportunities the embattled Taoiseach had hoped for - Bertie back among his people.

“He comes here a lot. He’s no stranger to me,” said May.

“If he had waited a bit longer I would have given him some fresh cod.”

Nigerian shop worker Esther Jibbona shook Mr Ahern’s hand and promised him a vote.

Outside FX Buckley’s traditional butcher shop, an African man shouted to his friends: “He looks so tall!”

Another elderly trader, Ernie Beggs, said: “If you hadn’t stalls in Moore Street, you’d have to invent them.”

Next it was into Boots chemist in the Jervis Street shopping centre where the walkabout caused some distracted shoppers to lose their place in the checkout queue.

Then it was up and down escalators for Mr Ahern, all the time smiling, waving and throwing out his right hand and patting people on the shoulder with his left.

In the neighbouring Coles Lane trading area, seller Brian McCormack complained to the Taoiseach that stalls may be squeezed out of the area because of a new supermarket development.

But Mr Ahern seemed to enjoy his day out.

“I’m delighted with the excellent reaction I’m getting on the streets,” he told the media scrum, “despite the fact that we’re standing on the people.”