Ministers’ confidence in supply of tea and biscuits

“Ah, we are not doing much, only seeking to determine the future course of our country” — a quip from one senior politician when asked how the talks have been going, amid chatter that the two sides are simply sitting around drinking tea all day. The routine has become the same, writes Daniel McConnell.

They exit the back of Leinster House and walk up the narrow alleyway towards the back of Agriculture House, primarily to avoid the media around the front on Kildare St.

They ascend the stairs to the second floor to one of two rooms that have been set aside for the purpose of the talks aimed at extending the life of the fragile minority Fine Gael government.