Wake-up call to Bertie: you are bringing your office into disrepute

EAMON de Valera, founder of Fianna Fáil, attached enormous importance to symbolism. It could be argued that his attachment to symbols was the major contributory factor to the civil war.

What would de Valera have thought of the Taoiseach sending his aide-de-camp to Liam Lawlor's funeral? It would have been understandable if Bertie Ahern had wished to go to the funeral in a private capacity. They were colleagues for many years. Lawlor was a personable individual and his death was a personal tragedy for his family. But it should not be forgotten that he betrayed the trust of the country and demeaned politics.

He was jailed three times for frustrating the work the Flood and Mahon tribunals. Such contemptible behaviour has been costing the State a fortune, and it is an outrage that the Taoiseach would degrade his office by sending an official representative to the funeral.