For a proper heave against Cowen, an intrepid warrior is needed

I USED to be an inveterate funeral goer – several per week. I hadn’t been to one for the past two years until the unexpected death of newspaper man and former schoolmate, Alan Ruddock.

Outside the Dalkey church, when discussing his sad and sudden passing I heard an anecdote about him. As editor of The Scotsman, when approached by a journalist colleague as to what he would write for a looming deadline, as there was nothing new, Alan is alleged to have replied, “If there is no news, make up a story, you lazy git”.

After all the kerfuffle in Fine Gael, it seems unfair that they should hog the limelight of political drama. A proper heave in Fianna Fáil is long overdue. If a negative poll can cause panic in FG, surely even more dire ratings can act as a catalyst for FF. The portents could not be worse. Only one in eight polled expressed satisfaction with the Government. FF were relegated to a distant third place with 17%. Cowen’s approval ratings are on the floor. Relative to the 2007 general election result of 42%, some 30 Dáil deputies are facing the chop. Polls cannot be totally dismissed as virtual, given the 25% vote in last years local and Euro elections, with no Dublin MEP and loss of 100 council seats. Backbenchers’ prospects are akin to November turkeys.