Kenny’s revolutionary drama descends into farce

It was telling that the Taoiseach’s only memorable moment in his worst week in office so far saw him dressed like an extra from Downton Abbey at a black-tie dinner — not the best look for a man now the lead actor in a melodrama fast descending into a Downturn Shabby government.

The suddenness of Róisín Shortall’s resignation had clearly caught the Coalition by surprise — but then someone having principles and actually sticking to them would come as a shock to them — and Enda Kenny had the appearance of a startled fawn caught in the flash of the camera bulbs as he mouthed the usual banalities about her departure without ever thinking of addressing the substance behind her move.

That takes us to the heart of The Enda Problem — maybe the Taoiseach has a secret hearing disorder, or maybe he has a form of word blindness, but while everyone else thinks a Q&A session stands for Questions and Answers, he believes it means Questions and Avoidance.