I might not always agree with you, Lucinda, but I admire your courage

SO THAT’S what you meant, Lucinda Creighton, by “a politics of substance, not of sound-bites.” You have risked your political career for your beliefs. Even if the boys are right when they say you will pay the penalty for making your party sweat, you can sleep easy at night.

No-one who remembers the famous ‘biscuit tin’ speech at the Magill Summer School, in Donegal in 2010 — the admonition of Fine Gael for its fund-raising methods — should be surprised. The image of the slightly rusty USA Assorted tin, rattling with bank notes, was unforgettable.

That speech is compelling reading in the context of your stance, in recent weeks, on the abortion bill. You lambasted blind adherence to the “party line” and said: “The lack of ambition amongst all political parties, as well as their studious dodging of courageous political positions, leaves me cold.”