The secret is out — we all know why the Government is looking bad

“I’M afraid there’s no doubt about it, Taoiseach,” the head of G2 said. “It’s sabotage. You have a mole.”

He was a shadowy figure. The Taoiseach had never met him before, although they had done some background checks for him when he was appointing the Cabinet. And of course, when it became clear that the Americans were listening in to his phone calls G2 had offered some advice about how to keep his conversations secret. Not that that was particularly helpful. Don’t use the phone, don’t send an email, don’t text anyone, and whatever you do, don’t talk to anyone about anything sensitive.

How was a Taoiseach supposed to operate with strictures like that? He had learned, in the interests of national security, to keep all his answers as short and non-committal as possible, and of course he decided to avoid all public debates on important national subjects. Suppose the Americans were listening?