Bertie Ahern is the comeback kid in perfect time

Journalist of the year Michael Clifford takes a sideways look at the return of Bertie Ahern to the Fianna Fáil fold

Bertie Ahern’s timing was always spot on. He was elected Taoiseach in 1997, just as the country was taking off to join the wealthy nations of the world. He stepped down in 2008, just as the world as we knew it was coming apart at the seams. He governed through the halcyon, albeit illusory, days.

And then reversed gingerly into the shadows as the foul stuff collided with the air conditioning. Nothing to do with me, guv, sure, none of this would have happened if I was still in charge, was the refrain he tried out a few times before realising he might be inciting violence against himself.