How deep are the Government’s troubles? Six feet down

A BIZARRE new internet craze was captured by the startling headline: “Russian Man Dies Burying Himself Alive.”

The Siberian had dug an improvised grave for himself with a friend and then wanted to see if he could survive a night entombed in it on his own.

Unfortunately, the air holes he had left to connect him to the surface got blocked in heavy rain and his emergency mobile packed up.

Cleary, you have to try and get your kicks where you can in the former-Soviet Union, and numerous Russian bloggers write of undergoing supervised self-burial.

Yet, the experience carries some redolent lessons for our own politicians back home as they seem intent on needlessly burying their credibility for no particular reason.

Once the brightest and boldest star in our political galaxy Labour leader Eamon Gilmore is now sighted less often than a lunar eclipse.

Though some disgruntled wags on the Labour backbenches say that comparison is unfair, as due to the rising dust and setting sun, the lunar eclipse actually looks red - which is more than can be said for Eamon these days.

Enda Kenny also made a terrible spectacle of himself this week when he made vague accusations about dark doings at the National Assets Management Agency (Nama), produced no evidence to support them, then had to perform a cringingly embarrassing back down.

Mr Kenny said he had “concerns” and “indications” that the greedy tycoons who handily had the taxpayer take over their loans on the properties they paid ridiculous prices for, were now adding insult to injury by using third parties to buy back said properties from Nama at fire sale costs.

Mr Kenny’s move echoed that of Senator and estate agent Mark Daly, who has warned several times in the upper house that the State was being cheated out of hundreds of millions of euros by the illegal activity.

The Taoiseach sounded jolly angry about the whole dirty business, made veiled threats about how Nama was run and said he would discuss it with Finance Minister Michael Noonan as a matter of urgency.

It is extremely unusual for a Taoiseach to make such public and damning claims about a state agency which is sitting on €72bn worth of loans, so what happened next?

Did the smack of firm government smash down on Nama? Was there a property perp walk to prison for those engaged in these foul acts against the tormented taxpayer?

Er, no. Within 24 hours the sheepish Taoiseach said he completely accepted Nama’s claims this was not going on and that he had only been voicing a few “indications” he’d picked up from people and did not have any proof of anything.

All of which some what reduces Enda’s status as all-knowing Prime Minister with an iron grip on what is happening in the country - he now looks more like an auld one at a bus stop passing on any piece of rambling old tittle-tattle they can get their hands on as long as it gets them a little bit of attention.

The fact that Nama chief Frank Daly announced at a meeting of British and Irish parliamentarians in Cork that: “For a former chairman of Revenue, figures are not my strongest point,” hardly lessoned the sound of alarm bells.

Mr Gilmore seems to have buried himself in the department of foreign affairs and the once ubiquitous political voice has been largely silenced. A short sighted move that re-inforces the constant criticism of him in the run-up to the election that he could only critique, he could not command.

Given Mr Gilmore’s rather shaky grasp on economics, perhaps it was just as that he ducked the opportunity of handling a front like financial portfolio, but the political reality of that decision is that it makes it look like he is hiding on the sidelines while Public Sector reform Minister Brendan Howlin does all the dirty work.

Mr Gilmore strange disappearance from the national debate as also left him on the back foot in his own party where he has been taken by surprise by the level of back bench anger at Fine Gaeler Richard Bruton’s determination to sweep away long-standing wage safeguards for the low paid in areas like

Mr Noonan has also been gambling his credibility chips once again with a renewed threat to burn the bondholders.

This was, of course, Fine Gael’s big war cry throughout the election - and the one they tossed away like an Irish junk bond straight after being elected.

Voters seemed to shrug their shoulders and accept that blatant U-turn with surprising good grace first time out, but they will not suffer such foolishness so lightly again.

Few people at Leinster House expect Mr Noonan to carry-out the finance gig for more than two years, but if he once again dangles the pleasing prospect of revenge against the bond holders out, only to snatch it back when setting them alight risks getting his fingers burned, then his tenure in the fiscal driving seat will be a lot shorter.