The saga of the Taoiseach, the turbulent TD, his parliamentary assistant and her diamond ring

The saga of the Taoiseach, the turbulent TD, his assistant/fiancee and her diamond ring is made for TV – except maybe it would be too far-fetched for a producer to consider, says Michael Clifford

It’s as if House of Cards was blownout of existence, and rebuilt on a Monaghan drumlin. The saga of the Taoiseach, the turbulent TD, his parliamentary assistant and her diamond ring, is made for TV.

This is the cutting edge of Irish politics, where power is a high-stakes game played by titans of the trade. This is about a leader who can’t do interviews about his leadership, but is unrivalled in dispatching opponents, nay, enemies. This is the story of a lowly TD, elevated to front page news because of his pursuit of the truth. And some jewellery. This is Machiavelli wandering onto the set of Killinaskully.