Enda Kenny has felt icy wind in the past few weeks

“I was happy to be moved by the tears of the Magdalene women.”

This was one of the final sentences uttered by Enda Kenny in the Prime Time debate last Tuesday. The strange turn of phrase came about because the question was about regrets. And yes, he had a few, but then again, too few to mention, because in a stunning display of sophistry, he turned the response into a litany of his proudest achievements, which he regretted he hadn’t had a chance to do earlier. Joan Burton and Gerry Adams did the same. Only Micheál Martin answered honestly with real regret.

As it happens, Mr Kenny was well-advised to mention the tears of the Magdalene women and his anger at the sexual abuse of children in Cloyne. It was a harkening back to a time when he felt loved by the electorate. And his desperation to get it in, even in the ludicrous context of “regrets”, was an acknowledgement of how very far he has fallen from his blissful spring of 2011.