Dáil voting fiasco: Attack the causes, not symptoms

One of the very first lessons in the How To Get Along In Politics Handbook (Haughey, Mandelson et al, 1978) is howto run down the clock in a television or radio studio. To, in football terms, choke the opposition.

An ambitious, first-term deputy, sent to bat on a sticky wicket, will understand the necessity of preparing a time-consuming spoof, a sweet if unsatisfying blancmange that sounds almost germane but offers no new information. Nor does it risk opening previously unseen avenues of questioning.