He’s no longer Kenny’s Baldrick but Kehoe is no fool

BACK in the days when I wrote parliamentary sketches for this newspaper, I used to particularly enjoy recording the movements of Paul Kehoe.

At the time, he was government chief whip and part of his duties seemed to involve being a glorified valet for Enda Kenny. Whenever he escorted the great man into the Dáil chamber for a Leaders’ Questions session, he looked like he

couldn’t quite believe his luck.

Which, in fairness, was probably about right. It wasn’t for nothing that I bestowed the nickname ‘Baldrick’ upon Mr Kehoe. I spotted him on a couple of occasions appearing unaware that it was all right to laugh at some Opposition TD’s witty remark, only joining in when he saw those on the benches around him guffawing away. It occasionally occurred to me that likening him to Edmund Blackadder’s notoriously dim-witted sidekick was probably a bit too complimentary.

Though he no longer holds the position of chief whip, Kehoe has managed to hang on to his job as so-called super-junior defence minister. Yet it appears that he hasn’t managed to retain the affection of his former mentor.

According to a highly entertaining dispatch in one of the Sunday papers, he is one of at least three Fine Gael figures now blanked by Kenny for supporting Leo Varadkar’s campaign. The report also claims that the former taoiseach made a point at his leaving do of excluding Kehoe from an invitation to after-dinner drinks.

‘He might as well have been dirt on his shoe,’ a source was quoted as saying.

Still, the game has long since been up for Kenny. But Kehoe still gets to sit in on Cabinet meetings. Perhaps he’s not quite as stupid as he looks, although I wouldn’t be willing to bet on it.