SMOKES & DAGGERS
A mischievous mix of (mostly) news
QUITE a few press office and administrative staff have left Fine Gael since the general election and an overhaul is going on at headquarters. The Fine Gael parliamentary party discussed the changes on Wednesday. After a bit of talk at the top table there was a surprise for the crusty TDs and senators. They were told to break up into smaller groups to discuss the changes. The thoughts of Leo Varadkar, Bernard Durkan and Mary Mitchell O’Connor sitting around in a small group discussing press office recruits brought a tear to our eye. Smokes believes all groups reported back to the top table that the press office was fine, the press were the problem…
A PRESS release with the following arresting subject line landed in Smokes’s inbox last week: ‘Ex-Heroin Addict & Page 3 Model’s New Book Reveals Ancient Egyptian Secrets to True Fulfilment.’ Author Vicki Rebecca, left, it goes on to boast, was ‘one of the UK’s most prolific nude models’. Sounds like a page-turner.
THE review into the Fine Gael election meltdown continues. A number of TDs are involved in quizzing fellow TDs and party workers about what went wrong. But at least one interview is guaranteed not to blame Enda Kenny. Review chairwoman Dr Marian Coy is to interview him. ‘Enda Kenny is not expected to blame Enda Kenny for the debacle,’ said a TD. ‘The favourites for blame at the moment are Donald Trump and some low-level functionary at Fine Gael headquarters.’
SENATOR Marie Louise O’Donnell, right, one of Enda Kenny’s appointees to the Seanad, was giving out about the Seanad last week. ‘Everybody is talking about reform of the Seanad, which we need in terms of how people get in here and what they do afterwards,’ she said. ‘I would like to make a suggestion to the Cathaoirleach. Perhaps we could have more control of electronic equipment so senators who come to the House would listen to arguments and argue against each other without having their heads in phones or tablets. It is very disconcerting to be sitting beside somebody who might be ordering shoes or talking to relations all over the world.’