SMOKES & DAGGERS

A mischievous mix of (mostly) news

AMID heated Dáil exchanges over the nurses’ dispute, Mary Lou McDonald complained to the Taoiseach: ‘By the way, I know all about the industrial relations mechanisms of the State. You really don’t have to keep repeating that to us as though we’re morons.’ Leo responded by extending a warm hand of friendship: ‘Deputy, I don’t think you’re a moron.’

SMOKES is impressed that Leo Varadkar, despite all that digital talk, is still a print man at heart. Responding to queries from Micheál Martin, Leo revealed that his department’s expenditure on newspapers was €57,970.43 in 2018. By contrast, expenditure on digital was €13,575.47.

FIANNA Fáil’s Willie O’Dea issued a statement during the week containing one unfortunate sentence: ‘It is vital that the social welfare system hinders rather than helps people.’ An amended version was quickly issued.

MPs in the House of Commons were notified earlier this week that there would be no February recess due to the Brexit deadlock. But our own ministers are rumoured to have threatened mutiny at the mention that their St Patrick’s Day junkets would be scrapped for the same reason.

DUBLIN Fire Brigade tweeted a warning about sub-zero temperatures: ‘Take care if you are walking this morning. Even the most well-rehearsed step can end in a slip, trip or fall on icy paths.’ The warning was helpfully illustrated with a six-second clip of Dancing On Ice celebrity Gemma Collins, pictured, collapsing face-first.