SMOKES & DAGGERS

A mischievous mix of (mostly) news

THE decision of Charlie Flanagan to back Leo occasioned a rare outbreak of fear in Team Varadkar. One figure told Smokes: ‘Charlie is like Paul the octopus’, who had a famous facility for choosing World Cup winners, but in reverse. He has a point, given that when it comes to FG leadership battles, Charlie backed John Bruton when he lost, opposed him when he won, backed Enda when he lost and opposed him when he won. Maybe he’ll break his duck at last. THURSDAY was a big day for Michael Noonan, who will be fondly remembered by Scrap Saturday fans as DJ Morning, Noonan, Night. And it was nice to see his former sidekick Brendan Howlin pay him a tribute, even if the phrase he used to describe him, showing ‘manifest competence’, was a touch cold. Even colder was Labour getting its private member’s Bill on the sale of AIB through the Dáil while everyone was distracted by the Fine Gael leadership contest. Coldest of all was the tweet Howlin put out after the Department of Finance disputed the significance of the motion: ‘For avoidance of doubt, and contrary to what Michael Noonan is saying re: AIB, the Dáil record is clear. “Motion put and declared carried.”’ SMOKES suspected the jig was up for Richard Bruton last week after he exited Leinster House pursued by a journalist asking about his leadership ambitions. He didn’t exactly run away but he certainly powerwalked as he gave a schoolgirl giggle and hightailed it. There was no recovering from that. OF COURSE, Bruton may just be biding his time. Why run for the leadership now when he could launch a coup a little later? ENDA’S last official event before he announced he was down was the launch of a report by Senator Marie-Louise O’Donnell (it was Enda who nominated her to the Seanad). The report was suitably titled ‘Finite Lives’. Marie-Louise was quite emotional but she needn’t worry: Leo doesn’t get to replace her mid-Seanad.