SMOKES & DAGGERS

A mischievous mix of (mostly) news

FIANNA Fáil TD John Brassil is being called ‘Running Man’ after his exploits climbing a 20ft spiked steel fence after getting lost and locked in a car park en route to the Tonight Show at Virgin Media. He then sprinted a kilometre to ensure he would get to grips with Ivan Yates, Matt Cooper and constituency rival Michael Healy Rae. An FF source said: ‘Frankly, most of us would climb a 20-foot fence to get away from that lot.’

SHANE ROSS is embracing the cult of youth, sort of. He told constituents via Twitter that he was hoping to take part in the Marlay Park run… once his ingrown toenail had recovered.

SENATOR Victor Boyhan rhetorically asked the Seanad: ‘What is it that politicians on all sides in both Houses fear about going before the people in a general election?’ Senator Terry Leyden responded swiftly: ‘The voters.’

SMOKES hears Paschal Donohoe has acquired a new nickname for his skill in avoiding the blame for a certain capital expenditure project: Paschalivelli.

MICHAEL McDOWELL was defending the Sunday Business Post in a libel case this week against Denis O’Brien. Cross-examining Mr O’Brien, McDowell invoked the Carly Simon, pictured, song You’re So Vain (You Probably Think This Song Is About You), suggesting it applied to O’Brien, who seemed to think people would believe everything in the offending articles referred to him. O’Brien said he wasn’t aware McDowell was a music buff, to which McDowell said he was a big fan of 98FM.