SMOKES& DAGGERS

A mischievous mix of political asides and (mostly) news

FIANNA Fáil members have previously asked who is currently the real Taoiseach, and it seems the question may be escaping Micheál Martin himself. He was caught twice this week referring to ‘Taoiseach’ Leo Varadkar. Does Micheál know something we don’t?

RICHARD BRUTON is a man of many talents. Not content with encouraging Dubliners to holiday at home by showcasing his physique with a swim in Dublin Bay, this week he showed off his baking skills as part of an FG drive to help people cope better with Level 5. We already knew he had enviable buns, but it turns out he can knock up a mean batch of scones, too.

LATER in the week, however, Mr Bruton looked less chipper when he posted a picture of himself on Instagram reading from former Cabinet colleague Shane Ross’s tell-all tome In Bed With The Blueshirts. ‘Best accompanied with a pinch of salt,’ Bruton remarked.

NOW that The Donald, below, is on his way out in the States (or is he?) there will no doubt be many contenders for his crown. One unlikely candidate comes in the form of Sligo-Leitrim TD Marc MacSharry who lit into party leader Micheál Martin during an online meeting this week. A witness described the tirade as ‘disgraceful, over the top and totally unnecessary’, with another saying it was ‘a madman rant that Trump would have been proud of’. How long before the mouthy deputy is handed a tub of orange tan and given his own reality show?

SURELY The Clare Echo newspaper won the game yesterday in covering Mr

Trump’s misfortune in the election sweepstakes with its headline: ‘West Clare hotelier loses out in US Presidential election.’ A masterpiece of the genre in Smokes’s humble opinion.