Ray Burke has been found guilty as hell of taking backhanders and letting the side down in earnest.

Many more have been given nasty rebukes including P.J. Mara who has thrown in the towel as FF’s director of elections for the Nice campaign – a necessary move to ensure that the Government has a chance to get a majority of voters favouring Yes.

Others to get dragged over the coals by Justice Flood – who must be congratulated for delivering the goods in such clear fashion – were Tom Brennan, Joe McGowan, John Finnegan, John Caldwell, Joseph Murphy Jnr, Oliver Barry and Michael Bailey. Emerging with a halo after it was all over was key witness James Gogarty who got his own back on Joseph Murphy.

Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has come under a cloud – his judgement in giving ministerial office to Ray Burke has been questioned and he could well walk the plank if there is a No majority for Nice. Commentating on the Flood Tribunal report in its leader of September 28, the Irish Times stated:

"It was simple and stark in its language and its findings. Mr. Ray Burke, the man Mr. Ahern appointed as Minister for Foreign Affairs in his first Government in 1997, was corrupt. And then another blast from the past landed four square in the middle of the referendum on the Nice Treaty. The tribunal was also satisfied that Mr. P.J. Mara, Fianna Fáil’s director of elections, failed to cooperate with the inquiry.

"He resigned to prevent any further embarrassment to the Government but, more realistically, because his greatest quote about Mr. Charles Haughey was likely to come back to haunt him: ‘There could be no more nibbling at my leader’s bum.’

The Taoiseach is certainly batting on a sticky wicket – if you’ll excuse the cricket term – but it fills the bill aptly here.

My dictionary defines sticky wicket as follows: A damp wicket that is difficult to bat on, an awkward or unpleasant situation. It would be hard to improve on that.

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