Junior minister Martin Cullen finally got his way this week when he persuaded the Government to buy Farmleigh, the Guinness mansion on the edge of the Phoenix Park. To the surprise of many, both Bertie and Tanaiste Mary Harney were utterly opposed to buying the big house, but they eventually yielded to public pressure. Bertie's indecision may have cost the Exchequer a few million pounds. When the Guinness family first offered it privately to the Government several months ago, the asking price was considerably less than the £23 million eventually paid. At that early stage, Bertie wouldn't countenance the idea of buying a stately home, because of what the electorate might think. With the IAVI now supposedly monitoring guide prices because of the public outcry over the past few years, it will be interesting to see if Hamilton Osborne King are called to account for the unusually low guide price it issued when the property went on the market. At that stage, the agency was quoting "in excess of £10 million" - an amazingly low figure considering the importance of the house and the value of the 78 acres of prime parkland close to the city centre.