A dose of French realism as Mountjoy beckons

Mr Justice Smyth may be making a habit of jailing Liam Lawlor, but at least he's not sending him inside without recommended reading material. Last January, he sentenced him on a Shakespearean theme, quoting Measure for Measure and Macbeth to explain why Mr Lawlor's contempt of court could not go unpunished.

Yesterday, in need of another lesson for the errant politician, he reached for his Balzac.

Lesser men might be reaching for Prozac at this stage, as the interminable saga of Mr Lawlor's non-discovery of documents drags on. But the judge decided a dose of 19th century French realism might bring the defendant to his senses. And his choice of one of Balzac's lesser known works, A Murky Business, was undeniably apt.

Described as a "political mystery" - not unlike Mr Lawlor himself - A Murky Business is a tale of intrigue set in Napoleonic France. But the part the judge quoted was a message for all times. "Nothing causes deeper sadness," he said, "than an unmerited fall into disrepute, from which it may not be possible to rise again."

It was a sombre note, albeit with the optimistic hint that Mr Lawlor's fall might yet prove unmerited. Indeed, the judge had given him some credit for his efforts to satisfy the tribunal, but Mr Lawlor's optimism will have been faint. He had already been sentenced to another seven days jail by then, while the judge implied that without good work by his lawyer, it would have been six weeks.

The case heard that Mr Lawlor had since January supplied the tribunal with 157 folders and 68 affidavits. That's more literature than maybe even Mr Justice Smyth's library can boast. But the material the tribunal most wants to read - concerning his part in the purchase of lands near his home in Lucan in 1987 - is long overdue.

The judge cast literature aside towards the end of his ruling when, looking straight at Mr Lawlor, who sat calmly at the back of the court, he said: "The rot has got to stop."

Outside, Mr Lawlor offered a brief comment to the media. He didn't mention Balzac, promising only to read the judge's ruling when a copy became available today. But as he prepares for another visit to Mountjoy, he might also consider packing a copy of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. After all, to be jailed once for contempt of court might be considered unfortunate, but twice looks like carelessness.