Even though it was a Sunday afternoon, the promise that Pat Rabbitte would be introducing the first of five new Labour planks was too tempting to resist.
It couldn't be Enda Kenny again, because the Fine Gael leader and Pat have been party to more public introductions in recent months than a dating agency for the chronically optimistic.
Who would it be? Deputy Rabbitte chose Dublin's Royal Hibernian Academy for the unveiling. Senators Gemma Tuffy and Kathleen O'Meara sat on either side of him. Neither could be called political planks. They were there in the role of enthusiastic supporters of the plank, which turned out to be a general election commitment, as opposed to a general election candidate.
That would have been taking the concept of honesty a little too far.
Five commitments in Labour's line-up, and just like in the movie, they boast a leading man by the name of Rabbitte. "They had nothing to lose. They risked it all," is one of that movie's taglines. Not a million miles away from Labour's position as they begin their election campaign.
The party's strategy is built upon these main policy planks, to be delivered within five years of getting into power. Pat Rabbitte calls them "my to-do list". Much to-do about nothing? He doesn't think so, although adapting a phrase that has haunted Fianna Fáil is a brave move. From the time he returned to government, Bertie Ahern has been persecuted with taunts about his "Much Done, More to Do" election slogan, but Pat is willing to risk resurrecting part of it.
The first of Labour's series of commitments centres on childcare, with the specific promise of free pre-school education for one year for all children. "I will make it a personal priority of mine to ensure that this, and the other four commitments I will be announcing, will happen. I am giving my personal guarantee to voters that they will happen," says Pat.
The general election floodgates are officially open. First promise, first blood, to Kindergarten Pat. In the months to come, the children of the nation will be cherished equally by all the parties, and the policy documents will flow faster than wine at a society wedding.
To underline the fact that their first big election promise concerns pre-school education, Labour adorned their launch with a group of winsome tots. While Rabbitte outlined details of his initiative to the media, the happy screeches of children at play drifted in from the room next door. There were cuddly toys, a mound of well-thumbed storybooks and a magnetic blackboard to keep the little ones occupied. No such luck for the rest of us.
Before the press conference, the children managed to arrange some of the plastic letters on the blackboard into three big words: MAM. FOX. HUGE.
By the time the formalities were over, their standard of literacy had taken a huge leap forward. Mystery little fingers had moved more of the letters to form "LABOUR PARTY". Well done, kiddies.
Kindergarten Pat, adopting his most avuncular manner, posed for a photograph with the children, kneeling down on poor Winnie the Pooh in the process. "Cheese!" chortled two-year-old Pippa Tuffy-Long, daughter of Senator Joanna, proving that politicians' children learn the ropes at an impressively early age. She was joined by Maija Hanifin (8) and her sister Ellen (4), who both agreed, after the teeniest amount of prompting, that Pat Rabbitte is a nice man.
Despite requests, the Labour leader refused to be drawn on the nature of his four remaining election commitments. "That's for another day," he said coyly.
Meanwhile, in the midst of the election build-up, the business of day-to-day politics continues. It was inevitable that Pat would be asked about negative remarks yesterday from a former taoiseach, Albert Reynolds, on the subject of Bertie Ahern accepting money from businesspeople when he was minister for finance in Reynolds's cabinet.
"I'm very reluctant to make any comments about payments to the Taoiseach in case his ratings in the polls start going up again," sighed Pat, mindful of what happened the last time the Opposition tried to tackle the topic.
Still, Albert's less than ringing endorsement will cheer up Ahern of Arabia no end as he continues his trade mission to the Middle East this week.
