As Bertie sees it, a board never flew on one wing. So his Government is now going to appoint two directors to Aer Lingus. Not that this will make any difference. The Taoiseach said as much yesterday.
He tacitly acknowledged that even if his new appointees manage to unlock Shannon's doors after the Heathrow slots have bolted, they will have little or no influence on senior management decisions.
A pointless exercise then, or so it would seem, to go along with a pointless exercise in the Dáil when Bertie was tackled on the vexed question on Aer Lingus's decision to move its Heathrow slots.
After all the heat and noise generated during an unsettled summer, the discussion finally landed top billing at Leaders' Questions. Unfortunately for those people still simmering with rage at the decision, this aviation issue is now fading faster than a jet's vapour trail.
With an eye to his unhappy backbenchers in the region, a smiling Taoiseach blustered about not giving up the fight, while throwing in a gratuitous reference to his party's fine history of looking after Shannon and the midwest.
It cut no ice with the Opposition. "You're selling out the wesht!" howled Galway FG deputy, Padraig McCormack.
Meanwhile, back in the back row of the FF backbenchers, new deputy from Clare, Timmy Dooley, rested his elbows on the ledge in front and chewed his fingers, looking as sick as a small hospital. It's fine for Bertie from Drumcondra to come clean in the House and say that no other carriers want to take up the Shannon slot slack. He doesn't have to return home at the weekend and face angry constituents.
Cries of "where's Willie?" rang from across the floor. But Mr O'Dea, alas, was missing. We can only pray this doesn't spark another pub row in Limerick on Saturday night.
Bertie appeared disconnected from the debate. Maybe the questions tabled later on the Code of Conduct for Office Holders were on his mind.
(And yes, his acceptance of financial contributions for his personal use while a serving minister for finance came up. And yes, Bertie still believes himself.)
Enda Kenny accused him of hypocrisy and negligence in his handling of the Shannon situation. Eamon Gilmore was withering in his assessment of a Government which told the people of Shannon "to bear with it, that it will be all right on the night, that something would be fixed up, that some alternative service would be provided".
This hadn't happened, so what was the plan now? Deputy Gilmore, who is proving a very effective performer with his straight talk, spurred the Taoiseach into giving a very rare straight answer.
To a theatrical chorus of scandalised gasps from across the floor, Bertie addressed the issue of an alternative service taking over the Heathrow route.
"The answer is, there is not one. I don't want to be in any grey area about this, that we are about to sign someone up." "Ooooh!" went the Opposition, putting on a dazzling display of synchronised jaw dropping.
Bertie's confession continued. The Government would continue to do what it can to the best of its ability. "But it may not be possible." It was like he didn't care anymore. He certainly didn't seem to care about Minister O'Dea's personal safety. Poor young Timmy Dooley looked like he was going to cry.Suddenly, Bertie found some of the old fight.
He ignored what Enda Kenny had said minutes earlier about this Friday being the deadline for requesting a change of slots.
"We won't give up!" cried the Taoiseach, declaring that's the sort of thing people in Fine Gael and Labour do. "We'll continue to do all we can to find a way."
The place erupted. Bertie started grinning. "If we're going to continue this way, when I'm making a reply I'll just tell my greater numbers, every time that you're speaking, to interrupt you!" So there.
