DRAPIER is speaking for most of his colleagues when he wonders what else can go wrong with the Blood Transfusion Service.
We all appreciate that this service is vital for hospital services but there has been a catalogue of errors, both major and minor.
Because of this, the Opposition and the Government must be extremely careful as to how to handle the situation. While the Opposition is in the business of embarrassing a Minister (or two) in this instance, it must be mindful of any potential damage they may do to the huge goodwill towards the entire blood transfusion service. Similarly, the Government must be careful in its handling to be fair to all involved.
So the scene was set this week for the start of a debate on the Finlay blood tribunal report. The Opposition could not hide its disappointment that the report did not finger either the Minister, Michael Noonan, or his predecessor, Brendan Howlin, and one would have thought that when the report came out, with the Government pledging action on its recommendations, the matter would have (politically) died down.
But no. Within 24 hours, the victims groups started murmuring about aggravated or exemplary damages. This call was amplified by Fine Gael's Alan Shatter when he indicated he might vote against the Government if it did not accede to this request.
He raised many Opposition eyebrows, but that was nothing to the consternation which his comments caused among the Government. Neither John Bruton nor anyone else within the Government could hide their sheer anger at what they saw was the stabbing in the back by Shatter.
The pressure on the Government was heightened by a Fianna Fail motion calling for specific action including the granting of exemplary damages, and this was seen as an attempt to "put it up to the Government and particularly Shatter".
We were then treated to the latest revelations that a registered hepatitis C victim recently had been called back by the BTSB to give blood, followed quickly by another such case.
Government deputies could not believe that this catalogue of errors was continuing, and some were beginning to agree with the call then made by Mary Harney for the total disbandment of the board. Others, however, thought she was over the top.
NOONAN, who was formerly seen as a safe pair of hands, has had his image badly tarnished.
He had been seen as an alternative leader of Fine Gael, but unfortunately for him he was handed a poisoned chalice on the formation of this Government. The Government, as expected, capitulated to the call for aggravated damages for the hepatitis C victims.
In this type of election scenario, the rule book goes out the window. Charlie McCreevy wasn't wrong when he said a number of months ago that the sooner the election happens the better, because all demands, no matter how trivial, would be given in to. Not that Drapier wishes to suggest that the demands by the hepatitis C victims are trivial anything but.
The debate was tetchy enough, with both Noonan and Howlin giving muted speeches. Brian Cowen stole the show with a strong performance showing that, even though he is not long enough in the health brief for Fianna Fail, he has read himself well into the issue. Shatter's perceived indiscretion will not be easily forgotten or forgiven.
The atmosphere in here this week was totally electoral. Fianna Fail sources were talking up an early May election, and any efforts by the Government parties to damp this down were falling on deaf ears. Drapier touched on Government's electoral prospects last week based on the apparent increased public satisfaction on its performance.
Last week's Sunday Independent poll also made good reading for the Government while its showing for the PDs must have been alarming to them. Their percentage apparently had virtually halved in a relatively short time. Some people around the House put it down to the fact that the PDs peaked too early or "blew their cover" on economic matters when they promised £23 million to the group water schemes.
The poll must have made good reading for Fianna Fail which had previously received a reverse in the previous week's Sunday Business Post poll. A number of commentators had thought that Fianna Fail would take drubbing over its stance on abortion but, in a perverse way, its perceived difficulties apparently may have helped the party.
ANOTHER issue with which it seems to be on a winner relates to John O'Donoghue's zero tolerance on crime. The confrontation with the Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne on this issue must have been manna from Heaven to Fianna Fail.
Government deputies were envious that this "yet to be defined" policy struck a chord with virtually every voter. They are aware that the public's reaction to it has been extremely favourable.
Mind you, the zero tolerance crusade has its drawbacks. There was great mirth at the reported difficulties of a Fianna Fail senator. He was apparently stopped for speeding, and the garda was reported to have said to the apologetic senator: "I'll give you zero tolerance," and proceeded to slap a stiff fine on him.
Michael Lowry has now declared himself to be an Independent candidate for the forthcoming election. His interview on the date of declaration must have made John Bruton and Co cringe by pledging his loyalty to Fine Gael.
Fine Gael had endeavoured to distance itself from him but he isn't letting go. Some people would see these moves as just a charade, but we won't really know until the campaign starts, to see whether Fine Gael headquarters has its heart in a fight.
Drapier heard an interview with a representative of a child care organisation berating Government deputies for not turning up to a briefing in a hotel near the Dail. While Drapier appreciates that all these organisations (and there are hundreds of them) feel that theirs is the most important, Drapier asks them to accept that it is virtually impossible for all deputies to get to all these briefing sessions, which seem to be becoming more and more frequent by the day.
Hardly a Dail day goes by without us being summoned to a briefing session for one reason or another sometimes in a far flung hotel well away from the House. Between the many committees and commitments in the Dail precincts, not to mention the heavy hand of the party whips, Drapier would ask that these groups do not hold it against Oireachtas members if they do not always turn up in huge numbers.
Last word must go to any aspiring political litigants. Experience shows time and time again that a politician who goes to court is in a no win situation no matter what result, but this doesn't seem to deter at least some of Drapier's colleagues. Those who may have allowed themselves a snigger at Albert Reynolds's travails may now understand how he felt then.