Dáil Sketch/Marie O'Halloran: "I wouldn't miss it for the world," the Taoiseach told the Dáil on Budget night with apparent enthusiasm. He was speaking about addressing the House the next day on "Santa Cowen's" maiden Budget and appealed for more "constructive" comments than are usually heard on a Thursday.
Thursday duly arrived and deputies on all sides of the House were rather subdued. Maybe it was a muted happiness on the Government benches at the general response to the Budget, and tiredness on the Opposition side that none of the mud of their criticisms was sticking.
When it came to being constructive, the Taoiseach was certainly that. He heaped praise on the former and current Minister for Finance, on the "inspiring" Budget, on the Government, on the public finances. He never mentioned the "S" word, but there were several subtle references to ideologies and their more successful hybrids.
"There is no credible alternative foreign model to the hybrid one that we have developed here in recent years, tailored to the needs of our particular situation".
However, the S-word, was mentioned by most other speakers, especially Socialist Party TD Mr Joe Higgins.
He noted the Taoiseach had been out "throwing shapes" at the tax-dodging millionaires, announ-cing a review of tax relief schemes just hours after he had waved them on with their activities for another 12 months.
He asked would it include "those multi-millionaires who jet and helicopter their way from tax exile to tug the Taoiseach's sleeve, when, like an Arabian prince, he sets up his tent at the Galway Races each year".
The Taoiseach was like a "born-again evangelical" who "cannot hide his new-found light under a bushel."
But Mr Higgins believed it was merely a "walk on the wild side" for the Taoiseach who had taken "temporary flight" from the reality of the Government's role to keep the State as a safe haven for multinationals, and to take the crumbs from their table to distribute to the "huddled masses".
Mr Higgins had a lesson for the Taoiseach, recommending a "simple but illuminating pamphlet" by James Connolly entitled Socialism Made Easy.
Its thesis was that "workers do not want the crumbs, they want the bakery so that its produce can be equally available and used for the benefit of all".