Estimates sketch: Brian Cowen is a large and by all accounts jolly man. But predictions that he would don the Taoiseach's favourite colour and take up residence in a grotto next month appear to have been have been wide of the mark. A socialist Budget? Ho, ho, ho, writes Frank McNally.
Never mind the public finances, however. The most striking feature of his first Estimates presentation was the continuing tight rein on Mr Cowen's personality.
The wise-cracking mimic and raconteur who was for long the stand-up act at the Fianna Fáil Ard-Fheis had to be cut back drastically during his years as an international statesman. But the outlook for 2005 is even grimmer. The more powerful Mr Cowen becomes, it seems, the more strait-laced. So low key was his first major outing as a finance minister, he threatens to make Gordon Brown look flaky.
In fairness, these estimates were not entirely his own. Thanks to last year's introduction of multi-annual funding, some of yesterday's figures were part of the so-called "McCreevy envelope". Mr Cowen was just putting his stamp on the envelope.
He may even get to redesign the envelope before posting it on December 1st. But whatever happens, he will not be addressing it to the North Pole.
It's not that the increases in spending are unimpressive. Health gets a whopping €915 million extra, for example, and the latest allocation means the social welfare budget will have doubled since 1997, in a period when unemployment halved. Even his quiet withdrawal of the Taoiseach's commitment to the UN on Overseas Aid was sugared with a €60 million increase.
But given the buoyancy in exchequer figures, the estimates seemed almost as conservative as the Minister's demeanour.
He spoke early on of the "virtuous economic circle" by which low taxation encouraged wealth creation, which, in turn, allowed spending on the marginalised.
But with this virtuous circle hovering over his head, he also lectured the sinners who saw budgets as "disconnected from the normal day-to-day life of the nation".
The figures were "not solely down to the performance of the Minster for Finance or the Government as a whole".
Having made clear that any shortcomings were beams in the beholders' eyes, he warned of the many dangers to economic performance: "oil prices", "the dollar", "a possible weakening of the US economy". Then, at last, there was a bright note. "Despite these risks," he said, "the economic prospects..." - and here we all moved closer to the edge of our seats - "...are fairly positive".
In terms of excitement, that was the high point of the press conference. Pressed on his caution, Mr Cowen suggested cheerfully that at least it undermined suggestions he was "trying to buy the next election".
Nobody contradicted him, and we left Government Buildings agreeing that if Charlie McCreevy came back now, all would be forgiven.