Liam Lawlor dominated the week and no doubt will continue to do so for many weeks to come. One of the few certainties about Liam Lawlor is that he rarely does the expected and is hardly likely to start now. The quiet life has never been high on his agenda. This saga will run and run.
But before looking at the issues, Drapier felt there was an almost obscene element of overkill in much of the media coverage of his jailing. Drapier is not referring to the issues, or the analysis of Mr Justice Smyth's trenchant decision or, indeed, to the coverage of the political fallout. All of that was fair and legitimate, but the prurient, gloating tone adopted by so many in the media was not, RTE being probably the worst offender. Apart, that is, from the Irish Mirror.
Liam Lawlor is a human being with a family who care about him. He has a case and many more questions to answer. His reputation is in tatters, his name disgraced. His political career is over and he is almost certainly a commercial pariah from now on.
But it is always ugly to see a mob in full pursuit. And that's what we saw this week as the edia, hunting as a pack, salivating at the prospect of blood, hounded him. Indeed, the fact that he did not oblige by becoming part of this circus in itself became a source of grievance. There was a tone of petulance from some of the television reporters when he did not turn up to be interviewed by them outside Mountjoy Jail. And how dare he not return media calls as he prepared for jail?
His failure to submit himself to the hunting pack became a story in itself - and for some an even greater offence than that for which he was jailed.
Drapier accepts that the jailing of Liam Lawlor was warranted; he applauds the clarity and vigour of Mr Justice Smyth's judgment and he knows the decision was a popular one.
As to the political consequences, Drapier sees a great deal of shadow-boxing going on. Bertie Ahern as usual waffled and weaved, declining to make the clear and straightforward judgment required of him. Dermot Ahern, not for the first time, supplied the missing lines.
As for the removal of Liam Lawlor from the Dail committees, it's a matter of no real consequence, which is probably why the Progressive Democrats chose it as their battle ground. Membership of a committee confers no extra benefit or privilege - most of us are members of two or three committees and see it as part of the work we do. Apart from Jim Mitchell's Public Accounts Committee we rarely get a line of coverage and most voters are unaware of what we do.
So removing Liam Lawlor makes no difference. Bertie Ahern saw that and moved in to head off the possibility of the PDs supporting John Bruton's motion. It was not an issue worth causing tensions in Government or letting the PDs off on a moral solo run. So on this one at least Bertie Ahern moved in quickly to nip potential trouble in the bud.
There may well be a case for asking Liam Lawlor to resign from the Dail. In some other countries he would have done so already. Ray Burke had no hesitation in so doing. Kevin Boland, for very different reasons and in different circumstances, did so. But it is a short list and Liam Lawlor has never been the resigning type.
As for the talk of the Dail suspending Liam Lawlor, our Constitution was framed in the 1930s and sets out to protect the right of the elected member to attend and vote. It asserts the paramount nature of that right and the security of tenure which an election alone confers on a member.
There is simply no constitutional way Dail Eireann can expel one of its members on a permanent basis. Drapier has studied a series of expensive legal opinions on this and has read and reread the late John Kelly's book, The Irish Constitution, and the message is the same. Any attempt by the Dail to expel a member would end up in the Supreme Court with no certainty the expulsion would be upheld. And remember, the Dail can discipline its members only for offences committed within the Dail itself.
Of course there may well be a motion calling on the Dail to condemn Liam Lawlor and asking him to resign. If such a motion is put down it may well be carried. But it will have no legal sanction. The final decision will still rest with Liam Lawlor. The priority now is to get Liam Lawlor back into the tribunal. What he has to say in there is central to its work in determining the facts, in verifying or disproving many of the rumours we have heard and in piecing together the jigsaw of corruption that characterised some of the activities of the old Dublin County Council.
If we want to do what is in the best interests of the public good, then a chastened and compliant Liam Lawlor is a valuable asset. If we want to indulge in a feeding frenzy of recrimination and self-righteousness, that's another matter.
Drapier noted a few weeks ago the impending crisis in the North. He said then that only the direct intervention of Tony Blair could knock heads together on the outstanding issues. Drapier was not hopeful such an intervention would happen, but now that it has, let us all hope that this festering sore, or indeed series of them, can be lanced. Otherwise the prospect of the entire process breaking down and indeed the prospect of a return to violence of some sort cannot be ruled out. Once again the stakes are high.
Finally, Drapier wants to express his sympathy to the family of the late Dr Yousef Allan, the Palestinian representative in Ireland. Few diplomats have made such impact in Leinster House. His last appearance here was to speak to the Foreign Affairs Committee on the Middle East conflict. As always he was passionate in his presentation, bringing his case to the attention of many people in here - and he did so with consummate skill. On a personal level he was warm, good-humoured and very likeable. He will be much missed by his many friends here.