PD manoeuvres: The Progressive Democrats met twice, on Wednesday night and yesterday morning, to discuss the controversy surrounding the latest revelations involving Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, but remained profoundly silent on the issue yesterday.
There was almost no communication between senior members of the party yesterday afternoon and no official communication between the PDs and Fianna Fáil since before 10.30am yesterday.
With the exception of the Minister for Health and former tánaiste Mary Harney, no PD deputy or Senator made any public comment yesterday.
No PD Oireachtas members were returning telephone calls from journalists, while a spokesman for Tánaiste Michael McDowell issued a terse "no comment" statement yesterday morning. He had turned off his mobile phone yesterday evening and was not returning messages left on his answering machine.
The only official comment from the party was an absolute denial of Mr Ahern's claim yesterday in the Dáil that Ms Harney had been aware about the loans he had received from friends.
The party held an emergency meeting on Wednesday night in Leinster House after revelations about Mr Ahern's house emerged on RTÉ Drivetime earlier that evening.
The meeting was described as "tense". There was a great deal of anger that Mr McDowell and the party had not been informed about the circumstances of Mr Ahern's house purchase on Monday or Tuesday and that it had not been put on to the Dáil record then by Mr Ahern.
The situation was described as "very serious" by senior Progressive Democrats sources, amid reports of some division within the party about the approach that Mr McDowell had taken, specifically the complete endorsement of Mr Ahern on Tuesday evening on the plinth of the Dáil.
There was direct contact that evening between Mr McDowell and Mr Ahern, during which the Tánaiste is believed to have told Mr Ahern that he was unwilling to take order of business in the Dáil yesterday morning, as the Tánaiste usually does, to answer questions on something he knew nothing about. Mr McDowell reported this back to the PD meeting.
There was also contact on Wednesday evening and yesterday morning between the PD whip Liz O'Donnell and Government chief whip Tom Kitt, but there was no resolution. There was further contact between the Tánaiste and Taoiseach yesterday morning, during which there were believed to have been frank and terse exchanges.