Dáil Sketch: Fine Gael's Phil Hogan, sitting next to party leader, Enda Kenny, could not contain his glee.
The smile never left his face during Taoiseach's Question Time, as the Dáil resumed following the elections. As director of elections for the European Parliament elections, he had helped deliver a veritable plethora of seats for the party.
He gave an "I told you so" smile in the direction of Tom Parlon, of the PDs, and beamed in the direction of the Taoiseach, who was dealing with a question from Mr Kenny on the OECD report on regulatory reform.
Dispensing with the sartorial colour scheme of the US summit, which attracted so much media attention, Mr Ahern was dressed in a sombre dark suit.
Well, after all, he had indicated to journalists on Monday that he was in mourning for his many colleagues who had lost their seats. The election results, said Mr Kenny, were a "devastating indictment" of the Government. Newly-elected MEPs, Simon Coveney and Gay Mitchell, took their places on the FG frontbench like schoolboys who had passed their examinations with flying colours.
Mr Hogan continued to smile and smile. A tetchy Mr Ahern said that he had worked all his political career to bring the country up off its knees.
Earlier, backbenchers, interviewed in Kildare Street, had called for a more humane approach by the Cabinet to various issues.
Fianna Fáil was determined to put on a good front when the House began its business at 2.30 p.m. A number of Ministers flanked the Taoiseach, and there was a strong turnout of backbenchers.
Noting this, Mr Kenny observed: "I see an unusually large attendance of backbenchers to listen to the Taoiseach today. Obviously, the word is out."
Fianna Fáil backbencher Charlie O'Connor remarked: "We are always here."
Mr Kenny said that it was a case of back to reality with a bang.
Later, Mr Ahern, concluding his business in the chamber, left for a meeting of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party for another reality check.
