Inside Politics:Bertie Ahern continues to baffle friends and foe with his political style. No sooner had he successfully brought the Greens on board in an effort to tweak his Government's image when he threw a lifeline to Beverley Flynn, as if to emphasise his solidarity with the most lurid aspects of Fianna Fáil's recent past, writes Stephen Collins.
It was a gesture of defiance, designed to show everybody, both inside and outside the party, just who is in charge.
The move was deeply resented by many within Fianna Fáil who had battled so hard and so successfully to win the election. This was done in spite of the embarrassments caused by the various tribunals and inquiries of the past decade.
Flynn was supposedly shed by the party as part of the effort to clean up its image, and many were glad to see an end to the family's involvement in Fianna Fáil.
The fact that the Taoiseach chose to offer her an olive branch, despite his three-party coalition's secure majority and his deal with three Independents, has infuriated many of his own supporters.
"This is a slap in the face to us after the way we put him back into power, but he obviously doesn't care how we feel. I don't mind him rubbing the noses of the Opposition in it after the election, but he is treating us with contempt as well," said one backbencher.
The bottom line is that, having come through the election in such convincing style,
With a little help from the Greens and the PDs, he is back in the Taoiseach's office for the third time in a row.
Enda Kenny and Pat Rabbitte can say what they like, and his own backbenchers can think what they like, but he has his hands on the levers of power.
Maybe he is a little mindful of the disquiet in his own ranks because on Wednesday he emphasised to the Dáil that although he had a formal deal with three Independents, Jackie Healy-Rae, Finian McGrath and Michael Lowry, he had done no deal with Flynn.
Mind you, this flatly contradicted what Flynn herself had said on the day he was elected Taoiseach.
One way or another, the Taoiseach did make a public overture to Flynn just over a week ago, suggesting that she would be welcome back into the party.
"I do hope she returns to Fianna Fáil, and I do believe that she has the potential into the future to be a person that has capabilities of being an officer holder."
He went on to say that she could have a fair expectation of being made a minister in the lifetime of the current Government if her problems with RTÉ could be sorted out.
However, the fact that she has settled her debts with RTÉ arising from her libel case is only a small part of the story.
Much more fundamental is the fact that inspectors appointed by the High Court to investigate the affairs of National Irish Bank found that Flynn had sold offshore life assurance products as a secure investment for "hot" money, thereby facilitating tax evasion by the bank's customers.
The bottom line is that by promoting her readmission to Fianna Fáil, and suggesting she can entertain legitimate hopes of being a junior minister, the Taoiseach is endorsing the standards for which she was condemned in the NIB report, and for which she was originally expelled from the party.
The impact of this on Fianna Fáil at national and local level cannot be ignored.
The suggestion that Flynn is deserving of being a junior minister, while a range of hardworking and decent TDs languish on the backbenches, must be profoundly dispiriting for them and their supporters.
The same thing applies in Mayo where a new Fianna Fáil TD, Dara Calleary, a potential future star in the party, was elected.
Despite the work of the local party organisation, it appears that the Taoiseach would prefer to advance Flynn and all that she represents.
The issue of junior ministers is another on which Mr Ahern also showed scant regard to potential criticism.
The decision to create three extra posts to bring the number of junior ministers to 20 was roundly denounced by the Opposition but it gave the Taoiseach even greater leeway in using his patronage to reward a cross-section of his parliamentary party.
While there was a genuine cross-party welcome for the promotion of capable and popular Fianna Fáil TDs like Pat Carey, Billy Kelleher and Jimmy Devins to the junior ministerial ranks, there is no taking away from the fact that 20 junior ministers is way in excess of the number required, particularly given the fact that many of them never get real designated functions in which they can exercise responsibility.
Richard Bruton of Fine Gael pointed out in the Dáil debate on the legislation that allowed for the increase in the number of junior ministers that over the lifetime of the Government each of them would cost the tax payer an extra €4 million.
The €12 million that would be spent could buy 700,000 home-help hours or provide 23,000 extra families with medical cards.
"I have no objection to the lucky €4 million-men this legislation will create. I am sure many are of estimable character.
"In reality, we are being asked to allocate money which is scarce for other purposes. The reason we have this type of politics goes back to the attitude the Taoiseach has taken. He refuses to set standards, either for himself or his Ministers, and that is a core issue," said Mr Bruton.
Labour's Joan Burton made the point that the responsibilities being allocated to many of the new junior ministers were very vague.
"The Department of Education and Science has five Ministers of State and one Minister. The Department of Health has four Ministers of State and one Minister. The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform kicks in with another four Ministers of State, and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has another four Ministers of State.
"I do not know if the Taoiseach was having a laugh when he provided the Department of Education and Science with five Ministers of State. What is the secretary general to do - order an extra large conference table for the ministerial meeting room? The Minister and the Ministers of State all have advisers, press attaches and personnel to hold their hand and carry out ministerial duties."
Newly-elected Fianna Fáil TD Martin Mansergh made the fair point that while nostalgia had been expressed in the press for more austere days when there was only a handful of parliamentary secretaries, it should be remembered that the last rainbow coalition increased the number of ministers of state to 17, including an extra super-junior who could attend cabinet meetings.
However, that still does not get away from the fact that 20 junior ministers is simply too many. The large number even detracts from the valuable job that some of them actually do. The reason for the extra appointments was to assuage any political problems the Taoiseach might have in Fianna Fáil by putting as many of his TDs as possible into prestige well-paid jobs.
The creation of the new posts was an exercise of patronage, pure and simple. The same applied to the appointment of Labour's Brendan Howlin as Leas Cheann Comhairle.
It was another demonstration by Mr Ahern that he is the master of patronage and power in the 30th Dáil, and will use it in whatever way he deems fit.