Always on the look-out for cheerful websites, the Margin came upon the very odd www.grasspoll.com this week. Here, watchers of the US presidential election can assess Bush, McCain and Gore and their ilk from the point of view of how well they tend their lawns.

A joke surely, but online votes are asked that crucial question: "If he can't cut it at home, can we really expect him to cut it on Pennsylvania Avenue?"

Key descriptions such as "Most creative hedging", "Most conservative landscape" and "Most likely to be weeded out" might well describe dastardly political manoeuvres, but "Most likely to go dormant in the fall" is a category for garden lovers only.

The Margin speculates that many an Irish politician would desire the "Most manicured appearance" endorsement of their grass. But there may be no contest in the "Most liberal use of lawn ornaments" competition. Mr Charles J. Haughey, Kinsealy man, is a sure thing there.