Democratic Left leader Mr Proinsias De Rossa emphasised the risk faced by even a high profile minister who is not visible in his constituency following his 100 vote victory on the 10th count in Dublin North West.
"If you're not visible on the ground every day working on local issues, the electorate will take revenge on you, but I'm proud of the work I've done and the reforms I've made as Minister for Social Welfare," he said after the final post 3 a.m. count brought him in ahead of Fine Gael's Mr Brendan Brady for the last seat.
He said Fianna Fail had specifically targeted his seat and his core vote in Finglas, and his first preference vote had gone down by about 2 per cent compared to 1992.
Six hours earlier, as Mr De Rossa trailed well behind Labour's Ms Roisin Shorthall, the mood in the Democratic Left camp had been gloomy. With considerable grace, Mr De Rossa even agreed to give this newspaper an interview on the basis that he would lose the seat, pledging to remain in politics "to be the scourge of those who murder people in Northern Ireland and abuse the poor and disadvantaged." At this point, the Democratic Left forecast - if outgoing Fine Gael TD Ms Mary Flaherty went out before Mr Brady, its leader would be safe - seemed to be more hope than expectation. In the event, that was what happened.
Why did the poor and disadvantaged of Finglas and Ballymun, who made Mr De Rossa a poll topper in the late 1980s, desert him this time? Independent Labour candidate Dr Bill Tormey suggested three reasons: "He was obliged to sort out social welfare fraud and that went down like a lead balloon with a lot of people who had voted for him in previous elections. He was blamed for the fact that social welfare increases only kept pace with inflation and the Workers' Party still exists on the ground in the constituency and is vitriolic ally against De Rossa."