This week we were greeted with the news, as if we didn't know already, that politicians are the least favoured profession by the general public. In a recent survey on behalf of medics we were rock bottom, by far, in the popularity stakes. Even the gardai, who we thought were unpopular after the blue flu day, were way ahead.
Pat Rabbitte was heard to wonder whether, in order to become as popular as general practitioners who were at the top of the pile, we should start charging people for entering our clinics. This must have been tongue in cheek - were we to do this we would drop off the scale altogether. We can't win.
While Drapier appreciates he may be accused of self interest in his defence of politicians, he does genuinely feel that politicians are being unfairly represented by the media. He could also be accused of whingeing, but no other profession gets such a constant bombarding from every direction on the airwaves and in print.
And yet, what other profession has assisted more in bringing potential peace to this country by way of the Good Friday agreement. Rather than getting abused, surely those involved should be getting plaudits? Drapier did notice in a recent Sunday paper, where it drew up a list of the 10 most hated people and 10 most loved people in the country, that leading figures like Bertie Ahern and John Bruton found their names in both lists. This defies logic.
Drapier noticed that Dick Spring was decrying the level of legal costs at a recent conference. He said the law must be accessible to the ordinary person at a reasonable cost. Drapier doesn't know if Dick was speaking in response to the recent revelations that his overall costs sought for the Beef Tribunal work was in excess of £1 million. Drapier doesn't think this was a particularly wise move on Dick's part, given that before the last election he was accused of holding back on submitting his costs bill until after the election.
The Luas issue really has grabbed the imagination, at least of the media. Drapier cannot remember another issue gaining such prominence, taking into account the fact that it wouldn't actually be a constant source of discussion among the general public. The political reaction to the proposals has been fairly predictable. The Government must be somewhat satisfied with the fact that they were being castigated from both sides of the equation.
Indeed, the editors of those august journals, The Irish Times and the Irish Independent were diametrically opposed - the Independent coming out in favour of the Government's proposals and this paper coming out against. The debate in the Dail on this issue ended in complete farce with all the dissidents becoming extremely giddy. The opposition accused Mary O'Rourke of not answering the questions and Mary O'Rourke in turn accused the opposition of not allowing her to speak. So much for constructive debate.
Emmet Stagg surprised us all - not least his own Labour colleagues - when he declared categorically to the nation on Morning Ireland that Labour would not enter coalition with Fianna Fail after the next general election if Fianna Fail insisted in supporting the light rail plan as unveiled this week. Emmet was so definite about this on the radio programme that Drapier wondered had there been a meeting of the Labour leaders to approve this stance.
Now Ruairi is doing a Pontius Pilate on Emmet. These firm words from Emmet may come back to haunt him, particularly if he is asked to "take the soup" by becoming a minister in a Labour/ Fianna Fail government after the next election.
Most of the political parties have launched their campaign for the Amsterdam Treaty and the Belfast Agreement. There was a collective sigh of relief when it was learned that the Sinn Fein leadership would be proposing to their organisation that they say Yes, North and South.
This acceptance may very well cause a drift in the opposite direction by the unionist community and this was amplified by the Orange Order's continued refusal to back the agreement. It is generally accepted here that the South will vote overwhelmingly in favour of the peace agreement but that the issue would be much tighter in the North with the nationalist population by and large going for the agreement but with the unionist population severely split.
This, potentially, is the nightmare scenario for the proponents of the agreement. If it were to happen like this it would clearly confirm the suggestion that has been mooted from time to time - that while John Hume and others have led their people, there is no such De Klerk type figures in the unionist community.
It was being suggested that despite the fact that David Trimble and his party are backing the agreement that they did not "lay the ground" and bring their people with them long before Good Friday. The contrast between the two sides is stark.
It was suggested that Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein would have extreme difficulties with their rank and file in relation to changes like Articles 2 and 3. But what has happened is that their leaders have brought their people with them whereas the same cannot be said for David Trimble and others in the DUP.
The other issue down here relating to the Amsterdam Treaty is the fact that virtually nobody, including most politicians know anything about it. Drapier thinks the Government was lucky that it was able to pass the poison chalice of selling the agreement over to the Referendum Commission who, ultimately, will be blamed for not getting the message across to the people.
Drapier notes that some suggestions are gaining momentum to the effect that Pat Rabbitte is about to defect to the Labour Party. Drapier notes that Pat categorically denies this but anyone who is looking at the scene in the Dail day in, day out, cannot but be struck by the lack of cohesion and co-ordination between Rabbitte and his party leader Proinsias De Rossa. There definitely seems to be something going on between the two of them and it may very well emanate from the suggestion by Pat Rabbitte that Democratic Left should merge with Labour.
Drapier has always been of the view that once all the fringe parties have tasted power, they will do anything to get back there - and no doubt Pat Rabbitte, who hasn't been his usual jovial (and cutting) best, is no different.