No wonder Liam Lawlor was reluctant to resign his seat. When he began his speech to the Dail at 6.35 p.m. last night, a TD's salary was a mere £39,184. When he finished at 7.05 p.m., it was a whopping £46,506.
Half-an-hour is a long time in politics, but even so. The dramatic improvement in Mr Lawlor's fortunes had come in the Buckley report on public sector pay. Released at 7 p.m., it could not have been better timed for the beleaguered Dublin West deputy, who had just sat through some savage Opposition criticism.
It could have come at a much better time for the media, which had just sat through some savage criticism from Mr Lawlor. But as a cynical exercise in news management, the publication of such a report on the night of a big Dail debate and the eve of a Fine Gael leadership vote, almost had to be admired.
Fine Gael's Alan Shatter was unaware of the pay increases when he led the debate for the Opposition, proposing Mr Lawlor's resignation. If he had, he might not have begun his speech by saying it was "a sad day for the house". But it was certainly a sad day for Fine Gael.
The benches behind him were largely deserted as the party's polite civil war was fought out elsewhere in the building and beyond. Michael Noonan and Jim Mitchell had not appeared in the chamber all day, and John Bruton quickly left to defend his back, allowing Mr Shatter - who is pledged to vote against him today - to deputise.
Mr Shatter warned Mr Lawlor against making "scattergun" allegations about the Opposition. And for 25 minutes of his speech, the Dublin West TD appeared in no mind to do so. Then the nice, contrite Liam Lawlor disappeared and, like a Mafia assassin in a birthday cake, mean Liam Lawlor suddenly emerged and opened fire on the Opposition benches.
His heavy hints about the questions Fine Gael and Labour would have to answer at the tribunals provoked an apoplectic response from Labour's Sean Ryan. Then the nice Mr Lawlor re-emerged to repeat his apologies and resume his seat. A seat which had appreciated by 19 per cent while he was standing.
