The Oireachtas syndicate which owns the promising but infrequently successful Arctic Copper has taken some collateral damage arising from the Flood tribunal this week.
The equine obsessions of the Mayo building duo, Brennan and McGowan, have put extra pressure on the syndicate, which proudly boasts no socialists and no women.
Why are colleagues in here losing money on Arctic Copper if Mr Brennan's betting nous could provide such a nice little earner for George Redmond over such a long period? Syndicate members now get e-mails from party colleagues requesting them to "stick a George Redmond on it for me". This is believed to mean that there is no risk to the punter, a phenomenon unknown in here. Well almost.
Creeping Jesuses is another phenomenon which has caused some puzzlement. By comparison, left-wing pinkos is seen as typical Charlie McCreevy blather and has gone largely unremarked on. Connoisseurs of this kind of thing believe the Finance Minister had the bearded ESRI economist John FitzGerald in his sights.
Some of his officials are discomfited by the Minister's outburst because FitzGerald is the only economist known to have made a useful stab at predicting the economic boom. Therefore, when he warns about the dangers inherent in McCreevy's fiscal incontinence, it might be prudent at least to stay quiet.
This, however, is not Champagne Charlie's way and admirers say the intended slur was to cover everyone from Michael Noonan across to Father Sean Healy. An Oxford expert told Liveline that a "creeping Jesus" was a "begrudger, a loser". This is not at all typical Bertie-speak. Even while abroad, as is widely known, Bertie Ahern is a daily Massgoer during Lent. It is surprising that he should be the author of such a blasphemous put-down.
It is especially surprising since his predecessor, Albert Reynolds, paid such a heavy price for his "crap" outburst during the 1992 general election. Baring his teeth is usually no part of the public persona of our Taoiseach.
The conjunction of unfortunate epithets from the Taoiseach and his Finance Minister conveys a certain petulance if not intolerance of criticism. It happens to be true the champagne is not flowing for everyone. Is Fianna Fail growing aloof in government from the "creeping Jesuses" in our society? There are other huge problems that cannot be wished away - housing, transport and health.
Drapier must confess that he has not read the new Labour health document, "Curing Our Ills", advocating, apparently, health insurance for all. Skulking away in the library, however, is not always the best way to assess political reaction. Comment in the bar can be far more revelatory concerning a political initiative.
"Get out press statements saying that Labour wants to close your local district hospital and then quietly start to implement Labour policy before the general election," was the succinct summary of one Fianna Fail backbencher.
It may be that Liz McManus and Labour have hit the jackpot on an issue which is beginning to ruffle the customarily smooth Micheal Martin. Certainly, the dauphin, as Ruairi Quinn calls him, was badly mauled by an animated Eamon Dunphy on Questions and Answers on the haemophiliacs controversy.
Michael Noonan, if he was watching, must have allowed himself a knowing grimace. What goes round, comes round.
ANOTHER Minister in trouble is Mary O'Rourke, who normally leads a charmed life. However, she can no longer avoid the traffic chaos and public transport policy disarray which threatens to become her political graveyard.
When Mary O'Rourke, who normally does her own soliciting of journalists and radio and television producers, is "not available" for Prime Time and Saturday View, one can conclude that reality has dawned.
The more successful we have become, the more we expect to take for granted a government which can keep the traffic flowing and the mortgages and hospital beds accessible.
None of these is happening under this Government and time and excuses are running out. If the champagne times are here, why can't we get from A to B without stomach ulcers, why are the hospital queues lengthening and why can't two young schoolteachers afford a home?
The major impact of the Bacon report has been, as Prime Time showed all too graphically, to drive private rents sky high.
Noel Dempsey cannot hide for much longer behind Bacon and, given the normal time lapse between conception and implementation, the situation seems to be out of control. His long-awaited Planning Bill has finally started committee stage but offers no immediate relief.
Drapier was amused to watch the needle between the usually mild-mannered Eamon Gilmore and the truculent Alan Dukes. Dukes's tendency to patronise is clearly more than Gilmore can stomach.
The splendid Seven Ages series has ended, not on a high note as was expected, but rather fizzled out. With Paddy Hillery, Garret FitzGerald and others striving hard to use their analytical tools impartially, it was remarkable to watch the old poseur of Kinsealy acting to the very end. Remarkable though the series undoubtedly was, it did not admit of the existence of a labour movement.
Young Jim Larkin featured, but only as a brief commentator on Sean Lemass. The series was entirely within the nationalist paradigm, marking the progress and performance of the old Sinn Fein splinters, Fine Gael and its antecedents and Fianna Fail.
An incongruous reference to the Brendan Corish Labour Party in the penultimate programme gave the appearance of being an afterthought.
Too much of the late 1960s-early 1970s were treated as an internal dispute in Fianna Fail. For all of that, the technique was innovatory, some of the old footage enthralling and the impact dramatic.
The James Flynn Taxing Master controversy has not gone away. Ruairi Quinn drew blood during the week when Bertie admitted the correspondence was not laid in the library. Where is the apology? Drapier thinks Mr Justice Flood may yet have the last laugh on his wordy critics.