When the Coalition's future hung on a word

Dail Sketch: The PDs have been through a lot already, what with the Taoiseach's conversion to socialism. But when Bertie Ahern appeared to signal another major policy shift yesterday during Leaders' Questions, you could tell Mary Harney was not happy.

Pressed by Trevor Sargent about Fianna Fáil's attitude to "bribery, corruption and bad planning", Mr Ahern outlined his position in admirably frank terms. "I never condemn wrongdoing in any area."

There was a sharp intake of breath in the chamber. The Tánaiste didn't blink, but it was immediately clear she would have a big problem with the Taoiseach's new policy on wrongdoing. Whatever about the socialism, she could never sell this one to the PD grassroots - never mind the Minister for Justice. There were no two ways about it. She would have to break with FF and precipitate a general election.

Unless . . . Was it possible the Taoiseach had used the wrong C-word? Perhaps more in hope than expectation, she prompted him: "Condone."

There was a brief silence. "Condone," echoed the Taoiseach. "I never condone wrongdoing." Relief surged through the Government benches.

But Mr Ahern's U-turn only encouraged Trevor Sargent, who had forced the temporary crisis between the Coalition partners by inquiring if it was something "in the water" that caused amnesia among FF members when questioned about political donations.

Now he set about testing the Taoiseach's revised attitude to illegality and specifically to "white-collar crime". The Green Party leader began by recalling an alleged crime involving his own collar in 1993. Then, he claimed, his questions about donations at Dublin City Council had so enraged a certain Fianna Fáiler that the latter "held me in a headlock".

Although Willie O'Dea quickly identified the headlocker as "Giant Haystacks", it was clear Mr Sargent meant Don Lydon, who with GV Wright has admitted failing to reveal donations to an FF internal inquiry. The inquiry might as well have been searching for a needle in Giant Haystacks.

But Mr Ahern apologised only for the assault. "I am certainly sorry if one of my party members caught Deputy Sargent in a headlock in 1993. If I'd been there I would have stopped him."

For the Opposition, further evidence of white-collar crime emerged in the €1.7 billion annual profit announced yesterday by AIB. Pat Rabbitte asked if it was acceptable for customers to be "milked" for such excessive profits. However, the revolutionary socialists to his left went further. Fine Gael's Dinny McGinley suggested the banks had "fleeced" the consumer. Paul Gogarty of the Greens accused them of "screwing" people. And FG's Michael Ring said they had "robbed their customers for years".

Only one Opposition party failed to join this unseemly heckling. Sinn Féin may have sensed that the issues of banking and robbery were best avoided. Or maybe, like the Taoiseach to Mr Sargent, they were just reluctant to involve themselves in the politics of condemnation.