The gradual metamorphosis of Ms Beverley Flynn from active predator into hapless victim has been a sight to behold. It is hard to reconcile the character who went before her Fianna Fáil parliamentary colleagues yesterday and pleaded she was being scapegoated because of her actions as an official at National Irish Bank and the TD who, full of righteous indignation, instituted libel proceedings against RTÉ five years ago for daring to suggest she had engaged in those same activities.
Had Ms Flynn won her case, she would be significantly better off financially. But she lost. And she is now looking for understanding and forgiveness.
Some members of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party had sympathy for Ms Flynn. And they gave her a hearing, just as they had done three years ago, before they voted for the second time to remove the whip from her. The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, was the opening speaker to the disciplinary motion. And there never was any question about the outcome. With a Cabinet reshuffle due to take place after the local and European Parliament elections in June, members of the Dáil and Seanad were on their best behaviour.
Discipline may not be so tight when the national executive of Fianna Fáil meets on Friday to consider the more drastic action to expel Ms Flynn from the organisation. The constituency organisation in Mayo supported her. And members of the national executive have been lobbied in her favour. But the expulsion motion is still likely to be carried by the required two-thirds majority.
The Taoiseach appears determined to make a clean cut. With elections pending, he does not want ethical and taxation issues to dominate the headlines. Mr Ahern's own uncertain performance before the Mahon tribunal was something of a shambles. And so he has apparently opted to show vigorous and decisive leadership. On the last occasion, Ms Flynn was allowed to retain Fianna Fáil membership and she secured nomination as a party candidate before being accepted back into the parliamentary party. This time, the back door is being bricked up. Evading tax, or facilitating tax evasion, is in the process of becoming a sackable offence in Fianna Fáil. And about time too.
Many of the arguments put forward by Ms Flynn in her defence are risible. As an adult citizen, she was responsible for her actions, no matter what tax culture existed within National Irish Bank.
But her treatment is harsher than that previously meted out to other party members, such as Mr Denis Foley and Mr Ray Burke. In that regard, Mr Michael Collins TD was found to have evaded tax and to have made a voluntary settlement with the Revenue Commissioners last year. He is still a member of Fianna Fáil, though he resigned from the parliamentary party.
If the Taoiseach is to be consistent in his treatment of such offences, Mr Collins must also lose his party membership.