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Referendums often bring king-size political headaches to governments – especially the apparently easy and well-intentioned ones.
It would have been worth a surprise win just to see the mask of horror on key Sinn Féin people’s faces as they faced into a snap mid-winter general election caused by their own playing with political fire.
Over 20 years ago, in July 2001 to be precise, Bertie Ahern was on an official visit to Brazil and Argentina and in conversation over a quiet beer with journalists he was asked: “Do you think we’ll be having the same conversation about political deadlock in Northern Ireland 20 years from now?”
It would have been worth a surprise win just to see the mask of horror on key Sinn Féin people’s faces as they faced into a snap mid-winter general election caused by their own playing with political fire.
I was in Paris for a weekend in late March 2004 when Ireland’s smoking ban in all indoor public places – including pubs – kicked in. French friends were flabbergasted at the resultant headline news as the ban totally bucked the stereotypical view of the Irish.