They might not launch heaves like they used to, but maybe that’s just as well. Because while Fianna Fáil’s psychodramas may be entertaining to watch for their rivals, they tend not to be very good for the country. In the long run, they tend not to be very good for Fianna Fáil either.

Readers who have clocked up a half century or more will recall the heaves against Charlie Haughey of the early 1980s, which seemed to be the main political business of the country – at a time when the economy was in recession, the public finances were spiralling out of control and Northern Ireland was aflame. (Those of a younger vintage can ask Santa for Eoin O’Malley’s excellent book Charlie vs Garret, or indeed there’s an Inside Politics podcast series you can listen to.)

Having seized the leadership of the party in 1979, Haughey and his party rivals – notably Des O’Malley – fought a series of battles over control of it, and by extension the government. During the period there were three heaves against Haughey, all unsuccessful, and three general elections. And while it may be too simplistic to draw a line between Fianna Fáil’s uncivil wars and the rudderless state of the country at the time, it’s hard to conclude........

© The Irish Times