“If he had led a successful referendum campaign..”

Hmm.. Not necessarily his “last day in the political sun”, Mick. Irish Eagle spotted the Bloomberg news service coverage of the out-going Taoiseach’s speech.

His speech, before a joint session of Congress at 11 a.m. in Washington, “may be a pitch for a future international role, whether on behalf of the European Union or otherwise,” said Noel Whelan, a former adviser to Ahern’s Fianna Fail party. “Bertie Ahern certainly has the mix of skills that might play in conflict resolution.”

Although it’s worth noting the other quotes in the report

“His name has dropped from the top list of candidates for EU president,” said Antonio Missiroli, chief analyst at the European Policy Centre, a Brussels research institute. “If he had led a successful referendum campaign, that would have given him a better platform. Now he doesn’t have that.”

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