“Enda sounded like Fr Ted trying to explain to a baffled Fr Dougal the difference between “small” and “far away”.”

In the Irish Times, the peerless Miriam Lord on the latest shenanigans in the Dáil

Meanwhile, the saga of the Promiscuous Notes rumbles on.

It was Gerry Adams’s turn this time to wave them provocatively at the Taoiseach.

The Spanish have the right idea, said the Sinn Féin leader. They took the toro pos los cuernos in Europe this week and got themselves a reduction in their budget deficit targets.

“Will the Taoiseach follow the lead of the Spanish government, stand up for the interests of Irish citizens and refuse to pay this promissory note?”

Enda over at him. “I can’t,” he said.

Unlike the Spanish, who are not in a bailout programme, the Irish are on the horns of a dilemma with the troika. We must move carefully. But there is a plan.

Gerry waved the Promiscuous Notes. Óle !

And Enda waved back a fragment of something entirely new, something he said would see our particular economic circumstances “eased”.

What is it?

He twirled “A Flexibility Paper” in front of Deputy Adams.

Óle. 

Yes. We shall fight the Promiscuous Note with a Flexibility Paper.

“When the Deputy refers to the €3.1 billion in respect of the promissory notes, I have already made it perfectly clear that we are not going to raise any undue expectations,” explained Enda.

“A series of difficult, technical and complex negotiations are being held at the initiative of the troika in order to produce a flexibility paper so that this country’s particular economic circumstances could be eased by having the flexibility now available to ESM and EFSF.”

We wish Michael Noonan every good wish in his battle to secure this, but perhaps he is not the right man for the job. When it comes to producing flexibility, Senator Eamon Coghlan seems eminently more qualified.

The former athlete had them doing exercises in the Seanad recently as he continues his crusade to root out indolence in Leinster House.

Furthermore, the Taoiseach explained to Deputy Adams, “Spain is a very big country”.

Ireland, on the other hand, “is small”. Surely Gerry could understand this?

Enda sounded like Fr Ted trying to explain to a baffled Fr Dougal the difference between “small” and “far away”.

Deputy Adams didn’t seem to get it either.

It was a topsy-turvy day.

Well, he is slightly bonkers…  Video from the FatherTedChannel