Irish Taoiseach Brian Cowen probably hammered right now

Breaking News: The Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of the Republic of Ireland gets drunk. Quite a bit. In fact, he’s probably rat-arsed right now. According, at least, to an alarming exposé by none other than that bastion of journalistic excellence, the Daily Mail:

But a review of Mr Cowen’s public behaviour and his own admissions, coupled with extensive interviews of people who have witnessed the Taoiseach’s excessive consumption, reveals a habit of drinking that has been well known in Leinster House for more than a decade.

This is a man who has designated Wednesday nights as ‘drinking nights’ – when he is able to imbibe heavily because he does not go into the Dáil on Thursdays.

And while Mr Cowen has struggled to avoid being seen inebriated in public, he has the unlimited use of the Dáil’s private bar – making it easy to conceal the true and worrying extent of his consumption.

It is an open secret in the Dáil that at Leader’s Questions, Opposition spokesmen tailor their questions according to whether or not the Taoiseach is hungover. If he has had a particularly heavy night, they try to bait him – leading to the sort of angry outburst from Mr Cowen that they know will guarantee them television exposure.