Socialist Posing

Bertie Ahern's socialist remark has received saturation coverage in the media, but is a left-leaning government actually what the electorate wants?

"I've no [expletive deleted] idea where it came from,” said one of Fianna Fail's senior backroom strategists of the Taoiseach's conversion to socialism, with the impatience of someone who finds the whole subject an irritation.

“But he's certainly hit on something that worked,” said the advisor, grinning. “It's dominated the agenda since he came out with it.” Others close to the government are sceptical. “Probably based on bad research,” said one source. “Not ...