Last autumn Bertie Ahern purported to reveal all about his personal finances. But new information about extraordinary transactions raises further questions about his money and has caused a crisis for the Fianna Fáil election campaign. But the real corruption in Irish politics is the scale of continuing poverty, the huge waste of public funds and the neglect of important social issues.

The tribunals have revealed evidence of corruption by councillors and senior politicians on a scale unimaginable 15 years ago, with almost all of those implicated or accused being associated with Fianna Fáil. But the real scandal of Irish public life is the scale of poverty and inequality at a time of such spectacular wealth, the massive waste of public funds and the avoidance of real social issues.