Nobody shook hands with the elephants

It was easy to tell the experienced councillors from the newbies, writes Brian Byrne. They knew the game. They had their ducks in a row. Agreement as to who would hit which. When. And how.

There was talk beforehand about 'unlikely alliances'. Even that there mightn't be a Mayor elected at the annual meeting of Kildare County Council. But the hands had been shaken long before Friday.

So when well-seasoned Suzanne Doyle nominated her Fianna Fail colleague Fiona O'Loughlin as first Mayor of the new Council, with a record of 'outstanding public service', she could do so with a typical for her sense of confidence. When Fine Gael's Brendan Weld seconded Fiona as someone 'who will provide stability', the deal for the duration was clear. The Civil War is over.

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