THE big political loser of the year was, of course, Michael Lowry. The minister who had pledged to take on the "cosy cartels" resigned after the revelation that Dunnes Stores had paid £208,000 towards the refurbishment of his house.

And most of the political parties also lost in the fall out, although the PDs emerged unscathed and seemed to make some gains in the polls. Goodness knows what will emerge when parts of the Price Waterhouse (aka Price Slaughterhouse) report is published.

The big winner in all this, of course, was Alan Dukes, rescued from the political wilderness. The only question now is whether he will have time to put a mark on his brief before the election?