CAN A sartorial coalition lead to a political one? This was the question on everyone's mind as Fianna Fail's Mary O'Rourke presented Senator John Dardis of the PDs with an award for "Best-Groomed Male Politician".
Not even the blue shirt worn by Mr Dardis could hinder this rapprochement. The award, sponsored by Gillette, was decided by the votes of women TDs and senators. Previous winners include the Tanaiste, Dick Spring, Fianna Fail's Dr James McDaid and Martin Cullen and Fine Gael's Michael Creed.
There is no similar award for women politicians. "We're turning the tables," Ms O'Rourke said. She described Mr Dardis as "an interesting dresser - elegant and restrained". Mr Dardis is a farmer: this occupation was perhaps not known for snappy dressing in the past but obviously times are a changing. "I know a lot of well-turned-out, interesting farmers," Ms O'Rourke said.
Mr Dardis's party leader, Mary Harney, approved of the fact that yesterday's competition was confined to men. If there were prizes for female politicians, "the same women would probably win it every year".
Mr Dardis is chairman of the PDs and Ms Harney claimed that his success proved the party was on a "winning streak" because party colleague Bobby Molloy won a recent Oireachtas golf competition, so "the next one has to be the election next year".
Mr Dardis insisted he has no secret: "I just dress for comfort and try to be neat and obviously it has impressed somebody somewhere."
Ms O'Rourke admitted that in the sartorial stakes male politicians "suffer from the fact that they cannot wear cerise".
Contestants were encouraged to wear Irish-made clothes. "If more and more people can do that, it will mean more employment in the Irish clothing industry which is going through a difficult phase at the moment," she said.
This year's short-list was a closely guarded secret but, when cornered in the nearest underground car-park, top-level sources with the inside track and their finger on the pulse revealed on a strictly non-attributable basis that it included the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications, Michael Lowry, Senator Sean Maloney of Labour, Fianna Fail chief whip Dermot Ahern and the former Fine Gael Tanaiste, Peter Barry.
No more the blue serge suit and the open necked shirt: these days politicians dress for success.