ONLY nine days to polling day and, with the sun shining and floating voters lolling on their doorsteps, there is nowhere a nervous politician wants to be less than in a smokefilled room in Liberty Hall.
Yet there was a good turnout yesterday for a meeting of the Dublin Citywide anti drugs campaign, which invited politicians to explain themselves to activists from the antidrugs organisations.
Almost all the politicians were late to arrive and keen to get away, none more so than the Minister of State, Pat Rabbitte, of Democratic Left. However, the running Rabbitte had something none of the rest could offer, an announcement at Cabinet had just approved funds for new community projects in Crumlin, Dun Laoghaire, and - as luck would have it - his own constituency area of Tallaght.
He said plans for funding more projects in Clondalkin, Ballymun and Blanchardstown were being considered and these would be "turned around at the next Cabinet meeting" (i.e. June 4th).
One participant asked about FF/PD plans to limit public spending. Would that mean less money for drug treatment programmes? "No", said Progressive Democrats councillor Catherine Quinn. Her party had "no proposal to, row back on any of the funding".
"Well, if you have it from the PDs, you'll have to have it from Fianna Fail", Mr Brian Lenihan said.