DRAPIER is going to put first things first. The European presidency was a great success and reflected enormous credit on all involved. John Bruton played a blinder, Dick Spring was superb, as indeed were all concerned. Drapier says well done.
Things could just as easily have gone wrong and if they had there would be no shortage of knockers, of sneers, of people saying "I told you so".
But when things go right - and spectacularly right as in this case - praise is thin enough and, especially from some of our media gurus, is given reluctantly if at all.
In saying this Drapier is conscious of a sourness among many politicians towards sections of the media - a sense of a persistent anti-politician bias, at times personalised and nasty, often unfair, a willingness to score easy points in the interests of good copy.
But back to the EU presidency It illustrates very vividly for Drapier one of the Albert Reynolds axioms of politics - you get the big things right and it is the small things which trip you up.
And the small things? Well, nobody would put Michael Lowry in this particular category. This saga is one of the big issues of recent times, maybe even a defining one.
But politics is also about people and Michael Lowry has been through the most miserable few weeks of his life, his family have suffered and a once-glittering future has a sombre uncertainty about it this Saturday morning.
And Thursday was sombre. For the first time in the history of the State a TD had to unveil his private business interests to the full glare of the public.
The details have been parsed and analysed elsewhere and for the most part there has been no mercy. Mary Harney in particular acted, as Den is Coghlan noted in this paper yesterday, as if she wanted Lowry's statement written in blood while Michael McDowell was like the cat with the proverbial double cream.
Bertie Ahern's reaction was more studied, more pointed more humane and, in Drapier's view, more effective for all of that. Kicking a person when he is sprawled on the ground is not a pretty sight.
Drapier's view is that Michael Lowry's political future is a matter between himself and the sovereign people of North Tipperary. It is they and they alone, and not the media or parliamentary colleagues, who still elect our TDs. It is up to them to judge him in their way. As they will.
At a financial and business level he faces the full scrutiny and penalties of the Revenue, and they will not be light. At a personal level he has his own trauma and nightmare to handle.
As far as Drapier is concerned that should be enough to be going on with for the present, even for some of the high-flying moral arbiters of the sound waves.
Meanwhile the Electoral Bill takes shape before our eyes. Drapier for one is not happy with the way things are going. Drapier has no doubt what he wants - he wants public funding for parties, he wants it open and all the rest; he wants regulation of private contributions and donations.
But what he doesn't want is legislation enacted in an atmosphere of media hysteria and public unease.
In Drapier's view there has been a good deal of posturing and point-scoring at the expense of the realities. The reality is that State funding of political parties goes back to Eamon de Valera in 1938; the balance has always favoured opposition parties. The new legislation takes this principle a lot further and builds in new safeguards.
As to what constitutes legitimate private funding, Drapier sees problems which need to be teased out. Can parties continue with raffles, bring and buy sales, golf classics and the like? What should be a reasonable limit on a private contribution? What should be disclosed?
Speculation as to the election date is never far away and this week it had a new sharpness, especially with the Government decision to abolish property tax and service charges. If ever there was a case of bad news burying good news, then this was it.
However, despite what others say, Drapier does not see these decisions as in any way bringing the election closer. On the contrary, this Government has a lot of ground to make up and has to get its eye back on the real political ball, all of which needs time.
In addition, the Government at this stage has a legislative programme for the new year as long as Dan Donnelly's arm and - unless events dictate otherwise - Drapier sees few of the ministers of any party in any great rush to the country.
Drapier notes this week that Peadar Clohessy is to join the list of those retiring at the end of this Dail. In Drapier's view Peadar has those rare combination of qualities, great common sense, good judgment and innate decency. Drapier wishes him well in his retirement.
On that note Drapier wishes you all a happy and most of all a quiet Christmas. And just to whet your appetite, next week Drapier will be handing out his annual awards. There is still time to put in your nomination.