There is a growing sense of public anger about the series of payments by Dunnes Stores to Mr Michael Lowry and a former senior figure in Fianna Fail. Yesterday's Dail debate did little to alleviate it or to dispel the air of paralysis surrounding the Government. Rumours abound that other figures are implicated. Honest politicians are smeared. Straight-dealing business people are associated with reprehensible practices.
All of this is contributing to something more than the usual public cynicism about politics and politicians; and where they interact with business and business people. There is a sense of unease that what has been revealed to date may be but the tip of an iceberg, that the political system - and, more pertinently the relationship between politics and business - is deeply compromised.
To its great shame, the Government appears complacent about what may yet turn out to be one of the murkiest set of arrangements which has ever been exposed in Irish public life. The performance of the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, has been especially lamentable; he is vulnerable to the charge that he has allowed his judgment to be coloured by his high personal regard for Mr Lowry. Mr Bruton and his senior colleagues still appear intent on portraying the former Minister as some kind of hapless victim. The Taoiseach has not expressed the mildest note of censure or concern; indeed he has still to acknowledge that Mr Lowry transgressed in any way.
The Government's approach to the Price Waterhouse report is bizarre. Here is a report by a leading professional company which details a series of what might charitably be described as unorthodox payments from one of Ireland's largest private companies, Dunnes Stores, to a range of people in public life. A vigilant and concerned Government would have taken immediate steps to secure this report and make it available to the relevant authorities. There is no shortage of legal powers available to do so. No later than Saturday, having spoken to Mr Lowry, the Taoiseach should have arranged, through the proper channels, for the Revenue Commissioners to be made aware of developments in order to secure the document.
Instead, up to last night, it appears that nobody in authority had seen it. Dunnes Stores, to their credit, have declared their willingness to assist the Revenue although the statement issued by the company stops well short of offering to hand the report over. Fianna Fail's approach in demanding its immediate publication - notwithstanding the skeletons in its own cupboard - is the correct one. As this newspaper reported yesterday, a former Fianna Fail Minister is identified in the report as receiving more than one million pounds. The imagination only boggles as to what the circumstances could have been.
The proposal by Ms Mary Harney that a High Court Inspector should be appointed to trawl over the whole messy business also has much to recommend it and represents one of the most useful contributions during yesterday's proceedings in the house. The current state of affairs, with confidence in the political process being steadily undermined cannot be allowed to fester.