The quality of Irish politicians

Ruth Dudley Edwards is well worth reading on this, and on Irish society in general:

Taoiseach Brian Cowen, for instance, was a solicitor before inheriting his father's seat at 24; his deputy, Mary Coughlan, was a social worker before succeeding her father at 21; Brian Lenihan, the finance minister, was a barrister who won his father's seat at 37; and while Micheal Martin, now leader of Fianna Fail, became a full-time politician after a year as a teacher.

Now they will get Fine Gael. "Enda Kenny was a schoolteacher for four years before he succeeded his father as a member of the Dail. His party is no more ideological than Fianna Fail, and is similarly awash with teachers and lawyers, but is more middle-class and honest. It has, however, almost no experience of government."

Read the whole piece.

Hm, there people who have spent practically all their adult life in politics. Remind you of anyone?