So it’s July 2008. Yes the economy is showing big signs of trouble. Unemployment is rising and the public finances need major corrective action. And at this point Anglo Irish Bank is showing serious signs of trouble.

And what happens? Well the Taoiseach Brian Cowen goes golfing, with his buddies from Anglo – Seán Fitzpatrick, Fintan Drury, and a few others. And sure with all these people there from the big bank that was in a bit of strife and about to cause a lot of strife for the Irish people, then you would discuss banking? No, it never came up, not once: they just talked about unemployment and if these guys had any ideas on that. Well as it turned out they had plenty of ideas as Anglo is substantially to blame for the unemployment that followed for so many Irish people.

What’s also hard to believe is that nobody on the banking inquiry thought to ask Brian Cowen about the golf balls. We’ve heard how Anglo had thousands of branded golf balls in the bank. But nobody thought to ask Brian Cowen if it was those branded golf balls used on the course that day? Sure it’s the usual forensic examination of witnesses by the members of the banking inquiry.

Brian Cowen told the inquiry that the last time he had dinner with some executives of the bank (April 2008 when he was Minister for Finance), again they didn’t talk banking as it was only a social event. Strange as the details emerging then about the carry on in the bank, and that its share price was tumbling.

But then again why are we surprised? Sure for the four years that Brian Cowen was Minister for Finance he only had two meetings with the Financial Regulator.

Banking on those seats...

Labour’s chances of having enough seats in the next Dáil to play a role in Government have been dealt another blow. The Parliamentary Labour Party chairman, Jack Wall, is the latest to reveal he won’t be contesting the next election.

The party could still of course have a seat after the election in Kildare South, but the chances have to be diminished with his departure. Earlier former leader Pat Rabbitte ended months of speculation about his future and said he too would not contest Dublin South West. A private poll had shown he would take a seat in the constituency – the chances of Labour having a representative in that constituency are now diminished by his departure.

And the decisions of other former leaders – Eamon Gilmore and Ruairi Quinn – also not to contest are a couple of more bankable seats that will probably not now go Labour’s way.

And at the same time as Labour has to deal with the exodus of people not putting themselves before the electorate they also have to deal with the party’s chief whip telling a constituent he doesn’t really agree to cuts to lone parent family allowances, while at the same time whipping people into voting for it.

Looking for a bit of daytime fun...

So Friday afternoon and a tweet from a junior minister sets lots of tongues wagging.

Ah now here.... pic.twitter.com/vFNRZc60t8

— Aodhán Ó Ríordáin TD (@AodhanORiordain) July 10, 2015

Despite the tweet, no Aodhán O’Riordáin was not on the ‘tinder’ app. Tinder is some sort of dating website, but many say it’s more for some sort of random hook-ups. He wasn’t bored in his office of a Friday, and wasn’t calling himself Paul. Instead it was some imposter using a picture of the minister and calling himself Paul.

While it wasn’t an afternoon of fun for the junior minister, the rest of us - including his office colleagues - got a giggle out of it.