Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said yesterday he has never watched the interview he gave to RTÉ's Brian Dobson after revelations that he accepted cash donations from friends in Dublin and businessmen in Manchester in the early 1990s while he was minister for finance.
"To be honest I never watched the thing back. I never do with these things, because what's the point? You do it and you do it. I think I got on the front pages of the newspapers for about 12 days on the trot. No other matter in the world was more important than that, God help us," he said.
In the interview carried out from his St Luke's constituency office last September, Mr Ahern admitted that he had financial difficulties after the break-up of his marriage in the late 1980s and accepted loans from friends. The interview was later credited with helping him win public sympathy.
"When it comes down to a world news story or a big Irish success story, or a bit of gossip or scandal, I'll tell you which one will always win in this country and I don't think it will change. In fact I think we will just get worse every year."
Interviewed by Ray D'Arcy on Today FM, Mr Ahern denied that he owed the Government's success to the weakness of Fine Gael, Labour and the Greens and said in fact that "the Opposition is very strong".
Mr Ahern said Fianna Fáil will focus on the future in the forthcoming general election campaign and said it will build on what it has achieved.
"It's in the hands of the public. In a democracy the people have the final say. Everybody in politics knows that and has to accept it. I like to win but we'll have to see. I've fought a lot of elections, general elections and local elections, and you learn to accept the ups and down."
In relation to recent job losses Mr Ahern said 87,000 jobs had been created in 2006 and 20,000 lost - and he expected the same to happen this year.
Asked about removing VAT of 21 per cent on condoms he said: "Condoms are a public health issue, but if you remove VAT from them, do you remove it from other public health products. But it is being looked at by the Department of Finance and Health Minister Mary Harney."
He admitted that the Port Tunnel should have been finished a few years ago and stressed that the National Development Plan goes up to 2016. "After that I'm out of here. It'll be all right until 2016," he added.
Mr Ahern said he was surprised by the cheers prompted by his peck on the cheek for President Mary McAleese before the Ireland versus England rugby international at Croke Park. He said there was an eerie silence in the stadium at the time because tension was building up to the playing of the English anthem.
"It was a great day. The game was shown all over Europe and beyond. I think the country did itself proud on that day."
Mr Ahern said he sometimes gets nervous before big speeches like the one he will make at the influential Foreign Relations Committee in Washington this week. "It's a bit daunting. This is something that Bush would do, Clinton would do, Kofi Annan would do," he said.