So, just where does everyone stand in the great immigration row? It's one of the strange things about politics that if anyone said even a year ago immigration would be one of the hottest topics in Irish politics, we would have shaken our heads in disbelief. But it has happened, and already there are some winners and some casualties.
The main winner in the controversy has been the issue itself. A reluctant and unenthusiastic Government has been forced to confront the issue head on, and more has been achieved in the past two weeks than in the previous two years, or indeed 20 years.
Does that make Liz O'Donnell the real winner? Not quite. Liz was doing very well until Wednesday, giving the impression of rugged independence in the face of a reactionary and uncaring Minister, of somebody forcing the Government to face up to its responsibilities.
That impression was dented, if not damaged, by a bad Dail performance on Wednesday night.
Liz is not one of the best Dail performers at the best of times and on Wednesday she was below even her own par.
It was a climbdown, not as humiliating as Ruairi Quinn suggested, but a climbdown none theless, larded with fulsome tributes to John O'Donoghue. Liz is not accustomed to sackcloth and ashes, so just how long this phase will last nobody can tell. But Drapier would not put any bet on it lasting too long.
Nonetheless, Liz can say she put the issue on the agenda and in the process highlighted the PDs' distinctive identity, even if it has seriously eroded goodwill between sections of the Government parties.
And what of the other catalyst? Ivor Callely is a populist, a brash one at that, no baby ever left unkissed, no local cause unattended to. He took a hammering for what he had to say, but not from his own supporters, not from any of his party colleagues or, indeed, from his party leader.
Ivor was made into something of a pariah in certain quarters last weekend, but that won't bother him too much, and in many ways it's no harm to have his point of view articulated in public. At the very least it helped move the debate on.
What of the man in the eye of the storm, John O'Donoghue?
When in opposition John never used one barrel where two would do. His attacks on Nora Owen, carefully crafted by gallowglasses from the Four Courts, were generally over the top and he had a plentiful supply of outrage on tap.
Now he is learning that as Minister for Justice you are only as good as the latest crisis in your Department. Being a reforming minister, as indeed John O'Donoghue is, cuts little ice with any opposition or indeed with the public. John O'Donoghue seems genuinely surprised that this is so, amazed that anyone should question his bona fides or doubt his commitment. Nora Owen used to feel the same way. It goes with the job. And it doesn't get any better.
That said, John O'Donoghue has been putting in the hours, and getting results in a number of areas. He is lucky that a fair amount of ground work was done in Nora Owen's time, especially in that frenetic period after the Veronica Guerin murder.
But he has also been putting his own stamp on that most difficult of departments. And this week he has come through what promised to be a difficult time relatively unscathed. If anything, his confidence will be boosted both by the apparent capitulation of Liz O'Donnell and by what was a good performance on his own part.
MUCH of the real parliamentary work this week was taking place in the Upper House, though not in the rarefied calm we normally associate with that House. Noel Dempsey's Planning Bill was going through Committee Stage and getting a very thorough parsing and analysing from the senators.
The Bill is one of the most important pieces of legislation this Government has introduced and got a generally good welcome. The debate in the Seanad featured some bravura performances from David Norris, who brought passion and expertise to the discussion.
But it was not a one-man show. Far from it. Noel Dempsey impressed the senators with his grasp of the brief and his willingness to accept amendments. Fintan Coogan was also impressive, showing great common sense, a good grasp of detail and plenty of evidence of hard preparatory work.
Others to catch Drapier's eye in what has been the best Committee Stage debate in either House this year included Brendan Ryan, Feargal Quinn, Mary Henry and Jim Walsh.
The whole effect, however, was spoiled somewhat by Noel Dempsey's attempt to steamroll the "social housing" sections through the House with an all-night sitting on Wednesday. All-night sittings are normally reserved for some sort of national emergency, and there was no such emergency in sight on Wednesday. Noel Dempsey simply wanted to get it out of the Seanad as quickly as possible.
It was an ill-judged piece of authoritarianism which got up the noses of all sides, and Noel Dempsey is not the first and won't be the last minister to discover that the Houses of the Oireachtas dislike being treated in a cavalier way and resent being seen as there to suit the convenience of the Minister.
The result was some very unseemly behaviour, a series of votes and ultimately a climb down by the Minister, even if Donie Cassidy put a brave face on it by calling it a "compromise".
It was a pity, and soured the atmosphere somewhat, but at least the Bill will be well aired and well examined before it reaches the Dail after Christmas.
Finally this week another senior figure has decided not to stand at the next election. Sean Barrett's decision came as a surprise to many, but not to those who have been close to him.
The reasons are straightforward. After more than 20 years of elected politics it's time to move on while there is still time. Sean is still young enough and talented enough to do other things and after a hard slog would probably enjoy the privacy of normal life.
He will be a huge loss to Fine Gael. One of the party's best vote-getters, he has enormous common sense and a sharp no-nonsense mind. John Bruton, in particular, will miss him, but he has announced his decision in good time for Fine Gael to make plans. Dun Laoghaire without David Andrews and Sean Barrett will not be the same, but, as they say, sic transit and all that.
Already the speculation has started, but the most likely Fine Gael front-runner will probably be Liam Cosgrave. He stood down last time to allow a clear run to Sean Barrett and Monica Barnes, but now with Barrett out and Monica Barnes likely to follow suit he would be the obvious front-runner. The Cosgrave name still carries plenty of clout in the borough.