Taoiseach Bertie Ahern last night won a vote of confidence in the Dáil, despite Fine Gael and Labour's decision to mount a challenge over the veracity of his evidence before the Mahon tribunal.
Fianna Fáil, Progressive Democrat and Green TDs supported a Government motion expressing confidence in Mr Ahern by 81 votes to 76 when the question was put to a vote shortly before 9pm last night.
However, it emerged later that Green Party leader John Gormley had been unhappy with the original wording because it had not displayed support for the Mahon tribunal.
Insisting that it be changed so that the Dáil could "affirm its confidence" in the tribunal's work, Mr Gormley later expressed support for the Government, but failed to do so specifically in Mr Ahern. The original motion affirmed confidence in Mr Ahern and the Government and recognised the "enormous contribution" made by him on Northern Ireland, the economy, social partnership and the State's infrastructure.
Drawn up by Fianna Fáil, it recalled that the Mahon tribunal was established by the Oireachtas and said that the Oireachtas "should not seek to predetermine the tribunal's report on the matters which it has asked the tribunal to investigate".
Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan was forced to quit a Brussels meeting early to return in time for the vote, following Fine Gael's decision to withdraw all pairs.
However, Fianna Fáil TD Ned O'Keeffe, who has often had a difficult relationship with the Taoiseach, missed the vote and was absent without leave, according to party sources.
Defending his tribunal testimony, Mr Ahern said: "I have given my evidence as honestly as I can and to the best of my ability. The human mind makes mistakes of recollections, forgets details and mingles events. That is life."
Mr Ahern's speech was greeted with polite, but hardly enthusiastic, applause by Fianna Fáil TDs, although many were absent for most, if not all, of the debate.
He was never accompanied by more than four ministers at any one time, while the Fianna Fáil backbenches were only occupied in anticipation of the speech from Minister for Finance Brian Cowen.
Using tough and uncompromising language, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny openly doubted that the Manchester dinner - where Mr Ahern has said he was given stg£8,000, or the so-called "dig-out" payments - ever happened.
"In my view, in my opinion, they're fictitious. Complicated stories, part of a web of complicated stories designed to mask hard facts, constructed stories to fit known facts," he declared.
"The scale may well be different from that of Mr Charles Haughey. But scale does not alter standards. It may well have happened at a time of change for the Taoiseach. But circumstances do not alter standards," said Mr Kenny.
Broadening his attack, he said the public should be concerned about the affair because efforts to have a better, more honest society should always be led by the Taoiseach. "But that is now an impossibility," he noted.
Equally disbelieving of Mr Ahern's version of events, Labour leader Eamon Gilmore said the Irish public would always insist on fair play, but he said they do "not believe the bizarre and shifting tales that have been offered". However, Mr Cowen said the Opposition had decided to turn on Mr Ahern because they believed it was politically advantageous, whereas they had decided the other way before the election.
Calling for the tribunal to be allowed finish its work, Mr Cowen, to cheers from Fianna Fáil backbenchers, charged: "This is not about political integrity. The tribunal will be the arbiter, unless we are to have arbitrary justice."
The closeness of the result is explained by the absence of a number of Government Ministers on official business, who were refused pairs by Fine Gael.
Newly elected Tipperary South TD Martin Mansergh described Mr Ahern as "the most successful Taoiseach this country has ever had". He added that Mr Ahern was "motivated by public interest and dealing with fairness, integrity, an even temperament and, above all, a basic decency".
