Dail Sketch/Michael O'Regan: Partnership was in the air yesterday as the Taoiseach trooped into the Dáil after the Cabinet meeting.
First there were opposition questions on social partnership. "We are in the final year of Sustaining Progress, and we will begin negotiations on a successor agreement later in the year," said a confident Mr Ahern.
But what about sustaining the Coalition in the light of the reported tensions over the provision of a second terminal at Dublin airport?
By the time opposition leaders' questions had arrived, Mary Harney was sitting next to the Taoiseach, with other Ministers and a good turnout of backbenchers.
As the opposition speculated on what might have gone on in Cabinet, Fine Gael's Padraic McCormack asked: "Who won?" But the Taoiseach was not prepared to concede that there was a FF-PD battle on the issue, even if Pat Rabbitte outlined a possible scenario.
"As I understand it, the Tánaiste is firmly behind Ryanair and Mr O'Leary," he said. "The Taoiseach, on the other hand, is nodding and winking to the trade unions and his local organisation that he might do this and may well do that and that he could build a third terminal before a second."
All Mr Ahern would say was that they would have the second terminal in "plenty time".
Enda Kenny claimed the hallmark of the Government was "paralysis, incompetence and lack of responsibility".
Mr Ahern, as he always does, stared downwards at his brief, epressionless, while Ms Harney remained impassive.
Mr Rabbitte criticised the Government for failing to provide a Minister for the RTÉ Prime Time programme which, he claimed, exposed "waste nd incompetence like nothing ever seen in the Western orld".
Even Willie O'Dea no longer had time for such media appearances since becoming "the Rommel of South Hill", he said.
Mr Ahern noted that Mr O'Dea was busy on Questions and Answers.
He defended the Government's record on roads.
"We're on the one road . . . the road to God knows where," remarked Mr McCormack.
Mr Ahern and Ms Harney continued to sit tight in the face of the opposition's criticism.
Privately, deputies on all sides believe that whatever might come out of the sky to confront the Government, its state is far from terminal on the airport issue.