Kicking the habit

George Hook addressed the Fine Gael party in Clare yesterday. The rugby pundit gave Ireland’s second largest parliamentary party a ‘searing’ dressing-room analysis. His motivational talk focused on winning.

‘Losing is a habit, like smoking,’ he told Enda Kenny’s followers. ‘You have to give up losing, one loss at a time.’

At a news conference later Mr Kenny said: ‘The point he was making was that, winners have belief, discipline, organisation and a clear message. Only one party in Ireland has those qualities.'

'I am going to be urging my party colleagues to write to Fianna Fail TDs, and offer to do an internship with them. One, two weeks, whatever. There's a lot to be said for going back to the drawing board. And let's face it, we have the time.'