The most serious immediate consequence of the affair is to undermine the government’s authority in dealing with Covid-19 at exactly the time it is needed most. In that regard, it would be difficult to think of a more irresponsible act on the part of those who attended.

One of the most powerful and popular critiques of the parties that have led every government of the State is that they sometimes act as if the rules do not apply to them. It would be hard to think of a case which more vividly illustrates this idea.

These are undoubtedly febrile times in politics. It is reminiscent of nothing so much as the autumn of 2010, when the country slid inexorably towards a choice between bankruptcy or bailout.

Then, in another hotel in Galway, Taoiseach Brian Cowen undermined his own authority catastrophically by staying up late singing and drinking and sounding hungover for a Morning Ireland interview the following morning.

But Cowen’s government did not collapse because of “garglegate” as it inevitably became known; the government collapsed because it had to submit to the EU-IMF bailout. The more substantial thing always matters more. So it will be with this government.

This government will stand or fall on its handling of the pandemic and its management of the economic and social fallout from this historic challenge. In the coming weeks, it faces make or break challenges in managing the latest spike in infections . . .

getting children back to school and handling the Leaving Cert results. These are the things that matter most and on which the fate of the government will rest.

But there is little doubt that this has now – because of the golf dinner and the undermining of public confidence and co-operation that come with it – become a much more difficult task. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/golf-dinner-controversy-severely-damages-government-s-management-of-pandemic-1.4335712