We’ve liveblogging tonight’s Primetime debate. Miriam will be cracking the whip. All hands inside the car, let’s go!

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Let’s not let the exuberance of tonight’s TV3 debate chaired by #vinb get all the limelight. RTE.ie reports that Bertie Ahern has allegedly claimed over €367k in expenses for secretarial services since 2008. Another €10k came in the form of mobile phone expenses:

Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has received more than €10,655 in mobile phone expenses from the Department of the Taoiseach since he stepped down in 2008.

Mr Ahern has also claimed another €367,184 under the scheme to employ secretarial assistants.

All expenses were claimed under a scheme to help former Taoisigh with administration after they leave office.

The figures were contained in an answer to a Parliamentary Question asked by Labour TD for Wicklow, Anne Ferris.

Read the full story at RTE.ie. Do.

Willie O’Dea was interviewed on this lunchtime’s News at One by Sean O’Rourke on the fallout from AffidavitGate.

O’Rourke began by playing the audio of the (by-now) infamous interview by journalist Mike Dwane. The tape was released by the Limerick Leader just before lunch.

Listen in for O’Dea claiming that’s he’s a victim.

Photo from last night’s debate of confidence in Minister O’Dea

Click through to see the liveblog frame!

Are we all sick of George Lee yet? Yes, no, yes, no, yes, no. No?

The IIEA has removed an event with George Lee from its site. This popped into my feedreader yesterday via the IIEA events feed.

The IIEA Young Professional Network is a networking group established to

provide young, dynamic, future leaders from different backgrounds including the business and legal communities, the media, the public sector, NGOs and academia, among others, with access to leading thinkers, policy makers and business people from both Ireland and abroad

Bad timing for promoting the event, I guess. The link to the event has now been removed from the IIEA site. Any idea when this event was schedule to happen?

Actually, why did this event need to be canceled? Is it because of the strict RTE policy on balanced political discourse?

An evening with George Lee would be interesting even though he has moved on to greener pastures. Despite the national shitfit on Lee’s resignation that we’re wallowing in, the bigger questions on the economy and the quality of representation still abound. Couldn’t the IIEA event be changed to fit?