Tuesday morning served up one of the most difficult and bleak Cabinet meetings many ministers had ever experienced. A health and an economic emergency was set out in stark language over a two hour meeting where groups of ministers met, as required, in different rooms.
The Taoiseach's demeanour was described as difficult to read but he was not downbeat. A few hours later he would travel to RTÉ for a Prime Time interview with Miriam O’Callaghan.
It was Leo Varadkar’s first televised interview since the Covid-19 crisis began. Here the Government’s handling of the emergency thus far and its future plans were scrutinised.
It was evident that the brighter future politicians always want to speak about is some way off. Instead the Fine Gael leader