Poker-faced Tony knew exactly when to fold

How many times have you come for Tony? He always outsmarts her. Sometimes he just has to play the long game and wait for things to unfold like what happened to poor Leo when he was stupid enough to face Tony on live TV.

And sometimes on a Saturday afternoon, Tony just takes a neat sidestep that leaves everyone else dizzy and crawling, two steps behind him.

And, of course, he’s a master of the understated, impeccably polite, yet passive-aggressive bombshell. “After my departure, I look forward to passing on my knowledge and expertise outside of the public service,” was the key message of the statement.

If you were sane, you could interpret it like this: “You think I need this crap? Do you think I only need 180 grand? Do you know how much I can earn in the private sector?

“And I will do all this with a clear conscience because I was willing to do my duty of serving the state. But the little goblins stopped me from doing that.” Tony will have many other job offers, but we don’t have many other Tonys.

When it was decided that Dr. Tony could be sent out to the dreaming towers of Trinity to graze to plan for the next pandemic, it seemed like a good move, a rare example of a happy ending to a political career.

But somehow, the health care authorities screwed up what should have been a perfectly good idea. No wonder for anyone familiar with the introduction of Sláintecare. It turned out that dr. Tony actually made a secondment, just a slightly different kind of secondment, as it had none of the usual characteristics of an actual secondment.

Ministers who spent two years in fear of Dr. Holohan took no pleasure in telling anyone who was listening that they knew nothing about this little arrangement and that it could have been handled better. While everyone was careful not to question the wisdom of moving into this new job, there was no doubt that he was damaged by his association with this mess. His on-off halo had slipped again.

And it seemed a shame that someone who had generally provided great leadership during such a horrible time would end this chapter mired in something that had a hint of sleaze.

But Tony, who has a great career ahead of him as a pro poker player if he wants to, had one last great game in him. He took advantage of the Taoiseach’s “pause” and raised him up, called everyone to their cliff and walked away.

He rewrote the ending perfectly. He didn’t want or need the job. He was doing us a favor and we didn’t even know it. And off he goes, his integrity, dignity, and impeccable instincts intact, and everyone else looking stupid.

And that’s why we can’t have nice things.