Michael McDowell has become "the Tammy Wynette of Irish politics", he proclaimed, "standing desperately by his man Bertie". He is now "more Fianna Fail than the Fianna Failers themselves".

But the real wrath of the Green Party was saved for the Taoiseach, the instigator of "Planet Bertie" and the root of this government's woes. "On Planet Bertie you can sign blank cheques, because everyone does it, apparently, " said Gormley.

Signing blank cheques is something financial guru Eddie Hobbs would never advise, but he did have some words of wisdom for the Green Party. If they want to win the votes they will need to dump the "suits and sandals, the old image of the loony environmentalists, the save-the-snails and the tree-huggers".

"As I know you are already doing, " he added comfortingly.

Green Party Dublin Central candidate Patricia McKenna sounded far from loony when she pledged to overhaul the government's controversial decentralisation programme. "The current programme is doomed because it was hastily conceived without any proper consultation with those affected and expected to cooperate with it, " she said.

Meanwhile, education spokesman Paul Gogarty called for the creation of 2,400 new teaching posts at primary- and second-level education as part of the party's 50 Steps to a Better Education plan.

"We believe that education is a priority, " he said.

"That is why, in government, the Green Party will seek to invest an additional 1bn in our education system."

Political donations to the government will be a thing of the past if the Green Party is elected to government, pledged Wicklow candidate Deirdre de Burca.

But perhaps Gormley put it best: "The gombeenism has to end, my friends."