Mrs. Robinson of N. Ireland

Amid the stories of Ireland at a standstill under a couple of inches of snow comes the story of Iris Robinson, wife of First Minister Peter Robinson of Northern Ireland. The story has everything -- money, sex, politicians and hypocrisy. Apparently, when the Robinsons found out that the BBC was planning a Spotlight show on them, they preempted the program by announcing that Iris was suffering from depression and leaving her own MP seat. This was followed up my Peter's statement that he had found out his wife had had an affair (a year ago) and attempted suicide (last March). Of course, the press went to work uncovering the rest of the story, especially eager because Iris has held herself as holier-than-thou, famously calling homosexuality an "abomination." Turns out Iris was allegedly having an affair with a then 19-year-old fella and worse, she went to Belfast developers to get 50,000 pounds to finance her lover's opening a cafe. Needless to say the press is in headline heaven enjoying all the Mrs. Robinson comparisons. But the First Minister isn't laughing because he is being asked to tell when he first knew about the money transfer, which was not properly reported (wonder why). This amid the ongoing "peace process" and questions of devolution in the North. The Irish are never dull.