The Attorney General, Mr Michael McDowell, has yet to decide if he will run as a candidate in the general election for the Progressive Democrats, as an independent, or not at all.
His involvement would electrify the four-seater Dublin South-East constituency, currently represented by Fianna Fáil's Mr Eoin Ryan, the Labour leader, Mr Ruairí Quinn, Fine Gael TD Ms Frances Fitzgerald and Green TD Mr John Gormley.
The Progressive Democrats are desperately keen to get Mr McDowell, who lost his seat in the 1997 general election, back into the party fold. And they are expected to make a renewed approach later this month.
However, speculation yesterday that the lead role in this approach could be played by the little-known councillor Ms Fiona O'Malley, daughter of the former PD leader, Mr Des O'Malley, is hardly likely to guarantee success, sources predicted.
Yesterday, friends of Mr McDowell indicated that he has not given up on his political ambitions. "He is motivated by public service. He knows that he has something to contribute. Anybody who knows that they can be elected would want to be," said one. However, it is understood that his wife, Niamh, is less than keen for him to resume a political career, while he also has the lure of returning to a lucrative legal career in the Four Courts when this Government comes to an end.
His predecessors, Mr Dermot Gleeson and Ireland's European Commissioner, Mr David Byrne, have both advised him not to seek another term as Attorney General. "It is a great job, but you do it only once," one source has said.
Mr McDowell has already rejected a private approach from senior Fianna Fáil figures to run for them, even though he has worked well with the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, since the coalition with the Progressive Democrats began.
In 1997, Mr McDowell lost his seat to Mr Gormley after one of the tightest electoral counts in the history of the State.
A recent private FF opinion poll allegedly showed Mr McDowell polling badly in the constituency.
"The most recent poll that we did didn't show him performing that well, but we think that if he did throw his hat into the ring and began canvassing, then his overall profile would give him a chance of taking John Gormley's seat," one Fianna Fáil source was quoted as saying yesterday by the Sunday Business Post. However, other sources disagree. "He would be better off leaving it as late as possible if he decides to run, because it will otherwise cause problems for him as Attorney General," one reliable source told The Irish Times.
The post of Attorney General has increasingly been seen as being somewhat above politics in recent years, though there is no constitutional reason why this should be so. A number of TDs, including the late Mr John Kelly, held the office while in the Dáil.
The Progressive Democrat organisation in Dublin South-East has withered significantly since the departure of Mr McDowell, who attracted a very personal following.
