MICHAEL McDowell's political fate was in the hands of a jury of his peers last night, as the validity of hundreds of votes isolated by three days of rechecks in Dublin South East was adjudicated by count staff and party representatives.
It wasn't a case of 12 angry men. There were more than 12 adjudicators around the table in the count hall; some were female and none of them looked in the least bit angry as another long day in the RDS dragged into night.
With predictions that the adjudication process could last another two days, there is now a real fear among the bystanders that somebody will die of boredom.
Excitement levels, already low, fell through the floor when the rechecking of ballots ended yesterday evening.
Wisely, Mr McDowell again stayed away from the count centre all day, but the loyalty of his supporters remains undimmed. They even raided the press room yesterday looking for a fax machine to send him a message of reassurance.
"We know he's feeling a bit down and it's just to tell him he's still number one with us," one explained. "It's like a get-well-soon card."
John Gormley did turn up, however, still serenely content that nothing thrown up in the recheck will affect his election.
Relations between the two sets of party workers are surprisingly affable, aided somewhat by the fact that they don't seem to talk to each other.
The Greens are sustained by the belief that the process will only confirm their success, while the PDs are enjoying inflicting some realpolitik on their less experienced opponents.
