Dáil Sketch: The divisions were clear but the language was occasionally confused on the second day of the citizenship debate.
Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Coughlan set the tone when she claimed opponents of the proposed referendum regarded immigration as "an untouchable holy cow" before, in the same breath, accusing them of attempting to "milk it for every political advantage".
It was such a tortured metaphor you could almost hear it moo.
Maybe her party colleague Barry Andrews knew what she meant. As a Government backbencher the Dún Laoghaire TD understands what it is to be an untouchable - in the Indian caste sense - and it sounds as if he also has a certain sympathy with the bovine community.
Regretting that he first heard of the proposed referendum "on the radio", he said it was the fate of backbenchers in all governments never to be consulted about anything except when being "herded into the Chamber as voting fodder".
But despite swishing his tail a bit during a speech in which he also questioned the Minister for Justice's haste, he fell into line with the rest of the herd on the "the substance of this referendum", and prospects of a rebellion faded.
In fact, the thoughtful contribution from the young Andrews (36) was typical of a trend yesterday whereby the Dáil's new kids lectured the grumpy old men for their behaviour of the day before.
Fiona O'Malley (PD, 36) had earlier called them "hysterical", echoing similar sentiments on Wednesday night from Damien English (FG, 26).
Even so, it was the mature and occasionally grumpy Michael D Higgins who provided the day's star turn.
Having been called a "slow learner" on Wednesday by the Minister for Justice, the veteran Labour TD had been up all night doing his homework.
And after analysing Mr McDowell's figures for pregnant non-nationals with no fidelity to Ireland, he concluded that they were fewer than the Irish businessmen "who have abused State companies and are now tax exiles", but whose fidelity was above question.
Mr Higgins said he had been hearing all his life that "floodgates" were opening in Ireland. The legalisation of divorce would wreck every marriage; condoms would clog water systems; and so on. Pregnant non-nationals were just the latest threat. But even as a slow learner, he could foresee how "the great distraction" would work on doorsteps during the coming elections.
The housing crisis might be a bigger issue, "but is it not an awful lot easier to speak out of the side of one's mouth and say: 'we're doing something about the other thing'?"
The other thing - or the udder thing, to paraphrase Mary Coughlan - has forced some temporary realignment in Irish politics. The Boston/Berlin argument has flipped as the Irish left lines up behind the US view of citizenship, while Government speaker after Government speaker declares: "Ich bin Ein Berliner."
But despite Mary Coughlan's appeal to politicians "on all sides of the political divide", there were only two sides available on the impending referendum campaign last night - and the parties were heading for the trenches.
