Understandably, the shocking news that Boris Johnson may have told lies to her majesty the queen when requesting her to shut down the mother of all parliaments cast an immediate and terrible pall over proceedings at Sinn Féin's think-in on Wednesday.

The ashen faced Shinners, lost for words, struggled to cope when they learned of the British prime minister's impertinence in the fragrant presence of Elizabeth ll (93), her charming husband (98) and their flatulent corgis, gawd bless 'em all.

It put a terrible damper on their special pre-Dáil away day in Dundalk. Still, spirits should rally when they all go to the Last Night of the Proms on Saturday.

Not!

Nonetheless, the riveting constitutional slapstick around Westminister has had an unwelcome knock-on effect for political parties here. Ordinarily, their pre-season windbaggery jaunts to country hotels generates easy publicity in the news starved days before the Dáil returns after summer. But this year, the bottomless political panto playing out across the water has stolen almost all their limelight.