Well in case there was any doubt there will be no General Election until the Dáil resumes. These guys will be paid for the long recess, so absolutely no question of General Election unless some unforeseen mystery unfurls during this silly season.
Dáil Éireann resumes 2pm Tuesday 18th. September 2018
On the last day of the Dáil term there was no drama, no sham fight about the length of the two month break and no contrived pleas for the House to sit a little longer this summer.
But in a place not renowned for its sense of mystery there is at times a quiet feeling of wonder at the unexpected durability of the 32nd Dáil.
It has passed 36 Acts since last September and seven Bills generated from outside the Government ranks have made it all the way to the Statue Book.
The Tánaiste gave voice to this defining evidence of new politics when he spoke about the Dáil being able to do things that few thought possible two years ago.
Simon Coveney then appeared to woo Fianna Fáil with some gushing words of appreciation for their efforts is this on-going task.
All this neatly timed perhaps ahead of the parties expected talks about talks on reviewing the Confidence and Supply Agreement.
With Leinster House’s one time de facto resident poet, Michael D Higgins, now operating at even more lofty perch of the Oireachtas, it is possible many TDs have not sought an artistic expression for the forces that bind this Dáil together.
But if they were looking in that direction it might be found in the poet Brendan Kennelly’s work.
In his poem, Begin he talks about “….a world that dreams of ending/that always seems about to give in” but “something that will not acknowledge conclusion/ insists that we forever begin.”
The central question facing Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil in the weeks ahead is whether it soon acknowledges the conclusion of this Dáil or does it begin again for at least another year?
One theory around Kildare Street suggests that given the minority administration has survived another term, surely all the strains and difficulties can be parked for a few months.
But it seems more likely the fundamental question about its continued existence will have to be addressed sooner than that.
As some TDs departed Leinster House to journey home for the holidays, a few had their cars packed with boxes of election-type literature.
It was all printed in recent days, just in case.
Others believe such a heightened sense of preparation is excessive.
But there’s a consistent message too from many in Government that a September or October election remains a strong possibility.
Indeed it is so pervasive that it may in fact be just a negotiating ploy.
Or could it be an extension of the self-belief that infused the Government in the aftermath of the decisive abortion referendum result?
One thing is certain, and it is that much hinges on the tone set at the meeting between the Taoiseach and the Fianna Fáil leader next week.
Could a formula be found perhaps to combine pre-budget talks with a general review of the Confidence and Supply Agreement that would allow both sides save face?
Such a move could represent the best chance of this Dáil beginning again next September with a slightly more certain future.
