In a slip of the tongue, maybe coming from somewhere in his deep subconscious, Albert Reynolds once called John Bruton “John Unionist.” In a way, Reynolds was right. And in a way, Reynolds was wrong. Bruton, whose funeral is taking place this Saturday, did have much in common with big-house unionists – decent people, respectful of their neighbours, with an Aga range in the kitchen of a tidy property maintained by the right equipment, stored correctly in an outhouse. Buttressed by old money but rarely if ever flash. Bruton was blue-blood, big-house Fine Gael. Simon Coveney comes from the Cork…

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