Bertie Ahern Inside A Kitchen Cupboard

It's the TV ad that has Ireland talking - former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern sitting inside a kitchen cupboard to advertise the Irish edition of the British tabloid News of the World.

Mr Ahern writes a weekly sports column for the Murdoch-owned paper - netting a reported £100,000 sterling for his thoughts on Manchester United, the Dublin Footballers and other Irish sports.

Not an obvious career path for a politician and former leader of a country.

But it was his decision to take part in a bizarre TV commercial that has really set tongues wagging.

A shameless Mr Ahern sits inside a larder drinking a cup of tea, while surrounded by ginger nuts biscuits, onions, bread, yellow and green peppers and other food.

"I never thought I'd end up here," he says, "but I've the latest on today's big match."

The rest of the commercial shows other writers for the tabloid popping up inside other parts of the kitchen, as the actor tries to gather ingredients to make his Sunday morning fry.

It's quite a funny ad (see it yourself at www.youtube.com/watch?v=WN0DtRJYs_0) and the controversy it has generated will no doubt please News of the World executives.

But the debate is now raging over whether a former Taoiseach, a current sitting TD and a man who says he wants to be President of Ireland should be taking part in it.

Mr Ahern insists the ad was "just a bit of craic".

But others have not seen the funny side.

Letter writers to Irish newspapers claimed he was "demeaning the office" and "giving another opportunity for foreign media to ridicule our country."

Labour's Ruairi Quinn said, "I thought it was terrible for us. As an Irish person."

Fine Gael's James Reilly said, "We give Taoisigh when they retire from office a driver and a car and a considerable pension so they don't have to engage in this sort of thing... I don't think it's appropriate."

Even his own party colleague Minister Pat Carey was less than enthusiastic in his defence of Mr Ahern, saying "what a former Taoiseach decides to do in his own personal capacity is up to that individual".

PR expert and newspaper columnist Terry Prone wrote: "Just what we need as we're scraping for pennies - the muppet that caused it all, making a bundle out of acting the eejit!"

During the Celtic Tiger years when Bertie Ahern was at the peak of his popularity, the public would probably have found it harmless, endearing and funny.

But given the calamitous unravelling of the economy, and of Ireland's international reputation, due in no small part to the policies of Mr Ahern's government, nobody is laughing now