It was Micheál Martin’s big weekend in the spotlight – and the Fianna Fáil Ardfheis passed off with relatively few fireworks.Although some of the party quietly still mull the possibility of ousting their leader, there was no significant show of dissent. The pro-Palestine protesters who briefly threatened to rush through a gap into the venue before encountering gardaí provided the most visible sign of unhappiness with Government policy.Martin promised again to tackle the cost of living, provide disability supports and resolve the outstanding issues affecting Thalidomide victims. Marking the 100th anniversary of the Soldiers of Destiny, Martin said the party hadn’t got everything right but its record was one of real achievement.Many of these delegates will be fearing the party might be on the cusp of another humbling – with the two byelections now just four days away.So low are expectations that Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan had to reject suggestions Fianna Fáil had essentially given up on them – while Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless asked members to draw solace from the fact Fianna Fáil hadn’t actually won a byelection since 1982.Potential challengers to Martin are keeping their heads down – such as Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary – who offered a classic response when asked about his intentions. He pointed out there was currently no vacancy – and sure Micheál had done a good job.As the big day approaches, The Irish Times reports that most of the money placed on the Dublin Central byelection on the Polymarket platform came from accounts engaged in highly suspicious betting behaviour.Of more than $1 million placed on various candidates, 86 per cent came from accounts engaged in self-trading behaviour, where a bet is placed on a candidate before quickly being reversed with little or no profit or loss incurred.Almost half of these were placed on Gerry Hutch – the veteran criminal known as “The Monk” – to lose.Elections, when they go badly, can exact a high price for party leaders, and the immediate fate of the British prime minister Keir Starmer is still far from clear. With Starmer severely wounded after the recent dismal local elections, several Labour Party colleagues are readying themselves for an almighty leadership showdown.Former health minister Wes Streeting has made his pitch to the faithful - saying he knows “how to win”. He’s also calling for that whole Brexit farrago to be forgotten about - and for the UK to rejoin the European Union.Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham would fancy himself for the job – but needs to find a Westminster seat first. The electors of Makerfield – where Burnham plans to run in a byelection – could well be the makers or breakers of his push for the big job. He walked the streets over the weekend in preparation for a potential tilt.But not everybody thinks Starmer is done for yet. In something resembling a vote of confidence, the UK’s culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, has forecast that Starmer will still be going by the time of the summer holidays.Well yes, Labour is due to endorse a candidate in the byelection on Thursday – meaning the earliest Burnham could occupy the government benches would be sometime in late June.At home again, there are still legs in the RTÉ story. The Minister for Communications was taken aback last week when he heard the news that Derek Mooney had made a late entry into the top 10 highest-earning presenters list. Patrick O’Donovan has summoned RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst, chairman Terence O’Rourke and other senior executives to a meeting tomorrow.He will presumably be looking for an explanation as to how someone who regularly presents programmes could have been classified differently for so long. The Minister said last week that the issue was coming up on doorsteps.Speaking of big meetings, fresh from his visit to Beijing to meet the Chinese president, Donald Trump is back banging the drums of war on social media.The US president warned Iran overnight that the “clock was ticking” on a possible peace agreement and that – if Tehran didn’t get a move on – the US military might have to get back to blowing things up.The Iranians have promised all manner of “surprise scenarios” in retaliation, along with a side order of quagmire.And finally, the President, Catherine Connolly, started her first official visit to Britain today. The three-day stint will include a meeting with King Charles.