I AM thinking of going back on the drink next Sunday night. After more than 20 years on the wagon, I must issue a warning to innocent citizens that I intend to hit the bottle.

Husbands should lock up their wives. Pubs should close their doors. Motorists in the south Dublin region should steer clear of the roads.

There are two reasons for such a wild decision.

First, at about 9pm next Sunday, there could be good cause for a battered nation to celebrate.

At around that time, exit polls should show that Francois Hollande will be elected president of France. The implications for Europe and Ireland could be momentous.