his journalism, saying: Support for Bertie Ahern and Fianna Fáil O'Connor frequently refers to Bertie Ahern in his articles simply and affectionately as "Bertie". His "relationship" with Ahern has been tense. In August 2003 he had a row with Ahern on a flight returning from Ahern's daughter's wedding in France, when Ahern refused to grant him an interview. O'Connor has also criticised Ahern at times, like in his article in the Sunday Independent, 9 May 2004, where he wrote: In this same article O'Connor lamented the expulsion of Beverley Flynn, a TD, from the Fianna Fáil Party for the second time arising out of corruption charges, stating that she was "indeed a class act and is someone we need more of in Irish politics." He also referred to her as a "principled woman". Criticism of Ahern by O'Connor has been minimal, overall O'Connor has backed Ahern, especially when such support was most needed. O'Connor, along with Eoghan Harris, strongly supported Bertie Ahern during the 2007 general election and during his appearances before the Mahon Tribunal. Ahern subsequently appointed Harris as a Senator. As pressure grew on Bertie Ahern due to revelations from the Mahon Tribunal (regarding unexplained payments Ahern had received in the 1990s), O'Connor called for the Tribunal to be shut down: On Wednesday, 2 April 2008, Bertie Ahern announced he would be resigning as Taoiseach and did so on 6 May 2008. Investigations into payments Ahern received are ongoing. On Friday, 19 February 2010, Fianna Fáil TD Willie O'Dea resigned as Minister for Defence for committing perjury in front of the High Court. Two days later in his weekly column in the Sunday Independent, O'Connor entered into a vitriolic attack on the politicians who called for his resignation, especially Green Party Senator Dan Boyle: Role in the Bertie-era Irish property bubble O'Connor was a leading voice in the Irish media endorsing the high valuation of Irish property during the peak of the Irish property bubble. On 12 November 2006 he wrote an article in the Sunday Tribune, "So who's the real daddy of the Pope's Children" that ridiculed David McWilliams – who was one of the principal voices during the property bubble who warned about the potential effect on the Irish property market of interest rate increases, over-supply, the fact that average wages had fallen way behind the average price of a house, and existing high levels of