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It has been interesting to come back to Ireland at the end of last week to find that the Budget has been subject to revision by the people. Formerly it was the task of the opposition to critique the proposals and the Government to stand by the decisions they made. In fact it cut short […]

Using various financial devices different countries have had to come to the rescue of the god mammon this last week. Mammon has been successful in creating the biggest wealth gap in human history as his devotees scaled hither undreamt of financial summits. How has it been done? The New York Times wrote in 1999, “Fannie […]

When the former British Prime Minister, Harold McMillan was asked by a journalist what troubled him most in his political life he famously replied, “Events, Dear Boy, Events”! This last week has seen the most cataclysmic events of our time hit the citadel of capitalism that America has become. The sheer scale of the debts […]

It looks like the convicts are running the prison was the graphic description one commentator gave to the unbridled greed of the top Bankers who now face the liquidation of their banks. The removal of controls some years ago permitted ever higher risk lending resulting in the banks taking on the mantle normally worn by […]

Was it Samuel Johnston, in one of his more cynical moments, who said that nothing was certain except death and taxes? In recent years the latter has been far from certain in Ireland but it appears that that from the 15th Sept. that could all change. Faced with declining revenues new measures have been put […]

“A powerful one-off drama for BBC One, Fiona’s Story is a tale of trust, betrayal and the breakdown of a marriage.” This sentence taken from the “Press Pack” of last evenings TV production did little to prepare you for the terse drama which was to follow. Gina McKee stars as Fiona Mortimer, a woman who […]

In a refreshingly forthright speech, Cardinal Brady took issue with the fact that the “the claims and influence of secularism and relativism have gone largely unchallenged in the Irish culture and media”. Indeed those driving the European agenda, which Pope John Paul II described as having a “loss of Christian memory” may need to be […]

“What strikes me when I come back here is that someone is always going to a funeral.” The community aspect of funerals was highlighted in the comment made by someone returning from the UK for Cemetery Sunday. The cohesion of the community at funerals reflects respect for the dead and sorrow and support for the […]

The celebration marking to opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing must rank as favourite for the title “the greatest show on earth”. It was breathtaking as our senses were overwhelmed by the sheer scale and technical complexity of the “Birds Nest” stadium. The gravity denying deeds appeared to be miraculous. The bonus for China […]