Joe Higgins column

‘Faulty judgement and anti Israeli bias leave Norris unfit for Aras run,’ was the bald headline over an article by columnist Bruce Arnold in Monday’s Irish Independent. It began, ‘David Norris is not a suitable person to stand for election to the office of President of this country.’

‘It’s only €2 per week.’ Minister for the Environment, Phil Hogan, was speaking on RTE’s Six One News on Tuesday about the new Household Tax which the Fine Gael/Labour Party Government had agreed at Cabinet earlier in the day. Then in that interview of a few minutes he repeated four more times, ‘It’s only €2 a week.’ Had Hamlet been listening, he might have declared, ‘The Minister doth protest too much.’

SIPTU has published a document entitled, “Optimising Ireland’s Oil and Gas Resources.”  It deals mainly with the exploration for oil and gas in this state and the implication of government policy in this area. It also gives a resumé of how the state has dealt with the exploitation of these natural resources over the past forty years.

The National Forum of the United Left Alliance will offer an opportunity to put the launch of the Alliance into perspective and to discuss its further development.

During the General Election campaign the Socialist Party had no illusions about the reactionary role that the Labour Party would play in a coalition government with Fine Gael. We knew that Labour Leader Gilmore’s angry speeches in the Dail against Fianna Fail policy on the banks when he was in opposition, was just so much bluster that would fade the instant he was ensconced in government.

Media reporting on the Red C poll published last Friday largely concentrated on the levels of support indicated for the political forces contesting the impending General Election.

When the European Parliament meets in Strasbourg for one week every month, the last session which takes place on Thursday afternoon is always devoted to debates on human rights issues in different parts of the world.

If today’s opinion poll proves anything it is both the historical annihilation in store for Fianna Fáil at the polls and the volatility in support for the other parties as people actively seek out an alternative to this disastrous government.

“Everyone is really a hostage to the bond markets!’ This dramatic statement was made yesterday on Morning Ireland  by Tony Connolly, the Europe Correspondent of Ireland’s national broadcaster, RTE.

Dublin’s Grafton Street has long been a major showpiece for what Ireland’s retailing business has to sell to the public in terms of consumer goods, from a needle, not so much to the proverbial anchor as to the €5,000 designer handbag.