Archive for May, 2008

Yesterday, I asked a Dart driver and a ticket master what they thought of the action of their colleagues in Cork, expecting an element of workers’ solidarity. They both rolled their eyes to the heavens and in rather colourful language suggested that the ’strike’ and the ’strikers’ were a disgraceful joke.

Never mind the tent at Galway Races, Cowen needs to deal robustly with builders who mess the state about.

The Taoiseach’s decision to abandon the tent at the Galway Races means he can talk the talk of reforming the way we do our business in this country. That’s the easy part. The hard part is how he reacts to Bernard McNamara’s shock pullout from five public/private house building partnership projects.

If you want to understand the Lisbon Treaty, forget all the political broadcasts, the party leaflets, the grave statements about the future of Europe and sit down on Saturday night to watch the Eurovision.

When the garish, ‘over-the-top’ hooker chic of some of our new eastern neighbours cavorts on your screens this Saturday night, take a long look because this is one possible future for Europe

If we want a lean and more efficient public sector, why are the jobs pages littered with civil service positions?

Have you noticed the language used by employment agencies these days? Every dream job is exciting, attractive and offers a ‘‘once in a lifetime’’ opportunity to change your life. Every ideal candidate needs to be bright, creative and energetic.

This week, news that Christian Laboutin — designer of his famous red-soled heels– was in Dublin, coupled with the opening of the movie “Sex in the City’ in London, made me think, why do women wear high heels?

A paperback edition of the Generation Game is out this month.
Further details will be announced in the next week or so.

The new finance minister should remove all support from the bloated property sector.

The Minister for Finance of a small country which is facing difficult times is like the captain of a small boat sailing into choppy waters. Imagine for a moment that you are in a boat coming around Omey Island. In a blaze of May bank holiday sunlight, Connemara opens up before you.

Ireland can learn a lot from the state of Kentucky, which is aiming to place itself back at the crossroads of America’s great trade routes.

According to Hunter S Thompson, who was one of Kentucky’s finest writers and definitely its most outrageous, the Kentucky Derby is ‘‘decadent and depraved’’. Here in Louisville, on the eve of the big day, it’s hard to argue with the Prince of Gonzo.