The Charleton Report

The Four Courts: Image via Wikimedia Commons

As possibly the only journalist in Ireland to have covered two Garda tribunals of inquiry in their entirety, I should probably say a few words about what will probably come to be known in shorthand as the Charleton Tribunal. For starters, although I’d be glad to do so, it’s deeply unlikely I will cover a… Continue reading The Charleton Report

300

Today is Brian Cowan’s 300th day as Taoiseach. It’s symptomatic of his reign that today, the door fell off a minister’s helicopter as it left a tourism conference. Brian Cowen’s reign just can’t seem to achieve takeoff. He was elected, as far as I can tell, because he was great crack altogether. He became the… Continue reading 300

Check Sums

As part of my job, I read too many government reports. Most of them are available online and can be downloaded without charge. Downloads are generally in PDF format, though occasionally a press release or speech is available only as a Microsoft DOC (I haven’t encountered the newer DOCX format yet). Checking document properties, it’s… Continue reading Check Sums

End Of The Road

The Planning and Payments tribunal isn’t quite over yet. There are still a few loose ends to be tied up, questions that retired country manager George Redmond has to answer in cross-examination. Then there are the final reports, which will take up to a year to write. Finally, probably a month or so after the… Continue reading End Of The Road

Blueblood

Fresh from his latest encounter with the barristers from the Mahon tribunal, Bertie Ahern headed to Kerry to enjoy the horses at the Listowel Races. (As far as I know, no one asked him if he had any good tips, a shame given the remarkable success he revealed in betting on the gee-gees at an… Continue reading Blueblood

The End Of History

Lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas, goes the conventional wisdom. As with many things though, the conventional wisdom is mistaken. Lie down with dogs and, as the Progressive Democrats found to their cost, the dog will most likely eat you. It’s easy to point to the last election as the moment when… Continue reading The End Of History