A WEEK ago today one of Europe’s exemplary societies had to contemplate an attack it never imagined likely much less possible. Norway’s reality, carefully built up after the World War II occupation, is one of tolerance, openness and pro-active and meaningful democracy.

IT’S been a difficult week, especially for anyone who feels that they are not getting a fair crack of the whip as the Government tries to bring some small degree of sanity to the national budget.

IN a country with just under 450,000 people out of work, very many on a long-term basis, it is hard to overstate the importance of effective training, retraining and education services to facilitate any return to work.

WHAT a great pleasure it is to welcome the latest two sportsmen from this island to confirm their world-class credentials to this week’s Irish Open in Killarney.

FOR an honest person, and despite all of the evidence most Irish people are honest, unmanageable, out-of-control debt is a real nightmare.

YESTERDAY’S statement from Una Butler, at the inquest into the deaths of her husband John and her daughters Zoe and Ella, was powerful and moving.

THE Jekyll and Hyde nature of Irish life was all too apparent yesterday as an outlandish proposal of higher salaries for top bankers was flagged by the financial regulator while at the same time 100 struggling mortgage holders saw orders for possession of their homes sought by lenders since December 2009 being struck out.

FREEDOM of speech is one of the fundamental planks of democracy.

THANKFULLY, there is a generation on this island not inured to the terrorist atrocities that took so many lives, and ruined many more, in the name of something that could never trump democracy.

AMY WINEHOUSE has struggled with alcohol and drug addiction publicly for so very long that her premature death cannot have been a great surprise.