AS those who quietly but assiduously undermine the Freedom of Information Act understand and fear, information is real power. Why else have the workings of NAMA been placed outside the remit of the act?

THE decision by the IMPACT executive, the trade union that represents 50,000 of Ireland’s 300,000 public servants, to change its mind on the Croke Park deal is a positive development.

TWO years ago, when Brian Cowen became Taoiseach, he enjoyed the goodwill if not the support of more people than he might ever have imagined. More than he might ever enjoy again.

IT would be easy to dismiss the coverage given toGerry Ryan’s death as media-centric; as a Montrose inspired indulgence, but it would be wrong.

A PERFECT storm is brewing right across Europe and no one, least of all the Greeks who attacked their parliament yesterday, knows where it will end.

THE Mexican Gulf Coast oil disaster and ash from the Icelandic volcano have reminded us of something we may have forgotten.

THE last piece in the Dublin to Cork motorway jigsaw will fall into place towards the end of next month.

TEN weeks will fly by in more or less the blink of an eye if you’re having a good time, but if you are one of the 6,000 families who have applied for the Family Income Supplement (FIS) for the first time you will have come to understand how long 10 weeks can be.

Every child should be entitled to know his or her father and mother, but there is a danger that the unmarried father could be totally excluded from the lives of their children due to outdated family law practices.

If Jim McDaid and Noel Treacy do not give up their ministerial pensions by tomorrow, the Government will be forced into an embarrassing Dáil vote when Fine Gael tables a private member’s motion calling for a ban on ministerial pension payments to serving deputies.