LIKE Ireland, Greece had no other choice than to swallow an unprecedented dose of unpalatable medicine to resolve an economic crisis that rocked the foundations of the EU.

IT is generally accepted that the earlier children with special needs get diagnosis and treatment the better – the longer these are lacking, the greater the reversal.

Although clearly expected, the announcement yesterday that 900 jobs are to go at the offices of Quinn Insurance was still traumatic news. It is a devastating blow for people who are going to lose their jobs.

The sudden death yesterday of Gerry Ryan, at the relatively early age of 53, came as a profound shock, and the Irish Examiner offers its condolences to his family and many friends.

THE very special role An Garda Siochána play was underlined yesterday when Justice Minister Dermot Ahern, despite facing the greatest economic crisis in the history of this State, announced that recruitment to the force will resume before the end of the year.

AT a time when so much is so uncertain, and so many of us feel left down by the belief systems and political processes we relied on, it is important to recognise and celebrate the many good things about being Irish.

IF yesterday’s very regrettable collapse of talks between the Health Service Executive and IMPACT is an indication precursor of how public sector workers might vote on the Croke Park agreement then we have taken a considerable step along the road to joining Greece in the financial meltdown club.

IF, as the director of the National Office for Suicide Prevention suggests, that the surge in suicide is partially due to the recession then it is not going too far to say that those responsible have blood on their hands.

IT is difficult to reconcile the great bile-fest generated by Máire Geoghegan-Quinn’s pension with the rabbits-in-the-headlights acceptance that we can do nothing to claw back some of the truly incredible retirement packages enjoyed by those whose fingerprints are all over the corpse of Ireland’s economy.

MOST parents are too busy trying to stay ahead of the posse, paying mortgages and trying to make sure they’ll have a job next week to spend as much time as they would like looking over their children’s shoulder to consider what they are watching on the internet.