NO ONE can remain under any illusions about the determination of criminal gang leaders to use whatever force is necessary to protect their illegal businesses.

IT IS difficult to disagree with Government claims that opposition suggestions that the Government is trying to intimidate the Mahon Tribunal by reactivating the Tribunals of Inquiry Bill 2005 are a mischief-making, barrage of red herrings.

YESTERDAY’S employment figures from the Central Statistics Office are a great source of reassurance, possibly even an occasion for celebration.

IMAGINE IF, on a Tuesday morning, the chief executive of a first class, international company — say Ryanair, Kerry Group or Apple — got a report on an external audit.

BEING dependent on your local authority for housing does not mean you should have to accept whatever accommodation you are offered.

WE SHOULD be very happy that the majority of children surveyed by the children’s charity Barnardo’s say they are happy to be alive in Ireland today.

YESTERDAY morning’s dreadful fire in Omagh, in which seven members of the McElhill family lost their lives, reminded us of our responsibilities to take all of the precautions we can to make our homes as safe as they can be in the event of a potentially lethal fire.

IMPOSING a tax increase that might just pay for two or three tankfuls of petrol on the owner of a €100,000 4X4 is not the kind of vigorous reform needed to force real change in our carbon emissions figures.

ACCORDING to accountants Deloitte we are going to spend €3.5 billion celebrating Christmas.

PULLING Professor John Crown, the consultant oncologist, from the Late Late Show on Friday night raises the most serious questions, not only in relation to what is happening within our health service, but also in relation to the issue of news management.