SO. This referendum on citizenship. Its only purpose is to bring us into line with every other European country, right?

THE Minister for Health has given us a smoking ban. The Tánaiste wants to look after elderly people.

IN 1989 Francis Fukuyama, who was then working for the US State Department, wrote a long essay called The end of History.

NEVER in the history of mankind has so little been learned about so much by so many. The Fianna Fáil Árd Fheis was like a sort of Pinocchio-fest.

IT was cold in Dun Laoghaire on Saturday. Not only was the temperature way down, but there was a biting north-east wind. That was the first thing that made the sight of three men in T-shirts and jeans unusual.

TRY to imagine a little African country, somewhere in the middle of that great continent. From everything we’ve heard and read about it, it fits all the stereotypes.

WE have had in Ireland a government that, by any standard, was the most corrupt in modern European history.

“STARING into the abyss.” It seems a very apocalyptic description for a political leader facing difficulty, but it is the phrase used by one of Tony Blair’s closest lieutenants to describe the situation he faces.

THE Dáil is coming back today, and it’s a complete sham. For the remainder of the week, it will be an exercise in phoney accountability.