A LOT of public works are going to be finished this year, and they’ll improve our lives immeasurably. Quite right too, considering the investment we’ve made in them.

HERE’S a little taste of things to come in 2006. Don’t let it spoil your holidays — it might never happen!

THOUGH he had never met him, Richard Nixon hated Alger Hiss. Nixon was a young Congressman who had struggled against poverty all his life.

WHAT sort of values is the West fighting for in its so-called war against terror? It’s no longer about freedom, is it, or democracy?

HIGH Noon. That’s how Sheriff Bertie always thought of it. Others might refer to the occasion as Leaders’ Questions, but for him it was that moment when he stood alone.

BEFORE any big prize fight, there’s always hype. Champion and challenger square up to each other at the weigh-in, glowering and trying to look as menacing as possible.

THE political joke last week concerned the comparison between Irish and English politics.

HERE’S a daft idea. Instead of building 300km of roads next year, let’s build 280km instead. And use the money we save to make sure that nothing like the Ferns scandal can ever happen again. Let’s make our kids safe.

HERE’S a Nostradamus prediction that can’t go wrong. It may not seem like it at first glance, but it’s good news and it’s bad news.