I RECENTLY achieved the highest level of academic achievement, a PhD.

THE budget cut in the lone parent allowance must be one of the cruelest cuts of all.

MY sense of rising bewilderment is tempered only by anger as I listened to Enda Kenny pontificate, while out beleaguered politicians are led a merry dance by our EU masters.

IT appears to me that Merkel will achieve, aided by the little man Sarkozy, what Hitler failed to achieve — German domination in Europe.

IN these times of austerity can anyone explain why the Government is spending €80,000 on a building and decides to stop using it even though the builders are still on site?

DAVID Lawlor (Letters, Dec 7) takes me up on my comment that the Irish public sector are “the most cosseted in Europe”.

I WOULD appeal to your readers to plan a compassionate Christmas for themselves, their family and friends.

BAD cop, good cop, cop out on Croke Park.

THIS austerity budget of Fine Gael and Labour at the behest of their German/Franco masters is a cowardly attack on the disadvantaged areas and any Fine Gael or Labour backbench TD that voted in these cutbacks has, as Pat Rabbitte told Pat Carey, “no shame”.

THE unification of European states is every bit as simple as converting a patchwork quilt into a duvet.