This State would appear to have little time for anybody who stands apart from the herd. Time and again, whether it’s the musings of economist Morgan Kelly or the revelations of a number of whistle- blowers, organs of the State tend to close ranks and shut out dissonant voices.

Enda Kenny isn’t the only one having his commitment to "new politics" questioned these days. Look at poor Phil Hogan, who thought he had sailed away from all that stuff, into the lucrative waters of the EU Commission.

CHANGE is a serious dose. Change is difficult and painful, and it can be excruciating. So it goes for an individual. For an organisation in which resides great power, change can be the harbinger of tremendous upheaval.

I ONCE spent a month waiting for Bono. Every lunch of October 1981, I sidled into Golden Discs, on Cork’s Patrick Street, in search of the new U2 album.

The State is obliged to check that a minimum educational standard is being applied...writes Michael Clifford

LOST leaders were mourned to varying degrees last week.

THE past rose up to meet the present this past week. Albert Reynolds’ passing and the furore over the latest abortion story to convulse the country brought to mind how the actions of yesteryear still resonate in today’s world.

ALBERT REYNOLDS was a unique taoiseach in that he was also a highly successful businessman. Unlike any of the other taoisigh who held the office since the foundation of the State, he came into politics on the back of a career as an entrepreneur.

AS the slaughter of the innocents in Gaza has increased in recent days, some people have been making comparisons between the Israelis and Adolf Hitler.

IT’S that time of year again. The great and good of public life pack their buckets and spades and head off to the wilds of Donegal to muse over the road less travelled.