THE price of a pint, or who did what in Dublin last weekend is the last thing to bother tipplers throughout the country at the moment.

RECORD profits of €1.7 billion last year were not enough for AIB. They want more. Unlike Oliver, they are not on the breadline, being the country’s biggest bank with a 23% increase in profits for the past 12 months.

THE ranks of Fianna Fáil are upset, apparently because Taoiseach Bertie Ahern favoured Mary Wallace over Seán Haughey in the little reshuffle that caused a lot of feathers to be ruffled this week.

IN THE aftermath of the blacklash against the Danish cartoons, most western governments are still tip-toeing around any mention of the issue for fear of drawing the wrath of the Islamic world on them.

FIANNA FÁIL’s election ads next year will probably be dubbed after Bertie Ahern’s recent visit to India.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has initiated a “comprehensive review” of its service provision in the case of bed-ridden Evelyn Joel who died in Wexford on Saturday last.

WHILE supping a nice pint of stout during the week, I was startled by the landlady who had been quietly reading the newspaper.

AS we head into a new year, we should ponder on the lesson learned in Leopardstown during the week. Rising to the occasion is all very well, once there is an occasion to rise to.

IF anybody is still writing to him they might, in desperation, begin the letter this year thus: “Dear Santa, please bring us a government...”