TODAY the Whyte’s history and literature auction of memorabilia is being held in Dublin. Ian Whyte, the managing director of the auctioneering firm, mentioned that the material had been forgotten after the Civil War.

FOR years the maxim of American business was: “As General Motors goes, so goes the nation.” Today there are fears General Motors is going bankrupt and this could have further enormous implications for the global economy. The whole thing emphasises the need for new political thinking in relation to the economy.

ON RTÉ’s Morning Ireland during the week, Dr Garret FitzGerald said “the crisis is a very serious one, much more serious than we ever faced”.

THE gyrations at Anglo Irish Bank continue to reverberate with fresh revelations coming out regularly. Yesterday, Dermot Ahern was on RTÉ arguing about the damage that disclosure of the names of the Anglo 10 would do to Irish banks.

IN the midst of all the negativity, it is nice to read something positive for a change.

SHORTLY before he died, according to his son Seán, Charlie Haughey said: “I never broke my word in politics.”

BY describing the kerfuffle on the prospect of a property tax as “speculation” Taoiseach Brian Cowen, speaking in Davros, is either firmly focussed on the long game or, as his detractors suggest, is once again dodging the hard question; once again freezing in the headlights.

MR JUSTICE Paul Carney’s annoyance at the Court of Criminal Appeal is understandable. In January 2007 he sentenced Gerard Kelly to life in prison for rape, but the sentence was for more than that crime.

BARACK OBAMA’S first test as president came as he was being sworn in. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, got the presidential oath wrong.

THE pub culture has been changing in this country in recent years. The drift from the bars is matched only by the drop in vocations and the attendances at Sunday mass, which can probably be attributed largely to the culpable arrogance of prominent church people.