PEOPLE have become particularly conscious of the rip-offs in Irish life since the Eddie Hobbs series on television.

GOAL’s John O’ Shea was on radio and television during the week decrying our Government’s gesture in allocating e1 million and sending some 30 members of the Irish defence forces to help with the relief efforts in New Orleans.

IF you were Eddie Hobbs, presenter of the Rip Off Republic series on RTÉ, wouldn’t you just love to have a Minister of State attack you, especially with a threadbare attack like that launched by Tim O’Malley this week.

Ryle Dwyer

ECONOMISTS are still optimistic about the Celtic Tiger, but they frequently get things spectacularly wrong. People should therefore beware.

A FIT, healthy-looking man stopped me in the street one night and asked why I was in favour of allowing refugees into this country.

THE IRA formally called off another campaign on Thursday. Sinn Féin leaders have basically got the IRA to affirm what they promised when they signed the Good Friday Agreement more than seven years ago.

ARE the British learning, or is the charging of the British soldiers with war crimes in Iraq just a cosmetic exercise? In this country it seemed the British did not learn from their mistakes.

“WHY has Jesus Christ so far not succeeded in inducing the world to follow His teachings?” US President Woodrow Wilson of the United States asked in 1919.