FREE stuff is great. Back in the day, when I was allegedly a student, free drink was the big thing. An alcohol company would sponsor some college event, and throw in a few barrels. That beer went down really smooth. While knocking it back, myself and a friend might catch each other’s eye across the room, raise our glasses and exchange conspiratorial grins to acknowledge that we were on the pig’s back.

WE hear a lot of talk about Ireland’s priceless environment and heritage.

The refusal of planning permission for the proposed new Children’s Hospital on the site of the Mater should be welcomed and should allow some sense to prevail and for the officials at the Department of Health to rise to the challenge and for the first time in their careers, admit they were wrong about forcing through the Mater site and just accept the site is not suitable and move on.

OPPOSITION politicians are having a field day with the septic tank issue in rural Ireland, gladly joining protesters who are packing village halls in their hundreds to rail against the €50 fee for tank inspections.

BOTH Justice Minister Dermot Ahern and the Taoiseach seem to be persisting with the delusion that the electorate is punishing them for the tough decisions being made at present as if they are martyrs for Mother Éireann.

HEALTH Minister Mary Harney faced fresh attacks over hospital care last night as she was accused of “corporate negligence” due to the growing number of MRSA claims against the State.

THE Greens last night realised the inconvenient truth — that it is impossible to hold onto their principles while at the same time reaching out for power.

The Green Party is challenging other political parties to spell out where they stand on decentralisation.

The Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said he is willing to make a statement on his financial affairs, as called for today by PD leader Michael McDowell.

The Progressive Democrats are meeting later to discuss the consequences of the revelations over alleged cash payments to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

Voters were tonight steeling themselves for the bitterest general election yet, as party leaders began to trade blows on the first official day of campaigning.

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern yesterday launched plans to review key Government departments — but the evaluation won’t begin until after the election.

The Fianna Fáil/PD partnership is running neck and neck with the alternative rainbow coalition, according to a new poll of trade union members.

A new opinion poll published today has found that the popularity of the Taoiseach is declining.

Almost a third of people in Ireland want a Fianna Fáil / PD coalition to form the next government, while a significant majority would not favour a Fianna Fáil/Labour pairing.

ENTERPRISE Minister Micheál Martin has said he hopes the 350 workers who are to lose their jobs at Motorola can avail of some of the 2,800 jobs announced in the past 12 months by the IDA in the Cork region.

THOUSANDS of households in Co Limerick are to get assistance to help pay the cost of weekly bin collections.

Paddy Power have cut the odds on a Fianna Fáil/PD coalition from 5/4 to even odds after Brian Cowen delivered his Budget speech to the house earlier today.

The Tánaiste Michael McDowell, today urged voters not to sleepwalk into a coalition government supported by Sinn Féin.

THE mystery surrounding the identity of the Dáil’s legendary third socialist appeared to be solved yesterday as Tánaiste Michael McDowell outed himself as the protector of the weak and the vulnerable.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today insisted reports of a rift in the coalition Government over the Progressive Democrats’ proposed stamp duty reforms were ridiculous.

A DRAMATIC surge in voter satisfaction with the Government’s performance has given a major boost to the Coalition’s hopes of being re-elected next year.

VOTERS believe a Fine Gael-Labour government would be almost as effective as the present Fianna Fáil/PD coalition.

Progressive Democrat TD Tom Parlon claimed today that he had strong support to take over as party leader following Tánaiste Mary Harney’s sudden resignation.

GREEN Party leader Trevor Sargent has refused to rule out a coalition with Fianna Fáil, but says Bertie Ahern would have to fire a number of ineffective ministers before any arrangement could be considered.

Three Progressive Democrat TDs have emerged as front runners to take over from Ms Harney – Liz O’Donnel, Michael McDowell and Tom Parlon.

LABOUR yesterday dismissed as a gimmick the Government’s announcement it was considering a new category of affordable housing to help those unable to afford a mortgage.

TOM COOPER (Irish Examiner, July 6) is correct in his observation that Ian Paisley encourages racism and racial hatred in Northern Ireland — recently described as one of the race hate capitals of northern Europe.

FINE GAEL leader Enda Kenny last night accused Health Service Executive (HSE) officials of playing politics by directing people seeking information on medical cards to a Fianna Fáil/PD website.

The Taoiseach must sack Minister of State Frank Fahey over allegations of dodging tax, it was claimed tonight.

The Taoiseach today called on the Greens to put up or shut up about allegations on the business practices of Minister of State Frank Fahey.

FOREIGN Minister Dermot Ahern has been forced to admit, thanks to the vigilance of service staff, that at least one shackled prisoner has been brought through Shannon by the US military without Government permission.

THE decision of 33 Afghans to embark on a hunger strike in Dublin rather than face deportation highlights the grim plight of asylum seekers in contemporary Ireland — and throughout fortress Europe.

ONLY people with wealth can buy health in Ireland’s unequal healthcare system, Sinn Féin claimed yesterday.

MORE than 30 people have spent almost a week queuing for affordable housing at a time when the Government is boasting of its housing achievements.

Around 13,000 families were helped with their housing needs last year, Government figures revealed today.

“WITHOUT a vision, the people perish,” the Book of Proverbs tells us.

THE Government has been criticised for making a loss of over €2 million on a former hotel in Co Cork which it earmarked, but never used, as an asylum-seeker centre.

The Government has created a culture of secrecy within public bodies by repeatedly trying to gag the Freedom of Information Act, it was claimed today.

The Labour Party is reacting with confidence to the latest poll which indicates that more voters would favour an alternative coalition to the Fianna Fáil/PD alliance.

THE Green Party will launch an assault on the Government when the Dáil resumes next week by highlighting its "incompetence" in a range of areas.

IF Irish Ferries manages to jettison its workforce and replace it with cheaper labour, as it is so desperately trying to do, there will be widespread repercussions for workers in this country.

VOTERS believe Ireland’s “rip-off” culture has overtaken the health service as the most serious issue facing the country.

FINE GAEL and Labour will zero in on the Government’s mismanagement of taxpayers’ money in the coming months as they attempt to convince the public that they could do better if put in power.