The Government has defended the troika’s decision to refuse any questioning from the media during its 10-day trip to Dublin to check the country is not reneging on its bailout promises.

Apologies, gays and émigrés dominated Fianna Fáil’s 73rd ard fheis.

THE new year is likely to be horrible for the Government.

KEVIN Cardiff faces public scrutiny before his position as the Irish representative at the European Court of Auditors is confirmed.

CONSTRUCTION employers are due to meet representatives of the IMF/EU/ECB troika this afternoon; when they will highlight a €2bn loss to the exchequer this year and detail likely future losses.

TWO years after its first outing, the Irish Global Economic Forum returns today, this time to Dublin Castle and not to Farmleigh, where it was held amid much fanfare in September 2009 by the previous government.

DERMOT McCARTHY is around long enough to know that this week’s controversy about the extraordinary pension and pay-off he received in July will pass.

ONE of the country’s senior trade unionists has accused the IMF/EU/ECB troika of “wanting to make Ireland an economic laboratory”, as he insisted cutting workers’ wages will not create jobs.

The Taoiseach and Finance Minister have ruled out a second bailout after a Cabinet colleague raised fears the country will struggle to return to the international money markets.

A REVIEW of the legally binding agreements which set the wages for more than 200,000 workers has concluded that the current system should be maintained to protect the employment standards of vulnerable workers.

The National Recovery Plan, 2011-2014, published yesterday, outlines details of how the Government proposes to make €15 billion in savings.

IT’S been one of the worst weeks in our history. The greed of the few and the incompetence of Government and regulators have consigned us to this dreadful place.