The chairman of Thomas Crosbie Holdings, which owns the Irish Examiner, has called on the Government to consider giving newspapers some of the proposed broadcasting charge which is due to replace the TV licence fee.

THERE is no doubt in anyone’s mind that our system of Government needs to be reformed. The only way to do that properly is to agree that there are no “sacred cows” from vouched expenses to the existence of the Seanad, from ministerial cars to whether we need five seat constituencies or not.