HAVING given a mere 60 seconds to mourn the tsunami victims and a firm two fingers to those crippled by Third World debt, is anyone surprised that our Government has insulted the memory of John Paul II for economic gain?

THE Celtic Tiger is again thriving and one would think it is unpatriotic to suggest that, like all tigers, it will die one day and we should have the foresight to be prepared.

AIB was engulfed in two fresh scandals last night after it admitted 10 current and former senior executives may have been involved in tax evasion.

THE war against terrorism is a necessity. Unfortunately, those who think they are in charge of it are incompetent.

WE have possibly the most sophisticated electoral system in the world. It enables voters, protected by secret ballot, to indicate, right down to street or townland level, their political preferences in the most nuanced way.

REIGNING champions Coláiste na Sceilge have an injury crisis ahead of tomorrow’s crucial Irish Examiner Corn Uí Mhuirí clash with Coláiste Choilm, Ballincollig, at Kilcummin.

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EUROPEAN Central Bank (ECB) President Wim Duisenberg’s reputation rose and fell with the euro, and as a sign of his mixed legacy he leaves office today with the 12-nation currency where he found it: worth about $1.17.

YOUR correspondents, Declan Cashin and Maurice Fitzgerald (Irish Examiner, Oct 22 ) can be forgiven their instant incandescence over the substitute payments arrangements for teachers who are members of the Oireachtas.

FROM any paper other than the excellent Irish Examiner, I would regard a slice at teachers in the Oireachtas as a cheap shot.

NOEL Whelan, (Irish Examiner, Sept 11) is always amusing as an indicator of how and why the thinking Fianna Fáiler is frightened by Pat Rabbitte.

IRISH troops or other personnel must not be deployed in Iraq unless there is a clear distinction between any UN-mandated presence and the current US/UK occupation.

OUR government should treat with extreme caution any request to supply personnel (especially military) to assist in the occupation of Iraq.

IT’S shocking that the American and British governments have not only torn up the UN charter... they have also turned their backs on hundreds of years of constitutional struggle and construction of which their peoples can be justly proud and which we in Ireland shared.

THE Government is considering a series of drastic cost-cutting measures if the economy takes another hit next year.

THE FAI’s general secretary, Brendan Menton, last night stressed that his decision to step down from the key administrative position was geared to hasten the implementation of the Genesis evaluation report.

FOOTBALL Association of Ireland (FAI) bosses face a grilling this evening when the findings of the review of their World Cup preparations are released.

FORMER Manchester United star and Middlesbrough manager Bryan Robson last night declared his interest in becoming manager of the Republic of Ireland.

A fleet of national winners and Olympic athletes will gather in Dun Laoghaire in early October to decide Ireland's best sailor for 2002 in the Allianz ISA Helmsman Championship.

I VOTED against the Nice Treaty last year and I do not have any objection per se to another go at the issue. After all, there has been more than one referenda on matters relating to the dissolution of marriage and the lives of our unborn children.

EVEN before the summer holidays, senior government officials were bracing themselves for storm clouds in the autumn.

DOES RTÉ need a licence fee increase? Yes, it does. Can we afford to pay one? We can’t afford not to. Should we see an increase as another one of the “stealth taxes” that seem to be a feature of our lives these days? No.

IT would seem that some of those who oppose the Nice Treaty are concerned about “the loss of democracy” and would prefer that the Irish Government retained an absolute veto on all EU decisions.

ROY KEANE has dashed any slim hopes of an early return to the Ireland team following an outspoken interview.

Maurice O'Connell, the former Governor of the Central Bank, has been appointed to carry out a thorough investigation into the workings of the Football Association of Ireland.

Former Central Bank Governor Maurice O'Connell will chair the review of the FAI's involvement in the World Cup in 2002.

The Governor of the Central Bank, Maurice O'Connell, has said the changeover from punts to euros will only have a minimal effect on Ireland's inflation.

The Central Bank's annual report has shown that the rate of inflation in this country is running at 4.5%, which is still too high, according to its governor,