Hypocritical gestures are typical of what we have come to accept

IT is a measure of Bertie Ahern’s capacity to exude hypocrisy that he actually stood up before about 190 of the world’s leaders at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg and lectured them about aid to the Third World.

The man who heads up a government which has cut overseas development aid this year by something like 32 million, described a decrease in such aid during the past decade as "shameful" and "indefensible".

Of course it is but so are cutbacks in health and education, although the man who criticised the US for trying to obstruct plans to protect the poor and save the environment has steadfastly refused to admit that that is precisely what he has been doing since getting back into power. Bertie Ahern the man to protect the poor and save the environment against America's worst endeavours? God help us, the poor, and the environment.