Columnists challenged to figure it out

ONE of the best ways to ensure publication of a letter to the editor, ironically, is to begin by pointing out what a lazy shower some journalists are — especially those columnists who lunch, snooze, nurse gin and tonics and fret, God love them, over what the hell their next column is going to be about.

Then, mirabile dictu, manna from heaven, the Leaving Cert results: 4,375, or something like that, fail ordinary level maths.

What will the US Chamber of Commerce think of that? Remember, the US is the country of Newsweek magazine which has just declared Brian Cowen one of the top 10 national leaders (and you thought the Americans didn’t have a sense of humour).