Back to basics - Recession’s silver lining

If the recession cloud has any silver lining, then it is that excesses once commonplace have been curtailed.

The hoopla surrounding the sacraments of communion and confirmation had become more like a cringe-making reality TV show than a religious sacrament.

Yesterday’s survey from the Ulster Bank that shows that family expenditure on communion has fallen by a third to €660 is good news though it would be even better if the change was voluntary rather than imposed by economic circumstances.