Brian Cowen didn't wait for the report of the Moriarty Tribunal into Charlie Haughey's financial affairs before appointing one of the key witnesses as the new chairman of the National Pensions Reserve Fund Commission (NPRFC).

If Denis O'Brien is so confident that he did nothing untoward when winning the second mobile phone licence a decade ago then why was 2005 punctuated by legal challenges to the work of the Moriarty tribunal and public statements demanding its immediate conclusion?

Fyffes clearly lost the insider trading case it took against DCC and Jim Flavin – decided upon by Justice Mary Laffoy in the High Court just before Christmas – but Flavin's claim of "vindication" rings just a bit hollow.

What odds on Eoin Ryan getting the vacant junior ministry as an "incentive" to run for Fianna Fáil in Dublin South-East at the next general election?

It may be 18 months before we know exactly how the Irish Ferries stand-off has benefited its parent group Irish Continental. As the group's financial year-end does not coincide with the calendar year it may be that long before the relevant details of the expense involved in the redundancy package figures in the group accounts.

Here's how the story goes: Roy Keane is walking through a hotel lobby the evening before a major away fixture for Manchester United in the Champions League. His manager Alex Ferguson is having a drink with two of his new closest friends. He calls Keane across to meet his fellow countrymen JP McManus and John Magnier.

In the spirit of the pantomime season, here's a warning for the most senior members of Sinn Féin: "Look out, he's behind you".