THE DEATH OF J. B. Murray P.C. last month from a surfeit of Spikery has left the Irish ultra-right without its guiding star. J. B. Murray had symbolised the reaction against sexual liberalisation since he founded the League of Decency in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision allowing the importation of contraceptives.
THE NON-PROSECUTION of officers formerly in the fingerprint section of the Gardai is in spite of a finding that several "mistakes" were made by these officers in fingerprint identification over the last several years.
An analysis of the Government's economic strategy by Paddy Geary
The twenty-five foot high star came to life. From its dominating position behind the stage of the Sunset Club in Longford, outlined in red, white and two shades of green against a deep blue background, the star began a rhythmic blinking. The tiny lights embedded in the high blue ceiling added their own stardust imitations and for a few minutes it seemed as though Garret FitzGerald was about to finish his marathon constituency tour with all the taste, style and Panache of Richard Nixon. By: Gene Kerrigan.
Part I: Labour before and after Frank Cluskey
FOR BOTH COALITION parties the experience in Government and the election were calamities and, although Fine Gael iost more seats and more votes; the outcome for Labour is the more serious. By: Vincent Browne
FROM HIS SWIVEL chair behind an old mahogany desk on the fourth floor of the Observer building on the fringes of London's press world of Fleet Street, Dr. Conor Cruise O'Brien, former Minister for Posts and Telegraphs, former TD, now Senator for Trinity College Dublin, can see the massive clock faces on the domes of Christopher Wren's cathedral of St. Paul's. By Henry Kelly
Jeremy Bugler examines the implications of the Irish decision to join the world's exclusive nuclear club.
THE WORST budget performance in years was given by Fine Gael's new spokesman on Finance, Peter Barty. His reply to George Colley's statement was embarrassing as cliche rolled after platitude in monotonous succession.
CHARLES HAUGHEY is rivalled only by Jack Lynch in evasiveness and managing to give the impression of saying one thing while actually saying another. Note how he has never actually said he supports Jack Lynch as leader of Fianna Fail or that he supports the Lynch line on the North as stated in the Tralee speech of September '69 or the US speech of November '70.
IN A SENSE George Colley was born into politics - though not into one of the founding dynasties. His father, Harry Colley, had been in the Volunnteers from 1913 and fought in 1916 when he was wounded and left for dead. He was interned, first in the Castle Hospital and later at Frongoch. He became adju-tant in the Dublin Brigade of the IRA and took the Reepublican side in the Civil War during which he was jailed. He was a founder member of Fianna Fail although he only stood for the Dail for the first time in 1943. By Maurice Manning