between the rock and the cold, cold sea

Watch the Channel 4 documentary on it first.

http://www.channel4.com/news/microsites/R/ryanair_caught_napping/index.html

Then decide whether you really want to fly on an airline that appears to have some serious health and safety issues. Not to mention seriously poor treatment of customers and of staff.

Not to mention the fact that their managing director is a bullying p**ck with a huge entitlement complex and no ethics.

Bad news:

Northern Ireland:

The IRA has given up the 'armed struggle' and decommissioned the bulk of their weapons (according to Gen. John de Chastelain). According to the IMC, they may have renounced the 'sturggle', but they control the majority of organised crime, retain at least 300 weapons for so-called 'personal protection' purposes, and remain engaged in intelligence-gathering on political figures and figures in the security forces both north and south of the border.

My own dear Republic:

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is still talking out both sides of his mouth (and other orifices as well); Tánaiste and Minister for Health Mary Harney is struggling with the Poisoned Chalice that is Health; A&E remains over-crowded, a minor budget deficit for the health services has turned into a gaping hole of lost money, and there are never enough nurses, doctors, or beds; and my opinion of President Mary MacAleese has taken a sharp downward turn after her comments on the IMC's findings.

Labour leader Pat Rabbitte and Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny are being forgettable again, the Greens remain laughable, and Sinn Féin makes disturbing noises, as always. In other news, the unions are meeting with the government to discuss their latest pay deals while in private industry, the average wage relative to inflation decreases. House prices continue to rise.

Good news:

For the first time in many days, the sun shone on Dublin.

-------

No, I don't think much of my nation's politicians. I did, however, have an idea about a novel I'd like to write about them someday, casting Sinn Fein as the Big Bad Evil Necessary-Plot-Thing...

...and then I thought: Do you really have a deathwish?