The poppy, symbol of the Royal British Legion, and sold in November to coincide with ceremonies organised by the same organisation to commemorate the dead of the British army in two world wars, was this week placed at the centre of a petty political row. It was placed there initially and mischievously by Eoghan Harris when he declared on RTE that if Mary McAleese wished to reach out to Unionists she should wear a poppy during her inauguration as President of Ireland on 11 November. Free article

I was listening to the `Sunday Show' with Andy O'Mahony on RTE 1 the other Sunday morning. Not a bad show. The first I've listened to it. Like all RTE current affairs programmes at that time the topic of discussion was the presidential election and the issue of Mary McAleese. Free article

Despite his generally positive role in the peace process since 1994 the abiding memory of Dick Spring for republicans will be from 1984, two years after he took over as leader of the Labour Party. One unforgettable weekend he was on Banna Strand in his Kerry constituency unveiling a memorial to 1916 leader and gunrunner Roger Casement while off the coast the Navy and gardai were arresting the IRA arms ship the Marita Ann with Martin Ferris on board. Free article

Life's a stage, isn't it? And there's a point when life and drama merge, and for those of us who happen to be looking on, the blur of it all becomes a form of entertainment in itself. Sunday nights aren't going to be the same after the ending of Making The Cut, and its glimpse of white collar politics associating with the drug and criminal world. Free article

By Saturday 8 November poverty and world hunger will be a thing of the past. They will have ceased to exist. That, at least, appears to be the plan of the United Nations, given that they have designated 7 November as International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Free article

An mhí seo caite a cuireadh Ernesto Che Guevara i gCúba 30 bliain i ndiaidh báis dó. Ba dhuine de mhuintir Uí Loinsigh í a sheanmháthair athartha. Mar sin féin ní raibh aon ionadaí ón stát Éireannach i láthair ag an athadhlacadh. Tá diaspora agus diaspora ann. Níor fhág an tórramh aon duine in amhras faoin ngean a thugann muintir Chúba dá chuimhne, fiú an ghlúin óg nach cuimhin leo réimeas Bhatista. Free article

Striking truckers need our support and $37 billion bail out to Suharto's brutal regime Free article

The big news from the world of GAA is that Mickey Whelan has resigned as Dublin football manager after Sunday's defeat at the hands of Offaly in Parnell Park. And about time too. His two-year reign after the All-Ireland win of 1995 was nothing more than a disaster for the metropolitans. The Dubs were outclassed in nearly every department, from defence to the forward line. After two league defeats the prospect of Dublin in one of the lower divisions next year is a real possibility. Hopefully better days are to come. Free article

A rousing debate on extradition late on Friday evening showed the anxiety and determination of delegates to allow no further Irish victims of British `justice'. In a voice loud enough to be heard in Leinster House if not Kinsealy, Sean Crowe asked delegates. Free article

Edward Carson and There's Only One Red Army: A Book for People Who Love (or Hate) Football Free article