News roundup

Things have gone a bit quiet here at IE in the last few days, which could be despite or because of the fact that political life has reverted to form so quickly.  Nonetheless, it’s been a strange week for the Government even set against the apparently high standards of tolerance shown by the electorate, so below the fold, a few things worthy of note.

1.  Monica Leech loses her libel action against the Indo.  She should have quit while she was ahead against RTE — surely a stretch to be suing the people who simply reported on the original libelous event, without ever claiming that it was true.   It’s not clear what impact the whole business had on Martin Cullen’s career, who had done enough other things to get people annoyed at him.

2.  The government is planning on using the tax system to ameliorate the impact of inflation — specifically through an increase in mortgage interest tax relief.  Hard to see how this is a good idea: it doesn’t tackle the sources of inflation, it risks feeding into house prices (since every 1st time buyer will feel that they “afford” a bigger mortgage), and it complicates the tax system with a bigger deduction that not everyone benefits from (renters are out of luck).  Not clear that a Minister McCreevy would have agreed to such a move.

3.  Beverley, Beverley, Beverley.  Did Bertie tamper with an ongoing court case through his hints about a promotion?  Did Beverley say too much in Castlebar on Saturday night?  Does she have a deal with Bertie about her support for the government?  How annoyed are the FF backbenchers?  And will she advise Monica Leech of the risks of pursuing libel actions?