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Italy moves to the right
ITALIAN VOTERS have made a pronounced move to the right by giving Silvio Berlusconi and his allies a clear victory in their parliamentary elections. In doing so they have dramatically simplified their party political system by giving the two main parties such a dominant role. Reacting to the fragmentation and policy drift of Romano Prodi's unstable outgoing coalition they have also responded with hostility to his unpopular efforts to balance the budget by tighter taxation laws. p
In an emergency
WHEN A crisis threatens, it is extremely important that members of the public are satisfied the Government has contingency plans in place and that its agencies are prepared to deal with specific emergencies. In getting that message across, preliminary advice can go a long way towards soothing genuine fears and preventing a panic reaction. p
Opinion
The great survivor triumphs
ANALYSIS: 'IL CAVALIERE", the Great Communicator, is back. The emphatic victory of media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi in last weekend's Italian general election not only represents a remarkable personal triumph for the 71-year-old billionaire but it may also mark a watershed in Italy's long and difficult passage on the road to becoming a modern bipolar democracy, writes PADDY AGNEW. pO'Faolain's anguish at facing death can give a jolt to our lives
IN HER weekend interview with Marian Finucane, Nuala O'Faolain described facing her experience of dying. With the same unsentimental, uncompromising courage she has brought to many dark corners of human experience, she gave this country a shot of emotional honesty that has allowed us to confront what is perhaps our deepest fear, writes TONY BATES . pConsumed by guilt on climate change
'POLAR BEARS.' You'll hear this soundbite before you see the stroppy youngsters clattering around turning off lights. In my house I get "global warming!" roared at me as my son flicks off the standby button on the DVD player, writes AILISH CONNELLY .
pCriminal justice system slips on a Fyffes banana
IT MUST have been a difficult few years for Jim Flavin of DCC and his colleagues who were involved in the sale of the company's shares in Fyffes in 2000, having been in receipt of inside information that would have led them to believe that the Fyffes shares were about to take a nosedive, writes VINCENT BROWNE . pHillery's quiet decency belied toughness that served Ireland well
APPRECIATION: I GOT a rather privileged start in golf. In the summers of 1953 and 1954 I was tutored by a current Irish international and a future president of Ireland, writes DESMOND O'MALLEY . pThis new Belfast looks like it could be worth a visit
NEWTON'S OPTIC: A new guidebook provides unexpected insights into Belfast's history and culture, writes Newton Emerson . pCorrections & Clarifications
An article in the edition of last Saturday, concerning a High Court action by former prisoner Gary Breen for damages, reported Breen's allegation that the inmate who attacked him was a cousin of a man whose neck was slashed by Breen in 1998.
An Irishman's Diary
DO IRISH burglars have secret codes that they mark on houses during field research? If there are any burglars reading this, they might write in and let me know (not forgetting to include their names and addresses, so I can acknowledge them properly). But I ask only because of an intriguing item in the Paris Insider's Guide, which I picked up on my last visit to that city. p
