THERE is so little difference between political parties these days that even siblings a run for opposing parties without any apparent ill feeling. The Kilkenny People reports that two brothers in one of the south east's most prominent political families are moving into rival positions for the next general election.
A former Progressive Democrats TD, Martin Gibbons, is being sounded out about standing for Fianna Fail in Carlow/Kilkenny, while Jim Gibbons jnr is to be the Progressive Democrats' candidate in the constituency, according to the Kilkenny People's sources. The PD leader, Ms Mary Harney, is expected to formalise his candidacy this week.
Jim Gibbons, who operates "an extensive and very successful landscaping business", met the Fianna Fail leader, Bertie Ahern, last May, but did not attend the selection convention on October 13th. Which is just as well, because that convention "ended in total disarray" and in accusations that it was "a complete farce".
Councillor Kevin Fennelly, who polled well in the last general election, may have "landed himself in hot water" by declaring that "if Fianna Fail put up Tom and Jerry they would be elected here".
THE hepatitis C scandal provoked the Nationalist and Leinster Times to comment, "public information is a favour". The paper declared a right."
Longford Leader took up the theme of public disclosure and accountability on its front page in relation to another controversy, the ongoing Longford VEC scandal.
Questions are arising over whether the acting chief executive officer of Longford Vocational Education Committee should have been paid travelling expenses from his home to the VEC headquarters in Longford town for the past 10 years. The story has been highlighted in The Irish Times, but the Longford Leader was previously unable to source the story itself. It attempted to obtain information, but had been stonewalled by a series of excuses, denials and sub stories, it said.
It was now time for the VEC to come out into the open and inform, the public, which was now "very alert to what VECs are up to", the paper added.
There was no whining about Tipperary beef being excluded from exports to Russia in the county's local newspapers, the Tipperary Star and the Guardian.
The Guardian believed that "the sad fact is that bad apples have appeared in the barrel and these are now making the rest suffer because of their irresponsible, selfish and indeed criminal behaviour".
The Tipperary Star stated: "If the scheme is being abused by the introduction of infected animals in order to avail of elimination grants ... those responsible must be shown that this behaviour will not be tolerated and will not pay."
Kerry escaped the Russian ban because it has had no case of BSE since 1993, although the Kerryman reported that the Tipperary farm at the centre of the probe into the suspected BSE fraud had "strong Kerry links".
Readers with sensitive stomachs should avoid page four of the Kerryman, which depicted champion raw egg swallower Joe Quinn, of Listowel, happily guzzling 20 from a glass.
This is among the macho "lumberjack style" antics, such as log cutting tournaments and women's arm wrestling, which are enlivening the lengthening winter nights in John Dowling's Church Street pub in Listowel.
"Some punters could only sit back in nauseated astonishment as a local man happily gulped back over a dozen raw eggs in quick succession, swallowing them down as happily as a child with a bag of sweets. And, after all that, he didn't even win", said the Kerryman.
John Dowling said that his next entertainment would be "a competition to see how many dry cream crackers you could get a person to swallow. I believe it's great craic." Yes sirree.
IF that's not stimulating enough to get you through the long, dark, rural winter, then try watching the ESB meter go around.
A Mayo man, Alex Corcoran, has invented a digital electronic device which can be wallmounted or plugged directly into an electrical socket to enable consumers to see at a glance the cost of their electricity consumption and to adjust their usage accordingly. It's one way to take the shock out of high winter ESB bills, said the Mayo News.
But if you are really interested in saving money, then don't buy a grave plot, just have your friends bury you with a JCB.
An Ennistymon man is appealing to the local council to allow him, when he dies, to be wrapped in linen and placed in a grave on his own land without a coffin, with no head stone or markings and no priest present for his burial.
"Why buy a site when I have one?" he told Ennistymon undertaker publican and Clare County Council member Jimmy Nagle, who outlined the man's plight at a council meeting last week.
