Ordinary, law-abiding citizens, who pay off overdrafts, debts and taxes on the nail can be forgiven for believing that one set of rules governs their lives while an entirely different code of behaviour exists for an elite clique in society. As the Moriarty Tribunal slowly but surely prises the lid from an unsavoury can of worms left over from the Haughey era, Ireland's image as a banana republic run for the benefit of the rich businessmen and politicians grows by the day.
Editorial in last Thursday's Examiner
The atmosphere during the two days of discussions were better than those of other recent meetings. So far however, the substantive issues, the fundamentals, have not been resolved. If the review is to finish next week as expected, then there is very little time left. The success of the review depends entirely on the establishment of the institutions. We need to make urgent progress.
Gerry Adams after the London talks last week
We cannot be real peacekeepers if we participate in the continuing expansion of NATO or in the creation of a European superstate with a military arm. International peacekeeping should be under the auspices of the United Nations and Irish foreign policy should be based on the strengthening of the United Nations and on disarmament. There are NATO-aligned troops on Irish soil. They still occupy barracks and other military installations in the Six Counties.
Sinn Féin TD Caoimhghín O Caoláin in Leinster House last week during the debate on the PfP
I never imagined I would find something as evil or deadly as this... [they] must have looked at the fixtures inside the youth club and saw that Saturday's teams were both Catholic.
Schoolboy referee Anthony Hanna after discovering 400 nails had been hammered into a pitch in West Belfast prior to an under-11 soccer match. Loyalists are being blamed
Voting for Ian Paisley in the hope that he will save Ulster is about as sensible as voting for Mystic Meg in the hope that you will win the lottery. Paisley has done nothing for Ulster other than to have made unionism a laughing stock around the world. He has been the recruiting sergeant for negativity... He has gained nothing.
UUP Assembly member Esmond Birnie at a constituency meeting in North Down last week. He also called for Sinn Féin to be included in any new Executive
There is a more optimistic view, of course, that the Trimble antics are merely an opening gambit, and that this week, he will get down to business and not insist on undeliverable demands. Yet it seems to me that the stars may be aligning differently. Put succinctly, if the British are taking the unionist side in the coming showdown, it will be very short-sighted indeed.
Niall O'Dowd writing in Ireland On Sunday, 17 October
If there is a Celtic Tiger, it's because we're living in a jungle and Tarzan McCreevy is the only one swinging from the trees.
Full-time carer Al O'Rourke on the nurses' strike
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