We hear of disappointment and discontent within the Revenue Commissioners when, somehow, the best endeavours of enthusiastic officials are frustrated. We hear of information which is generally available - up to a point. And there's vestigial knowledge, which seems to have no identifiable origin and can never be pinned down. We have been given passing glimpses of the way in which pressure from outside may filter through the political system to the administration of policy. But you can be sure there's no substitute for the sustained pressure of financial institutions which not only contribute to political parties but keep in touch, one way or another, to warn of the consequences of decisions which are not to their liking.
Superstition is alive and thriving in the hard-nosed world of finance.
This week's prize for hard neck goes to Brian Cowen who, after two and a half years of consultation, thousands of submissions and the memory of two long and bitter referendum campaigns, comes up with a Green Paper on abortion. It will, he says, help to throw light on the issue. Not that the Government intends to do anything about it.