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PLATFORM: Bank's decision to pull out of Irish market is truly shocking

THE announcement by Bank of Scotland that it is closing its Irish operations is shocking! I am not sure what, if anything, could be done to stop them closing up shop here, but it is truly shocking that they can just walk away from the mess they created. We are all very annoyed with our Irish banks and how they have bankrupted themselves and severely damaged our economy.

MY WORLD: Saying goodbye to a true motoring love

By SHEA TOMKINS

COME the end of it all, when your number is finally called and you take a few moments to reflect upon your life, how many things will you honestly say that you have truly loved? Your family, perhaps, and the person that you settled down with to start a new posse of your own. Add to the list a few friends, a pet and a home. Otherwise, you will probably find that there aren't too many things that you really cherished – except, maybe, for a car. Although I would include Fawlty Towers, and Cadbury's Twirls.

ON THE MONEY: Decisions in Berlin will have huge bearing on us

By FELIM O'ROURKE

THE PRIVATE business sector is losing business, going bankrupt and cutting full-time jobs. The official rate of unemployment says that 13 per cent of the workforce is unemployed but the reality is different. The official figures disguise the reality. Private Sector full-time employment fell from 1,417,000 in autumn 2007 to 1,078,000 in spring 2010. This is a fall of 339,000 or 24 per cent over the period. The fall in full-time employment in the Private Sector is continuing and may be down by 30 per cent by Christmas.

AIDAN WRITES: RTE's top earners could do with a hard dose of reality

By AIDAN O'CONNOR

IT'S good to hear you back on the radio, Pat, after your well-deserved break for a few weeks. Mind you, Myles Duncan did a pretty good job in your absence. But not to worry, I reckon your job is relatively safe for another while yet. That must be nice to know, Pat, all the same, that your job is relatively safe. And I bet it's even nicer to hear knowing in the back of your mind that you earn more than any government minister, the Taoiseach and the vast majority of chief executives of the largest corporations based in this country.

Q&A: Does size matter when it comes to planning?

Q I am self-employed and recently applied for a business grant. I was turned down because I did not have a business plan – do I really need a business plan to grow the business when I am the only one involved? I need to react quickly to opportunities and don't have time to write a detailed plan A If you want to grow a business – regardless of its size – a business plan is a definite help. Many grants and government-funded training schemes now include a business plan in their criteria for eligibility, as do banks and potential investors, to ensure that funding, loans or investments are going to businesses that are structured for growth.

THE WAY I SEE IT: Nothing simple with education

By FR. MICHAEL COMMANE

THE Leaving Cert results are out, so too the first round CAO offers. It has all been something of a media circus. But like all circuses, after a few days it picks up its tent and moves on to the next story. That's the way of the media and nothing wrong with that. But like everything else, there is always another story behind the headlines. Nothing is simple and as straightforward as we think.

STRAIGHT TALKING: Solution to downloading is sweet music to my ears

By KATRINA DAL MOLIN

A NORWEGIAN company has conducted research into illegal music downloading that, for the first time, has shown a positive turn of events. And it is long overdue.

COMMENT: Sustaining NRA's idle staff not the road to go down

THERE is a particular dilemma in working out what is the fair and proper thing to do for workers whose work has been taken away from them. This was brought to light recently by the Labour Party's Transport Spokesman Joe Costello, who queried the sense in continuing to pay €11.4 million a year in wages to the National Roads Authority's 137 staff at a time when massive budgetary constraints mean there are a lot less roadworks going on around the country and, therefore, a lot less work to be done by the staff of the NRA.

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