And at the words "Irish financial magazine," all sorts of inappropriate ethnic jokes prodded at my elbow,

The best part was a humor piece that began with an attempt to clone several politicians and ended with two members of the Cabinet, now jobless, huddled under a blanket in an alley singing a parody of "Lullaby of New York," the anti-Christmas carol by the Pogues and Kirsty MacColl. I didn't get half the jokes, but it was pretty amusing anyway.