The Margin was delighted to receive a Christmas card from new Labour leader Ruairi Quinn, a card that is, well, somewhat "old Labour", replete with a sleeves-rolled-up hoary hand of labour holding a bunch of red roses against a background of what looks like the Starry Plough.

Inside is included an extract from James Connolly bemoaning the "degradation" wrought on Irishmen by fellow-Irishmen. Strange, don't remember too many extracts from Connolly in any of Mr Quinn's budgets, which devoted more time to emphasising the need to control the pursestrings.