The economic bulldog Biffo bares his teeth

Biffo, the economic bulldog, is fed up with being criticised for trying to save the country. Day in and day out, someone has something nasty to say that, shock horror, blames him for the financial nosedive. With all that negative energy flying around, it is no wonder Taoiseach Brian Cowen took a pop at his one-time cosy buddy, Labour leader Eamon Gilmore, on Tuesday. With a snarling attitude not seen since the great cursing scandal, cranky Cowen went in for the kill when Gilmore's whining got too much for him. Pressing him with the gusto of a child who wants their presents on Christmas morning, Gilmore had urged Biffo to share details of the merger of the Combat Poverty Agency, the Equality Authority and the Human Rights Commission. Cowen quickly turned the tables. "As the deputy knows from his own internal organisational... [read full story]