Comrades and Friends,

I've gone for the slightly Soviet opening not because I'm reading a biography of Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev at the moment and pondering what the world would be like if Leon Trotsky had won his power struggle with Stalin - I've chosen this particular form of words because this page has the same humble ambition as the Soviet Union (and don't mention this to Thomas White) but the European Union as well.  "What ambition..." I hear you Tory voting capalitist pigs say "taking over the world..." - no, no just the simple redistribution of wealth.

The idea (and for idea read getting me drunk) came from Clare Egan's birthday when a certain Conchita Garcia took clear advantage of the fact that the particular venue did not have the good taste to serve Ireland's finest export, guinness not Jerry Adams, plied me with beer I would not normally drink, twisted my arm and exploited my good nature.

So in the immortal words of another great Irish export "Give us your f**king money."