Some of my colleagues have started new blogs over the summer recess. Particularly like www.richardbruton.ie (nice piece on Richard’s musical tastes) and Lucinda Creighton at www.lucindacreighton.ie. The summer recess is always a time for making new commitments and promises about what you will do. It’s like that spirit of hope at New Year. The onset of NAMA, Lisbon and the budget might make it very difficult to sustain these promises.
Richard’s cultural musings have prompted me to reflect on what has struck me when I’ve been away on holiday. Neil Young’s Archives has just been wonderful. I’ve been a big fan of him since I was an angst ridden teenager. It’s just amazing to hear this young kid laying the foundations for all that he’s now achieved.
Book of the holidays for me has been The Young Papers by Hugo Young. The author was one of the leading political journalists and commentators in the UK for 30 years. This book consists of all of the private transcripts of 30 years of “off the record” meetings. The only politician that did not give his permission for these papers to be published was Tony Blair. A pity because the rest of the papers are just fascinating.