NORA Owen certainly continues to run into heavy weather with her rather uncertain handling of crime generally, and prisoners in particular. There is a niggling feeling around that Nora is out of her depth and just can't cope, as the situation seems to get worse and worse. Criminals are gradually paralysing the country in a way never experienced before.
Elderly people in isolated rural areas are terrified and the whole atmosphere of rural Ireland seems to be changing for the worse.
Many of the crimes being perpetrated with great viciousness on elderly farmers and other rural dwellers are apparently being carried out by people who have either escaped from open prisons or who have been released early or who did not bother to return to prison after temporary release. It now seems that more than 1,000 people are unlawfully at large.
The prison regime is in chaos. The revolving door seems to let out at least as many as it brings in, and those who do not bother to return to jail seem to feel that they might as well occupy their time outside in crime because, if and when they are eventually captured, they are unlikely to suffer any great additional penalty.
Loughan House in Co Cavan seems to be particularly free and easy because 40 of its inmates sauntered off last year. Considering it only holds about 60 or so inmates at any one time, this is a fair proportion of absconders.
Since it offers, among its attractions, golf, tennis and all the satellite television channels, it is surprising that anyone ever wants to leave. Maybe the food is not Egon Ronay-recommended, and the wines are a trifle young.
The atmosphere of fear and frustration among the public is now so great that it will be surprising indeed if the "hang `em and flog `em" brigade does not come to the fore again. Nora is right in identifying the crime situation as being more likely than anything else to cause the Government to lose office, but for someone who can identify the problem she is doing remarkably little to solve it.
She is also doing very little to appoint judges even though both Houses, in a fit of hectic activity just before Christmas, passed the Courts Bill for her. We were to have 18 new judges by early January, but nothing has happened. What a time of tension for Fine Gael stalwarts in the Law library as they wait with bated breath every time the telephone rings. We may even have the first Democratic Left judge. Rumour around the House has it that former TD Pat McCartan will be one of the bunch to be elevated. There are advantages in losing your seat.
McCartan could even be our first solicitor Circuit Court judge. Surely the ultimate case of poacher turned gamekeeper!
The Progressive Democrats published a fairly comprehensive tax programme during the week on lines that were predictable from them, but the most interesting thing that came of it was Mary Harney's obvious reluctance to find herself in Government with Labour or Democratic Left. Mary is probably right in making this clear, but some are surprised that she closed off some of her options. However, Drapier thinks the Progressive Democrats are still bruised from their time in government with Albert Reynolds and do not want to get into a situation again where things become impossible.
Drapier rather liked Bobby Molloy's way of summing it up when he said on radio that the PDs could possibly do business with Labour some time in the future if they transformed themselves in the way Tony Blair has transformed Labour in Britain. Bobby might have a long wait for that to happen here.
FOR Francois Mitterrand to die so soon after his retirement from the presidency of France was a sad happening. He had a curious career and the earlier part of it was anything but socialist. Politically speaking he was quite a survivor and Drapier can understand Charlie Haughey's great affinity for him. They were both men of some style. Mitt errand had a commitment to Europe as a whole and to smaller countries which does not appear to be shared by his successor Jacques Chirac.
Senator George Mitchell and his two colleagues are back in town. Their report and recommendations are expected as soon as next Thursday and will be awaited with great interest. Since the Mitchell decommissioning body was set up, the IRA has sent them a clear message. They have murdered five people during that short period. Mitchell certainly has an unenviable task. He must be reassured to know that Bertie Ahern will accept his findings in advance. If certain others did likewise, it might be more to the point.
Europe's future seems a little more unsure this morning after we read that even Germany may not meet the Maastricht guidelines due to budget deficits arising from the costs of the former East Germany. In fact, we are told that Luxembourg is the only clear qualifier for monetary union at the moment.
For some years Germany has been laying down the law for everyone else. The foreign offices of Europe are too polite to laugh out loud but there must be suppressed mirth in the European Union at the prospect of Germany being unable to meet its own standards.
Ruairi Quinn tells us we are so virtuous here that perhaps Luxembourg and ourselves can go ahead together and we can send Proinsias De Rossa off on a lecture tour of capitals to tell them how to tighten their belts. Maybe he could be accompanied by Lady Thatcher, whose efforts this week have contributed hugely to the early advent of a Labour government in Britain. Between herself and Emma Nicholson, poor old John Major has probably gone off women.
When you think of Major's troubles, and Bill Clinton being nearly bankrupt, Boris Yeltsin up to his eyeballs in Chechnya, and Jacques Chirac down to about 10 per cent support, it is easy to see that there is still truth in the saying "uneasy lies the head that wears the crown".