Monday 10th May 2010

Euro

It was the early hours of this morning when EU finance ministers agreed emergency measures worth 500bn euros. Their aim? To prevent the spread of the Greek debt crisis across the EU, and to protect the euro.

The markets have responded well. So is the Euro safe and has a crisis been averted? Joining Pat with their verdicts were economist Moore McDowell and Kieran O’Hagan, fixed income strategist with Societé Generale in Paris.

Innovation

There is gloom in abundance in every corner of the country – jobless queues and financial uncertainty for many families. We only have to look at Greece and the turmoil there to see the consequences of economic catastrophe.

But there is energy and hope on campuses and business parks, where research development and lateral thinking is going on that will eventually feed into the “smart economy”. In time the Government believes that the knowledge economy will lead us into a new promised land of tens of thousands of jobs.

Joining Pat was Founding President of the University of Limerick Dr. Ed Walsh who has strong credentials in the world of business and education recently described as a one man think tank and Chris Horne, a member of the Government Task Force on Innovation

Protecting your privacy

If you can’t walk down the street or make a purchase without being snapped on CCTV or buy a Chinese Take away without the restaurant retaining your contact details ..how much of our lives can be considered to be private anymore? Well in spite of this proliferation of your information in the public sphere you do have rights. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties have just begun a public information campaign to let people know what their rights are. Pat was joined in studio by Gary Davis, Deputy Data Protection Commissioner and TJ McIntyre of the UCD School of Law and head of Digital Rights Ireland

UK Elections

This morning Gordon Brown remains in Number 10 Downing Street as British Prime Minister but many newspapers are describing him as “a dead man walking” given that some deal is likely to be reached between the the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats soon which will allow a government to be formed.

Should the talks between the two parties fail Mr. Brown has made it clear that he’s willing to work with the Liberal Democrats and has promised them a referendum on electoral reform.

However, many commentators are suggesting that the Tories and Lib Dems will be able to reach an agreement although not all are convinced that it will be a full blown coalition.

Meanwhile, both party leaders have to sell any deal to their grassroots members and given that there are still major differences between the parties on many policy areas this could prove to be a tough sell.

Joining me on the line now is Matthew Paris, former conservative MP and Times columnist

St Ita’s Psychiatric Hospital

A number of years ago it was decided to close down Ireland’s huge Victorian psychiatric hospitals and to transfer the residents to more appropriate, more modern accommodation. In the case of St Ita’s in Portrane, Co. Dublin, ten brand new bungalows were built in the grounds of the hospital. But, almost a year after they were handed over to the HSE, the bungalows remain empty. What’s going on?

Valerie Cox went to find out

Travel

As tourism Minister Mary Hanafin meets tourism industry representatives today to discuss the fall out from our unwelcome neighbour, the Icelandic ash cloud the rest of us are coming to terms with the fact we face a long and uncertain summer with not one, but possibly two ash clouds, set to disrupt our travel fans over the coming months and even years. Can our airlines, our holiday plans and our tourist industry sustain this level of uncertainty? With Pat to discuss this and other travel matters is Eoghan Corry, editor of Travel Extra