Great news in this issue with the announcement of the Irish Forestry, Woodland & Bio Energy Show will take place in Birr Castle Estate, Co. Offaly on the 6th and 7th of May. The fact that David Wilkinson, Event Director, has considerable experience through his organisation of the Irish Game and Country Fair is very reassuring that the show will be run in a professional manner. Overall, the timber and forestry sectors are doing relatively well throughout the recession. I believe this event will be a great opportunity for everyone to see what's available in terms of machinery, services, information and new ideas. I know there are some great international shows, such as the APF (pictorial review from APF2010 in this issue), but to have our very own event will make it so much easier for people to attend and at the same time be good for the economy here too.

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I think all political parties should be banned. I think too many people vote for the same parties in each election, regardless of what they do . . If our government had been running a company and that company went bankrupt, they wouldn't be walking away with their big pensions; at best they might qualify for the dole. If children voted for their parents, they would vote for ones that offered the most ice cream and sweets and let them, stay up late at night, watch whatever television they wanted . . It's a bit like that with our political system, whoever offers us the best deal gets our votes, and then we wonder why things have gone wrong! Anyway, I think we should vote for good people not parties. I like Fergal Quinn's suggestion that those we vote into office should then hire people with the relevant qualifications and experience to run the various departments. That's my rant for this issue !