What the papers say

Journalist Malachi O'Doherty takes a look at Monday's morning newspapers.

The News Letter leads with the astonishing report that teenagers in north Belfast punched and kicked a disabled three-year-old boy in a sectarian attack.

Christopher Moody strayed from home on his bike, following a cat. A neighbour found him being attacked by a group of boys and brought him home.

Prison is rarely the catalyst that makes offenders realise the damage they have done and change their ways

Briedge Gadd
Irish News

The Irish News also leads with sectarian violence, the story of a Sinn Fein activist who believes she has been targeted for murder by loyalists.

Roisin McGurk, who lives near the spot where young Gavin Brett was murdered, has been told three times by the police in the last six weeks that she is in danger.

On one occasion a gunman was spotted by a neighbour.

'Prison no catalyst'

The photo with the story shows Mrs McGurk and her wheelchair bound son Martin.

Briedge Gadd in her column inside argues that prison is rarely the catalyst that makes offenders realise the damage they have done and change their ways.

"We Irish on the whole, don't give a damn about ethics in public life. I have always thought and argued otherwise, but I'm obviously wrong".

That is Fintan O'Toole's assessment of the election in this morning's Irish Times, where he lists the achievements of "bribe-takers, bombers and gunrunners".

'Loose alliance'

The two big Dublin papers take different perspectives on moves towards creating a coalition government there.

The Irish Independent looks at the independent TDs (members of parliament) and their first moves to form a loose alliance that would enable them to commit themselves to supporting Fianna Fail.

"Though Fianna Fail", says the paper, "is still more interested in a deal with the Progressive Democrats."

It is those prospects which the Irish Times leads on.

Extinction report

Prospects which have improved, says the paper, since the PDs acknowledged that the public had voted for them and Fianna Fail to be in government together.

Almost a quarter of all mammals on earth are facing extinction, according to the lead in the Independent, following up a report from a United Nations study.

Over 11,000 species of plants and animals are in danger.

The paper also says that the medical use of cannabis is coming closer, after ministers asked for an investigation into it.

The cartoonist Tim, makes the most of this. A patient on a trolly, smoking a large one, explains to a nurse: "It makes waiting in the corridor easier".

Siege aftermath

According to the Guardian, the government is planning a blitz against crack and will show shocking anti-drugs videos to children as young as ten.

It also publishes pictures of the 13 exiled Palestinians in Cyprus waiting for transfer to other countries as part of the settlement of the Bethlehem siege.

The men are keen to assure their host countries that they are no threat to them.

A letter in the Irish Times wonders: "What on earth can be the benefit to Ireland of accommodating what Israel describes as dangerous terrorists - as if we didn't have enough home-grown ones?"