What the papers say

Journalist Mike Philpott takes a look at what is making the headlines in Wednesday's morning papers.

A remarkable story about a Conservative councillor appears on several front pages.

Maria Gatland was a cabinet member on Croydon Council in London until it was discovered, earlier this week, that she had links with the IRA in the 1970s.

Her story makes the lead in the Irish News and the Daily Mirror - the Mirror reporting that she was unmasked by a schools campaigner as Maria McGuire, the author of a book called To Take Arms: My Year With the IRA Provisionals.

She's quoted in the Irish News as saying that she had been "idealistic and naive" about the IRA and deeply regretted any embarrassment to her Conservative colleagues.

The Belfast Telegraph carries a picture of her on its front page, but it leads instead with a report that officers from the serious crime branch are conducting interviews as part of an investigation into Iris Robinson's remarks about homosexuality. The paper says media organisations have been approached for assistance in the inquiry.

For the News Letter, the big story is the setting up of a hardship fund for savers affected by the problems at the Presbyterian Mutual Society. The story says the church is looking at a legal mechanism to allow it to happen.

Money troubles on a bigger scale are the dominant issue in the Dublin papers.

Tax trauma

The latest bad news for the Republic's economy is the fact that tax revenues have fallen by two billion Euros in just two months. According to the Irish Times, it brings the total shortfall to 7.5bn. The paper says it's likely to lead to further reductions in public spending.

The Irish Independent reports that economists have warned the government against savage cutbacks or tax rises, because that could lead to further damage.

In a comment column, the paper urges ministers to consider a mini-budget in the new year. It believes that would help avoid the worsening monthly bulletins and ever-deepening gloom that marked 2008.

The big talking point in the cross-channel papers is the content of the Queen's Speech.

All of them take a different angle. For the Guardian, it's the plan to introduce lie detector tests for benefits claimants who are found guilty of trying to fiddle the system.

The Daily Mail concentrates on the new rules that will allow state officials to demand proof of identity from citizens at any time. Big Brother Marches On, says the headline. The paper says it will introduce powers that are normally resorted to only in times of war.

The Daily Telegraph opts for a softer angle on the government's programme of legislation, highlighting the news that parents will be given the right to request flexible working hours, to help in looking after their children.

'Grottier grotto'

Finally, the prize for headline of the day goes to the cross-channel edition of the Sun. The headline in question is "Santa and Three Elves Beaten Up in Lapland".

The story is that a Santa and three helpers were attacked by parents at Lapland New Forest in Dorset after they and their children were kept waiting for four hours in a muddy field to see the man in red.

The paper says a snowman walked off after suffering verbal abuse and wants readers to email its features desk if they have seen a grottier Christmas grotto this year.