THE artistes formerly known as the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association, now ISME, caused a bit of a stir with their press invitations to a lunch with Minister of Finance, Mr Quinn, next Monday.

ISME billed it a pre-Budget lunch. However, the Minister has dispensed with all that pre-Budget nonsense this year, and the lunch is actually ISME's fourth quarterly lunch. Calling it a pre-Budget lunch caused some mild consternation in the Department of Finance. (Perhaps the Department should have been forewarned; ISME's slogan is, after all, "ISME - catalyst for change").

In its invitation ISME says "given the nature of the relationship between ISME and the Government at the moment, the association is pleased at the Minister's positive response to our invitation. No doubt the exchange of views will be frank," it says.