FAIR play to ISME. The indefatigable lobby group managed to get Telecom Eireann to chip in with its annual business awards now grandly titled the ISME/Telecom Eireann Business Awards.

The 1996 winners from the private sector were Oliver Cleary of Gercon in Waterford and Peggy Farrell of Chixwear. But the big news was that the winner of the public sector award was n one other than the Revenue Commissioners, an organisation which for so long has been regarded as the bugbear of business by many ISME members.

However, a recent survey by ISME found that there had been an improvement in the Revenue's relationship with business, a sign that things may be changing. The award was picked up by Revenue Commissioner Mr Dermot Quigley, who has himself braved verbal assaults by ISME at the organisation's annual conferences.

The Margin was present a couple of year's ago when Mr Quigley acquitted himself very well against the now legendary ISME offensive against guest speakers!