North Korea revisited

Visiting the old spiritual home of Democratic Left, when it was known as the Workers' Party, this coming week will be the former DL junior minister Eamon Gilmore. The Dun Laoghaire deputy is on a Trocaire visit to North Korea in the company of Labour MEP Bernie Malone, FG TD Brian Hayes and the former SDLP MP Dr Joe Hendron to see the effects of the truly horrific famine which has hit the last Stalinist regime in the world. It will be remembered that the Workers' Party trips to the isolationist state were a much mentioned feature in a recent court case involving the DL leader Proinsias De Rossa.