Sugar Rush by Julie Burchill Macmillan £9.99, pp256 As far as poison chalices go, being asked to review a new novel by Julie Burchill is a total hemlock special.
In particular the finance minister's job, which means overseeing a new EU-IMF package of painful reforms, is a poisoned chalice.
The transfer of the windows was arranged through a new program in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York through which priests can select sacred objects — crucifixes, chalices and pulpits, for example — from shuttered churches and give them new homes.
There's also a new trophy to match the new era - the wooden winners' plaque has been replaced with a silver chalice like the men's.
Quest novels usually have as their object a chalice once used at a famous supper, a sleeping fairy princess, a rusty key to a chest, a New World, a ring, the perfect martini, whatever.
Available in the United States at the Gagosian Shop on the Upper East Side, it features Christian icons like a Bible, a chalice and praying hands — imagery from Mr. Hirst's "New Religion" series of artwork — set on a deep blue background.
Whoever emerges as Sunday's winner – and EU officials have signalled they would prefer the pro-business New Democracy – inherits a poisoned chalice.
If a church needed a chalice, he would always send them a check.
It was something of a poisoned chalice for a young writer.
Still, he will be battling to win a poisoned chalice: within a month the new Fianna Fáil leader will almost certainly find him- or (less likely) herself leading a severely depleted and demoralised party in opposition.
