Is Ireland Melting? Quotes From The Financial Front
Ireland certainly doesn’t need a publicity agent to get itself in the news these days. Unfortunately, most of the mentions aren’t too good. Here are some interesting quotations caught this week about the old sod’s massive economic problems:
“This year the eve of All Saints passed in a deathly hush…with nothing to be seen in the skies save, in the murky distance but approaching ever nearer, the Four Horsemen of our particular Apocalypse: the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission, Brussels and the Iron Chancellor, Angela Merkel.”
- John Banville, “The Debtor of the Western World,” New York Times 11/19/2010
Its possible that the bailout of Ireland could turn into a backdoor method of helping German banks and other foreign banks that have mismanaged their exposure to Irelands banking system.
- Nathan Vardi, Is Ireland Europes AIG?, Forbes.com November 2010
Ireland found riches a good substitute for its traditional culture, but now we may be about to discover what happens when a traditionally poor country returns to poverty without its culture.
- Christopher Caldwell
The yoke of the European Union is lighter than the yoke of the British Empire, but Ireland has returned to a kind of vassal status all the same.
- Russ Douthat, “Irelands Paradise Lost,” New York Times 11/22/2010
Stay tuned, and let’s hope things get better over there rather than get worse!