Please, don't tell us the truth – We're Irish

Marian Finucane (Saturday) is not happy with the BBCs current affairs Newsnight programme .

According to Marian they were very sneery towards our Minister for Finance and our economy. During an interview on Newsnight it was put to Brian Lenihan that the only difference between Ireland and Iceland is one letter and six months.

“Completely untrue, replied the Minister, we have a thriving economy…we have a very strong vibrant economy.”

Lenihan didn’t specify which planet he’s currently living on.

Finucane responded.

“And I suppose you can’t help the Minister defending our own ground. I mean people are quoting the Financial Times (Ireland is a banana republic) and the New York Times (Ireland is the Wild West of EU finance) and various newspapers around the world (Astonished to learn that Fitzpatrick’s dodgy activities are actually legal in Ireland) talking about our crazy banking system.

Now let’s face it, there are a few things within our banking system that we have discovered that are not very far from crazy. But the fact of the matter is that the subprime messing started in the US and it seems to me that banking and bankers all over the world lost the plot. Anyway, there you go, I won’t go long winded on it.”

(Too late Marian).

Finucane’s reaction is typical of most Irish people when faced with the truth -Somebody else is to blame, in this case the subprime scandal in the US.

She can test the veracity of her view that Ireland is no different from any other country by answering a very simple question – What other country accepts serious criminal activity within its financial sector as the norm?

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Marian Finucane