Stable and Healthy? Lol. Why did it crash harder than almost anyone else? I do read some funny things on here.

Indeed, but the issue was that the government and the regulators failed to spot that the economy was dangerously overheating and was about to go over a cliff. They didn't realise it until the very last moment in September 2008 when they suddenly learned in the space of 48 hours that the Irish banks were on the verge of collapse. If they had spotted what was happening twelve or eighteen months earlier, there were all sorts of laws they could have swung into action in order to slow down the bubble. Even if their hands were tied in one direction by membership of the Euro, they could have introduced emergency legislation in other areas to take the pressure off the economy - there is more than one way to skin a cat.

This is incorrect. As mentioned previously, governments can and do have the power to act (or fail to act) in their economic interests by altering their taxation policy (to encourage or discourage investment), by raising or lowering taxes, and by increasing borrowings or paying off their borrowings.

If you believe that monetary control is the be-all-and-end-all of economic decision making, then, every sub-unit of an economy be it a local authority, regional or state government would all be permanently caught up in economic "boom and bust" cycles and their finances would be virtually identical which is clearly not the case.

So you're saying it was never actually as bad as reported? If so, that equally fits the bill. Whilst a regular visitor to Ireland, I don't live there, so I'd have to take your word on that.

The actual fundamentals of the economy were sound. 50% of the entire population were in full employment and you had a well educated and hard working workforce. The problems lay in a crazy property bubble and the banks lending absolutely recklessly (tens of billions of pounds) to property developers. Take the property bubble aspect out of it and you had the basics of an economy that was in a good position to recover after the financial crash.

My last post of the night. I recently met the brother-in-law of a friend. He lives in Galway and is a property speculator. He told me "A few years ago people were queuing up to to lend me money. Now they're queuing up to sue me". Night.

I would say life in the 1980s was much harsher for Irish people. Yes, the place went into strong recession in 2010 but keep in mind the standard of living had risen hugely in the previous two decades. I think this explains too why people were prepared to tough it out in the hope that things would get back on track (and they have).

"It's not that the Irish are cynical. It's rather that they have a wonderful lack of respect for everything and everybody"

As no more than a handful of Greeks even knew of the fiddling of the books, I can't see how they are guilty of anything.

Sure, I agree. That handful of Greeks were complicit in their own country's bankruptcy, not the entire Greek people.

The bail out terms have all sucked money out of the economy, focusing on government spending and costs.

When as a country you are clearly living beyond your means, ignorance is no defence.

What about that claim you made yesterday that there were SDLP members in the IRA? I'm not sure ignorance is a defence there either.

What about it? I can hardly name names but I'd be surprised if there weren't.

You really do have a gift for killing a reasonable thread. Doubtless we'll now be subjected to endless flows of you trying to validate yourself, and explaining how us mere mortals are wrong and you're right. Don't bother. Nobody is listening.

You don't know what you're talking about.

Ah, the irony.

Why would Republican, IRA supporting, politicians join the SDLP when there was a perfect alternative for them in SF?

The same can be said of banks, but they get rescued.

Not politicians, just people. And support, not join. They both want a united Ireland is why.

As did Greece.

You're still talking crap I see.

You don't know what you're talking about. The political wing of the IRA has always been Sinn Féin. The SDLP are the competition.

The point still stands. The SDLP opposed the IRA and their methods. While they have a united Ireland as an aspiration it was always by way of politics not violence. As the political wing of the IRA SF would be the natural party for an IRA supporter.

Perhaps do a little research.

Noe of which means that there's no-one who supports both the SDLP and the IRA.