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PUBLIC ANGER against those who got us into the financial mess we are in has barely abated – and understandably so. It is an undifferentiated rage against bankers, politicians, public servants, and also business people that makes the climate most unpropitious for measures aimed at easing the plight of those of the latter who may also have found themselves victims of the crash.

The stigma in Ireland of bankruptcy, with its strong overtones of the moral culpability of those who find themselves there, perceived as undeserving victims of their own irresponsibility, washes into that climate. However, it appears the Government wants to stand against that tide of public opinion and make it easier for bankrupts to resume abandoned careers more quickly. Its urgency in this regard may reflect a sense that economic recession means more “ordinary” business people may be heading in this direction.