Sir, – The 57 teachers and researchers are right to call on the Government to immediately suspend repayments on what they call “now dead” banks (February 23rd).
My problem, however, is that their actions in challenging what is happening are years too late.
How much more credible they would have been if they had challenged the consensus during the Celtic Tiger period? The strength of the consensus favouring reckless borrowing during the Celtic Tiger period was very strong.
This is measured by headlines in one newspaper then describing the executives of one these now dead banks (Anglo) as “walking on water” and their shareholders as being “the happiest in Ireland”.
That consensus needed to be challenged by academia back then. It is a bit late now that the country is bankrupt. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – The epistle from 57 third-level teachers and researchers, calling on the Government to suspend repayment of the bank promissory notes, would have greater moral weight if they were also calling on the Government to revoke the Croke Park Agreement. – Yours, etc,