Sir, – I was a trifle bemused when reading your business section on the exploits of former American stockbroker Jordan Belfort ("'Wolf of Wall Street' on the prowl in Dublin", Business, May 28th).
How naive of me to have thought that the infamous Gordon Gekko-type "greed is good" doctrine had been rightfully dispensed with. Was this kind of activity, after all, not a contributing factor that led to the global financial meltdown of 2008, from which we are all still painfully trying to recover? Here is one of those financial "wizards" who has been convicted of fraud, sentenced to jail, and ordered to repay $110 million to the investors he fleeced. And, not only has this kind of bustle been glamorised by Martin Scorsese in his latest film, but now we had the "Wolf" himself lecturing some 2,500 good business people here in the RDS on "entrepreneurship". What's next? The Bernie Madoff Business School? Plus ça change ...
Yours, etc,
GUY BODDEZ ,
Front Strand,
Youghal,
Co Cork.