Dame Daxx

Ireland Imposes Some Discipline, Reaches Pay Freeze Deal

Your description of Brian Cowen as the newly "selected" prime minister is very apt.

Unfortunately, Ireland in the past 21 years has degenerated into a One Party State. Elections are irrelevant, and the same faces are in power year in and year out. Inevitably that leads to Sloth and Corruption.

It looks like the Celtic Tiger was a peculiar aberration, and now we're seeing Ireland revert to the mean.