Sir, – Robert Ballagh is absolutely right that the decision to join the euro was never properly thought out in Ireland (December 24th) .
As such, it was symptomatic of a tendency by Irish officials at various levels to accept uncritically the judgment of others rather than question what was on offer.
This was the old Irish classroom mentality at work: there is a right answer, and those very clever European central bankers must have it; don’t question it, or you’ll only make an eejit of yourself. Rather, nod knowingly and they’ll think you’re very clever too.
Mr Ballagh then makes what for someone on the Left is a fundamental error.
He states that “the single currency is an economic project that has not been driven by economic concerns but rather by political motivation”. This is to accept the classic laissez-faire position, as also adopted by neoliberals, that there is a separation between economics and politics, and that economics trumps politics every time.
But as Max Weber – no leftist he – pointed out, the science of economics is political science.
To accept that economics is an independent activity governed by immutable laws to be enforced by disinterested technocrats is to reduce politics (as has happened) to nothing more than a market managerial role.
At a time when things are short, the decisions over who gets what are political decisions: ask those people who had their benefits cut in the recent Budget. – Yours, etc,