Sir, – I fear that Micheál Martin is now living in the same alternate reality as delusional Donald (“Taoiseach defends comments on bailout”, Front page, December 17th). The banks were indeed bailed out by the Irish taxpayer.
The small shareholder was wiped out, but not the bondholders.
And so the revisionist history begins.
The truth is the banks failed and the country was plunged into recession because of the complete failure of Fianna Fáil to regulate the banks and financial services properly.
Micheál Martin sat at Cabinet when bad decisions were made about the direction the country was going and had to be crowbarred out of the Cabinet seat at the end.
Mr Martin, we haven’t forgotten and we haven’t forgiven. – Yours, etc,
DAVID DORAN,
Bagenalstown, Co Carlow.
Sir, – The Taoiseach has informed the gullible people of Ireland that the banks were never bailed out in 2008. I look forward to him correcting our misconceptions that Elvis is dead, the Pope is Catholic and Neil Armstrong landed on the moon. – Is mise,
TOMAS MCBRIDE,
Letterkenny, Co Donegal.
Sir, – Nice to know there was no bank bailout, no Holocaust, the Earth is flat, and “living with the virus” is the right strategy. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL FARRELL,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – It is bad enough that Micheál Martin, who served in the Cabinet that brought the country to its knees 12 years ago, is now the leader of the country.
Please could he not add insult to injury by wheeling out Trumpian accusations of fake news about the bailout, which we are all still paying for. – Yours, etc,
GERARD REYNOLDS,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 16.
A chara, – It appears that it can be difficult to distinguish between an equity investment to ensure that all ATM units provided cash to customers and a bailout.
People have the same difficulties distinguishing between African and Indian elephants based on just footprints. – Is mise,
DERMOT O’ROURKE,
Lucan, Co Dublin.
Sir, – Micheál Martin was quite correct in his statement about government aid for the banks. Fianna Fáil only does dig-outs! – Yours, etc,
KEITH NOLAN,
Carrick-on-Shannon,
Co Leitrim.
Sir, – When I saw the headline regarding the bailout that wasn’t a bailout, I had to blink to make sure I hadn’t mistakenly opened an archive version of the online Irish Times.
But I soon realised that our Minister for Amnesia had struck again. It is beyond credible that the Taoiseach thinks that he can fob us off with the ridiculous notion that banks were not bailed out in 2008 and that the State was merely making a routine investment in the banks.
Never mind the fact that this “unremarkable” share purchase, as it is being portrayed, was carried out when the Irish banking sector was on the verge of collapse as a result of reckless lending to unscrupulous developers.
I doubt any other investor at the time was inclined to purchase bank shares.
Mr Martin should know better than to try and pull this one on the Irish public. Shameful. – Yours, etc,
BARRY WALSH,
Blackrock, Cork.
Sir, – Taoiseach Micheál Martin claimed in the Dáil on Wednesday that the banks were not bailed out following the 2008/2010 financial crisis.
Perhaps he could let me know which edition of Alice in Wonderland he is reading so I can ask one of my friends to give me a copy as a Christmas present. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL GREENE,
Spiddal, Co Galway.
Sir, – The banks were not bailed out. Former president Bill Clinton did not have sexual relations with that woman. I am Spartacus. – Yours etc,
DAVID CURRAN,
Knocknacarra, Galway.
Sir, – Congratulations to Miriam Lord (“TDs weren’t banking on Taoiseach’s parting Yuletide gift”, Dáil Sketch, December 17th) on her most entertaining piece on the festive clanger dropped by the Taoiseach in the Dáil. At this time when we are being submerged by the Covid-19 and Brexit woes it really was a wonderful release to read Miriam’s excellent report. Thank you. – Yours, etc,
MIKE CORMACK,
Blackrock, Co Dublin.