Despite the usual poetic historical dew eyed nonsense when people discuss Ireland, or indeed using UK's colonial past to describe situations of today anywhere.............
The financial position was caused by us all, including all the armchair socialists who buy beer and incontinence pads from multinational companies. Sorry lads, but its your fault every bit as much as mine.
And it was caused by financial people, advertising executives and those who raise expectations of your average Western world citizen by telling us we can have whatever we want whenever we want it.
It has nowt to do with Cromwell, potato blight, black & tans, Jack Charlton or U2. Or indeed any political acts, as governments are not even in the same league as those who run the world. One country? A bit small when you can run the world. Welcome to HSBC et al, managing what the Raj could only play at...