#NEWS Ireland is front-page news as world's media covers predicament in depth

• 
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 

• The Government application for an EU-IMF bailout and resultant political turmoil has made its way on to front pages of newspapers across the world. A New York Times op-ed mused on Ireland becoming "the green thread that unravels the European quilt".
• The Government application for an EU-IMF bailout and resultant political turmoil has made its way on to front pages of newspapers across the world. A New York Times op-ed mused on Ireland becoming "the green thread that unravels the European quilt".
• The Government application for an EU-IMF bailout and resultant political turmoil has made its way on to front pages of newspapers across the world. A New York Times op-ed mused on Ireland becoming "the green thread that unravels the European quilt".

In this section »

• EU-IMF arrival to save banks moved Greens to decision
• Statement: John Gormley
• Statement Brian Cowen
• Unrest over leadership grows in Fianna Fáil
• FF TDs unhappy about facing electorate after tough budget
• Gardaí draw batons at Government Buildings

MARY FITZGERALD, Foreign Affairs Correspondent

MEDIA: IF THERE was a common thread in international coverage of Ireland’s decision to accept a rescue package, it was one of relief. There was much talk of humiliating U-turns and climbdowns.

The admonishing tone of the Wall Street Journal ’s coverage was typical. “Ireland finally sought tens of billions in bailout money . . . after weeks of bickering.” It continued: “Ireland – reluctant to give up control of its tax and spending policies – caught other EU nations off guard by fiercely resisting help.”

The International Herald Tribune ran the headline “Threat of chaos forces Irish hand”. The Washington Post noted the Government was in “for the roughest ride”.

The Financial Times noted that “[Ireland’s] battered Government and bust banks never had a prayer once euro zone partners decided that its insolvency, real or perceived, was jeopardising other members of the euro and therefore the future of the single currency itself.”

There was much discussion in UK media outlets over the British exchequer’s contribution to the rescue package. The Daily Mail dubbed Sunday a “day of infamy for Ireland” and tutted that “every family in Britain will have to pay £300 to bail out the Irish”.

On the BBC Radio 4 show Start the Week , US satirist PJ O’Rourke painted a grim scenario of Ireland’s predicament spreading “everywhere”. In the New York Post , under the headline “Beggared by euro”, British historian Andrew Roberts wrote: “The Celtic Tiger has caught mange and is scratching itself raw” before advocating that Ireland quit the euro.

A New York Times op-ed mused on Ireland becoming “the green thread that unravels the European quilt”. Listing the excesses of the boom, the writer then offered this conclusion: “When the story of the Great Recession is remembered, Ireland will offer the most potent cautionary tale. Nowhere did the imaginations of utopians run so rampant and nowhere did they receive a more stinging rebuke.”

Sphere: Related Content