Feargal Quinn (Independent)

It is easy to run a business in good times because one can sit down with unions to discuss how to share the profits. The bankers can be ignored because they are not needed. However, running a business in tough times is different because one has to tell the unions what is to be done while persuading the bankers to have confidence. I am concerned this Government is not running the country as it would run a business. It was easy in the good times but now we are in bad times we continue to play the same game of trying to reach a pleasant deal with the unions. That is unlikely to happen because we have to make the cuts somewhere.

Today's Financial Times carried an article about Greece on the top two thirds of a page and one about Ireland on the remaining third. Greece has not managed to honour its words to the bankers and is now in serious danger of losing their goodwill. The result may be that the IMF will come in, as it did in Latvia, Romania and Hungary, to dictate what has to be done. We have only a few days to reach an agreement with the unions and convince our bankers. If we fail, we will no longer be in control.