And now you have this cunning plan that foreign holders of Irish government bonds are unworthy and  domestic holders are worthy.

Far from it! I advocate and support claw-backs from all involved in this debacle. Every cent obtained by executives and board members and all income received by politicians and regulators regardless of how it has been sequestered in property, trusts, etc. This should apply to all profiting from these banks, Irish, British, German, etc.

We need to return private banking to the days of unlimited personal responsibility of the bankers for the solvency of their institutions. The state can clean up damage to others, but should see that the full burden of fiascoes fall on the bankers themselves. Current policy is the exact opposite. That is the core problem.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."