Indeed - but I feel that lets economists off too lightly.

If they are indeed irrelevant, why is that so? What are they doing about it?

They are basically trying to have their cake and eat, pronouncing on everything when it suits them and yet pedalling back to "pure research" with no responsibility for policy whenever they are questioned.

Bait-and-switch, schizophrenia, call it what you will but economists are far from 'irrelevant'. Is there any realm of the world where economists have not added their two cents? They like to view themselves as universal scientists (freakonomics and further bullshit). But if it comes to the actual issues of economics there will be no accountability. When things go south they like to portray themselves as toilers in a 'dismal science'. It's all a work in progress you know! Indeed.

Since we stopped listening to traditional moral authorities, value judgements have been turned over to market judgements. Likewise, the clergy have relinquished their role to the economists who are now postmodern priests explaining the alpha and omega of the world to the huddled masses. In the political sphere quite often they are believed to have the powers of prophecy while being wrong all the time. It's only a question of time (which might take a while) until they are driven out but then the shit will really have hit the fan and who is going to replace them?

_{Schengen is toast!}