If the government's policies are pursued then the state will issue one tenth of a trillion Euros in national debt in the space of 18 months. In real numbers, this amounts to EURO100,000 per family - just to sustain a bad situation. The generation brought up in the Celtic Tiger now faces the prospect of emigration to find work and to avoid the draconian taxes and spending cuts.

Whilst the government may blame all this on a financial tsunami that began in America, Banana Republic argues otherwise. Ireland's governments have, since the inception of the state, staggered between economic famine and economic feast without ever providing the foundation for sustainable growth. The failure of the state results from decades of broad mismanagement of the economy by the political classes - their incompetence has only competed with their corruption to see which could do the most damage. The taxpayers pay first-class prices but get third-class leaders.

However Banana Republic offers hope for the future by proposing policies and strategies for reshaping the country so that it can truly reflect the abilities of its people. Ireland has the potential to be a country on par with Switzerland or Singapore because it possesses a citizenry of enormous talent and ability who dominate industries and professions around the world. However, if such reforms are not tackled, then Ireland faces always being a long-term exporter of talent but never a utiliser of it. The time has come for real change.

Books by Anthony Sweeney