The political saviour is a comforting myth

LOST leaders were mourned to varying degrees last week.

Former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds’ death prompted an outpouring of tributes about his contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process, but also breast-beating about how he might have manned the reins on the rampaging Celtic Tiger, had he survived politically beyond his brief tenure. The verdict was that he would have made a better fist of it than those who succeeded him. The ballast for this verdict was Reynolds’ background as a businessman, which, the received wisdom has it, would have ensured a better capacity to balance the books.

The other ‘what-if’ of the week is a hardy annual that pops up at the Beal na mBlath commemoration for Michael Collins.