For negotiations to succeed, there must be commitment and trust

The reason politics is a hard trade is you have to make hard decisions. Greece, is a marginalised country, playing a weak hand, writes Gerard Howlin

THE difference between Greece today and Ireland in 2008-2010 is that allowing our banks, led by Anglo Irish, to collapse could have triggered a systemic banking crisis in Europe.

The bank guarantee in September 2008 was a pre-emptive Irish strike to shore up confidence.