Colin Sheridan: Is a €8m handbag a sign that moral rot within society is beyond redemption?

We are in a golden age for absurdity — the global elite will throw millions at anything with a whiff of celebrity

The original Birkin Bag, owned by Jane Birkin, which was sold for €8.6m. Picture: Sotheby's/PA 

Last week, while most of us were trying to figure out whether we could stretch a pack of sausages to Wednesday, a handbag — yes, a handbag — sold for over €8m at auction.

Not just any handbag, mind you. This was Jane Birkin’s handbag, a Hermès Birkin, apparently so fabulous it makes the Ark of the Covenant look like something you’d pick up in Mr Price.