Irish Examiner view: Did we not learn 2008’s lessons?

Banking and financial services in crisis, once again

The Central Bank has fined stockbroker Davy €4.13m for breaching market rules in relation to a transaction involving the broker's own staff. Picture: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie

Individuals who have experienced a life-shaping trauma are not usually asked to speak about it unless they choose to. This convention is a combination of respect and a defensive mechanism. It is designed not to distress the person with a story to tell or, equally, challenge their audience unduly. Most war veterans avail of this empathy and prefer not to make their personal horrors a conversation piece.

This is appropriate but is it possible that we have, as a society, embraced that idea to the extent that we have failed to deal with one of the greatest traumas inflicted on this society this century? Events of recent days and weeks suggest that may be the case.