Thanks Betsy Og.
I think there's just a lot of bile out there at the moment.
I take the point that Sean Quinn is not an evil man and does not intend to hurt anyone. He has done wrong, though, and the only fair outcome is that he be held accountable under our laws.
I would say the same about Seanie Fitz or Fingleton. They may have believed in their businesses every bit as much as Quinn, having invested their whole life in building them up. They too have done wrong where they should have known better, and will also be held accountable under law.
The overriding point is that we shouldn't kick failed entrepreneurs when they are down, simply because they have failed. It's not immoral, it's certainly not a crime and in most cases they did a lot of good when times were good.
What we have witnessed, however, goes beyond the simple failure of a business. In the case of Anglo we saw desperate and dubious attempts to avoid failure. In Quinn's case there has been desparate and dubious attempts to put his assets betond the reach of his creditors. When the laws of the land are applied fairly and appropriately I think we'll all relax a little.