Poll: Is Kenny right – did people go ‘mad with borrowing’?

TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY has found himself at the receiving end of some political fury after divisive comments made at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland yesterday.

Speaking during a panel discussion in Davos, Kenny remarked that Ireland’s economic boom had turned to bust because “people went mad with borrowing”, adding:

“The extent of personal credit, personal wealth created on credit, was done between people, banks – a system that spawned greed to a point where this went out of control completely with a spectacular crash.”

The remarks have prompted defence from his backbenchers but ire from the opposition, who point out that the remarks seem to conflict with his pre-Budget statement that the Irish public were “not responsible for this crisis”.

Today we want to ask whether you think the Taoiseach was right – whether in fact the Irish public did go “mad with borrowing”, taking more credit than it could afford to pay back, or whether it downfall was the result of a select few.

Put simply: did Ireland go “mad with borrowing”?

Read: Criticism of Taoiseach’s ‘mad with borrowing’ comments is ‘a bit silly’ – FG TD