Drumming up sympathy for a white-collar crime

The sentence handed down this week to the former Anglo Irish Bank boss fitted his crime

No criminal charges can be brought against anyone in Ireland – even the bankers of the Celtic Tiger era – for the perceived sins of arrogance or avarice. The courts can’t punish displays of incompetence, ineptitude or indiscipline. Deliberate recklessness might be a reason, in certain circumstances, to pursue criminal conviction, but only if there are breaches of existing company laws. Stupidity, vanity and displays of pride or fear don’t cut it either ...