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In praise of ... Fintan O'Toole In praise of ... Fintan O'Toole
(about 14 hours later)
Unusually for our profession, Fintan O'Toole is one of nature's gentlemen. But that quality is rarely, if ever, needed for the job. A columnist needs to be, in O'Toole's words, a professional killjoy, a licensed sourpuss. For the last 25 years, his columns for the Irish Times have lampooned the Celtic Tiger (for turning the famine into a corporate celebration), skewered the mega-rich (who made their money from opportunism, political connections and cuteness) and quizzed his nation's real rulers, the German executive board members of the European Central Bank. His columns are either loved (by the liberal left now in the ascendant) or loathed. Had he stood as a candidate in the last general election after the bailout began, he would almost certainly have been elected. He thought about it, but stood aside. He was probably right not to clamber into the ring. O'Toole has a rare gift and should use it for the next quarter of a century. Unusually for our profession, Fintan O'Toole is one of nature's gentlemen. But that quality is rarely, if ever, needed for the job. A columnist needs to be, in O'Toole's words, a professional killjoy, a licensed sourpuss. For the last 25 years, his columns for the Irish Times have lampooned the Celtic Tiger (for turning the famine into a corporate celebration), skewered the mega-rich (who made their money from opportunism, political connections and cuteness) and quizzed his nation's real rulers, the German executive board members of the European Central Bank. His columns are either loved (by the liberal left now in the ascendant) or loathed. Had he stood as a candidate in the last general election after the bailout began, he would almost certainly have been elected. He thought about it, but stood aside. He was probably right not to clamber into the ring. O'Toole has a rare gift and should use it for the next quarter of a century.
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