Ireland has had a lot of experience of public debt crises. But right now, our main problem is poor management of the exchequer’s abundant, though vulnerable, resources. This compares with other major economies, where the scale and growth of public debt looms large and is a major challenge for governments. In the UK, France and the US, government debt exceeds 100 per cent of national income. The sustainability of their public finances is posing major political challenges. [...]