Irelands economic collapse hit with bewildering speed and cut deep into many lives. At a time when we most needed leadership, our politicians let us down, telling us we were all to blame for the recession and that we just needed to suffer a little pain to make everything right again. It was a Big Lie. This book offers an alternative view to the official cover story of austerity. Its about the great majority of us who werent gambling with our future. Its about whats being done to us, who is doing it and why. Its also about who benefits from this and who gets it in the neck. And what we might do about that. Gene Kerrigan delves deep into the muddy waters of the boom and crash, the chaos in the banks, the intervention by the troika and the erosion of democracy. He looks at how the Dáil and the media became full of mindless free market cheerleaders, how the country became laden down with unregulated bankers, and how the government acquiesced in imposing a destructive programme of austerity on the Irish people. Meanwhile, the elites in our society wrap the green flag around themselves, calling for sacrifice and patriotism, while they hold on fiercely to every perk and privilege. Its time to tell the truth.

Gene Kerrigan was born and lives in Dublin, where he has covered politics, crime and scandals for over thirty years. He wrote forMagillmagazine and theSunday Tribune, and currently writes for theSunday Independent. Among his non-fiction books are the bestsellingHard Cases,Another CountryandThis Great Little Nation. Hes also the author of four novels, the latest of which,The Rage, won the UKs top crime fiction award, the Gold Dagger for Best Crime Novel, at the 2012 Crime Writers Association awards.

A radical view of what lies behind the Irish recession.>