CURRENT ACCOUNT: The International Monetary Fund wasn't the only organisation this week to cast a doubting eye on the Irish economy. While the IMF said the Government finances suffered a "sharp deterioration", both Reuters and the New York Times put the Republic sharply in the frame.
Reuters produced a long analysis of strain on the vaunted social partnership deals that underpinned the boom, stating that a radically changed environment has raised doubts over whether a fresh pact can be hammered out".
None of that is news, but it suggests that the time when Ireland featured as succés du jour has finished for good. Nearly every major publication was running glittering full-page features on the Irish miracle when the boom was in bloom. No more.
The New York Times piece is a case in hand. Like social partnership, low corporation tax is a boon to investors. Yet, with the Cayman Islands, Panama and Bermuda no longer in vogue as offshore havens, the newspaper says US advisers are selling Ireland as a low-tax alternative. Post-Ansbacher, this is deeply ironic.
The Republic's low corporation tax is already the subject of moves in Britain to restrict the capacity of firms there to benefit from the Irish regime. Expect more of the same, as the Irish story loses its sheen.
