Madam, – Sarah Carey (Opinion, September 2nd) identified some cinematic references to illustrate Ireland’s predicament.
Could I add another one? For the past two years, I’ve had the sensation of living in a surreal remake of Titanic. The fur-coated first- class passengers sit in the lifeboats, passing around hip flasks to sustain themselves.
Awaiting the rescue ship, they use the oars of their boats to push the last drowning survivors under water. In this version, the captain doesn’t go down with the ship. Having steered into the ice pack in search of the fabled “soft iceberg”, he and the ship’s well-stocked motor launch have disappeared into the night. The navigator sits in one of the lifeboats singing incoherently (and appropriately) “Come on everybody, sing along: Always look on the bright side of life . . .” – Yours, etc,