Quotes of the week

“The Irish sovereign has on its books at least €30bn — possibly up to €60bn — worth of debt that is only there because Ireland was cajoled and forced into taking one for the team. I think Europe owes Ireland somewhere between €30bn and €60bn. Ireland has been given a bit. . . but it doesn’t add up to the extra burden put on the taxpayer.” Willem Buiter, Citigroup chief economist. “The second internet revolution is not necessarily building more internet companies, although there will always be opportunities to do that, but using the internet to transform other aspects of our lives that really matter, things like our health and wellness, things like learning, things like transportation services, using the internet as that disruptive change agent.” Steve Case, co-founder of America On Line. “Women no longer tell men how great they are and instead look for ways to put them down. And I think that’s what’s gone wrong in the world for the male ego when men are constantly being put down by women.” Jilly Cooper, author. “I’m not happy with the profundity of my rotundity. It’s an area I’ve had a long, long interest in for obvious reasons, and one I continue to struggle with myself, but I’ll keep struggling.’ Dr James Reilly, Minister for Health. “Women of my age were keen — rightly — not to be tied to the stove, but the ramifications of this were that they felt a sense of dread in the kitchen. How can this be good for anyone? To denigrate any activity because it has traditionally been associated with the female sphere is in itself antifeminist.” Nigella Lawson, celebrity chef. “The number of restaurants offering meal deals at economically non-viable prices just isn’t sustainable. It’s the same cost in McDonald’s, but we have all of the overheads. There’s going to be a crash, in Dublin in particular, in the next year.” Derry Clarke, top chef.