WEALTH: Some people have too much of it
Annual article: A year in the world of wealth reviewed.
The Whole Hog, 20 Dec 2005
It’s a strange world. According to The Observer, a bar of soap made from Silvio Berlusconi’s fat, acquired from a liposuction clinic, went on sale during the year for £10,000stg. The mind boggles. The word ‘thick’ attaches itself to the word ‘rich’.
The story is of a piece with reports in other years of London bankers (spelt with a b) ordering the most expensive wines on offer just because they could. There’s a lot of it about. In February, by way of example, we had the madness of the George III turf bucket. Two well-known Dublin property developers fought it out at Adams Auctioneers for the bucket till it went for €145,000. Adams had expected €20,000. Both buyer and underbidder were reported to have large residences in Dublin 4. One doesn’t know if it was a case of too much money or too much testosterone. Or perhaps too little sense to go along with the money.
While Ireland ranks as the second wealthiest country in the world according to the United Nations, it is also one of the most unequal, with the third highest level of poverty in 18 industrialised countries.
Now, I know we’re preoccupied with property and prices. I know it’s tough out there in the corporate jungle. And I know we have to keep it up in order to make it. But all the same, we need to keep our heads.
After all, €147,000 would pay for 37 volunteers and all their materials to go to South Africa to build houses with the Niall Mellon Township Project.
Being rich doesn’t have to mean being thick.
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