the irish question

Coffee with Colonel Fortescue Smythe.
I am musing about the Irish question.
"Everyone is paid too much," I tell him. "They're all pointing at the banks and saying that the banks are to blame. Now you know I've made no bones about stating that all the corrupt bankers should be jailed without trial and their assets seized. The Quinn family, Sean Fitzpatrick, Gillian Bowler, Michael Fingleton, and David Drumm. But everyone else needs to start considering what they can do for each other and for Ireland."
"Why not just shoot the Quinns, the Fitzpatricks, Bowler, Fingers and Drumm?" enquired the Colonel mildly.
Now here was a restatement of the Irish question that I could really relate to.
I wasn't sure if he was joking or not.
"Yes, shooting them would be nice," I answered carefully, "but that would be throwing God away. And countries that throw God away tend to regret it at their leisure.  It's a mighty long way down from Mount Olympus."