With the euphoria of the American elections past and the world struggling to come to grips with the financial panic that seem about to overwhelm it Pat O'Connelly returns to dublin. The contrast between the city's bleak landscape and the bright skies of Miami could not have been starker. As his taxi made its way through the city centre, the Christmas lights, which still decorated the streets, gave off a strange glare in the early evening fog. The driver sniffed and mumbled that they 'would do little feckin good for the working man, with jobs melting away like good Irish butter on toast'.The millions of twinkling lights that decorated O'Connell made a sad contrast with the gloomy atmosphere that had descended on the city, dampening its usual festive spirit. After two decades of prosperity Dubliners had forgotten what an economic crisis was and were desperately trying to come to terms with the calamity that had struck them.