Mike Soden's theory is that silent dissent was a key factor in Ireland's self-created financial crisis.

By that he means board directors who do not speak out when they think something is wrong; he argues it is endemic in Irish life and the best way to get around it would be to appoint overseas experts to bank boards.

He also argues that a similar mindset infected the Department of Finance and that this "does not imbue trust or confidence in the decision-making processes at the level of government".

He stops short of saying things would have been better if he had remained in charge of Bank of Ireland, rather than resigning after he accessed an adult website. But he still hints that he wouldn't have done the same thing.

"I firmly believe that, had I still been in banking, I would not have remained in denial for so long or, if appearances are anything to go by, at least not as long as Ireland's executive directors," he writes.

But on the same page, he admits he lost millions from his investments in Bank of Ireland, Royal Bank of Scotland and AIB during the financial collapse. If he couldn't see what was going to happen from outside, would it have been any different on the inside?

He criticises the drawn-out departure of many of the bank leaders, along with those who stayed on as directors as the country plunged into the economic abyss.

He also points to the lack of departures from the Department of Finance despite the crisis.

The use of Wikipedia as a source is questionable in the book but some of Soden's suggestions make eminent sense: stronger whistleblower protection, lower public sector salaries, the need for a proper recovery plan, increasing the working week and widespread reform of the banking institutions.

Some do not, such as his continued emphasis on the importance of construction to the economy and, particularly, his suggestion that we might leave Europe and become part of the United States.

In fairness, why would they want us?

Open Dissent By Mike Soden
Blackhall Publishing, €16.99