Irish citizens head to the polls on Friday (25 February), their economy in tatters and once-strong relations with the European Union under strain.
Uppermost in the minds of many voters will be last November's €85 billion bail-out package from the EU and IMF, with anger over the loan's punitive interest rate and deficit-cutting requirements mixed with dismay over Ireland's fallen stature among its European partners.
"Ireland went from dependence, to interdependence, to dependence...
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