Editorial: Just give us harsh truth

As each day passes, the figure for the bank bailout is bigger and the picture is gloomier. The massive scale of the €85bn bailout has frightened markets, and investors have begun to offload their shares in Irish banks, though ordinary depositors should be reassured their deposit is covered by the bank guarantee scheme.

Over time we'll know exactly the details of the breakdown for the bank bailout and the cost of borrowing for the deficit. But now we need to know a bottom line figure so we can digest the bad news and move on with our plans for recovery.