Author and journalist David McWilliams (b.1966) predicted the collapse of Ireland’s economy grown too dependent on a real estate bubble as early as 2006. A qualified economist, he worked for the Central Bank of Ireland, UBS and French bank BNP before becoming a full-time journalist, notably with a regular column in the Irish Independent. The author of national best-sellers on economic issues and a popular television presenter, he is also a co-founder of Leviathan, a satirical cabaret review which calls for the renewal of Irish political life with a new constitution i.e. a second Irish Republic.