Stranger than fiction — the eircom story

I ONCE envisaged making a film where a large group of people owned a company. As usual, where such a large group exists, somebody forms a committee to organise things.

The committee then decided that it, in fact, owned the company and not the people who had paid for it. However, to soften the blow, they said, “look, we’ll sell it back to you and you will make a profit when you sell it on”.

Still disgruntled, but sightly mollified by the sniff of money, the people bought the company and all of them lost even more money.

One or two disasters and eight years later, the committee decided to buy part of the company back from the current owners at twice the price they originally sold it for.

Naturally, the people would have to pay for it because the committee had decided on their behalf. It was brilliantly ironic that these same people had lost four lots of money on the same company — firstly while buying it; secondly by having it taken away; thirdly by losing money trying to buy it back and, fourthly, by being forced to buy part of it back again.

The film had possibilities in the wheeling-and-dealing and bullying aspects but, after discussions, it was decided nobody would accept such an absurd premise so it would not be viable. Then the Government did just that to the people with eircom. Amazing.

RD Banton

Kevin Street

Tinahely

Co Wicklow