Airline latest victim of economic quackery known as privatisation

WHEN the bill that enabled the privatisation of Aer Lingus was introduced to the Dáil, it was debated over four days.

Tue, 21 Aug, 2007 - 01:00

Fergus Finlay is a former political activist and adviser to three governments, the former head of the children's charity Barnardos, a writer and a broadcaster.

Those four days were spread over the period October to December 2003 and every deputy who spoke in the debate, from the Government and the opposition, assumed what they were discussing was the flotation of Aer Lingus. Except one. The minister who moved the bill, and who had written it, was Séamus Brennan. At no point in his speech did he admit Aer Lingus was on the point of being sold.

In fact, in the opening line of his speech, he said: “The main purpose of this bill is to give effect to the employee share ownership plan, ESOP, agreed by the Government and Aer Lingus unions and to provide for a legal framework to facilitate a process of external investment in the airline in the event that the Government embarks on such a process.”