Natural assets giveaway at root of our problem

WE are a country that is practically bankrupt. Is this any surprise, considering we have given away some of our greatest natural assets.

Take fishing, where more than €200bn worth of Irish stocks have been given away to European boats over the past 35 years.

Can you imagine how farmers would feel if more than 90% of Irish land was controlled by foreign farmers and all the Irish farmer could do was sit on the ditch and watch, and be policed by the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority in case he would “over-fish” his small acre.

We gave away Corrib gas, our biggest find since the Kinsale gas field. Shell operates 45% of it, Statoil 36.5% and Marathon 18.5%, but we pay for the policing of it. We still have the Rock of Cashel, the Lakes of Killarney, our islands and Leinster House. Maybe we could put them on Ebay and see what we’d get for them.

Caitlín Uí Aodha

An Rinn

Dungarvan

Co Waterford