Sir, - When a multinational takes over an Irish organisation, its main purpose is to create a new and expanded market for its own products. No matter how glib a statement is made by a spokesman, the main purpose is to slowly introduce the own-brand of the new owner into the established market.
This is all legal, and all as per the terms of the European Union, but it results in job losses here. Slowly, existing Irish-based suppliers will be replaced by own-brand products, and these are supplied from whatever country makes them most cheaply.
If we want to protect and preserve existing jobs in the Irish food industry, we should switch from the newly-taken over chain and divert our purchasing to one of the two wholly-owned Irish chains.
We are reaching a point where only one or two buildings in Grafton Street remain in Irish hands and slowly, as we claim independence, it becomes only a political claim. In economic terms the sale of our country continues. - Yours, etc.,
Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 4.