Madam, – The recent death of Justin Keating, that rare entity in Irish political life, a visionary cabinet minister, reminds us at this critical time of his ground-breaking concept of an alliance between government and private enterprise in the development of our natural resources.
As your obituarist points out, he felt that a native Irish multinational “was the most effective defence against foreign predators”.
The first golden opportunity arose in 1974, with the planned exploitation of the zinc and lead orebody at Navan, which was partly privately owned. Mr Keating did what, for him, was customary, according to a relative’s address during his funeral: “he stood on his ground for what was right, fair and decent”.
Carefully crafted arrangements were put in place to ensure the most efficient exploitation of the orebody as a whole in the national interest, and designed to survive anticipated subversion.
In his fine funeral address, Michael D Higgins declared that we live with the consequences of the reversal of Mr Keating’s policies by his successors.
That reversal of policies was one of the most spectacular own-goals of the past three decades, now universally recognised as beset by much poor government.
Your pages in recent years are witness to the astronomical profits enjoyed by the foreign owners at Navan subsequent to their acquisition of the Bula property from the receiver in 2002 at a pittance. A vast swathe of planned development land edging Navan town was also included for the pittance.
This was all consistent with Tara’s avowed strategy and tactics down the years, and a result which we relentlessly strove to prevent in the period 1986-2003 through the legal system.
As we struggle to cope with the current national devastation, it would be well to remember the patriotic vision of an outstanding and honourable person of true integrity. – Yours, etc,