Madam, - The Government's decisions on Dublin Airport and Aer Lingus have far-reaching consequences for Irish businesses. It is therefore puzzling that Ibec, the alleged voice of Irish business, has very little to say on both subjects.
Nothing to say about: allowing the organisation responsible for the mess that is the first terminal to construct the second one; tying the hands of the private sector in an essentially rigged tender for managing the second terminal; agreeing to sell a majority share in Aer Lingus to private investors when the airline has no managing director or finance director; and the risk that valuable Heathrow slots will be lost in the process.
It may be possible to explain the Government's delayed and ham-fisted decisions in the context of the electoral politics of Dublin's northside constituencies.
However, Ibec is not there to be the Government's cheerleader and it should not remain silent when political expediency is prioritised over the jobs and welfare of tens of thousands of working people in this country. - Yours, etc,
Cllr NAOISE Ó MUIRÍ, (Fine Gael), City Hall, Dublin 2.