Sir, – In all this to-ing and fro-ing with the Aer Lingus sale issue, the alternatives seem to be either absorption into the elephantine British Airways or an ignominious sinking without trace.
The favoured option seems to be absorption into BA so that its “potential can be realised”, to the usual chorus of management babble about “economies of scale” and the like. There, is of course, an unthinkable alternative – realising the carrier’s immense potential on our own terms and for our benefit. Think Singapore, Etihad, Emirates – think Ryanair – and ask yourselves why not? – Yours, etc, JOHN CULLY Monkstown Valley, Co Dublin.
Sir, – It will be wonderful to see the back of our national airline and for the life of me I never understood why we bothered to hold on to 25 per cent of Aer Lingus when it was floated. Bord Gáis is gone and has a slick new name that no one can remember. I say sell everything else, the ESB, the railroads, Coillte, Bord na Móna, RTÉ and An Post.
Then when everything is gone we can contemplate what we now need a government for and hopefully we will realise that they are a liability so then we can sell them too. But we will still have Irish Water though, because that will never be sold. Right? – Yours, etc, LORCAN COLLINS Templeogue, Dublin 6W.