Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)

That is as a result of legislation this Government introduced. The legislation should be changed to make investment possible. The Minister for Finance explained how unforeseen terrorist attacks and global downturns can cause problems. Why should the State not protect a vital national strategic asset when international capitalism, for example, enters a global downturn? It is an inevitable part of the system that such downturns will occur. At present, unsustainable public and private borrowing supports the US economy. Its balance of trade is also unsustainable. Public ownership would protect our vital national airline, protect good jobs, provide the service we need and defend a strategic vital national interest.

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