Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)

One has been told constantly that Governments cannot create jobs. However, past Governments did create jobs in companies such as Bord na Móna, the ESB, Aer Lingus, Bord Gáis and Eircom, all of which contributed handsomely to the State. Moreover, such employment was of a high quality. If one compares the fate of Eircom with the ESB in the past ten to 15 years after the former was sold off, it is evident how Eircom was stripped of its assets and the only dominant concern was how much the shareholders would make. At the same time, the lack of investment meant the country went backwards because it did not have this key infrastructure. It demonstrates how important a strategic asset really is. Members have been told a decision has been made to sell a minority share but they have no idea what that means as it could be 5% or 49%.

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