Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

-----or, perhaps, more, which is more than can be said for the Tánaiste, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and the Taoiseach. Later today the Government intends to railroad through the House the sale of a strategic State asset, the State's 25% shareholding in Aer Lingus. It wants us to agree to the sale of our interest in what is a profitable company which has cash reserves and other assets, the value of which exceed the proposed sale price. The Tánaiste has acknowledged the current plans of Aer Lingus to expand business and increase the numbers of flights and jobs. She has also acknowledged not only the viability but also the rude good health of Aer Lingus, in which the State has a 25% strategic stake, yet the Government wants to go in with a wrecking ball and subvert the influence the State and the people have in what is a strategic piece of infrastructure.

That Fine Gael advances his approach is no surprise. After all, it desperately wants to have an election slush fund to buy votes with more tax cuts for the wealthy, but for the Labour Party to sign up to this fire sale is truly incredible. When Fianna Fáil sold off 75% of Aer Lingus, the Labour Party vigorously opposed the move.

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