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

Labour Party back bench Deputies were once among the staunchest defenders of the State's interest in the airline, but like so many long-standing Labour Party policies, it was quickly dropped once it got into bed with Fine Gael. I have no doubt that the Labour Party would have signed up to the earlier deal forwarded by Mr. Willie Walsh were it not for the opposition of some of its backbenchers who became known as the Aer Lingus 8. It now appears there is only an Aer Lingus 1 in the ranks of the Labour Party.

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