The Beginning of the End? (8)

RTE, ESB and CIE could be sold off to help save the exchequer €3bn, the Government has warned.

Other assets which could end up being privatised include the postal service, the country's three major airports -- Dublin, Cork and Shannon -- the biggest gas provider (Bord Gais) and the 10 port companies.

Finance Minister Brian Lenihan last night published the terms of reference for the group that will be led by economist Colm McCarthy -- the author of last year's Bord Snip Nua report.

The group will examine the operations of all 28 commercial semi-state companies and see which ones could be sold off. The final decision will be made by the Government.

At the MacGill Summer School in Glenties, Co Donegal, last night, Communications Minister Eamon Ryan indicated that the Government would be careful about what assets it chose to sell off but added there was nothing pre-ordained about what would happen and cited the example of Eircom.

"We've lessons . . . what happened to Eircom, it's only just settling back again after 10 years of chaos by being thrown to the private sector in a not-very clever way. So we're going to be careful and clever," he said.

But at the same event, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny indicated that his party would be in favour of selling some of the semi-state companies to fund his "New Era" plan to develop the country's infrastructure.

"We will also sell the assets of the past. It makes absolutely no sense for the State to own and finance three or four different competing energy supply companies, or operate five or six different telecoms networks, when our water, energy and broadband networks are crying out for investment," he said.

- Michael Brennan Deputy Political Editor

Irish Independent

NEW ERA, OR NEW WORLD ORDER?

Those 'companies' all have competitors in the private sector, (with the exception of An Post) that are not propped up by the public coppers.

Competition can be a good thing... go with it.

Government should not be in the business of running business, the private sector is the efficient sector, the public sector is absolutely usless in this country polluted full of lazy layabouts who sit on their arses all day doing nothing (a significant minority of public sector workers by the way)

yeah jobs for the lads, a good days work would kill most of them

simon gleeson chairman of the aib, attended the bilderberg meeting in greece in 2007, if you look up the carlyle group and see how much of Ireland they now own they recently purchased the NCT business, they purchased shares in aerlingus, and recently purchased a large amount of shares in bank of irealand, just wondering whats next on their list the ESB, Bord Gais?, and how much of it was arranged in 2007 by Mr Gleeson.
You may also want to check out where MR gleeson now works.

simon gleeson chairman of the aib, attended the bilderberg meeting in greece in 2007, if you look up the carlyle group and see how much of Ireland they now own they recently purchased the NCT business, they purchased shares in aerlingus, and recently purchased a large amount of shares in bank of irealand, just wondering whats next on their list the ESB, Bord Gais?, and how much of it was arranged in 2007 by Mr Gleeson.
You may also want to check out where MR gleeson now works.

simon gleeson chairman of the aib, attended the bilderberg meeting in greece in 2007, if you look up the carlyle group and see how much of Ireland they now own they recently purchased the NCT business, they purchased shares in aerlingus, and recently purchased a large amount of shares in bank of irealand, just wondering whats next on their list the ESB, Bord Gais?, and how much of it was arranged in 2007 by Mr Gleeson.
You may also want to check out where MR gleeson now works.