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Updated 4.20pm
FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER Charlie Flanagan has said that the potential sale of the government’s 25 per cent stake in Aer Lingus is “a very serious and difficult decision” that will require careful consideration from the government.
Ministers are remaining tight-lipped about their own views on the potential sale of the airline to IAG as an interdepartmental group considers the proposed offer from the company headed by Irishman Willie Walsh.
Speaking to reporters in Dublin today, Flanagan said it was important that Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe be “given the opportunity to amass all the information”.
Jobs Minister Richard Bruton said that the issue is “clearly high stakes from the country’s point of view”.
“I think the calm approach that Paschal is taking in assessing the issues carefully reflects the right approach for the government to take on an issue that clearly is high stakes from the country’s point of view and on which there are legitimate points of view expressed,” he said.
“We need to make a decision based on the best possible information in the interests of the country and thats what Paschal and the government will do.”
Earlier, the IMPACT trade union, which represents 1,750 Aer Lingus staff, distanced itself from remarks that suggested that staff at the airline support a sale to IAG.
Speaking on RTÉ’s This Week show yesterday, secretary of the company’s Central Representative Council Myles Worth said that staff were broadly in favour of a sale of the airline.
However, Impact’s national secretary Matt Staunton disagrees and has written to incoming Aer Lingus CEO Stephen Kavanagh, distancing the union’s membership from the comments.
The letter reads:
Dear Mr. Kavanagh
I write on behalf of Impact with 1750 members in Aer Lingus-by far the biggest union in the airline-representing Pilots, Cabin Crew, and administrative managerial staff in the company.
We wish to distance ourselves from points made by the Secretary of the companies Central Representative Committee today on RTE Radio.
The points made, particularly those that purport to reflect that the majority of staff in the company and their trade unions were in favour of the proposed IAG takeover of Aer Lingus, were not authorised by us and are in fact far from the case.
IMPACT still asserts that this takeover is bad for Aer Lingus staff, threatens their jobs, and the connectivity assurances stated publically are bad for Ireland. We hope to discuss these with you next week.
Yours sincerely,
Matt Staunton
Other unions have not yet made a public declaration on their position, but it has been reported that the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association has distanced itself from Worth’s comments.
- additional reporting from Hugh O’Connell
First published 9.06am
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If he love the place sure why not?
@winston smith: Because he’s an orange embarrassment who shafted small businesses and people to get to where he is?
@winston smith: He doesn’t have to ask anybody. He has been here before.
Not that I think anything of him, but he can do what he wants!
@John S: as head of state he has to be formally invited to visit other countries. He doesnt just decide he fancies a holiday!
@An_Beal_Bocht: Funny you don’t see any problem about attacking somebody over their skin colour when you think it seems funny to you. Orange lives matter too.
@Jho Harris: Making your skin artificially orange is funny, weird, vain and slightly troubling for a 70 odd year old man
@An_Beal_Bocht: Says who exactly? Ah, says one intolerant hateful ignorant person. Or perhaps you just hate old people?Thousands of people in Ireland do use artificial tan.
@John S: He can do what he likes in America but not in Ireland!! I hate Trump, He’s a joke!! Keep him away from Ireland!!
He’s the president of the United States for crying out loud. If the Taoiseach goes there it’d be a bit rude not to reciprocate, wouldn’t it. In that case Kenny should not have gone in the first place, St Patrick’s Day or not.
@Mick Tobin: Most would agree with you, Enda should not have gone.
He comes to Ireland anyways he owns a hotel and golf course here
Stupid comment !
@Randy Fisher: At some stage one must make a stand against people like him Its not all about the bottom line .
@Randy Fisher: I’d love to see him. I’d be up at the front waving a flag. Go The Donald
The absence of the downvote button is giving me irrational fury
Shouldn’t have updated. I can still red thumb !
If liberals had their way, they would damage relations between Ireland and the USA irreparably. Pathetic.
@Aaron:
If liberals had their way the whole world would have to take a vow of silence.
@Aaron: This is part of the doublespeak.
On the one hand it’s “Sure it’s the job of the position of Taoiseach to represent Ireland – forget the fact that it’s Enda Kenny” – and so we’re talking about positions people hold and not individuals who hold them.
On the other hand it’s “If these 2 personalities can’t get on it’ll damage relations irreparably” as if the USA doesn’t recognise that Trump is a divisive character.
I’m fine with Trump coming – it’s not really a big deal. If there are protests then that should be seen as democracy in action provided they are based in sound principle and are non-violent.
Oh and the world isn’t divided into liberals and alt-right even if the comments section might have you think so.
American multinationals and have done more for this country then any politician here ever has. Jobs, taxes, infrastructure etc I say bring him over, wine and dine him and keep relations sweet. Business is business.
@Luke Zgaga: Sure let him grab your pussy while you’re there. Business is business.
@Luke Zgaga: Michael Noonan has that all planned, he did it before he was US President and will do it for rich people as long he is in the position to do so.
It’ll be a fine testament to Kenny’s cowardice!
@Les Behan: then why don’t you get on a flight go over there and tell him what “the whole country” thinks? Yeah thighs so…while you’re over there do us a favor and don’t choke back.. thanks xx
@Negan: Why don’t you go off, sober up then try and post the same comment again so it can actually be read. Thanks xx.
@Negan: You are an inebriated fool. NEVER DRINK AND TEXT.
I don’t come here for The Journals journalistic quality, the integrity of which reduces with every Halawa story. I come here for the comments good, bad, offensive or reaffirming, something you have ruined. How many readers have you hemorrhaged? How about a fact check?
Trump hasn’t done anything at all to impact this country, or Irish people in America, so any anti Trump rhetoric is just that. I think the biggest threat is the showboating from the Vatican clique next year, when their CEO gets the welcomed guest treatment, now that is with protesting against.
Trump is a terrible man but I wouldn’t let personalities get in the way of a US Presidential visit to Ireland. He would be coming as a representative and head of state of the US. We are lucky to have a good relationship with America, let’s not throw it away because there’s a clown in office
A democratically elected head of state. .why shouldn’t he visit and be welcomed
Did I hear our “accidental” representative defer to Thrump and call him Sir? What sort of craw thumping, forelock pulling gombeen is he?
Sure he owns a resort in Ireland so he comes to it every now & then already
To me, trump is more welcome in Ireland than Kenny is.
Not unless his third cousin’s dog’s vet’s groomer comes from Ballydehob!
It’ll be like George Bush’s visit all over again,
A massive amount of Irish army lads surrounding the hotel he’ll be staying in and he won’t be mixing with the locals….certainly nothing like Obama did.
Last time we had a load of Scorpion Tanks deployed http://www.irishtimes.com/news/tight-security-as-bush-lands-in-shannon-for-summit-1.983102
A tank should never have been deployed to protect him and it was unsuitable to stop a riot http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/ex-army-man-slams-tank-deployment-154069.html#!
@Barry Somers: a tank would stop a riot. Let off a round and blow the fools up. Riot stopped.
@Alan Brogan: Where are the red thumbs when you need them!
I prefer my polls in percentages.
@EdmundOrlando: look again
Yes
What gives with the journal.ie update??? Bring back red thumbs now & or least give us multiple emotional symbols to react with. Only positive is you can unlike comments if you accidentally liked unlike before when strolling down was a hazard of green or red thumbing something you didn’t want to. PLEASE JOURNAL.IE LISTEN TO YOUR CUSTOMERS & BRING BACK RED THUMBS & INTRODUCE A FACEBOOK TYPE EMOTION BUTTONS SYSTEM
@Abcd: New system is great. Much better than the previous version.
Don’t resist change!”
Makes me laugh when he said doonbeg was only a toy for him. He can politely hump off.
@Rossa O Brien: Irish media really hate him as much as they loved.Obama…With this constant diet of anti Trump reporting from RTE and Newstalk no wonder he is not welcome….Even this morning St Patrick’s day a full 20 minutes of Trump bashing from Morning Ireland…..
Kind of ironic to see this being asked today given I’m watching the Berkley Fire Dept and first responders who doubtless did much to help those of our children lost and injured in that US town and the balcony tragedy, marching down O’Connell St in today’s Parade. Meanwhile down the War&TorturePort doubtless N379P and her GulfScream CIviliAn dirtbirds whisper in and out befouling the UNCAT and Criminal Justice Act 2000 as Customs and the Guards there let their hats fall down over their eyes by governmental diktat.
Let Trump come. We let far better and far worse that’s American in on a daily basis.
He’s going to make Ireland great again..
Trump had his own money ,did not have to be “bought ” by big business ,Many of the politicians here in Ireland cant say the same . as history and recent revelations have thought us , A corruption driven country looking down on Trump ,a sick joke
Trump & his Ilk are not friends of ours !
Who are ‘ours ‘ Andy please be a little more specific
No thanks waste of time
God damn it I miss the red thumbs!!!
@Deborah Behan: they’re still on the iPad app.
Sure hasn’t he a golf course here down near the War&TorturePort which is all Uncle Sam really cares about here these days anyway? So as a landowner can hardly see him being denied entry. Unlike Bush he hasn’t (yet) murdered anybody, let alone the millions George W has, so what’s the problem? At least he won’t cost me the taxpayer a fortune in having to provide convoys of armoured cars and tanks and guns to secure his stay as Bush demanded. God be with the days JFK was here and him with no hat running and jumping over the hedges and ditches near his ancestral farm like a young hare and only a local Guard running alongside him grinning like a mad thing and a couple of young fellas and a Jack Russell. Times is changed. Gloria Mundi. Sick transits (such as found at the warport) much to do with that.
There should have been a “I don’t care” option.
Really should be an option for don’t care
@Paddy: I thought it would have been a legitimate option and no doubt would have proven popular too.
Trump is the legitimate president, but only because the democratic wishes of the American majority were frustrated by an archaic electoral system. that’s their business, but Ireland’s official reaction is ours; we should give no recognition to a grotesque figure who day-in day-out deligitimises others. A private individual called Donald Trump is free to visit his holdings, though female employees are advised to be careful of their own in his presence, but President Trump in Ireland, officially-NO NO NO!!!
Sure
Is there an ‘I don’t care’ option?
How come there was never any outrage about the Chinese premier when he visited Ireland. He actually locks up journalists.
We can’t afford the security that would go with such a visit
Trump is coming over to check up on the great wall of Doonbeg because Kenny told him that not only would we build it for free but we would also build the one in Mexico as well after Kenny gets a great pat on the head from the president…’ah sure paddy bailed out Europe and we can build wall’s as well’
I think a poll on keeping this new comments section layout is required…
Weren’t we not all born together at the centre of stars???
I would think Donald Trump would have more on his mind than visiting Ireland where he knows there is people who do not like him. As he said about his golf course in Doonbeg it is (only small potatoes)so Ireland does not really come into the agenda.
In the world of Post Truth I’d love to see him in Ireland
(does that mean the opposite?)
Yes .But only if he likes Beyonce.
Donnie the Connie will be more than happy to get a break from all of his angry voters that he has conned ..LOL
Trump can shove himself up his own ass and die for all i care and if he did then the the world would be better off.
A snail defeated his wall in the Wesht….what will defeat his Mexican wall I wonder…
have your say