A chara, - The possible purchase by the Government of the two M50 West-Link toll bridges should be commemorated permanently for future generations.
Bridges should be commemorative, so why not name the two West Link bridges after their progenitors, the two men who signed the original deal on behalf of the State for this remarkable "public- private partnership" in 1987?
Motorists could then reflect on the legacy of these two erstwhile public service titans while queuing to pay their toll, before crossing the "George Redmond" and the "Pee Flynn" spans over the River Liffey.
The State's purchase of part of the M50 to enable a public road be owned by the public for at least €600 million, means a remarkable return on an initial investment by National Toll Roads (NTR) of around £6 million when the bridge was built in the late 1980s.
The official explanation as to how this public-private partnership arose is that that NTR took a huge risk by offering to build the bridge before the rest of the M50 was built, in a parsimonious Ireland where the State could not afford to spend such sums on infrastructure. If only civil servants had the business acumen and charm of the taoiseach of the time, who appeared to have no difficulty amassing credit facilities of a similar magnitude from private sources for his own purposes back then!
How NTR had the foresight to build the bridge, and the bravery to do so with the fear that that M50 might not actually have to cross the Liffey at that point, is truly astonishing.
The bridges are a permanent reminder of the way business was done back in the tough times of the 1980s, when we are told Ireland had a "different" business and political culture.
Funnily though, NTR's reported desire to seek an indemnity against paying capital gains tax on this proposed new buy-out deal has something of a ring to it too, in keeping with those difficult times of a "different culture".
While motorists can't avoid the bridge, it seems those with financial clout can seek to avoid taxes.
Perhaps, despite the Celtic Tiger, we are holding on to some of our culture. - Is mise le meas,
DIARMAID PLÉIMIONN, Palmer Road, Rush, Co Dublin.