Sir, - Ms Mary O'Rourke's continued refusal to answer questions of legitimate concern to CIE workers on privatisation can be interpreted in two ways: either she knows what she is at but won't tell us; or she's making it up as she goes along.
It's not clear that the Minister has learnt anything from the Telecom Eireann sell off, where her mom and pop shareholder fantasies haven't made the small investor richer or happier. One woman's privatisation can look remarkably like another man's asset stripping. And CIE has lots of desirable land ready to be picked up by speculators. At knockdown prices?
Ms O'Rourke's confusion on public transport seems to be at an even more basic level. She can't make up her mind if she is providing an essential public service or trying to make a profit. Dublin Bus has proven that where proper resources are put into public transport - e.g. the 46A Quality Bus Corridor - it works and works well.
I challenge Ms O'Rourke to go out on the 46A any morning with me and ask the commuters who use it one question: do they believe that the QBC service would be better if privatised, or is the focus of their interest in getting an efficient and effective public transport system.
What is needed is some serious and informed debate on privatisation. None has taken place so far and it appears the Minister is not interested. All she has achieved to date is to create great uncertainty for workers in CIE about the future of their jobs.
Neither is it fair to the travelling public just to chant a mantra of privatisation as if that would solve lack of investment and lack of integrated planning or deliver an effective public service to all who need it. I once again call on Ms O'Rourke to come clean and answer the questions on the future of public transport in Dublin and of workers in Dublin Bus. - Yours, etc.,
John White, Dublin Bus driver, Lakelands Close, Stillorgan, Co Dublin.