Viridian executives visiting Dublin recently revealed the problems of doing business in the politically charged atmosphere of Northern Ireland.

The company has operated for years as Northern Ireland Electricity, but when it decided to broaden its operations two years ago the search began for a new corporate name and identity.

The new name, the board decided, would have to be politically neutral. A point driven home at the time when the British mobile phone operator, Orange, erected hoardings in nationalist areas of Belfast telling locals "The Future is Orange".

Various names were suggested then rejected because of possible reverberations in the political world. Eventually one bright executive came up with the name Viridian, which was unlikely to offend anyone. However, later it was discovered that Viridian means "slightly green".

The executives in Dublin, needless to say, do not spend much time dwelling on the literal translation and have stuck to using Northern Ireland Electricity when doing business in Northern Ireland, although the company is listed as Viridian in Dublin and London.