Madam, - I was pleased to read (Business News, March 11th) that Mr Dermot Ahern is opposed to privatising the ESB. The Minister is to be congratulated for taking an unequivocal stand against the ideologues who want to privatise everything in sight without regard for the impact on the lives of people.
While not without its faults, the ESB has served this country well. In an age when electricity has become such a vital commodity it has maintained continuity of supply and has managed to avoid the blackouts which are becoming increasingly common in countries served by private enterprise. On the social side the ESB transformed life in rural Ireland with the Rural Electrification Scheme and, in conjunction with Bord na Móna, has brought a measure of prosperity to some of the most depressed regions in the country.
The ESB is a very valuable national asset which should remain in public ownership. While every effort should be made to ensure that it operates as efficiently as possible, it should not be privatised unless we want to repeat the Eircom débâcle and see it falling into the hands of international capitalists. - Yours, etc.,
M.D. KENNEDY, Silchester Park, Glenageary, Co Dublin.