Sir, – I applaud Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton’s suggestion that it is time for the Government “to reflect on how it should in future interact with people against whom adverse findings have been made by tribunals” (Front page, March 29th).
We need to ostracise these people and not fete them as “good old boys”.
In 2009 as a board member of IBM Ireland and an IBM nominee to the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, I contacted the chamber’s communications director and questioned the wisdom of having Denis O’Brien as its annual dinner guest speaker. I have to say my query was treated with the contempt the chamber felt it deserved, indeed its only response was to contact a junior member of the IBM staff to ask if this was IBM policy or just my opinion. Having been assured it was not IBM policy (and why would it be?) the chamber, tugging their collective forelock, welcomed Mr O’Brien to the dinner.
This led me to the obvious conclusion that ethics are not high on the chamber’s agenda. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – “A Prophet isn’t accepted in his own country,” (Luke 4:24) I attended the “Ireland Day” event held in the New York Stock Exchange on March 19th. It was billed as a day for people interested in the success of “Ireland Inc” to get together and hear how Ireland is progressing out of the morass it had gotten stuck in. I, as an individual participant and sponsor of the event, attended because it would give me the opportunity to meet with like-minded business people and see how I could help.
I am appalled by the balderdash I read in The Irish Times (Front page, March 29th) that was directed at businessman Denis O’Brien from Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton and Minister of State Lucinda Creighton. Do they not realise that the reason the majority of participants at the event in the NYSE were there, not to meet with politicians like Ms Burton, but to meet and exchange views and opinions with very successful business people like Denis O’Brien, Joe Petrowski (CEO Gulf Oil), Trevor Madigan (Facebook), Wilbur Ross (WL Ross Co) and many more? Very few of the participants, if any, had an interest in what Minister Burton had to say at the event.
The persnickety that Irish politicians have toward successful business people in Ireland and from Ireland is appalling! Instead of vilifying our successful business people, politicians should applaud and lionise these creators of jobs and ambassadors of our country.
Ask any Haitian or Jamaica living in New York City what they think of Denis O’Brien and his company, Digicel; they light up and will aver to the fact that Haiti and Jamaica are much better countries with Mr O’Brien involved. His altruistic character is legendary here in NYC as I’m sure it is in all the countries that he does business in.
In summary, this class warfare that is so prevalent in Ireland and also here in the US is doing no good for all involved. Ireland should embrace its successful business people, not make it tough to put their heads over the parapet for fear of getting them knocked off! – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Can anyone kindly advise why our Government is insisting on employing media handlers who are paid in excess of agreed guidelines, when on a flagship visit to Wall Street our Taoiseach is photographed on the balcony of the exchange with individuals whose past activities have been subject to question?
Is this not precisely the sort of thing that the media handlers are paid to identify and avoid, or is it more accurate to say that they are being paid to comment and attempt to dismiss righteous concerns? – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Regardless of who he was photographed with, is it appropriate for Enda Kenny to ring the bell to commence business in a gambling casino, ie, the US Stock Exchange? Does Mr Kenny’s closeness to these gamblers explain why the people of Ireland are being forced to pay for the gambling debts of others? – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Notwithstanding the apparent inaction to date on the serious findings in the Moriarty tribunal report in relation to Denis O’Brien and the awarding of the State’s second mobile licence, is it not now time for the Government to seek to retrieve or exact a tax on the substantial wealth amassed by Mr O’Brien following the awarding of that licence; the billions of euro that could be recouped would certainly be a welcome addition to the critical health of the State’s finances? – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Some time in the past I had a meeting with Denis O’Brien and you did not report it. Surely some mishstake! Isn’t it about time the paper of record copped on to the “witchhunt”? On the world stage Denis O’Brien is a well-known and respected businessman whose entrepreneurial flair is much admired. He builds businesses which create jobs and profits. In Ireland he is hounded by the begrudgers. We need more Denis O’Briens and should be careful not to drive him and his like from our shores. – Yours, etc,