O'Reilly Eircom bid may face problems

dahamsta

Mary Harney has started asking questions about possible conflicts of interest between Tony O'Reilly's bid for Eircom and his current shareholdings (Chorus, Unison, etc). Looks like this one could be sent off to the Competition Authority. (There's also some info on TV3 text about this topic.)

O'Reilly Eircom bid may face problems
http://breaking.examiner.ie/story.asp?j=5703126&p=57x35xx&n=5703597

Also, Denis O'Brien has started asking questions and pointing fingers:

O'Brien criticises Eircom board
http://breaking.examiner.ie/story.asp?j=13186640&p=y3y875x3&n=13187583

O'Brien criticises recommendation of Valentia bid for Eircom
http://www.rte.ie/news/2001/0612/eircom.html

Could this stuff be posted on IrelandOffline.com? Bard, how about an interface for "trusted users" to post headlines and links. It would make the site more "lived in" anyway?

adam

sceptre

Shame no-one thought to ask Sor Onzhony (is he officially a foreigner now or what) about shady dealings behind MDS licences in the north-west (I'm sure o_donnell_abu could fill us in on that one)

If the bid does go ahead though it might kill the aggro between Princes Holdings and Eircom on the whole "if you offer internet, we'll offer TV services, hah and we won't fly into Shannon any more either or let you play with our lego" type arguments going on.

Sorry, poor attempt at sarcasm. Let the nice man have control over the entire telecoms network, half the print media and half the cable TV market. I was, to be honest, kind of hoping that the chap who headed Esat when they came up with the idea of flat-rate net access might grab it. Donation to Fianna Fail routed through a party fundraiser anyone?

LegacyUser

More information on competition issues in this article in todays Irish Times.

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2"> As the group now in exclusive negotiations with Eircom, Valentia will be obliged to notify either the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, of the competition directorate of the European Commission of the proposed takeover. Notification to Europe would normally over-ride the State process.</font>

dahamsta

I didn't really want to comment on this - because my opinions seem to be rather radical for some people *smile* - but I have to say that I think the Eircom board and employees are being incredibly small-minded about this, and thinking in the short-term. Considering the facts that eIsland was offering more money overall; more money to the employees and shareholders; and has a lot more experience in the telecommunications trade, it appears to me - from the outside looking in of course - that their decisions are swayed by bitterness and maliciousness directed towards Denis O'Brien for the simple reason that he introduced competition in the telecommunications industry. The decision of the Eircom board to accept the Valencia bid; and the Eircom employees to back it, strikes me as at best illogical and arrogant, at worst plain stupid.

adam

LegacyUser

Dennis O'Brien was virulently anti-union during his ownership of Esat. I'm sure the Eircom employees who were the powerbrokers on the Eircom takeover battle took this into account. It was an opporunity for this highly unionised force to do a bit of pay-back ass-kicking.

Bannerman

jd

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by dahamsta:
I didn't really want to comment on this - because my opinions seem to be rather radical for some people *smile* ...

adam</font>

mm maybe
I'm sure they're not going to join your campaign for the deification of Dennis O'Brien
jd

[This message has been edited by jd (edited 13-06-2001).]

dahamsta

"It was an opporunity for this highly unionised force to do a bit of pay-back ass-kicking."

No doubt, but I reckon there's a fair chance of it coming back and kicking them in the ass in a couple of years...

"I'm sure they're not going to join your campaign for the deification of Dennis O'Brien"

I think that's overstating things just a wee little bit. Yes, I admire Denis O'Brien, because I think he's a good businessman; he's got a nice few quid tucked away in the bank; and he seems to be pretty happy with his lot - all of which I aspire to. But "deification"? I mean, really!

Or did you mean defecation?

adam