I can't say I'm a great believer in nationalizing privately owned assets. I can understand how in times of crisis some governments may nationalize key sections of the national infrastructure and I can understand why some basics, such as the provision of water, might have to be nationalized at times. There are other cases where I can see people making a valid case for nationalization.
However, I can't see how anyone could make the claim that nationalizing the television rights to a golf event is anything other than theivery. Yet, that's what the Irish government may well do - steal the assets of SKY television so that all Irish viewers can watch the Ryder Cup without having to subscribe to SKY.
I'm not a fan of golf and couldn't care less about the Ryder Cup. I won't be watching even if it's "free to air" (I love that phrase - does that mean I don't have to pay my license fee?). But, even if I was really keen to see the Ryder Cup, I'd recognize that what the government is considering is unjust and unjustifiable. You want to see the Ryder Cup? Get SKY, get to the pub or get over it.
