Right of centre and left of right. Right about everything!

After India’s private airline operators ganged up and threatened to strike if they were not provided with bailout package by the government, Vijay Mallya (liquor baron and owner of Kingfisher Airlines) said that he was open to the idea of government holding equity in Kingfisher Airlines. Obviously the idea of letting the government own stake in his airline was his way of enticing the government into announcing a bailout package for the private airlines.

But consider what would happen if indeed that comes to pass. Kingfisher Airlines would become a fleet piloted by drunk pilots and owned in parts by a flamboyant man with interests in booze and expensive and underperforming sports teams and an entity with an unblemished record of mismanaging an airline it already owns.

Fly Kingfisher, anyone?