Port of Dover to be sold

[ChasB46]

French to buy the Port of Dover? http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=499094&in_page_id=2&position=moretopstories

[Bob Scott]

Calais was English for two centuries from 1347 (until the French stole it back in 1558) and only last week the Pas de Calais region - with a view to making a few bucks out of the 2012 Olympics in London - was reasserting itself as part of southern England. So Calais taking over the Dover Harbour Board is no problem!
If it was Boulogne or Dunkerque trying to take over . . . then there WOULD be just cause for British outrage!

[Kelvin Davies]

I think a lot of this story owes more to our journalists inability to tell the truth for more than 60 consecutive seconds than to substance.
The board were looking for ways to raise capital for expansion and a possible sale was one option.
What is really scary though is the quote from P&O who said something along the lines of "We believe companies exposed to normal market forces are more effective and efficient".
This from a rip-roaring success such as is P&O!
Anyway, here is the board's response to all the hype:
http://www.doverport.co.uk/?page=News&article=85
Kelvin

[ChasB46]

Not exactly what the Chief Exec of Dover Harbour Board said in this press piece
http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/dover/Port-Dover-privatisation-2010/article-1581460-detail/article.html
He does expect a few bids, not necessarily from Calais and quote "The plans to sell the port would appear to be well-advanced, according to a written reply by transport minister Paul Clark and published in Hansard on December 3."
Perhaps Dubai??