SWBKCB
Of course the flaw in that argument is that Aer Lingus have not received any substantial subsidies from the Irish Government ... it's the cause of much unease over there ... all the government have done is throw some money at the airports and pay a percentage of the salaries for some staff - Aer Lingus / Ireland is unique in Europe in being the only country not to have supported aviation despite having the strictest and longest standing restrictions of travel - even within the EU.
Personally I think EI are in Manchester and the UK because it presents a sound commercial opportunity and think it has big potential to grow alongside the Irish operations